Hey guys I'm new to the Audi world so don't bash me to hard and i did use the search button. OK I'm not a car noob by any means but here goes:

I am looking at a 98 a4q v6 for ridiculously cheap there is problem it is very sluggish until about 3500 rpm there is no CEL that I could see andI wasn't able to pull the codes. this thing is a total dog but looks good doesn't knock and very cheap the guy that owns it got it off ebay once it arrived found the intake in the trunk he put it together and it looks right but I'm not an Audi man soI don't know.I suspected the MAF was bad or back-wards so i unplugged the MAF and the car would start but *** soon as you hit the gas it would die. is has an aftermarket intake but other than that it looks stock. like I said it drives but has a serious problem. Any advice? as long as you guys don't think its anything serious I will probably get it.

 

i would take it to a mechanic. if its crazy cheap itll be worth the few bucks to kno if u have a real problem on your hands.

 

take the piping off the filter end of the maf and if the mesh is on that side then it's on correctly. also is it auto or manual? i have a manual and i begin to feel power around 2k then a huge increase at 3-4k and the effect dies off. if you have an automatic that may be the reason. another thing that will add to the sluggishness at lower rpm is the quattro and the pure weight of the car itself.

 

It's a manual. There is somthing wrong with it it if you floor it it doesnt go any faster once your rolling its fine ..............untill you hit a hill.

 

well what is this "good price" you speak of? list price for that car is about $5500. that was the first audi i bought, it definately wasnt a dog.

the intake was in the trunk probably because the person that took off the aftermarket intake was too lazy to put the stock back on- possibly some kid who didnt treat the car very well. get a compression test done, it should be 10.3 stock i believe. loss of compression = loss of power, also combustion gasses and fuel in the engine oil.
does the dipstick smell like fuel?

what is the idle rpms at? if its bouncing around a little there could be a leak in the intake, unmetered air = too lean (too rich for turbo owners) = bad idle and loss of power under acceleration.

a few things to also look at... o2 sensors, spark plugs/ coils though missfires usualy throw CELs, fuel filter clogged (people often dont change these)...

 

the good price is around $1500, dude just dosent want to deal with it. it idle at about 750 doesn't bounce around. I'll get it looked at but was figurin it may ave been somthing wrong with it. there is also an extra MAF in the trunk, for $1500I could part the car out and make my money back anyway.