Re: My brother's Coupe--Again!

[steveb@newkla.kla.com (Steven Buchholz)]

> "I've gotten my first sold clue to the dying Audi problem.  On starting, the
> fuel pump is running , but the car will not start.  When I hold the key "on"
> (I hate to do this) the engine revs up, but the second I release the key it
> drops dead.  So it isn't a fuel problem.  I have previously changed the
> ignition switch in the steering column, so that is new.  I have put in a new
> coil and cap & rotor.  Can you think of what might be shorting out?  This has
> happened before, after the car sat an hour it would start normal.  Now, it
> will not run unless I hold the key in the start position.  It ran fine the
> night before.  Would a fuel relay do somehting like this (sudden death)?
>  Maybe it's a relay down stream oof the start switch?"
> 
I got the Bentley for the 83 Coupe and looked to see if it used a resistance 
wire to the ignition coil, that is a typical cause for a problem where an 
engine starts but will not run when the key is released.  The Bentley for the 
'83 Coupe does not actually have a wiring diagram for the '83 Coupe (no big 
surprise to me), but it has diagrams for the 81/82 Coupe and 83 4000 CIS.  
There does not appear to be a resistance wire on either of these cars.  This 
means that the primary candidate would be the ignition switch itself.  I have 
had to replace a number of these modules over the years on my Fox and urQ.  
You could confirm that the switch is faulty by seeing if the turn signals 
would work or not when the engine died with the key left in the RUN position.
If you need further info from the Bentley let me know.

Steve Buchholz
s_buchho@kla.com
San Jose, CA (USA)