Howdy folks,

My car: 2000 Audi A6 2.7T (automatic transmission).

The problem: Went out to start the car the other day and it was dead. No dash lights (though I wasn't looking for that detail back then), no sounds, nothing. Got it into neutral and out of the garage so I could jump it with my minivan. As soon as the jumpers were connected, the lights and sounds came alive. After a couple minutes I started the A6 though it was a slow and belabored start. I then drove around for about 20 minutes to let the alternator charge up the battery. Nothing seemed amiss during the drive. After parking the car back at home, I turned it off and watched as the interior lights dim like normal. To be safe, I tried to start the car again, but it just made a clicking sound and the dash lights flickered when they key got to the 2nd position (battery power). 10 minutes later I tried again but this time no noises or dash lights except "airbag," which was not flickering.

The question: To me it seems like the battery is completely shot, BUT the previous owner told me that he had recently replaced the battery! He could have been fibbing, I guess, but the battery does look pretty new. Not sure how to tell if it's really the battery. I'm assuming it's not the alternator because during my brief drive, the lights and radio and everything else looked/sounded normal. Am I missing something? Is it really the battery? Is there another way to troubleshoot the battery that I'm not thinking of besides taking it to a place like O'Rielly?

The previous owner really babied this car in every way and it shows, so I'm surprised that the battery could be drained so completely so quickly. I've been driving the car without issue for the past year.

Thanks ahead of time,
Thorjov

 

be sure to check the terminals, make certain they are tight.
check to make sure no accessories are plugged into the lighters.
otherwise the battery is shot.

 

It was in fact the battery. The old one was deader than a doorknob. When I took the old one out, I didn't notice a ventilation tube coming from it, but the new one I bought needs one to go somewhere.

Anyone know where the battery vent tube should go in a 2000 Audi A6 2.7T? I'm thinking it's on the driver's side of the battery since I saw a little hole down there where a tube roughly that size might be directed.

 

Was the battery you took out a gel cell (no vent on these)?

 

I'm not sure. It was a stock Audi battery, according to the previous vehicle owner, that a dealership had on hand.

 

I NEED NEW HELP!!!

I thought all was well after changing out the battery BUT I went out to the car after about a week of not driving it (we have two vehicles) and it was completely dead again.

I was able to start off a jump from our other car and drive it down to O'reilly auto parts to have it tested. After recharging it back to full, the machine said the battery was fine. I was really hoping it was a dud so I wouldn't have to do more trouble shooting. Oh well.

When running, the voltmeter in the dash read about 13.5v or so (should be good for the alternator from what I can tell). SO it must be a parasitic draw now, right?

Tried disconnecting the negative battery terminal when I got home and bridged it to the negative cable with a multimeter so I could start testing fuses. With the driver side door open and cabin lights set to off, the 10A reader (resolution of 10ma???) would go from about 1.00 when first making contact with the negative terminal down to 0.08 or so. Is this normal draw while "off"? I was expecting to find a bigger power draw than that.

Any suggestions or instruction would be GREATLY appreciated!

 

Most common problem I see on this era audi/volkswagen with a draw is that it has a aftermarket radio installed improperly. Also check to make sure all the door switches are working ok. When you open a door the interior lights come on....When you close them the lights go off after several seconds etc. A car at this age may be having a problem with the door/latch switches...don't pay any attention to the operation of the lights with the remote. Just the door opening and closing.

 

From what I've experienced with my 97 A6, I think it's the CD multi changer. When the ignition is off I can still eject the cartridge on mine, so it's still drawing power.

I have a nice, stronger battery than original and it's holding its power so far but the original one would die after two to three weeks sitting.

 

The radio is stock (Bose symphony w/cd & cassette), but I wonder if it has been tampered with in the past. When I hit "CDC" (multi-disc changer) nothing happens. No error code or anything, it's as if I'm not pushing anything at all. Also, the cartridge in the changer in the trunk does not eject when I hit the eject button and there are no lights on it (typical?). I'm thinking the previous owner may have had an iPod accessory installed that he removed when he sold it but didn't bother hooking things back up correctly. Could this cause a draw that kills my battery?

I also checked if the lights fade off when I close the door and they do, so I'm assuming the latch switches are okay. But I did notice that the lights do not necessarily turn on when I open the driver door (I haven't tested this with the other doors), which I assumed is typical up until now.

The voltmeter in the dash was looking good when I started things up this morning too. The needle was sitting just past the 14v mark when the alternator was running, and when I shifted into gear it would dip momentarily just below the 14v mark. That's normal, right?

 

Hey is your battery in the trunk? If so were you able to jump it from under the hood?