rear wheels locking during 3 point turns.can anybody help?

lukens3

lukens3

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hello can anybody help , when ever i perform 3 point turns or turn out of a junction my rear wheels lock up.Also the rear is really twichy when ever i hit bumps .i did have a snaped spring which i thought was the problem but it wasnt .i was reading a post about this a while ago and i dont no if any 1 got the problem sorted .any help will be much appreciated.
thanks .​
 
What car do you drive?

Issues with the diff, if it's a quattro?
 
its a 2002 s3
i dont think its the diff as it dosnt do it all the time
 
read a post similar to this. And i think the guy ended up having the rear diff changed in the end
 
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yeah ive read that thread before i really just thought some 1 would of worked out what the problem was but everyone seemed to be replacing everything. ive just had diff and haldex service but no luck.its strange as it dosnt do it all the time .had 3 differant scanners on it now to and still no fault codes. is yours locking up to?
 
if you have had the service done, try the handbrake trick

lift handbrake up one notch and then see it the problem goes away, if it does then its something to do with the haldex controller, if it doesnt then its something mechanically wrong with the diff, simples

no ive got a different problem, trying to locate the earth strap which is supposedly on the rear diff, hence me reading the threads
 
Tagged -> mine does this too!

Doesn't happen all the time, and only at very slow speeds (parking, usually, or coming out of tight junctions) with a lot of lock on. I couldn't figure out why the quattro would be the issue when the front wheels clearly aren't slipping, but the rear diff makes sense. Just had the car MOTd and serviced, but didn't show anything, so not really sure how to proceed.
 
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ive tryed the handbrake trick still does it . if it is the diff i sold 1 resently off my old s3 which i broke up for spares wish i never now .****** !
 
Mine did this once or twice when I was doing very tight turns at slow speeds. New Haldex oil and filter appears to have cured it. Not happend since.
 
You can certainly try the obvious oil haldex change. I've read quite a few people delighted the problem was cured after changing the oil only for it to re-appear after a few months, but some do not re-post so not sure if all were cleared for good. There are many posts about this problem and very few with solutions and you will find the ones with solutions do not display the exact same symptoms as yours.

My findings, possibly:
one of the abs sensors or the yaw sensor under the steering wheel or the other latitude sensor(?) - visible inspection is required.
and failing all these (cheaper solutions) it's got to be the abs/ecu controller (complete unit).

I did hear a while back that at 10 years the abs unit becomes a serviceble unit. Also transient electrical problems do not always show up on vag scans hence why there are no errors on vagcom, but you certainly have a problem and you don't need me to tell you that.

For some extra reading check up my previous posts.
 
I'm getting mechanical resistance from the rear somewhere, the car sometimes rises like the handbrake is on when reversing out of a space on full lock. I don't think there's anything electrical that could be interfering, but maybe there's an ecu controller that locks the diff or something?

Only happened twice going forwards, pulling out of a tight junction and once making a bit of a fuss during a 3-pointer in a car park. I just stopped before I was launched into a parked car the second time, but the first time it bit a little then the rear wheel spun (pretty odd on a dry road and barely any throttle).
 
the back drive shafts! did you check the gatters maybe?
 
S3KO4 said:
the back drive shafts! did you check the gatters maybe?
Click to expand...

I doubt it.

Doesn't the fact that it happens when the steering is on a full lock (or very near it) tell you anything ?
Check what I said earlier, but by all means take it to Audi who will probably diagnose you need either a complete new rear end or new haldex controller - sometimes they just have no idea !
 
I've noticed this recently on my 2000 model S3. Again only on full lock, or slow sharpe turning. Took it to a garage and they identified it as broken rear springs. These are being replaced at the weekend, will let you know how i get on...
 
mark_sarah said:
I've noticed this recently on my 2000 model S3. Again only on full lock, or slow sharpe turning. Took it to a garage and they identified it as broken rear springs. These are being replaced at the weekend, will let you know how i get on...
Click to expand...

You say slow sharp turning , but have you tried it a bit faster and have you noticed the traction light flicker ?
It will surprise me very much if the broken rear springs cause the problem. Sounds like you simply have a secondary problem.
 
Greggers said:
I had this problem...turned out to be the typical haldex controller that's gone.
Click to expand...

Yep, but as you have said previously you need to take the function of the haldex controller out and see if it's still hapenning. i.e pull your handbrake up one notch or remove fuse to disengage Haldex function.

if it's still happenning if you pull the handbrake up one notch then it is NOT your haldex controller....I presume that's the right way round ?
 
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mark_sarah said:
Mine is now ok after replacing the broken springs...
Click to expand...

I still find it hard to believe broken springs would cause the rear wheels to lock up on slow sharp movements....In fact it would be interesting to find out how long it took lukens3 (the initial poster of this thread) to notice he still had the problem after changing his broken springs too.

I too go through periods of time thinking oh the problem is now gone, but if I try and do one 3 point turn after another and another in quick succession I am quickly reminded it's still there. I am still convinced the problem lays in one of the places I have stated, but I just haven't done anything about it yet !

