Car Wont Start/Respond when Start Button is pushed. No power up and a clicking noise.

[EchelonS4]

Having problems starting my car. Its a 2010 S4. I get in the car with the key in hand and hit the start button and get no response from the vehicle. The Brake pedal is very stiff and I get nothing from any of the dash components. If I put the key in the key slot, the MMI turns on but nothing else on the dash powers up. At that point when I try to start with either pressing the key or pushing the start button I get a clicking noise from behind the key in the dash. Car unlocks and locks like normal and all interior and exterior lighting work without any power issues. Reference video below. Seems like it is not communicating in some capacity. Any help would be appreciated.

EDIT: I did notice when pushing down the brake pedal the tail lights are not illuminating as if Im pushing on the brake pedal. Battery is running 12volts and I have hooked up jump packs just to verify it is not a battery issue.


https://www.facebook.com/brian.nowacki.5/videos/10103190144916112/

[WarmFuzzies]

Sounds like a dead battery my friend.

[LINDW4LL]

+1, the battery would be the first thing I'd look to rule out.

[EchelonS4]

Even if it seems like all lighting on the vehicle is functioning properly?

[WarmFuzzies]

Yeah these things are pretty robust and may retain enough power to run a few things but still fall short to generate the juice to start the engine.

Is definitely start with a jump start to see if that solves the start issue. If yes, replace the battery


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[Dirt]

As the other have said, it’s probably a dead battery. It has enough juice left to turn on the lights but not start the car. Very common.

[EchelonS4]

Put a jumper on the car and got nothing more then what I had. I did notice when I depress the brake pedal the brake lights do not light up as they should. Could there be some sort of dead sensor and the car isnt reading the pedal being pushed down?

[Rbb1485]

Trying to jump a really dead battery may not help you... measure voltage across the battery, need around 13v

[Dr GP]

Your car is 7 yrs old. Battery cannot ever be expected to last that long. You can pick one up at Advanced Auto parts or Autozone. Advanced will actually install it for free. Its not hard to do but its much more complicated due to location under spare tire. BTW, no need to recode the battery. Yes some do recode their battery

[LINDW4LL]

Not sure beyond the battery. That's a very weird issue to have.

[Dirt]

Have you thought about testing/replacing your battery?

[Luna's S4]

My first battery lasted almost four years.

[EchelonS4]

The Battery has 12v running through it. Not sure where to go from here. Sounds like manually getting it into neutral and pushing it out of the garage to be towed to the dealer is the next option

[CrownSeven]

Bad starter then? I’ve suggested this in another thread, you can try giving the starter a few whacks with a hammer to loosen it up. Has worked for me on other cars in the past.

[theweebabyseamus]

The Battery has 12v running through it. Not sure where to go from here. Sounds like manually getting it into neutral and pushing it out of the garage to be towed to the dealer is the next option

12v isn’t enough. Did you put a jumper pack on it or cables from another car? If so, let it run connected for 10 minutes or so and try again.

[Dr GP]

The Battery has 12v running through it. Not sure where to go from here. Sounds like manually getting it into neutral and pushing it out of the garage to be towed to the dealer is the next option

Why will you not accept the idea that your battery is dying ?When you hear hoof beats don't look for zebras.

[QuattroLegacy]

Why will you not accept the idea that your battery is dying ?When you hear hoof beats don't look for zebras.

+1

Get a good AGM battery from Advance Auto and that should be it. I’m thinking it will take either an H6 or H7 AGM. I had starting and running issues as my battery started dying, and the battery wasn’t even bad, I had a faulty alternator; knock on wood, I was running an OE Audi battery that was 9 years old and still strong had the alternator not crapped out


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[LINDW4LL]

Bad starter then? I’ve suggested this in another thread, you can try giving the starter a few whacks with a hammer to loosen it up. Has worked for me on other cars in the past.
Its a bigger issue as his cluster isn't even turning on.

[Dirt]

Remove your battery and have it load tested. That’s a free service most auto parts stores offer. Bring $ for a new battery as that one is almost certainly going to fail the test.

[EchelonS4]

12v isn’t enough. Did you put a jumper pack on it or cables from another car? If so, let it run connected for 10 minutes or so and try again.

Put a heavy duty jumper pack on it. Im not trying to avoid the idea that the battery is dead. The fact that the instrument cluster doesnt come on but the MMI will is odd to me. There also were no symptoms to this. parked it one night and it was like this the next morning.

- - - Updated - - -


Its a bigger issue as his cluster isn't even turning on.

Thats the part that is getting me. The rest of the car and lighting has power but the cluster doesnt come on. MMI will though if the key is in the slot.

[Dr GP]

The S4 has a SMART electrical system. Based on the amount of charge left in the battery, it can selectively power certain options or shut them off based on the amount of charge left in the battery. That is why some things still functions but others do not. You asked us for our advice. Most have advised you to get a new battery. I'm now on my 3rd B8/8.5 S4 and have been on the S4 forum since 2004. Others also have considerable knowledge and experience with theses cars. You can always ignore what is suggested . If I had a car (any car) that would not start,especially if the battery was 4 yrs old or older, I woudn't look for anything else other than a battery. I would just get a new battery and be done with it. As said above, Advanced Auto and Autozone will actually test you battery. You can take it out and go to the auto parts store. Not hard to do. But you say the car won't start or you cant jump it. DUH! THERE'S NOT ENOUGH JUICE LEFT IN THE BATTERY TO START IT. There is enough residual power for SOME other functions to work. BTW, are you a Millennial?

[RWD2quattro]

DUH! THERE'S NOT ENOUGH JUICE LEFT IN THE BATTERY TO START IT. There is enough residual power for SOME other functions to work. BTW, are you a Millennial?
Lol, maybe a battery cell failed, take the battery to AutoZone or Napa for free testing. Not sure if Advanced Auto Parts is free. Also, have you ever replaced your alternator?
I read today that only 18% of US population can drive a MT car [:D].

[Dr GP]

Free at Advanced. Plus they will install the new battery for free as well. I wound think about about 50% couldn't drive a MT. Much higher for women.

[saxon]

Free at Advanced. Plus they will install the new battery for free as well

it will need to be coded as well..

[Dr GP]

it will need to be coded as well..

Never coded mine and no issues in 2 years.

[chilort]

Tried a new battery yet? My car ran wonky when the battery started to die. I figured it was a 5 year old battery so I gave it a shot. Sure enough, no problems since. Batteries don't last forever and do lots of odd things when they start to die.

OP, you do know that nominal battery voltage isn't 12v, right?

[nunya]

My old charge system troubleshooting guide. It makes it a little more difficult with the B8 since the battery is in the back but these are fundamentals.

https://www.audiworld.com/forums/a4-b5-platform-discussion-1/audi-a4-%7C-b5-%7C-8d-1996-2001-faq-frequently-asked-questions-common-problems-thread-collection-288832/page47/#post2523909

--dillon

[jonwoods]

Every battery that has ever died in me (maybe a half dozen or more by now) has always died on the first really cold day of the year and usually without much (or any) warning when they do. With one dead cell, you’ll have enough juice to run some of the cars systems but not nearly enough to turn the engine over. A battery that measures only 12v is dead. A full charged 6 cell lead acid battery should be closer to 14v when unloaded. 2.35 volts per cell.

[LINDW4LL]

Update?


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[timzcat]

A fully charged battery is 12.8v 6 cells at 2.1v

If you have a DVOM jsut put it across the battery while attempting to start. An immediate 2v drop means a cell is bad, no matter of charging etc can fix it.

[Dirt]

Any update?