96 A4...help please
Thread Starter
|
1st Gear
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 2
96 A4...help please
I have a 96 A4 and this car is becoming a royal pain in the *** for me.
Im looking to sell it so I am trying to fix the majority of the problems and it seems as soon as I fix one thing something else goes wrong.
At the moment its overheating. About a month ago I noticed the temperature gauge start to rise only a little then go back down while driving, around that time a fan noise kicked in that normally wasnt there and now it runs whenever the car is on. Well now after driving for 5 minutes the temp gauge spikes to the high end. No leaks, coolant levels seem fine, did the "garden hose test" on the radiator so thats not clogged. My AC/Defrost/Heat doesnt seem to work right, the heater takes forever to kick in, and the defrost and AC just dont seem to work period. Not sure if those are related or not....
Thats just the beginning (and most concerning) of a long list of problems including dash lights not work, airbag light on, heater control lights out, sunroof seems to be possessed and open on its own sometimes, as well as the radio likes to turn itself really loud out of nowhere..... any help or info would be very appreciated.
Seeing how I am female, I lack a mechanical gene, but I do have some friends who are good at working on cars who offer to help out if I can research and get some suggestions on the problems, as they are Honda enthusiasts and dont spend a lot of time researching german specs.
Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks so much!
Im looking to sell it so I am trying to fix the majority of the problems and it seems as soon as I fix one thing something else goes wrong.
At the moment its overheating. About a month ago I noticed the temperature gauge start to rise only a little then go back down while driving, around that time a fan noise kicked in that normally wasnt there and now it runs whenever the car is on. Well now after driving for 5 minutes the temp gauge spikes to the high end. No leaks, coolant levels seem fine, did the "garden hose test" on the radiator so thats not clogged. My AC/Defrost/Heat doesnt seem to work right, the heater takes forever to kick in, and the defrost and AC just dont seem to work period. Not sure if those are related or not....
Thats just the beginning (and most concerning) of a long list of problems including dash lights not work, airbag light on, heater control lights out, sunroof seems to be possessed and open on its own sometimes, as well as the radio likes to turn itself really loud out of nowhere..... any help or info would be very appreciated.
Seeing how I am female, I lack a mechanical gene, but I do have some friends who are good at working on cars who offer to help out if I can research and get some suggestions on the problems, as they are Honda enthusiasts and dont spend a lot of time researching german specs.
Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks so much!
Actual WIZARD
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,047
From: Dallas, Texas
Dash lights = burnt bulbs
Radio = needs contact/electrical cleaner
Sunroof = SWITCH needs same treatment as radio
Overheating = thermostat
Airbag light = probably seat connectors. Jump the wires under the seat weith a resistor, and reset the light
Radio = needs contact/electrical cleaner
Sunroof = SWITCH needs same treatment as radio
Overheating = thermostat
Airbag light = probably seat connectors. Jump the wires under the seat weith a resistor, and reset the light
2nd Gear
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 675
From: Des Moines, IA
If you're changin the tstat, do the kit, with the timing belt, water pump etc...it'll get you more $, just save your receipts for proof. As for the airbag lights, search my threads, there are a ton of info....it's an ez fix, and it's the wires UNDER your seat, unless the code is for the front ones, then it's the wires on the lower rocker panel inside under your pedals .....if you have any questions, please ask me.