I am not sure if your 2000 S3 haldex, abs sensors/or abs pump/control unit is dfferenet to a 2002 model ? Also did you experience the exact same problems as described by lukens3.
 
ive had my car off the road a while so havent bothered sorting mine . i noticed that the rear spring didnt do anything to my problem as soon as i drove off of my drive and i dont think mine is the haldex im hopeing to get my diff changed in the next couple of weeks ,so as soon as mine diff is changed i will let everybody no how i get on
 
lukens3, Is there a reason for changing the diff ? please don't tell me it's a guess for the problem you originally stated. Because I think if it was the diff you would probably hear noises and it would not only happen when doing 3 point turns, etc.

I presume at least the rear of your car is not twitchy anymore now that you have changed the broken springs.
 
well yes the diff change is a guess as ive had 3 differant garages look at it now and no luck . my freind works at a breakers and he has just had a tt come in so im going to put the diff off of that on mine and hope it cures it . im pretty fed up with it now and the car is going up for sale as soon as its sorted . the car is stilll twitchy even after changing shocks and springs and all ball joints and bushes. its the rear passanger wheel that locks on mine if that make any differance.gott to get new rear tyres again 2moro so i can at least drive it .
 
When you turn out of a junction and the car jerks as it grips on the rear do you notice your traction light flicker ? You probably are not looking at the display, but it would be interesting to see if does. In very slow manouvres like a 3 point turn it will not be visible.
It's probably very difficult to understand what you mean by "twitchy" as the the suspension on a normal standard S3 is fairly stiff and so some may say it's twitchy as standard going over bumps and holes.
Has someone stood outside of your car to see which wheel is locking ? Also whether your turning a sharp right or left is it always the same rear wheel locking ?
 
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traction light flickers when turning out of a junction so 1st gear and second and when doing 3 point turns .yes had somebody watching as i do this and rear wheel locks up, mine locks up worse on left side but does it on both sides turning left or right. and when i say twichy it feels like the rear wheels are getting resistance.very greatful with ur help on this thegoal007
 
You mentioned car was twitchy when going over bumps/holes. I am fairly sure that's normal , in fact your traction light may even flicker slightly (if you manage to see it) in those kinda situations.

There are 2 other fairly identical stories I have checked up and in both those it was pinpointed to the abs/ecu unit. Which is just as an expensive unit (about £900) as the haldex controller, but you don't have the option of buying a cheaper performance part !

The problem is tricky because do you send yours in to be refurbished (there's no errors showing) or do you buy another second hand unit - possibly with other problems of it's own ?

btw, the diffs are fairly bullet proof and unlikely to be that. Personally I do think the problem is electrical. The diff or Haldex are doing their job, the problem is that they are been told to apply traction when they should not.
 
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i had a s3 before this 1 and it drove so much better than the s3 i have now not twichy like this 1 . ive just been routing around the shed and found a abs/ecu unit as i broke my last s3 .all numbers match up so gunna try and fit it this weekend .really hoping this will sort it . i will post info wen its been fitted
 
lukens3 said:
i had a s3 before this 1 and it drove so much better than the s3 i have now not twichy like this 1 . ive just been routing around the shed and found a abs/ecu unit as i broke my last s3 .all numbers match up so gunna try and fit it this weekend .really hoping this will sort it . i will post info wen its been fitted
Click to expand...

How did it go or didn't it happen over the weekend ?
 
fitted abs/ecu unit on tuesday , no change still locking up and messing around. trying to get it booked into car solutions in hatfeild ment to be really good so hopefully they can sort it
 
audi upgrades
sorry to hear that. That should leave either:
one of the abs sensors - probable front one(s) ?
lattitude/longtitude sensors
or may even still be the Haldex controller - in which case go for the cheaper performance one.

Most of these problems I have read about are from the series 1 (as I like to call them !) 210 model's (1999-2001) so for a 2002 model it's unusual unless a lot do not speak about it and just sell their cars !
You can always sell the replaced abs/ecu unit on eb*y and recoup some of your money back - someone is selling on one eb*y at the moment for £300, but I think that's off a series 1. Good luck.

Arn't car solutions primarily an in-car entertainment firm ? With electrical problems do they simply rely on diagnostic machines telling them where the problem is - unless they come with personal recommendation from someone who has had a not so easy problem diagnosed.
 
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i will look into the other sensors ,i will keep the abs unit for the time being untill its all sorted . my freind took his porsche into car solutions with a ecu problem and they sorted it so going to give them a try . thanks for your help will let you no how i get on .
 
audi upgrades
i hadnt had time to sort my car been to busy with work .the diff has started to wine now so ive brought a second hand diff and haldex ,going to put that on it and go from there
 
for some reason I thought you had already changed the diff. Have you jacked up the car and manually turned one of the rear wheels because the other rear wheel should turn in the opposite direction.
 
no havent tryed that on my car but did try that on the diff that i brought and seems fine .im hopefully gettiung the diff fitted at the weekend so will get back on here once its on .thanks for your continued help
 
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