Help!!!! Emergency!!!!!

[AudiA4Turbo22]

My Car won't start this is retarded!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It ran fine 1hr ago now i turn the key and it cranks and cranks and cranks but nothing. I smell gas so it is pumping gas, the spark plugs are copper and have like 4k on them, coil packs are like 8 months old, everything is fine that i know of.

Here's what i've done:
-I washed under my hood for the first time in my life like a light mist, waited till it dripped down and it ran fine for 10 miles home.
-I got Shell gas right after wards and it's all good it started up in a jiffy.
-i got home and i switched out my diverter valve, but that has nothing to do with starting.
-I jacked the car up while the doors were locked and the ALARM went off, can this switch on the immobilizer?

Help please, and please i need help so don't tell me i need a new battery or something, because it is new.

[nofearhawk]

My car had a similar problem, happened 3 days after a heavy rain. It cranked, but didn't start. ECM light was on, somehow water got into the ECM box, and shorted out some fuses. Its the lil engine computer box, top right hand corner of your engine bay. Check that and see if some water got in there. Crack it open, dry it out, replace fuses? Maybe when you washed the bay some water got in there.

[AudiA4Turbo22]

thanx man, that is a pain to take apart but i'll try.

[B6driver]

was that why you were calling me? i was at work at the time... try something simple... press unlock on your key or disconnect the battery for a couple of minutes.. sounds like it is something electrical.

[AudiA4Turbo22]

My car had a similar problem, happened 3 days after a heavy rain. It cranked, but didn't start. ECM light was on, somehow water got into the ECM box, and shorted out some fuses. Its the lil engine computer box, top right hand corner of your engine bay. Check that and see if some water got in there. Crack it open, dry it out, replace fuses? Maybe when you washed the bay some water got in there.

exact issue thanx man, hopefully it'll dry within 4-5hrs, so i could go to cars and coffee.

Anyone know how to reach that stupid nut and the left corner of the ECU box?

[FourRings80]

exact issue thanx man, hopefully it'll dry within 4-5hrs, so i could go to cars and coffee.

Anyone know how to reach that stupid nut and the left corner of the ECU box?

You have to unbolt the wiper arm to be able to move the plastic cover. Then the last torx will become accessible.

[bennybiggs]

check a4mods.com. they have a diy for taking out the ECU

[AudiA4Turbo22]

thanx guys

[AudiA4Turbo22]

God for saking Christ i tried everything to dry it i used a blow dryer i used a towel, everything in there is dry but the fuse is burning everytime i turn on the battery. I"M SO PISSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[G Men 08]

does it have gas?






















j/k.. good luck man

[AudiA4Turbo22]

^^i filled it before i drove home it's the god dang fuse.

[jackyaudi]

FourRings80: sounds like exactly the issue we had with your car. Thanks for the tip on covering the ECU with duck tape, I feel much better knowing I wont have water easily going in my ECU

AudiA4Turbo22: sounds like an electrical problem to me. Check all your fuses, and try to check those relays in the ECU box. Do you have any errors on the dash? Like a blinking e-brake or beeps, etc? Did you VAG it?

[AudiA4Turbo22]

^^it wont start so i wouldn't know if i have any errors. it just cranks. the fuse for one of the engine management systems keeps frying when i turn the key i even tried a 30amp fuse instead of a 15 it straight burned it.

[jackyaudi]

^^it wont start so i wouldn't know if i have any errors. it just cranks. the fuse for one of the engine management systems keeps frying when i turn the key i even tried a 30amp fuse instead of a 15 it straight burned it.

Ya I know it wont start, but if you leave your car on ON position without turning the car on, do you have any errors or beeps?

Sounds like something electrical shorting the fuses, engine management has like 4 fuses, most likely some water got in a nasty place and is burning the fuse right away, but am just guessing from what you mentioned.

[AudiA4Turbo22]

^^exactly but where man? it is like desert dry in the box.

[Audituning02]

the reason water gets into the ECU box is that on the lower part of the box there is a urethane like seal that is supposed to seal the upper and lower box together this seal drys out over time and cracks allowing water to get in. I had a huge water leak I mean tons of water and i tore the entire interior apart trying to find it and that is where it wound up being. Only after heavy rain did this occur, the seal was allowing water into the ECU then from there it was going into the Plenum Drains and they could not handle the amount of water so it backed up and came in through the Firewall. I called Audi once I discovered this and they told me one of the open recalls on my 02 was to service the plenum drains since this has is quite common. They told me that thier techs. just open the ECU dry it and the seal the box back up with a tube of urethane

[AudiA4Turbo22]

thanx man

[KPC1.8TQuat]

Kirk, I think you found your answer already. If you cooked a 30 amp fuse, something electric went catastrophically wrong.

Sorry bro.

[jackyaudi]

the reason water gets into the ECU box is that on the lower part of the box there is a urethane like seal that is supposed to seal the upper and lower box together this seal drys out over time and cracks allowing water to get in. I had a huge water leak I mean tons of water and i tore the entire interior apart trying to find it and that is where it wound up being. Only after heavy rain did this occur, the seal was allowing water into the ECU then from there it was going into the Plenum Drains and they could not handle the amount of water so it backed up and came in through the Firewall. I called Audi once I discovered this and they told me one of the open recalls on my 02 was to service the plenum drains since this has is quite common. They told me that thier techs. just open the ECU dry it and the seal the box back up with a tube of urethane

There is a recall on these?? I might call the dealer up and get them to do it before something bad happens... We have rain at least twice at week in here!

