Hi Guys,

This site was instrumental in fixing my car's problems last time, and I'm hoping/praying for a repeat. =)

I have an 2002 A6 3.0 (original owner). Car has approximatley 55K miles on her. Her latest drama is she keeps dying while I'm out driving. First happened 3 months back, they replaced the Air Mass Sensor and she ran fine. Then 3 weeks back, she died again at a stop light. Again, towed back, they replaced AMS, then she died yet again. Same thing.
The car stalls, barely restarts, the car lurches, all lights on dash light up, she can barely be pulled over out of the road.

The shop called this morning after having her for 2 weeks. These guys are great, they fixed a problem on her that the dealer couldn't fix, so I do trust them. Problem is he's stumped. He can't seem to repair it this time. He's trying changing something else in addition to the AMS, but she again died over the weekend.

Has anyone run into this type of problem? Any idea on what it could be? Any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated.

I know it's most likely time to get rid of her, but I just love the car. I can't believe how few miles I've gotten out of her, and all the trouble I've had with her. So disheartening.

 

Do you or they have any trouble codes?

 

Based off of the receipt, it lists: 16486-p0102 Mass Air Flow Sensor Signal too low.

They have changed the AFS 4 times in 3 months. There has to be some underlying original problem that's throwing out that code. But what? Argh. These newer cars have so many bells and whistles, everything computerized, but they sure have a lot more that can go wrong with them compared to the old days. lol.

 

Disconnect the wiring going to the MAF sensor. If the car runs better, then you know that, once again, the sensor went bad. Otherwise I would think it is wiring related. You would need to trace the wire and see if there is any damage. BTW, our MAF sensor is a hot wire system. Meaning the temperature of the wire actually affects the performance. The reason that I am mentioning is that you may have a portion of the wire exposed near the engine where it is affecting the reading.

 

Really?!! I wonder if it could be something that simple? I will definetly mention it to them when I call them. THANK you SO much for the suggestion, it's very much appreciated!

 

Just a suggestion... could be something more complicated.

 

I had a MAF instaled that was DOA! Dont over look the fact that the new one failed. Was it OEM? I know you can get cheap units for $125. Also not likely but lets rule out anything and everything. If you are using a high flow air filter that requires re-oiling after cleaning, if you apply to much oil and do not let it sit long enough to soak in it will coat the MAF. The sensor is right off the air box and it looks like a tiny thread going down the middle. The oil will foul the MAF and cause problems. Also check for catalytic converter breakdown. Could rattle into the way and block output. you would also feel restricted power when it did run. Good luck!!!!

 

Just following along. Let us know how you made out with the MAF.

 

Thanks. But do you think that there could be 4 bad ones in a row? I think I'm on my 4th one. Crazy!! The car will run perfectly normal, and then die suddenly at a red light or stop sign. Weirdest thing. Take my foot off the gas, try to sit with the brake on and it dies. So weird. The shop hasn't called me back so that's not a good sign. I'll get them a call and offer some of these suggestions, Thank you all!!!!

 

4 in a row means there is something causing them to go bad. Have they tested the sensor itself? When they are replacing it they are also moving the harness around. They need to test the harness output, Search for shorts in the wiring harness, burnt wire, melted insulation, missing/bad wire loom. Do you have the Audi repair manual. You can get it from www.bentleypublishers.com. once you have that open it go to search and type in" MAF testing" it says in detail how to test it and where to go from there- I can read mine on VISTA but I can't print or copy a damn thing.I can print screen though. They said it works better on XP. If they don't have it buy them a copy for your car they will need it.