I just bought a 1999 Audi A4 1.8T.
It has 120k miles on it.

..and now it has a few issues.

I have 3 engine codes that came up today:

P0018 (engine coolant temp (ECT) circuit high)
P1128 (Long term fuel trim B1 system too lean)
P1136 (Long term fuel trim add. Fuel B1 system too lean)

I am curious if these are simple fixes, or if it's going to cost me.

Also, my airbag light is on, and the car has never been in a wreck, and the airbags have never deployed.

The ABS light is on, and the brake light is flashing.
The brakes are working just fine as of now, and the guy I bought it from said it was just a sensor.

Another issue that I have, is that when the turbo spools down, there is a kind of light rattle from the engine.

The final thing is while driving 40mph +, I hear A LOT of road noise, only which seems to be coming from the passenger front side of the car. It goes away around 50mph, but comes back at 70-80, and goes away over that. I've read that the tires could be the cause, or possibly bad bearings. How can I tell?


Thanks for any help, I really appreciate it, and hope to enjoy the new car.

 

For the P0018, you probably just need a new cts. Check out ecstuning.com They have one for around 20 bucks. For the other codes you might have to try a couple of things to troubleshoot the issue. As for the road noise, you'll need to check a couple of things. It could be from tires out of balance, worn out bearings, bad cv joint/axle etc. Getting a rotation and balance first is always a good idea to help your tires last longer. Do you feel any vibration in the steering wheel?

 

I can let go of the steering wheel and she'll drive straight down the highway forever. There might be a slight vibration, but I'm not sure how the car is supposed to feel. The tires are pretty new. They are Kuhmo Ecsta ESX. The car also has some aftermarket exhaust, which could be causing a little vibration... it's pretty loud (a little annoying at 70mph).

 

Driving straight has to do with alignment. A lot of people mix up wheel alignment with wheel balance. If you drive next to a curb or wall and hear a wa wa wa wa sound from the tires, then they're out of balance. Alignment deals mostly with tire wear since the tires eat up quickly if the toe setting isn't set correctly. If you hear a grinding sound then it could be bearings, cv joint, loose break pad, etc.

 

First clear the codes and see which ones come back. All three could be caused by the coolant temp sensor. As stated, it's a cheap part and worth changing (they're known to be problematic and can cause a lot of issues on these cars.

Definitely rotate the tires (even just two) to see if the noise moves or stays put. If it moves with the tire, the wheel/tire is to blame. If not, look at axles and wheel bearings.

The airbag light is probably being tripped by a seat bag, likely the driver's side. Moving the seat too much can momentarily open the connection and trip the warning light. You can zip-tie the connector and turn off the light (vagcom software is needed for that), and you'll be fine. Check the photo gallery in my profile for a pic of the connectors under the seat. The yellow one is what you want.

ABS light and flashing brake light can indicate a problem with the ABS controller. Use the Search feature to find a wealth of info on this. It can be replaced or repaired by a place like www.modulemaster.com.

Hope that adds to what was said and can help you on some of this.

 

Thanks a lot! I'll check it out and let you know what happened.

 

And since no one else said it... Welcome to AudiForums

 

well, I went on a 500 mile round trip this weekend, and made it. The noise is amazingly worse, so I called the local dealership (which I don't want to go to because I know it'll cost an arm and a leg) and talked to a tech there.

The noise sounds like I'm either in a small airplane, or riding on the side of the highways (over the noise grooves), constantly. I can feel the car vibrating pretty strong, but still drives straight. The tires don't seem to be wearing on either side more than the other, and the noise doesn't differ if I turn or drive straight. There is no knocking at all. Any thoughts on what it is? The tech told me possibly CV joint or axle.

 

Good news is, if it's the axel or CV joint, it's only about a 100 bucks for parts (blauparts.com) and you can do it yourself. I need to do a CV joint myself when I get home.

 

Does it change volume on the freeway if you turn one direction or another? My bet is on the bearing. Like stated, the airbag light is probably the wires under the seat, but even after you fix it, you need a VAG COM to reset the light.