Audi A3 Gear Shift, Speedo and Temp Issues

[stedolan]

Hi All

I've recently purchased an Audi A3 1.8 T Quattro (W-Reg 2000) which currently has these issues:

- Gear shift is a bit stiff and does not self centre, making it quite difficult to locate 2nd and 4th.
- Speedo reading 10-15mph too slow.
- Temp guage doesn't get past 70 degrees after the engine has warmed up.

The gear box appears to be ok, no grinding and smooth changes etc. It just won't self centre!

All the tyres on my car are 205/55 R16, which I believe is correct for this particular model. The trip and odometer counters appear to be accurate while driving (I assume the speedo uses the same sender as these counters?). Is the slow reading likely to be a problem with the speedo guage itself?

The temp guage reading is lower also - leading me to think it's a problem with the entire instrument cluster (DIS unreadable as well). On the other hand this may be down to a problem with the Thermostat or Coolant Temperature Sender.

I've seen a few companies offering a full rebuild service on the instrument cluster - is this worth considering?

I'm hoping to have some time over the weekend to have a better look at the car. Any advice will be much appreciated.

Thanks

 

[TwinCamMan]

Regarding the gearstick issue, it's more than likely a broken spring. There are two cables going to the top of the gearbox, (remove the airbox and you will see them plain as day) disconnect them and check to see if the problem is still there. If it is, there is a spring down under the gearstick which needs to be replaced, but if the problem went away when you disconnected the cables it looks like a gearbox issue.

As for the faulty speedo, it sound like the sensor is on the way out. Have you scanned the car? On the S3 the sensor is on the back of the gearbox (close to where the two cables from the gearbox I was on about pass by) there is a cloth heat protective cover on it and a single bolt holding it in. Very easy to change out, (on a S3 anyway).

As for the temperature reading low, I'd personally be thinking temperature sensor / thermostat, but you should really scan the car and see what fault code you have.

 

[stedolan]

Thanks for the info TwinCamMan, there's been a bit of progress with the faults. I noticed that a few of the warning lights on the instrument cluster were not coming on at all (ABS and AIR BAG lights should illuminate briefly when the ignition is switched on). This led me to think that perhaps someone has tampered with the cluster in the past, so I decided to remove it and check for myself. Unfortunately my worst fears were true, the LED lights for both these systems have been removed! The lack of lights on the Rev counter suggests there might be some missing on that side also. I'll have a look tomorrow. The needle for the speed counter was sitting a good distance below zero (whoever tampered with the cluster probably set it back wrong). Hopefully setting it back to the zero line will at least cure the inaccurate speed readings.

I'm a bit concerned about the missing LED lights, how much should a VAGCOM scan cost to check whether the ABS and AIR BAG systems are working correctly? Can anyone recommend somewhere in Lancashire or Merseyside?

Thanks in advance.

 

[TwinCamMan]

There is bound to be someone on here with a VCDS in your area, and would be more than willing to give your car a quick scan for a pint or two.

 

[stedolan]

Managed to get my car scanned by a fellow ASN member (thanks Alex! :thumbsup. The Air Bags and ABS were indeed showing faults, as were some other systems, but after the codes were cleared only one returned from the ABS:

1 Fault Found:
01279 - Longitudinal Acceleration Sensor (G251)
27-00 - Implausible Signal

From what I've read so far I believe this is located behind the dash on the passenger side (please correct me if I'm wrong). Is this a standard sensor across the 8L A3 range or does it depend on spec? Would it be best to purchase a new unit or can I get away with a second hand one? Is it a simple swap over or is calibration required?

The Temp Gauge is now reading fine since the scan, and I'm hoping the Speedo will be ok once I've reattached the needle.

The only real issue that now remains is the gear shift. I've taken the gaiter off and located the return spring - all appears fine. The restriction is definitely at the gearbox end. The linkage responsible for left and right movement seems to control some sort of 'plunger' on top of the gearbox, and I think it's here where the problem lies. Does anyone have any idea what this might be? Could it be something simple or am I looking at a full rebuild?

All advice very much appreciated.

Thanks