New S3 owner with major issues

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smest

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Hi,only had my s3 a few weeks and already come across a potentially big and expensive problem

with all the snow we have had i was finding it hard to get anywhere in the car,then my mate said that only the front wheels were giving any drive.i had noticed the esp light lighting up here and there.Anyway i got a mate who has vagcom to see if anything was showing,here are the results

1 Fault Found:
17863 - Exhaust Gas Temp Sensor 1 (G235): Implausible Signal
P1455 - 35-10 - - - Intermittent
Readiness: 0000 0000
Address 03 -------------------------------------------------------
Controller: 8N0 907 379 E
Component: ESP 20 CAN V005
Coding: 18448
Shop #: WSC 01236
1 Fault Found:
01324 - Control Module for All Wheel Drive (J492)
49-00 - No Communications

audi tell me its a £900+ part, which i simply cant afford at the moment :sadlike:
anyone tell me if the esp control is part of the abs pump?as i read somewhere it was possible to disconnect the connector the the abs pump and check there wasnt any crud built up on the connector,is that likely or am looking at a new part?:(

its a 2003 car by the way
 
If it is the Haldex unit, it is cheaper to buy an uprated unit than an original Audi one. They are around £675 - not exactly a bargain, but it's a rare case of a performance part being cheaper than an original. I had to buy a new one for mine earlier in the year when I had exactly the same problem.

Fingers crossed for you that it is something more simple ( and cheaper )
 
audi upgrades
ok i went under the car and found the earth strap had snapped in half.Cleared the codes with vagcom and its still coming up with the same code,I have checked fuse 31 aswell and that was fine,is it likely that the haldex controller is knackered?
 
OK, calm yourself duder.... It could be something, it could be nothing.

My mate had exactly this when he bought his S3.

Same fault codes as well....

I got underneath the back end, earth strap was OK. Turned out to be the electrical plug on the Haldex was all corroded and fecked. This sorted the issue for him, and gave him AWD back.

Have a look here: http://www.audi-sport.net/vb/a3-s3-forum-8l-chassis/96949-newbie-help-please-2001-s3-esp-fault.html

I know the images aren't working right now, but they will be, I am currently changing web servers.
 
On the other fault...
I had the same code for my EGT sensor,
i just kept clearing it... BUT maybe just bad look and not directly related...
About 6mth later my turbo,manifold and even the head cracked in a bad way,
Ive no idea if the ******** EGT sensor would have flagged a problem or it was just bad luck. Either way... i would check the plug then iff need be get it replaced.
 
Welly said:
OK, calm yourself duder.... It could be something, it could be nothing.

My mate had exactly this when he bought his S3.

Same fault codes as well....

I got underneath the back end, earth strap was OK. Turned out to be the electrical plug on the Haldex was all corroded and fecked. This sorted the issue for him, and gave him AWD back.

Have a look here: http://www.audi-sport.net/vb/a3-s3-forum-8l-chassis/96949-newbie-help-please-2001-s3-esp-fault.html

I know the images aren't working right now, but they will be, I am currently changing web servers.
Click to expand...

thanks chaps,all very helpful.Just been under the car and pulled the haldex connector apart and found it to be totally rotten,much worse than in the pics on the thread welly directed me to,its actually started to crack/deform the plastic.Is cutting out the plug and hard wiring it what everyone does with this?or is there another connector i could bung on there?
 
major?

major is when the crank snaps in half, or the valves whack into the piston, or the frame cracks in half or gear box falls out.

i believe the error codes relates to a simple lamba sensor, buy 2nd hand or buy a third party one, none of this £900 lark

as for the haldex, follow what others have said!
 
colicabcadam said:
major?

major is when the crank snaps in half, or the valves whack into the piston, or the frame cracks in half or gear box falls out.

i believe the error codes relates to a simple lamba sensor, buy 2nd hand or buy a third party one, none of this £900 lark

as for the haldex, follow what others have said!
Click to expand...


when i have spent a fair few grand on a car and then the 4wd stops working within a short space of time its seems quite major to me ,i am used to the older audis where non of this happens.If it turns out the haldex controller is ******** then im looking at £475 at least for the uprated one plus its just cost me £175 for the egt sensor,its not a simple lambda sensor by the way and as far as i know there isnt a third party one available.I want to keep this car nice,and cant be ***** doing the job twice by fitting loads of bits that are 'good used parts'

amd as for the haldex.i have followed what others have said,cant you read???

