Engine cut out, ECS & ESP lights on

Mark Oglesby said:
Hi Ricky,

Similar symptoms and faults...

My you have replaced some stuff.

Leaks in the hoses from the air filter that might be putting the Airflow meter out sink...?

You may need a new throttle body, to look at mine you would not believe there was anything stopping it from closing properly, but I went at it with a toothbrush and alcohol cleaner until it was spotless inside and out and the edges of the butterfly valve were sharp and spot free #cutknuckles I then ran the reset and watched the computer make the butterfly valve do its dance setting its open and closed values.

My problem was intermittent at first but very soon it became an issue, I cleaned all the pipework and the Airflow meter just to make sure.

You may have a DSG issue and you could go through the wiki or getting the gearbox to relearn its bite points, I also did this but that was not the issue for me and that might be a harder thing to do with an engine that is not running right.

One test would be to put the car in neutral and see if the car will idle...

The stuff you have replaced does not make sense for a problem where most of the time the engine runs fine.

Hope this helps.

M
Click to expand...

Hi Mark
Think we have solved it :)
We found a slight fault in the ECU relay and once we replaced the R250 part (cheapest of the lot) the car is now running perfect. Did a test run of 150km in distance today and so far so good I have a bottle of whiskey waiting for when I get past the 30 mark with no faults!
I'm concerned how everyone has had the same symptoms but all with different solutions I'll let you guys know if the issues arises again.
 
Hi Ricky,

Glad you have hopefully got to the bottom of it.

Had a fault some years ago before I had the VCDS software, which is a god send. The car central locking stopped working, took it to the main dealer who took some time to work out what was wrong, for which they did not charge me, but it turned out the key transponder thought the key was still in the ignition.

The smallest of things can cause the strangest of problems, but I think the Audi/VW group systems are probably one of the best, especially as the VCDS software also worked on a Bentley GTC that I had, which saved a fortune, as they log fault codes for fun.

Keep the faith, hopefully no more faults for a while and the 3.2 DSG is an great car to drive, which is why we have kept ours for years.

Yours

Mark
 
Mark Oglesby said:
Hi Ricky,

Glad you have hopefully got to the bottom of it.

Had a fault some years ago before I had the VCDS software, which is a god send. The car central locking stopped working, took it to the main dealer who took some time to work out what was wrong, for which they did not charge me, but it turned out the key transponder thought the key was still in the ignition.

The smallest of things can cause the strangest of problems, but I think the Audi/VW group systems are probably one of the best, especially as the VCDS software also worked on a Bentley GTC that I had, which saved a fortune, as they log fault codes for fun.

Keep the faith, hopefully no more faults for a while and the 3.2 DSG is an great car to drive, which is why we have kept ours for years.

Yours

Mark
Click to expand...

Thanks mark :)
Appreciate the help
 
Hey guys
just thought i would drop in and let you know i have done about 25000km since changing the relay and haven't had a single fault come up.
previously was cutting out every 100km on average with ESP lights staying on.

wish you guys all the best.

kind regards
Ricky Harrison
 
Just wanted to pipe in re having the exact same problems as reported here by everyone and that I also have a beloved audi a3 3.2 '04 motor.

Having scanned through the posts to date am I right in thinking the suggested solution is a full factory reset of the sensors, along with a reset for the ECU (and update)? All other solutions (which I have tried to date) such as replacing individual sensors etc do not appear to work longterm.

I asked West London Audi if they would do the reset and they said they wouldn't as not something they do /too risky.

Any recommendations on whether this is the right course of action and if so who would do it??

thanks in advance guys!
 
jimmyw_01 said:
Just wanted to pipe in re having the exact same problems as reported here by everyone and that I also have a beloved audi a3 3.2 '04 motor.

Having scanned through the posts to date am I right in thinking the suggested solution is a full factory reset of the sensors, along with a reset for the ECU (and update)? All other solutions (which I have tried to date) such as replacing individual sensors etc do not appear to work longterm.

I asked West London Audi if they would do the reset and they said they wouldn't as not something they do /too risky.

Any recommendations on whether this is the right course of action and if so who would do it??

thanks in advance guys!
Click to expand...


Hi Jimmy,
its been almost 50,000km since i had my last fault pop up and it turned out being a faulty relay.
the software kept showing faults all over the car, ranging from Airflow sensors to you name it but the issue got progressively worse no matter how many items we changed over the space of about 3 years.
it relay i changed was for the ignition relay. ill attach a few pics for you.
i dont remember the exact relay number but the pics show the replacement unit. its the cream one on the bottom left.
this was a dirt cheap part that cost me thousands over the last few years.

i would start with this and see how things go.

good luck :)

kind regards
Ricky Harrison Photo 2016 01 05 15 04 53 Photo 2016 01 05 15 04 56 Photo 2016 01 05 15 05 55
 
Appreciated for your reply Ricky. I am due in at the garage again this weekend so I will raise this as an idea. I'll also suggest the ECU update as suggested by Mookster previously. Not sure whether or not a full factory reset is also required on the sensors as previously suggested. I too to date have had various sensors etc individually replaced which hasn't resolved the problems.
 
