1999 Audi 80 Final Edition 2.8 electrical issues etc

[JeffB]

Just test driven a 1999 audi 80 cabriolet 2.8 final edition, but it has a few problems, and electrical niggles to cure, if anybody has had these problems and can advise on how to repair or where to look:

1. Water temperature gauge not functioning
2. Oil temperature gauge not functioning
3. instrumentation LCD for trip computer has pixels permanently on, on bottom 5 rows
4. electric aerial not working. OEM replacement needed as Audi have stop manufacture or is there a repair kit?
5. Seemed slow to pull away and a bit gutless but revved freely out of gear. Do these V6's need to rev to pull away OK?? (Too use to power diesels)
6. The 2 electric fans on the radiator seemed to be running all the time, i only drove it 3 or 4 miles. Is this normal?

The vehicle is mechanically sound, comes with 12 months MOT and it's only the electrical problems and me not sure about how to drive a V6 petrol.

Any comments, previous experience or pointers to the repair of the faults (if any) as the bodywork is in great condition at 104k miles.

thanks for your input in advance
jeff

[80Quattro]

1. It's the connection to the circuit board, remove the gauge and fit crush washers to make a better connection
2. Potentially the sender in the block, if you only drove it 3 or 4 miles it likely didn't get warm enough to register though.
3. Sounds like an issue with the connection to the screen rather than the much more common screen bleed, they use a zebra strip style of connector, check they are making good contact.
4. They stopped selling the aerial or the repair kit a long time ago, either take the aerial apart and remove the motor to make it a manual aerial, or buy an aftermarket replacement
5. Assuming it's an auto, sounds like a torque converter fault. However, that gearbox has it's origins far before 1999, it may just be you're used to more modern gearboxes, the engine itself has a reasonable amount of torque.
6. Only if the A/C is on, and even then I think it should just be the one fan. I've owed a couple of V6s and it's very rare for the second fan to come on due to coolant temp.

[macspring]

Depending on whether you wish to have a car with a black chrome pack effect or highlight the oem chrome around the windscreen or base of the roof will dictate your choice of the 'style' of a new ariel - i.e. just to say that it is possible to buy a black masted ariel as opposed to the more normal chrome masted ariel.

Beru may make ariels and so you could check into their range.

Best wishes.

[JeffB]

Hi,
thanks for the feedback, the vehicle is a manual 5 speed, should have posted that originally, so any thought on the lack of power or is it me expecting power straight away @ 1500rpm.

Both fans were definitely running, could this be a faulty temperature sender?
thank
jeff

[Vorsprung durch Technik]

A bloody good service will improve things no end.

It's likely on very old plug leads and original Maf. Mafs don't go on these but i bought a new one only £50 6 years go a new set of Beru leads an iridium plug upgrade which made a very nice noticeable difference you could feel and was replaced when the car had done only 61k miles. Terra cleaned ours just for fun to see if the hype was all it's up to. Yet again that made a difference by this time the car was running like a new one. They're not quick of the mark as it's a heavy car but are nice and punchy when moving if you ask it to be. There is a repair kit for these ariels or there was a few years ago.

Any pictures of this new car?

[JeffB]

Hi,
thanks again for your input, i did forget to mention the gear stick was wobbly and a lack of feel for the gear box gates, is this just the linkages that need tightening and adjusting? or does is point to something more serious ??
cheers
jeff

[M2ki]

Nothing to adjust on the linkage.

[Lago Blue]

JeffB

1 & 2) Get the Bentley...

Manual, preferably the paper one, it has all sorts of illustrations and trouble-shooting stuff including those gauge systems:

http://www.pvv.ntnu.no/~shane/stasj/...%20systems.pdf

You may know this already: Be sure to STFA before posting, most issues are not new and some of the best answers lie in the archives, their authors too tired of the same question to point back to them.

5) This could be a huge discussion (V6 low speed response), perhaps better left till winter to more fully detail (this is a shortened list), but amongst points below are some basic house-keeping items that can be begun and done more easily:
- Air filter in good shape, clean and stock?
- Clean the MAF sensor?
- Plastic plenum to throttle-body gasket aged / deteriorated? Also, do the telephone cord mod;
- Does your version have an EGR system? (or is that North-America only?) If yes, then do EGR mod;
- Engine will most likely display poor vacuum capability, solving that will require some considerable persistence, leak-down tests and time, but is required to properly control fuel pressure, critical at low throttle settings; and thus drive-ability and fuel economy;
- Oil consumption will be an issue due to the stock crankcase vent system until modded; and the engine's ingestion of its' own oil into the intake system mucks up everything down-stream;
- The intake manifold (lovely 2-stage vacuum-actuated version fitted to North American 12v's only?) is best tackled in a few small most critical areas first, as there is simply too much to do all at once;
- For the brave - the intake manifold to cylinder head junction has six sister factory port defects whose removal will yield improved response;
- Fuel injectors dirty / leaky / uneven spray / balanced?
- O2 sensors tested to confirm they are cycling and not aged out;
But yes, it is well worthwhile as 2.8 ltrs can certainly have a lovely bottom end, one just needs to attend to the details. Much in the above owes its existence to the work of one Mance Etheridge, we labour in his shadow here.

6) No, not normal, most likely found by STFA;

7) There is much that can be done re stock shifting and still be stock:
- your stick pivot is failing? It will and it will strand you. Do the VW shift pivot mod preventatively;
- mid-linkage flex-coupling (cast-alloy) will be loose / worn internally, do the tightening mod;
- do aftermarket snub replacement and replace tranny mounts, possibly with All-Roads or others?

https://www.s2forum.com/forum/member...ket-for-b3-use

[Lago Blue]

JeffB - pm sent.

Here is another spot where you may download that booklet which contains trouble-shooting the gauges (Audi 80 B4 1992 > Electrical systems.pdf):

http://files.inbox.lv/ticket/423e7b1...9d3260152963c1