Last night I went over the fuses in my 1997 Audi to see if it had any blown fuses or anything because the cruise control and rear window wiper weren't working, and today when I started driving I noticed the turn signals weren't working, and I figured I had just left a fuse loose or something.

Soon however the ABS light came on and the car started braking by itself, I drove to the side of the road and the light went off, and I was able to continue driving. I got a burnt odor inside the car soon after, and that had me worried for a while but I figured I was just pressing on the gas while the car was braking and that just caused the clutch to slip a bit.

I got back home, opened the hood and looked around for any obvious problems but couldn't see anything strange. I went back to the driver's seat and tried to start the car, but it wouldn't turn. Can't hear the solenoid or anything. I noticed the turn signals started working as well. All the lights in the dash seem to work normally, as well as everything else electrical, except that the car won't start.

The battery is less than a year old and the volt meter in the dash says 12V. I removed the battery cables, cleaned the surfaces, greased them and put them back together, still nothing happening when I turn the key. Then I jacked the car up to get a look at the starter. I removed the power cable from the starter, cleaned and greased everything and tried again but it's still not working.

The car is a 1997 Audi A4 with a 1.8 liter non-turbo engine and any help at all would be appreciated. Could these electrical problems be connected somehow or is it just a freak accident?

 

I think the problem is in the starter solenoid afterall and the other problems aren't related. I disconnected the control wire coming to the solenoid and had my mom turn the key while I was checking the voltage and in ignition it was getting battery voltage, and the cables coming from the battery and alternator had battery voltage all the time, just as it should be as far as I know. The solenoid just isn't engaging, it's not making any sound or anything either, so I don't really see where else the problem could lay.

 

I took the starter out and took off the solenoid, noticing that the thick braided copper wire from the solenoid to the starter motor was completely burned through. Still, even if power wasn't going from the solenoid to the starter, the solenoid should engage if working properly right? I tried to open the solenoid but seems like it's built not to be opened, so I let it be and put the thing back together, soldering the solenoid-starter wire back together, hooked it up to an old car battery and tested, and it worked. I'm not sure if I should put the thing back in though, because the solenoid could just be momentarily working because I was tapping it with a hammer in an attempt to get the cap loose, and it could die on me again.

So the question is, should the solenoid work even if there was no power from the solenoid to the starter motor? Or am I good to go now that the wire is soldered back on?