Hey there,

I recently shipped my car (2001 Audi A4, 105k miles) from FL to NY (in midst of winter). My car is shuddering in low speeds and almost feels like it is going to stall. Oil was changed recently. Any ideas? I have haaardly driven it since it's arrival in the cold - could this be the reason? I hope I can avoid the expensive transmission re-work costs...

Any mechanics in the area people know of?

Thanks!!!!!!!!!

 

what makes u think its ur tranny?

its cold... it gonna run like crap until it warms up. all cars do. do u let it warm up a bit before you start driving it?

also, what kind of oil did u use? a 5w40? if so, that could be it. it could be too cold to flow properly... or ur coolant isnt keeping ur engine properly warm or is freezing?

I'd say go for a nice long drive, letting it warm up all the way. if u didnt drive it for a while after u sent her up, and the temp got SUPER cold, u could have some fluids that turned to slush. lol

check ur IACV for any blockage, and ur fuel... if its when ur going slow/ idling... either could be it. the IACV could be blocked or dirty and the problem is being amplified by the cold, or the fuel system was not properly prepped for storage in the cold and froze at one time, then whn u turned the car on, some water condensed in the tank and got shot into ur engine.

my best friend's BMW had to have his fuel system flushed and his engine inspected because he lives in Canada and it FROZE solid, melted, froze again... etc... it all leads to water in the tank, broken pumps, lines, etc. etc.

 

Thanks so much for your advice, Krieger. I will take her out for a very long spin and go from there. I appreciate all your suggestions and advice, thx again - Whitney

 

no problems. just take it easy on her.

cuz if there IS water in ur tank, its gonna run like crap till it's flushed out or u get gas treatment. pick up a can of SEAFOAM and dump it in ur tank. it will suck up the water and clean ur injectors. its like 6 bucks. ALOT cheaper than a new engine or flush for ur fuel system. lol

 

Awesome! And the Seafoam wouldnt hurt the engine in case it isn't a problem with water in the tank, right?

Thanks!

 

You may also want to fill up the tank. The gasoline in your area is most likely formulated for Winter while your car was filled earlier with gasoline from Florida and I doubt they use a different gas formula for Winter. JM2CW!

 

Check your radiator fluid. FL fluid may not be mixed for -20 to -30 that you'll need up north. Also, hot weather batteries don't do real well in the cold (and vice versa), so don't be surprised by starting problems. If you have a 1.8T, suggest Mobil1 0W-30 or 0W-40 to ensure oil flows real well to turbo when cold. Add some gasline antifreeze to make sure condensation is removed from the gas tank.

Last, maybe the shudder is you shaking from the cold. We have a term for that up north: "shivvering".