A few weeks ago my battery light came on and went off within minutes. The next day while driving battery light came on again followed by nearly every other light on my console. Then my power steering went out and dash lights went real dim. Tonight I crawled under the car to see how hard the alternator would be to get out and I noticed a lot of oil. Apparently I have an oil leak, I couldn't tell the source but I did notice the alternator was covered in oil....

Would this oil cause the alternator to fail? If I sprayed it down real well with contact cleaner and let it dry is there a chance that could help it?

 

You lost your serpetine belt, possibly because the alternator locked up on you. How long did you drive the car after the power steering went out? Your oil leak is most likely from the front cam seal.

Bob

 

By the way it's a '02 A6 3.0

Sorry, I should have been more specific. The power steering went out only intermittently and lasted about 6 blocks till I got to my home. I'm assuming the power steering failing was a product of losing power.

This morning the car wouldn't start so I used the wife's car to jump start it. The car started fine but after a minute or two it died and wouldn't restart. Immediately jump started it again and the voltage went to 13 and all operated normally. Drove it around the block a couple times to test it and it was like nothing was wrong. I used headlights, heat, power windows, radio and the voltage stayed between 12-13 the entire time.

Also the issue seems to be primarily when the temps get down to 40 degrees or lower...