Re: Engine falters in 1st gear

[newbold@banshee.camb.inmet.com (Chris Newbold)]

> Here is a really weird problem.  My engine seems to studder in first gear.
> Often when I accelerate, the engine will cut out, the car will jerk forward
> as its momentum caries it, and then the engine will immediately kick back in.
> This doesn't seem to happen in any other gear, although once in a while it
> seems like it tries to falter in second gear.  Now, it is worsening because
> ...

Well, I don't know how applicable this will be to your car, but I had a very
similar problem a few years ago in a Volvo 240. When ever I tried to pull away
in first gear, the engine would stutter and stumble badly. Once under way and
into second, no problem.

Mechanics tried many things: fooling with the ignition, cleaning the throttle
body, etc. Made no difference. Then one day I was poking around under the hood
with the engine running and I happened to prod one of the fuel injectors. The
engine started missing badly!

Apparently, the electrical connector to the injector was falling apart inside
and when it didn't make contact, to fuel to that cylinder. The reason it only
happened when pulling away was that the torque on letting out the clutch twisted
the whole engine enough to one side to put tension on the cable to that
injector.

This won't be of any use if your Audi has the mechanical CIS system, though...

-Chris