[AudiA4Turbo22]

i think i burnt the relay.

[AudiA4Turbo22]

i'm really getting tired of this car, i can't believe Audi would put the ECU, TCU, and wiring harness under the wiper drain. And there is nothing to protect it from getting to the interior. This sux, i either need a new Fan control module or a Relay.

[B6driver]

i'm really getting tired of this car, i can't believe Audi would put the ECU, TCU, and wiring harness under the wiper drain. And there is nothing to protect it from getting to the interior. This sux, i either need a new Fan control module or a Relay.

check for any moisture inside the box...

[vinny.dtw]

Are you sure its not the battery...or alternator...

[G-Bus]

the reason water gets into the ECU box is that on the lower part of the box there is a urethane like seal that is supposed to seal the upper and lower box together this seal drys out over time and cracks allowing water to get in. I had a huge water leak I mean tons of water and i tore the entire interior apart trying to find it and that is where it wound up being. Only after heavy rain did this occur, the seal was allowing water into the ECU then from there it was going into the Plenum Drains and they could not handle the amount of water so it backed up and came in through the Firewall. I called Audi once I discovered this and they told me one of the open recalls on my 02 was to service the plenum drains since this has is quite common. They told me that thier techs. just open the ECU dry it and the seal the box back up with a tube of urethane

On what side of your floors did you find water?!

[AudiA4Turbo22]

there is no moisture and the battery is a new optima red top, adn everything powers fine, i just have no spark.

[FourRings80]

Take the coilpack out and see if excess water is pooled in the bottom of the coilpack tube near the spark plugs. Can you put the car in the on position whitout cranking the engine or will the fuse fail?

If you can, do you have 12v DC on pin#1 and gnd on all four coilpack harnesses?

What relay do you think failed? The ECM power relay?

[AudiA4Turbo22]

^^thanx for the tip did lots of studying and we came to the conclusion that the red/green wire running from fuse 29 for engine timing from pin 121 to pin 87 on j221 ECM power relay is grounding big time, so in other words my engine wiring harness is shot, and well we're going to piggy back it and pray to God that it works.

NOT CAUSED THROUGH MOISTURE

[michgo]

pwned.

[102487thedude]

exact issue thanx man, hopefully it'll dry within 4-5hrs, so i could go to cars and coffee.

Anyone know how to reach that stupid nut and the left corner of the ECU box?

you have to remove the wiper blades and then remove that black wiper cover. then you can reach the screw

[AudiA4Turbo22]

^^someone already answered but thanx

[jackyaudi]

If your engine wiring harness is shot shortly after washing the engine area, what does that tell you??

[brewmastr]

okay first of all dont go installing a bigger fuse because the fuse that was meant to be there is blowing. I dont think what you are experincing is a wiring issue per say, as much as something is probably internally shorting out, get a 15a circuit breaker and install it in place of the fuse, and i would start just by unplugging your ecm to see if that solves the issue, your ecm could be internally cooked, im not sure what all is in that box, but being that water got into the box and then it stopped working, leads me to belive that a wire was not chafing against something to cause it to ground out, but that a electrical componet in that box has been damaged and is causing the fuse to blow. good luck.

[AudiA4Turbo22]

^^i swear to u that is exactly what we did yesterday, it is a wiring issue, because the wire even when the ECM is unplugged was shorting, and that wire is of very thick gauge and it stretches from the fusebox to the coilpacks, back to the ECM, the wires have gotten real tough and it's time to repair them. My engine wiring harness has given me many issues already, the insulation has been biodegradable like a pre-1996 W140 S-class, the issue is that with a resale discount the wiring harness is nearly $1400 for parts and 3 days of labor. So we're just going to fix stuff as they break i guess. This car is less reliable than a ford at the moment, and on te other side i have my Dad sitting here blaming me for everything that ever went wrong, and he gets so pissed that when my water pump blew on my way to work he didn't even help, and like he says i'm worried to drive this thing to the market to buy a gallon of milk. Almost everything under the hood is new.

[brewmastr]

i have never heard of a a4 wiring harness degrating like a 140 s-class, im not sure if you know what a 140 s-class harness looks like when it degrates but i seriously doubt your harness is that bad. again there has so be some connection between the fact that your box was full of water and this issue started, if there is a fuse/relay box in that unit i would be suspecting that as well. i dont know what to tell you without looking at it myself man, but i just dont feel ya on your diagnosis, sorry.

[skeeball]

Unless you removed the ECU and looked under it, you probably weren't going to see the water. It doesn't need to be flooded in there to cause problems. BTW, you could have found this answer with a little searching.

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...0s#post2704790

[AudiA4Turbo22]

i looked man i had a pro mechanic here, and well we found the short my coil packs harness was disintegrated pix of old and new harness to come tomorrow.

[prizmatik]

Ahh!!
You never posted the before and after pictures of your disintegrated coil wire harness