Ignition key when turned does everything except crank the engine

[Flatout]

Hello I have a 3.0 tdi 2007 avant and every time it gets cold (i.e. winter) the ignition key does everything except crank the engine. If I don't put my foot on the clutch pedal i get the usual info. The glow plug lights etc all do their usual thing. Only after many attempts does it finally crank and start. 

And so far according to Audi there are NO faults stored.

Any ideas …. this is the third year now and it is getting worse

[Audi Owners Club]

Sounds electrical but weird how it is temperature related. Not one I have heard of before. I'm scraping the barrel here but immobiliser fault??

[Flatout]

H,i I think if it was the immobiliser it would register as a fault????? I'm trying to get a wiring diagram and then have a volt meter across the terminals at various points from the ignition switch to the starter. 

Of course the meter will have to be semi permanently fitted, because as sure as eggs are eggs, it will be as good as gold as soon as the meter is fitted.

[Audi Owners Club]

It's a shame Audi can't see it when it happens. It's just one of those things you get where the problem won't perform when you try and show someone  :(

[Flatout]

The solution ….. Replaced ignition switch …… So far so good 

[Flatout]

Spoke TOO soon, nil fix…… Back to the drawing board 

[Flatout]

Ok two years have passed now with the problem getting worse. I ended up buying a manual from http://www.emanualonline.com and after finding the wiring section (took awhile) found that there were two starter relays above the drivers right knee. Both are identical. They are about £6 on eBay (unknown history though) £18 each at Audi. Bought two from Audi and so far so good……… However, I said this when the ignition switch was replaced. Two weeks have passed now :)

I will try to keep you posted if anything else arises 

 

[Flatout]

Still nil fix …….. and it is now doing it when it is warmer (13 degrees)

Time to study the wiring diagram ….. Time allowing :(

[James]

Sounds like you're doing everything you can - what a pain it must be 

[gelu]

Hi, I have the same problem to my A6 SE FSI 2005 3.2 petrol. Sometime I start it with a good push start :)

- Changed starter motor 

- Changed the two relay

Just wanted to change the ignition switch, but now reading this I don't see the point.

If you have any other suggestions, please let me know.

Thanks

[James]

@Flatout did you ever find a fix?

[Flatout]

Sorry for long pause have changed my email address and so was not getting msg's 

I have not fixed it as yet …. warmer weather means it's not so bad …. But is getting worse.

I am beginning  to think it might be to do with the steering lock solenoid because when parked with the steering out of straight it is very much worse. (The thought being the lock does not retract so well and when cold the lubrication or lack of it )

Turning the ignition on and off does not solve this….. BUT if I take the key out and back in bingo it works

Does anyone know if there a connection made when the steering lock releases ???? i.e. some form of continuity from the solenoid

Kind regards

Jez

 

[James]

On 5/23/2016 at 2:55 PM, Flatout said:

Sorry for long pause have changed my email address and so was not getting msg's 

I have not fixed it as yet …. warmer weather means it's not so bad …. But is getting worse.

I am beginning  to think it might be to do with the steering lock solenoid because when parked with the steering out of straight it is very much worse. (The thought being the lock does not retract so well and when cold the lubrication or lack of it )

Turning the ignition on and off does not solve this….. BUT if I take the key out and back in bingo it works

Does anyone know if there a connection made when the steering lock releases ???? i.e. some form of continuity from the solenoid

Kind regards

Jez

 

Sorry to hear you haven't fixed it Jez - must be a paint. At least you have found a bit of a workaround in the mean time though!

[garyt]

I'm having the exact same problem with my A6 2.0 tdi. Has anyone found a fix for this?

[Flatout]

 

3 hours ago, garyt said:

I'm having the exact same problem with my A6 2.0 tdi. Has anyone found a fix for this?

Hi, back 20th December I changed,.... or rather Audi changed the starter motor at my request. I had put cables in on each side of the starter solenoids and measured the voltage each time I started the car. As luck had it, it did fail and this time I was measuring the voltage at the furthest down stream to the starter. So I knew I had a voltage out of the last major component. According to Audi if I had a supply to the starter motor and it did not turn, then the diagnostics should register a fault. There was never a fault registered. But according to my fault finding, it was the starter motor. OR I think the solenoid on the starter motor.

Trying to find a new starter is not easy, and in the end although I found one, the logistics of get and returning the old one made Audi not that expensive.

To date it has not fai, but I still have the cables fitted, because I want to give it TIME. 

So if you are desperate this is where I would focus 

Hope this helps

Cheers

Jez

[garyt]

Thanks Jez for your input to this problem. I have had the car in to the Mercedes BMW Audi specialists in Glasgow over the past two days who I take all my German cars to in the past. They have found the problem now which is in the form of the clutch servo is leaking fluid and has saturated the clutch swith and fried it basically...New servo needed, job lot £600....phew

It better last..lol

[Flatout]

Garyt is this the clutch pedal switch ? If so, you should be getting the "put foot on clutch pedal" indication and hydraulic fluid in the car.... 

Either way glad you have got to the root of it 

[Flatout]

Well 3 months have now passed....... And everything is fine (until I write this)

Bizarre because Audi said that it was not the starter motor, because if it was, it would have registered a fault 

So much for diagnostics ..... They can lead you astray .. And in my case about £300 extra not to say hours spent pouring over wiring diagrams

I hope the above helps someone