Need Diagnosis help

[A4 KiDD 810]

Hi everyone, I'm from the b6 a4 forum, one of my good friends just bought a 2000 B5 S4 with 82k on it. I went with him to pick it up, and there were a few minor problems.

One was that the main battery was very weak because it hadnt been run in a while. The used dealer owners gave it a quick jump to start it, and after that the engine ran fine but some of the electrical wasn't doing too good for a few minutes until the battery got charged up.

The headlights would flicker on and off and the info screen next to the speedometer would slightly flicker because the battery was obviously weak. After about 15 mins of driving the battery would be fine and the headlights would be fine.

But once my friend got the car home, the next day the battery died while they were driving it and everything shut off, so he pulled over and a jump wouldn't even get it back up. He has some family that owns some repair shops and they couldn't really find out what it was, but they didnt really make any attempts yet besides guessing.

Bottom line, I just want to confirm that it's the battery that is the problem like i told him 5,000 times and that he should get a new one. He says every time he tries to start it there is just a clicking noise, I said if its not the battery, maybe spark plugs but I even doubt that. The obvious is really pointing to the battery I just need to confirm it because its his 1st car and he's all nervous that the electrical system is fucked or something, and I really think that its not a big problem. Sorry for the long post and TIA for the help.

[Jayco88]

same thing happened with my mom's A6 2.7t just a few weeks ago:

long story short.... battery

[A4 KiDD 810]

ok thats what I was 90% sure on I just needed a confirmation can u recommend a specific battery i can tell him to buy ?

[mholme]

Get the battery charged and tested at an advance auto or pep boys, whatever they have near you. But it does sound like a battery issue.

[RitchS4 914]

yeah this is my car having the problem.. it might be nothing at all just a battery but im kinda nervous since its my first car and i spent alot of money on it and i just hope its nothing bad

if anyone has any other ideas besides the battery post up

thanks

[AudiTechS4]

test your battery first then we will post up other options. no need talking about it when its 90% your battery.We are here to help but cover the basics first like a battery test and alternator test at you local auto shop

[RitchS4 914]

well I got it checked out yesterday and got the alternator and battery tested and neither are the problem

to make a long story short its a wiring problem between the battery and alternator that isn't allowing the alternator to recharge the battery

has anyone expirienced this before? and if you live around lower new york or close to it where can I go to get it fixed thats not going to cost me alot?

thanks again for the help

[IamEzraM]

sounds like you need to get a new battery, they don't last forever. When it is severely discharged like sitting for a long time, it'll never hold a full charge again, and permanently loses it's recharging capabilities

[GramCracker]

but im kinda nervous since its my first car and i spent alot of money on it and i just hope its nothing bad

Two questions,

Do you have money if something goes wrong?
Is it auto or 6sp?

[A4 KiDD 810]

Ok so he put a new battery and he said the car works good, but the battery is just slowly draining, so theres a problem with a wire somewhere thats allowing it to do that. If anyone wants to offer any opinions that would be good. Thanks.

PS- its 6 spd.

[GramCracker]

Ok so he put a new battery and he said the car works good, but the battery is just slowly draining, so theres a problem with a wire somewhere thats allowing it to do that. If anyone wants to offer any opinions that would be good. Thanks.

PS- its 6 spd.

BTW, I'm the one who say hey to you at Iona.

[A4 KiDD 810]

Yea lol I figured it was you i knew i remembered u from somewhere. You met us up by exit 3 on 684 right?

[GramCracker]

Yea lol I figured it was you i knew i remembered u from somewhere. You met us up by exit 3 on 684 right?

Yea, that would be me. Hahaha.

[gointoscott]

This is how I approach battery / alternator problems:

1. Get car started leave it idle. Then take battery cable off battery and see if car stays running. If it stays running then that means its charging the battery and the alternator is working

If car does not stay running that means its not charging. and problem with alternator.

From reading your thread it, to me it sounds like something with the alternator. You state that the alternator is working but its a problem with the wiring. How do you know this? What is the alternator gauge reading when the car is started? It should be 13-14 volts when car is running.


Now if it stays running with battery unhooked then yes that means its charging. So my next thing to approach is if its charging while driving but then when you shut the car off it has a slow drain on the car, which drains the battery, then that means there is a short somewhere.

If short somewhere most times there are fuses that blow to prevent the shorts from causing a bigger problem. I would check fuse box and make sure noone tried the stupid easy fix of putting a larger capacity fuse in a lower voltage fuse location. You can match the fuses with the diagagram on the fuse box cover.

I want to say that I think alternators have fuses on them too? But dont quote me on this.

Is there an aftermarket alarm? Aftermarket sub with amp? Aftermarket anything? that would be the place to start as to why it may be draining the battery - That is if this is your problem.

A short can be a little tough to find.

My next question is, why didnt you have the car place fix this before you bought it? I would def take it back. Or at least I hope you got it marked down in price before buying it.

But since this is your first car, I'm going to assume you were like the rest of us a young guy who loves fast cars and saw the car and fell in love and said it was yours no matter what. Dont worry we all have done it.

One last thing.

Since this is your first car and you chose an S4 2 things are your first primary things to do.

1. install a boost gauge
2. get vag-com with cable

These in my book are a must
I can help you with the vag-com program. and you can buy a cheap vag-com cable off ebay.

PM if you want any more info on it.

[AMC]

y would the dealer not install a bettery? that is one scetchy place to buy a car and have to jump start it to drive away. sounds like they were aware of the problem but didnt want to fix it. coule possibly be alternator, battery, lights being left on, etc? buy a vag-com and see if any codes come up

[A4 KiDD 810]

Thanks everyone for your help