Help!
My 1992 Audi 100 won't start again. In mid December I paid 1000$ for a new water pump and a new fuel pump. Two weeks later it wouldn't start again and I suspected it was the ignition switch which was way loose. They replaced it and showed me that in fact the ignition switch was broken. That cost another 100$. Two weeks after this, fuel was literally spraying out from under the hood while I was driving it!! This time my husband was pissed and found that the clip holding the fuel injector on the first cylinder was missing and the injector had come out. (UGH!) SO, not a big deal, fixed that. All was good and fine until today. I drove the car in the AM, filled it up with 93 octane gas came home and it wouldn't restart! I freaked out, then waited about an hour and a half thinking maybe I was trying too hard. I checked the oil and it was real low, barely on the dipstick. I put about half a quart in it since it was all I had and it still won't start. it is cranking good and strong. I DO NOT smell fuel at all, so it's not flooded or leaking fuel. At this point I don't know what to think!!! WHY is everything going wrong with this car!!!
Could it be water in the fuel? Not enough oil? Any other possibilities? Any guesses?? Help!!
WTF?????
~Christy

 

first you need to check if there is a spark at the plugs (is coil ok if no spark) and is fuel pump working

 

I had a similar problem with my '91 100Q, the only thing I can think of is the ignition distributor. As mentioned above, check for spark when you have a no start condition. If there is no spark the hall sensor might be shot and will need to be replaced.

 

here's what it ended up being....the fuel pump relay, which was just replaced two months prior had gone out and it wasn't getting fuel. So they replaced it for free, free labor too. They're really not ripping me off at all! So I got the car yesterday afternoon, started right up and ran like a dream all evening. This morning it started right up no problems. After dropping my kids at school I got back in it to restart it and it WON'T START AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!! I am devastated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I called the shop and they want me to tow it over again and they said they're gonna try to trace the problem, sounds electrical. I think this is my last free tow with AAA. I need this problem resolved! Does anyone have any guesses to what it could be? A short? I did recently have me ignition switch replaced...any link??? I never had a no fuel problem or relay problem before the ignition switch job...I really feel bad because the shop says they'll fix it for free, but I really like those guys and I feel like it's not fair that they should have to work for free? Should I give them a gift if they fix it? A tip???

Thanks!

~Christy

 

Hey...just had the tow guy meet me at the car...and once again I had another tow guy trying to fix the car...he's unplugging relays and fuses and hitting the fuel tank with a rubber mallet!! UGH! I was, again, doubtful of him doing anything useful, since the last tow guy was hosing everything down with starting fluid and took my air cleaner unit apart and leaving it apart! UGH! Anyways...get this! This tow guy figured out that if we lock and unlock the car, it resets the alarm (which I only have a weird trunk alarm) which in turn REACTIVIATES the relay which makes the fuel pump work! I guess, according to the tow guy, on Audis and Volkswagens, if the car thinks it's being stolen, the alarm system will deactivate the fuel pump, making it inoperable (many other cars deactivate the starter). He seems to think that I have something fritzed out in my driver door. Sounds good to me! I'll let you know if it ends up being true. And I'll try not to doubt the efforts of the towguy/repair guy!!!
~Christy