[s-cars] Fire in Aux Relay Panel II - Help Requested

[Fred Munro]

Dave;

This relay is a common problem in the UrS cars. I haven't heard of them
catching on fire before, but they do fail and cause a continuous current
drain that will kill the battery if the car sits for a few days. That
happened to my UrS4, and I disabled the circuit by pulling the circuit
breaker for the auto window close.

This relay doesn't affect the normal power window operation; it's function
is to autoclose any open windows or the sunroof when you lock the car. It
has nothing to do with the IR locking system.

Guys, this is a heads-up for those with auto-close relay issues. Looks like
the end-point of this relay failure can be a fire, so it might be prudent to
pull the breaker or the relay if you don't use the auto-close feature. Of
course, if you can't remember to close your windows....

Dave, try Chris at Force 5 Auto. He always has a few UrS cars under the
knife and should be able to supply the parts you need. The Audifans
Marketplace seems to have at least a couple of UrS cars listed as being
parted out, so that is another source of parts.

A downside to always using the remote to lock and unlock the car is that the
lock cylinders corrode and seize up from lack of use. The fix is to remove
the lock cylinder, take it apart, clean up the pins, cylinder and housing,
lube it well, and put it back together. It's a bit of a PITA because you
have to remove the window carrier to get the lock cylinder out (actually, to
get it back in, you can get it out with the carrier in place if you are
creative). I'm not using my remote this winter and making sure I use both
locks because I went down this road with the UrS4 and don't need to see that
scenery again. I actually took a set of photos with the intention of writing
a "How-to" but never did get around to it.

Try re-coding your IR system using the Bentley procedure - it may have lost
the coding when the battery was disconnected. Leaving the car idle for a
week will also shut down the IR system (to reduce battery drain) and you'll
have to recode it.

HTH. Glad you were able to save the car - quick thinking!

Fred Munro
'97 S6

-----Original Message-----
From: s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com
[mailto:s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com]On Behalf Of Dave Ellis
Sent: February 2, 2008 5:59 AM
To: s-car-list at audifans.com
Subject: [s-cars] Fire in Aux Relay Panel II - Help Requested



So I go to leave late from work last night and I'm greeted with a faint
burning smell in the car.  Start the engine and the cabin quickly fills
with toxic smoke, and I can see flickering light reflecting from flames
somewhere in the driver's side foot well.

Nice.

After using an extinguisher and frantically unbolting the rear seat to
disconnecting the battery, I spend the next hour and a half
disassembling the kick panels outdoors while it snows heavily, with wind
drifting snow into the car while I try to work.  In the dark.  Fun (not!).

Turns out either one of the relays or relay sockets in the driver's side
lower kick panel caught fire, completely burning through socket, relay
plate, most of the way through the relay, and a few inches down the
wiring harness.

The patient is a '93 S4.  So now I need to track down a replacement
relay, relay plate, relay socket, and preferably a few inches of wiring
attached to the socket to splice into what's left of the wiring (I had
to cut out the burnt sections to avoid a short, about 3 inches worth).

Here's what I was able to find out about the relay:

   From the top of the Relay (what was left of it):
   ------------------------------------------------
   218 (in white letters on top)
   89 99 70
   12V 20/50A
   895 951 254

   Bentley Manual:
   ---------------
   Auxiliary Relay Panel II
   Relay Position 3: "Automatic Window Closing Relay, J261
   Page 97-9, and Wiring Diagram (no page ref)

   ETKA 7:
   -------
   Illustration 937-70, POS 8
   Part Number 8A0 951 253 A
   Description:
     "contact close relay for electric window regulators
      for vehicles with comfort wiring.  Relay Location: 3"


So what else does this do besides the "one touch down" feature for the
front power windows?

A possibly related problem I need to track down is that the infra-red
remote key now no longer appears to work.  Can't lock/unlock the doors
with it.  I don't know if it's related or not, but I'm also unable to
lock or unlock the driver's side door using the key in the lock.  The
lock mechanism is either jammed or frozen.  The lock/unlock button on
the interior doors still works though.

I can't say if the mechanical lock has ever worked.  Had the door
replaced two years ago after someone backed into it in a parking lot.  I
can't remember ever actually using the key in the lock since then.

Anyone know how this burnt relay might affect the remote locking feature?

Any ideas why this particular relay would have suddenly decided to burn up?

Thanks for any suggestions or insight you can offer!

Dave

'93 UrS4
'99.5 A4 1.8t


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