But thanks for the input mate,really helpful of you,now f**k off and dont bother replying to anymore of my threads!
 
lol. What a relief Smest, just a dodgy connection. From what i saw of wellys he just cleaned it up, but if its too far beyond that then maybe you couldjust hardwire it, or just strip the crap of the end and source a connector from somewhere?
 
smest said:
when i have spent a fair few grand on a car and then the 4wd stops working within a short space of time its seems quite major to me ,i am used to the older audis where non of this happens.If it turns out the haldex controller is ******** then im looking at £475 at least for the uprated one plus its just cost me £175 for the egt sensor,its not a simple lambda sensor by the way and as far as i know there isnt a third party one available.I want to keep this car nice,and cant be ***** doing the job twice by fitting loads of bits that are 'good used parts'

amd as for the haldex.i have followed what others have said,cant you read???

But thanks for the input mate,really helpful of you,now f**k off and dont bother replying to anymore of my threads!
Click to expand...

you've been here for less than a month posted 7 times and you want to start swearing at people giving you advice?

i'm glad your car is broke, i hope it costs you fortunes to repair, seriously, people like you do not deserve to be on forums
 
colicabcadam said:
major?

.....

as for the haldex, follow what others have said!
Click to expand...

When somebody buys a 4WD car and the 4WD doesnt work i think this would be quite concerning, and considered to be major, it could have been the rear diff or haldex coupling, OK with hindsight it wasn't so major...

Also, he has followed what others have advised him to do

So i can understand that he may be a bit ****** off with your initial contribution
 
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thanks Cookstein,i really dont see why he had to respond the way he did.Doesnt matter how long someone has been on a forum for them to be pretty miffed at someones pathetic and completly useless advice.

Anyway,today ive managed to source a new connector(both pieces) and the proper wiring that can be spliced into the original wiring(all from audi) later on i can post up the part numbers and prices if it helps anyone out in the future.Hopefully the controller isnt ******** aswell,shall find out soon i suppose.Off to do it now so will report back later
 
good job your so hands on bud, else audi would of no doubt bent you over for a new controller... plus fitting... plus teabreaks. Hope you've cracked it.
 
sportstractor said:
good job your so hands on bud, else audi would of no doubt bent you over for a new controller... plus fitting... plus teabreaks. Hope you've cracked it.
Click to expand...

I daren't think about that mate,must say they were very helpful though spending time to go through the system to find the parts,wasn't a 5 minute job thats for sure.

Didnt get chance to have a go at it today,got dragged off shopping to spend my one remaining kidney(the other one i sold to buy the car:laugh:)
 
forgot to ad that the 4wd/esp etc is all working fine now,quite an awkward job but worth it. As soon as i had finished it started snowing so I was actually able to go somewhere without getting stuck,thanks for the help
 
smest said:
forgot to ad that the 4wd/esp etc is all working fine now,quite an awkward job but worth it. As soon as i had finished it started snowing so I was actually able to go somewhere without getting stuck,thanks for the help
Click to expand...

Score 1 for Smest! Good on you for getting on it, DIY style!
 
just a little note to add,a few days after i sorted this the light came back on.Plugged vagcom into it and it came up with a 'steering sensor mechanical malfunction',read something on here where someone had straightened up their steering wheel and the light had gone off.Mine wasnt straight so did this and it worked!couldnt beleive it,i presume theres some kind of sensor in the steering column maybe aswell?
 
ah yeah forgot about that,how do people put up pics on this website?do they have to be put on a photobucket type thing 1st?
 
i got the same problem with this code .. only had car 5 days

01324 - Control Module for All Wheel Drive (J492)
49-00 - No Communications
 
superkarl said:
yesssss im not the only karl in the world with an S3 and this problem. wooohooooo.

oh and sorry to hear it dude!
lol
Click to expand...

funny thing is car drives fine .. but its currently only fwd . i been quoted 400 to have it repaired but it will be off the road for a week as they need to drop rear axle to do this job..
 
defo check the connector mate,could save you a lot of brass.Easy enough to do aswell

what part of the world are you in?if you are near yorkshire i could take a look for you if you want

i will stick those pics up tomorrow when i get to a decent pc
 
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