Kennon's Angry Audi Gods (tm)

["Al Powell" <APOWELL@agcom.tamu.edu>]

> From: KWHines@aol.com
> Subject: Help! - Audi Gods Angry

> My parents have a '93 100S w/ 42,000 miles.  Just went out of warranty (*of
> course*).  Mother calls from cell phone this morning and describes strange
> transmission behavior.  Car lunges when shifting from R to D (w/ brake
> depressed), literally slamming her into seat - this is not good.  While
> driving, car won't shift.  She can manually move selector, but trans stays in
> 3rd.  Sound to me like it's in fail-safe or "limp home" mode. She also
> mentions strange odor.

OK - if the car LUNGES - that implies the engine was running at 
higher RPM than idle.  This might be a sticking throttle or an idle 
control mechanism that its letting it run too fast.  Is  your mom 
 mechanical enough to watch the tach - or sense that the 
car is running too fast?  (If so, ask her to think back on this....)  
But if it slammed her in the seat, something had the revs up.  Look 
for that.  

Oh-oh.  I just thought of something.....

Uhhhhh....one thing.....and I really hate to mention this, but....you 
say she had the BRAKE depressed - and that the car LUNGED.  If A was 
taking place, then B cannot happen!!  Remember the cause of 
"Unintended acceleration"?  It was "unintended-foot-on-throttle" when 
some drivers got the pedals mixed up.  Now, I am NOT accusing your 
mom of being a careless driver - but the Audi pedals are placed close 
to each other (As they should be) for heel-and-toe braking.  Drivers 
have mistaken them before.

What makes me think about this is that IF her foot was really on the 
brake, the car CANNOT lunge enough to "slam her into the seat".  I 
think you might want to explore this possibility.  Is the Audi her 
primary car?  Of does she usually drive, say, a domestic like a Ford or 
Chevy passenger car?  My own personal theory is that the differences 
in pedal placement have led to some errors in pedal usage when 
drivers who are not especially "in tune" with their cars move from a 
domestic to an Audi.  (BTW - Audi was NOT the only car to have this 
problem - other European and Japanese cars also had reports...and all 
of them had the more performance-oriented pedal placement.)

On the other point - the strange odor is a poser.  Did she light up 
the tires????  :-)
 
> I drive out to pick car up and take to my mechanic.  I drive car about 4
> miles w/ no probs.  Shifting fine both auto and manual.  I don't notice any
> smell.  We left car for mechanic to check later today - no word yet.
> 
> When I brought my mother home I noticed fluid on driveway where the car was
> parked last night.  Appears to be oil, but could be trans (was brown, not
> reddish).

How much?  A few drops is nothing.  A stain two feet wide might be 
something.....

> BTW, 'rents are supposed to be driving car to Hamilton, NY tomorrow for my
> sister's graduation.  AGs really have that timing thing down!
> 
> Please help!  Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

> Kennon Hines
> 1990 Coupe Quattro
> Atlanta, GA

I would check the idle system - and consider possible driver error.  
If I'm wrong, please accept my apology...but it's hard to diagnose 
over the net, and I feel that I owe you as a list-partner my best 
guess.  That's all it is - a guess.  Good luck.


Al Powell                           Voice:  409/845-2807
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