nik_codling

Just pinging it back up to the top again - any tips and advice would be welcome! Thanks, Nik

Hi everyone, I've got a strange problem with the brakes on my '97 A3 1.6. Last week I discovered I had a leak from the N/S rear banjo bolt union - turned out one or both of the crush washers had corroded, and I was merrily squirting fluid everywhere. I didn't realise this at first until I got a warning sign on the dash telling me the fluid was low. I immediately checked the fluid and topped it up, and discovred the leak at the back, which by now had got fluid all over the wheel and tyre. Not long after this, and during my perhaps ill-advised and very careful drive home the pedal went to the floor. That said, the brakes did still work, albeit at a reduce rate. I suspect this was caused by an almost total loss of fluid - I'm not sure if these cars have a safety valve to keep braking on opposing ends of the car, but it was just enough to get me home. I replaced the faulty washers and cleaned everything up and then attempted to bleed the system. After an hour and around a litre of fluid I was still getting a spongy brake pedal, although the brakes were much improved, and safe enough to drive. I took the car to a local VW/Audi independant, to have them bled. The garage put around 3-4 litres of fluid through the system by means of a pressurised bleeding kit on the master cylinder reservoir, but it has failed to cure the problem. The brakes still work, but there is a little too much travel on the pedal, and a spongy feel. That said, if I rev the engine the brakes do appear to firm up. The garage seems to think the problem may be caused by the fluid getting too low, possibly drawing cack in to the ABS unit. I'm not too convinced about that though, as the ABS system still works (I tested it on a quiet road last night). My suspision is that there could be an air leak in the vacuum hose to the servo, as I noticed when I was bleeding the brakes that the servo (I think) was making a whistling noise which went up and down in pitch as I pumped the pedal. Perhaps even a leak in the servo diaphragm. The vacuum hose theory could be backed up by the fact that the idle is occasionally a bit fluttery, and that the pedal hardness improves if I rev the engine. I'm at a loss for ideas, and the garage has given up, so I'm hoping someone here might have a clue, or some ideas to check out! Any advice or tips would be really appreciated. Also, I'd be grateful if you could recommend any independants in the Portsmouth area, so I can get a second opinion. Nik PS Sorry for the long post, hope you're still awake!

Thanks guys. I'll check the manual later. The Vag-com thing looks great, although I doubt I'd get the use out of it to justify the price. Pretty good value though. cheers, Nik

Hi all, Can anyone tell me if there is a way I can re-set the oil service message myself? Ironically I changed the oil about 1000 miles ago. My car is a '97 1.6. I wondered if I might be able to get hold of the Audi service/diagnostic software to run on my laptop, and be able to plug that in to the car and re-set it? Any pointers would be appreciated. cheers, Nik

Anyone??! I read a few other posts about cars not getting up to temp (usual running speed being bang on 90 in mine) and the symptoms certainly point to the thermostat. I guess I'll have a nose at it tomorrow and see ho much of a job it is. Nik

Hi all, Can anyone point me in the right direction of a "how to" guide for changing a thermostat? I have a '97 1.6 A3 and i think my thermostat is knackered - it takes forever to get warm, and if the weather is really cold the engine temp goes down when I'm on the motorway. If I buy a new thermostat from GSF or the like will I need a new housing gasket or anything? I've done them before on other cars, but I seem to recall on these that they're housed in a plastic housing which has a couple of coolant pipes plumbed in to them. Any tips or pointers would be appreciated. Nik

I'm pretty sure gsfcarparts.com do them. About £28 I seem to recall, but I might be wrong. Nik

Might be worth trying new leads - I had a similar problem with mine. Especially bad if it's been raining overnight. All is well now, and it's running lots better in general! Nik

Mine does that to a certain extent. I think it's because of the engine not picking up revs as easily as other cars with more revvy engines. Occasionally I'll find that as I go to pull away with slightly too few revs the engine will bog down slightly, causing the revs to dip and the car almost stalls. This makes the engine rock a bit on the engine mounts, which may explain the feeling of the pedal moving under your foot. A few more revs gets around it! I've also had a diagnostic check recently, and all is well. I've been experiencing a slight misfire on occasion, and assumed it to be the airflow sensor. I put new plugs and leads in and it's fine now, giving smoother running, better performance, and better fuel economy. cheers, Nik

Hi all, Just wondered if this in anything anyone else has come across. Occasionally i'll turn on the engine in my '97 A3 1.6 and the engine runs fine as usual, but the ABS light stays on and electrical things like the indicators, wipers, and blower don't work. It drives fine otherwise. Often it'll sort itself out if I turn off the ignition and turn itself back on again. I've been advised by a local VW specialist that it's probably the ignition barrel that needs replacing. Seems a bit odd for a car with only 70k on the clock, but there we go. Does that sound right to all you experts out there? If so, is this a simple enough job to replace? I'm capable enough with the spanners, but I understand the steering wheel has to come off, and I'm a bit nervous about disturbing the airbag! Any advice would be welcomed! cheers, Nik

Cheers guys, I might try some IPA, failing that I'll get a new one from GSF. Paul, you mention exchange - is that usually the case then? How much am I looking at for one? Thanks, Nik

Forgot to mention, mine's a '97 A3 1.6 cheers, Nik

Hi again, While I'm here I may as well ask about this. I have a suspected faulty or non-functioning airflow sensor. The car is jerky when accelerating, and only accelerates smoothly on absolutely full throttle. The problem is worse when the weather is hot or driving at higher altitudes (I was in Switzerland in April), and especially bad when accelrating on a partial throttle. I'm guessing that over time the wires in the sensor that poke out in to the airflow get grubby and stop doing their job, so the FI over-fuels to compensate. Is it possible to clean the little sensor wires, or do the sensors just stop and that's it? Assuming of course that it is the airflow sensor that's causing the problem. cheers, Nik

Hi everyone, It's not often I post on here, as my A3 rarely causes me any trouble, but I've had a bit of a strange one today.... Drove to work this morning and round tight bends the front nearside suspension was clonking and banging, and it sounded like the spring twisting round in it's mount within the strut. Got to work and noticed the ride was a little down on that side and suspected that maybe the top bush or bearing (which is it?) had failed. Drove home (carefully!) and was about to pull the wheel off when I found half a coil of spring on the driveway! The spring has apparently fractured and has been like it for a while, as the surface is a bit rusty. For whatever reason it let go as I left this morning. Lucky I suppose, as at least I found it, so I don't have to go poking around at the suspension now until I source some new springs. GSF appear to list replacement springs - can anyone recommend anywhere that would stock them? How much of a job is it to get the strut out? Am I going to have to undo the hub nut and get the hub out, or does the strut bolt to the back of the hub? Must get a manual really. cheers, Nik

This happened on my 1.6. Just after I bought it I had the cambelt replaced as a precaution (couldn't determine from the history if it had been done) and I got a call from the garage saying it was dripping. It would appear that the garage I bought the car from had done a service on it before I bought it, and not only over-tightened the plug, but also put the wrong oil in (too thin). So despite costing about £60 to have it helicoiled and re-filled with the correct grade oil it was a blessing in disguise really. It might have dropped it's oil at any moment, or had an expensive top-end failure due to the wrong oil... cheers, Nik