Hi guy
I'm been having this problem for about a yr
Had loads of sensors replaced but still occurs
I resorted to unplugging the battery for approx 20mins then re connecting then if u go for a small drive all the lights go out
It seems to reset the ecu. Lately though it's happening a lot. Did anyone find the solution as no one I know or taken the car knows.
Cars a A3 3.2 dsg 04 plate
Thanks
 
Hi all , I had the same problem a couple of years back and got it sorted with an update of the ECU software .
Sorted until a few months back when the battery went flat and had to jump start the car , problem is back .
Naturally tried to get the ECU software reset/update but no luck .
The dealership is hard work and has not given any advise except a £500 investigation or a £3k timing chain replacement .
Will try the relay change as it seems a quick and cheap option ..
Will keep you posted if I succeed in any way .

Mall
 
gazcal said:
Hi guy
I'm been having this problem for about a yr
Had loads of sensors replaced but still occurs
I resorted to unplugging the battery for approx 20mins then re connecting then if u go for a small drive all the lights go out
It seems to reset the ecu. Lately though it's happening a lot. Did anyone find the solution as no one I know or taken the car knows.
Cars a A3 3.2 dsg 04 plate
Thanks
Click to expand...


Hi Gazcal
i had issues with mine from 40000km and the problem got worse as time went on, at first it would happen once every 3 months and got worse as time went on that by 150,000km it was happening daily, since i changed the relay i posted a few on the feed the problem has stopped.
i do a lot of driving everyday and it has been over a year since the last time it happen. the part is really cheap in comparison to the all the sensors that it shows are faulty. i would suggest giving it a try.
 
Mall-uk said:
Hi all , I had the same problem a couple of years back and got it sorted with an update of the ECU software .
Sorted until a few months back when the battery went flat and had to jump start the car , problem is back .
Naturally tried to get the ECU software reset/update but no luck .
The dealership is hard work and has not given any advise except a £500 investigation or a £3k timing chain replacement .
Will try the relay change as it seems a quick and cheap option ..
Will keep you posted if I succeed in any way .

Mall
Click to expand...
'Hi there,
i had issues with mine from 40000km and the problem got worse as time went on, at first it would happen once every 3 months and got worse as time went on that by 150,000km it was happening daily, since i changed the relay i posted a few on the feed the problem has stopped.
i do a lot of driving everyday and it has been over a year since the last time it happen. the part is really cheap in comparison to the all the sensors that it shows are faulty. i would suggest giving it a try.
 
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Ricky Harrison said:
'Hi there,
i had issues with mine from 40000km and the problem got worse as time went on, at first it would happen once every 3 months and got worse as time went on that by 150,000km it was happening daily, since i changed the relay i posted a few on the feed the problem has stopped.
i do a lot of driving everyday and it has been over a year since the last time it happen. the part is really cheap in comparison to the all the sensors that it shows are faulty. i would suggest giving it a try.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the comment Ricky .. That s my mission for today . Will let you guys know if this does the trick . Desperate to get the car running smoothly again .
 
Hello, seems all searches lead me to here, and reading the thread from start to finish seems familiar. 2 weeks ago I was driving along about 40mph and i felt the car "blip" and the esp light flashed on and off. At the next roundabout it would not idle but turned over every time, engine light & esp light permanently on when keeping the engine revved. I managed to limp into Tesco's and called the rac. 3 hours later help arrived, he plugged it in and fault came up with airflow sensor signal low (can't remember exactly). the guy said it smelled like it was running rich, after resetting all was fine. Nice chap actually who was in to audi's, he followed me home to see it was running ok and we chatted a bit while filling the report out.

He obviously advised changing the maf and seen as it was a second hand one on there telling by the yellow writing (before i bought the car) i thought that was sound advice. After reading through different things back then and it pointing maybe more towards the throttle housing i held off spending the £240 for a new maf.

Although it hasn't had the same issue since, iv'e noticed the engine being a bit lumpy, and moving off from standstill can jerk into motion. Is it worth me starting with cleaning the throttle valve housing etc over this long easter weekend and going from there?

its 2004 3.2 quattro

Ta
Matt
 
A32 said:
Hello, seems all searches lead me to here, and reading the thread from start to finish seems familiar. 2 weeks ago I was driving along about 40mph and i felt the car "blip" and the esp light flashed on and off. At the next roundabout it would not idle but turned over every time, engine light & esp light permanently on when keeping the engine revved. I managed to limp into Tesco's and called the rac. 3 hours later help arrived, he plugged it in and fault came up with airflow sensor signal low (can't remember exactly). the guy said it smelled like it was running rich, after resetting all was fine. Nice chap actually who was in to audi's, he followed me home to see it was running ok and we chatted a bit while filling the report out.

He obviously advised changing the maf and seen as it was a second hand one on there telling by the yellow writing (before i bought the car) i thought that was sound advice. After reading through different things back then and it pointing maybe more towards the throttle housing i held off spending the £240 for a new maf.

