Re: So... my Audi just went dead...

["Wm. Josiah Erikson" <werikson@hampshire.edu>]

The real way to test the fuel supply would be to jump the fuel pump relay, pull
an injector, and pull that air sensor plate up. The injector should squirt fuel
in a fairly even, roughly cone-shaped pattern. It's never perfect like it says
it should be in the manual, but it shouldn't be terrible.
    -Josiah
    '84 GTI
    '87 QSW


Tomas Gardström (ECS) wrote:

> Hi all,
> I was out driving this Saturday and suddenly my Audi just went dead during
> downshift. I managed to get it running again by releasing the clutch but at
> the red lights, about 200m further, it stopped again. This time I got it
> started using the starter, just to se the car go completely dead in another
> couple of hundred meters. As this scenario is exactly what I don't want to
> happen, just before the same drive this day I had replaced the distributor
> and rotor as a maintenance precaution. So I figured something was bad with
> the installation or with the new parts and I started to check it/them again
> at the roadside. I didn't get the car started again so eventually I got the
> car towed home. The car is an Audi 100cc -87 with 2.2l HX engine.
>
> Well in the garage I investigated the ignition system and I didn't find
> anything suspect. I even connected my strobe light and activated the starter
> and the strobe light flashed with a regular pulse on all five cylinders. I
> assume that this gives that the ignition system is working.
>
> When pulling the spark plugs after a lot of unsuccessful start attempts, I
> didn't smell so much fuel as I think should be normal, and the plugs seemed
> rather dry. Does this point out a fuel supply problem? (I think
> so...right/wrong?)
>
> Thinking it was a fuel supply problem I bridged the fuel pump relay and
> listened to the fuel pump roaring. It didn't sound well but every time I
> started it I heard a distinct "click" somewhere in the engine compartment
> that I suggest is some kind of pressure regulator sounding, right/wrong?
> After the "click" the fuel pump sound changed a little. Anyway, I think that
> the fuel pump works OK, but what is the best way of assuring this?
>
> My next approach was to remove the air duct and check the air flow sensor
> plate in the air cone. As this was the first time I checked this out ("Don't
> fix it if it ain't broke" philosophy) there were some dirt in there and I
> wiped it clean and centralised the sensor plate as described in the Haynes
> manual (I don't have a Bentley, and I have never seen one here in Sweden).
> When raising and lowering the air sensor plate, I felt some resistance in
> the upward movement. I had to take a firm grip of the nut to raise the plate
> without slipping. The plate could be moved downward easily, but the plate
> didn't come to the proper rest position every time. What gives? Is the
> control plunger in the fuel distributor sticking? The Haynes manual states
> "If the sensor plate ... has a strong resistance to upward movement, the
> control plunger is sticking". What is "strong" in this sentence? Shall the
> resistance in upward and downward movement be approximately the same?
>
> Assuming the problem is that the control plunger is sticking, any BTDT:s?
>
> Thanks in advance,
> /Tomas Gardström