Hi there,

I am new to the forum and I have a problem which I hope somebody can help me with.

My brother bought a A4 B5 as is. According to the previous owner they drove home with the car, but the next day it would not start.

After towing it from workshop to workshop, the head was redone and the end result was, the computer was damaged.
The computer was removed and somebody tried to fix it without success.

It was suggested that we fit an aftermarket fuel management, but then you loose some of the uses on the computer.

Any suggestions?

 

did the mechanic know that head was the only cause for the problem?
replace the damaged computer and use a diagnostic tool to detect the problem.

 

did the mechanic know that head was the only cause for the problem?
replace the damaged computer and use a diagnostic tool to detect the problem.

 

This sounds fishy.

Used ECU (also known as ECM, it is the engine management computer) usually cost about $75-90. It's very easy to swap in a used ECU, and definitely worth a try. It undoubtedly costs less than repairing/replacing a head!

When you say the engine doesn't start, does it turn over? There are a number of reasons why an engine will turn over but not start. But generally they stem from two things: fuel and spark.

 

According to the mechanic the car starts, idles and then dies. After taking it to a Auto elctrisian they found several faults on the computer and rectified it, costing money, but still no start.
They say the car starts and then kills spark and ffuel supply.

Does that make sence?

 

This sounds like one person fucked your brother over bad, then everyone else did too.

Buy a computer on here somewhere (preferably with a chip in it), or at a junk yard, then pull the codes, research them on here and get to the bottom of the real issue, because a head isn't going to make a car stop running after warm-up unless the head gasket is bad and coolant is leaking into the cylinders, which would also cause the fuel issue.

 

First thing I would do is tow it to another mechanic, this one is either stupid or trying to screw your brother over. How long does it idle for? What are the codes? Sounds like an immobilizer issue to me, but they only had those in Europe, so if you live there it could very well be your problem.