Although it hasn't had the same issue since, iv'e noticed the engine being a bit lumpy, and moving off from standstill can jerk into motion. Is it worth me starting with cleaning the throttle valve housing etc over this long easter weekend and going from there?

its 2004 3.2 quattro

Ta
Matt
Click to expand...
Hi there ...
I would suggest to try the ECU software update if did not have it done before .
As the AA man I believe that the issue is cause by the car running rich : car is fine when cold and when it warms up and mainly on slow drive the jerking etc happen ..
Following the failure of having the ECU software reset/update I had the car plugged in to a diagnostic machine from a friend , he tried to clear the faults and it has since been running fine ... Don't know what was done exactly ... The change of relay is my next move ..
Hope we ll have someone to come up with the right fix as it does blemish an otherwise very good car ..
 
Mall-uk said:
I would suggest to try the ECU software update if did not have it done before .
Click to expand...
is that by main dealer only? not sure if it has before, feel the car has only been loved since i owned it
 
Doesn't sound like the hesitation at 2k issue that the software fixes
Have you tried running the car with the maf unplugged. If it is maf related the car will run better if you do
 
-Ju- said:
Doesn't sound like the hesitation at 2k issue that the software fixes
Have you tried running the car with the maf unplugged. If it is maf related the car will run better if you do
Click to expand...

Hi again, been out this morning to do this, the car doesn't idle at all with the maf unplugged, just splutters out. but... i started unplugging connectors, checking earth connections etc and noticed the maf didn't look seated equaly, when i pressed the top in the was about 4mm gap between the housing and the face of the screw. The car runs a lot better now, at least its not trying to put my face through the windscreen when i drive off.. but doesn't feel 100%. Possible that oily air has got in and contaminated the sensor a bit like when people put one of those aftermarket air filters on?

I am thinking of changing the maf to be sure? I know this won't help many people as its a silly fix, but i don't feel too foolish as the rac mechanic didn't spot it either.

Matt
 
I had an issue with my maf a couple of weeks ago. Rough idle and jerky when pulling away to the point of being undriveable. It was however fine when the maf was unplugged.
I cleaned mine with some aerosol contact cleaner, back to being perfect again.
If you do buy a new maf, stay away from the copy ones as they aren't reliable
 
I might try cleaning it first, i already got a price from stoke audi for the part when i was going to fix it the other week. what is the cleaner called?

Thanks
 
It's contact cleaner, you can buy it maplins amongst others.
 
Hi Again, so I have the maf off and cleaned it, noticed the butterfly valve had carbon build up around the valve and housing so took that off and cleaned too. should the butterfly close completely? i see a little bit of daylight around the edge but its touching back by the spindle.
 
A32 said:
is that by main dealer only? not sure if it has before, feel the car has only been loved since i owned it
Click to expand...
Yes it was through the main dealer as I am not sure that it can be done otherwise (need to have someone who has got access to the software updates) .
 
Hi guys I know I'm in the wrong area but I'm stumped how to start a new thread on this site??? My Audi A3 Quattro 1.8t 180bhp is failing the emissions on lambda sensor which I have changed and the problem is still the same??? The idle seems to miss a beat here and there but drives and boosts fine? Any ideas? Cheers
 
I am so glad I found this thread. I had this issue arise this week and was stumped but it now been fixed. but have some air leak from the inlet manifold.

The fun of 3.2's.
 
Gents, just gone through this identical issue (twice) and here is my 2c.....
Check if a simple ECU reset resolves the issue ... i.e. disconnect battery for 10 mins plus (I did over and hour) and restart car. Problem gone. This did happen to me about 6 months back and took it to private dealer and they said they "replaced battery" - inadvertently did the ECU reset too I imagine.
So I think the problem has got nothing (or very little) to do with timing chain, MAF, Throttle body etc etc ... otherwise the issue would recur immediately after ECU reset. The most plausible issue is probably the Relay (I have one one order) corrupts the ECU memory by not triggering correctly and the ECU then goes into limp and cannot recover. Alternatively it then could be one of the many potential contributors mentioned which does the same thing and the ECU memory gets corrupted and an ECU reset clears this. No faults logged as the ECU unable to log them.
Still my money is on the relay. Its interesting to see a bunch of other potential solutions (which did work temporarily) involved disconnecting the battery and, again, inadvertently doing an ECU reset."

Steve
 
Update .... not the relay. Car went into Tc light, Engine light on with harsh gear shift / pull away - also a rough idle when cold. MAF code fault and that was replaced. Car runs ok but cold misfire still present.... :(

Only 15 miles so far and no check lights.
 
In snow today traction control was working overtime and yes the fault occurrd again :|

TC light on permanently now, car drops to low lumpy idle when stationary and dies. Managed to get it running but very uneven and on / off gear engagement. Stays running now tho - weird.

Really stumped. If I have to guess I would say TC network is the issue... either sensors or control unit.

Its not the MAF. Although car done 100mls since that was changed and no issue until now.
 
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