Ok, here's the deal.

My lights have been working very sporadically lately and today I decided to take a look at the switch. I found a DIY online, somewhere, and it said that i should disconnect the battery before i started to take the steering wheel off of the steering column. I did that, and then tried to unscrew the two screws that held the front cover of the steering wheel on, low and behold, those screws are in there TIGHT. So i gave up, and reconnected the battery.

Upon starting my car, after the battery was reconnected, the engine would die. So i started it again, and pushed down on the gas to keep it going.

The car now idles at ~450 RPM and then when i shift into gear and try to move, the RPMs will raiselike normal, but then drop quickly, only to raise again. It makes a noise like VROOM (short pause) VROOM (short pause) VROOM (short pause).

It worked normally when i pulled it into my garage and started to work on it, but now i can't move it out of the garage because it doesn't move fluidly--it moves very jerkily.

If anyone could give me a couple pointers on how i'd be able to fix this problem, that would be great.

Thanks,

Jcc2k4

 

After some searching i found, what i think might be the problem; however, i'm unable to follow the directions because i think you're required to have some sort of extra equipment.

Here's the link: http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1210265

If anyone could be of any help, that would be great.

 

Well I have a question, if you let off the gas does the car run or does it die. I have seen this at the dealership... well actually I have seen a couple things like this. If the car starts and dies then its the immobilizer. But I havent seen this happen after a battery was disconnected. The immobilizer turns off the motor when the key isnt recconized my the car. Which is the reason if you get a new key you have to go to the dealership to have it programmed. So if it starts and dies thats what it is and my suggestion is to try all your keys to see if any work, if they dont you gotta take it to a dealership. If it stays running but the rpms rise and drop its sound like your throttle body. You said it vroom vrooms, idk what that means but im gunna take it as you meaning the rpms are sporadic and will rise and fall. If this is the case it sounds like your throttle body needs to be adapted or you need a new throttle body. So yeah, if im wrong and it starts but doesnt die and the rpms are just really low umm I really dont know.

 

its called a throttle body alignment, use search

 

Ok, i had it towed to a local auto mechanic (as the car doesn't run, and the closest audi dealer is ~45 miles away).

The mechanic told me my throttle position sensor was bad and that i should just buy a new one. My question to you guys is: Will this help?

If it truely is just a problem with the in-car computer, would buying a new part fix this? The part is just as expensive as a liscence for the software is for the VAG-COM.

At this point, i have been with out a car for some time and would just like to be able to drive my audi again (I have a really bad saturn loan car).

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

No one has any idea?

 

Ghost6303 is right. Do a Throttle body alignment. You should have the engine
and year in your post.

 

if the sensor is actually bad, you need to replace the whole throttle body. if your mechanic doesnt know what a TB allignment is and just assumed the sensor was bad because he had no idea what to do, then you need to either buy a copy of vag-com or find a mechanic with one. i would make sure that he tried to do an alignment before buying something you might not need.

 

Well, my car is a 1998 a4 1.8t non quattro (not sure if the quattro thing matters or not, but whatever).

So, should I just buy the VAG-COM? I mean, a throttle position sensor is ~$200 too, or would that not be enough?

 

i told you what you should do already
if you want to get vag-com just to have it then sure, but if you are only getting it only to fix this problem then make sure that you need to first.