aschneider9

I have a 1999.5 A4 1.8t with a little over 185000 miles on it. I have been working with my mechanic to perform all the necessary maintenance a car of my age requires but I'm limited by my budget so it's being done in phases. I trust my mechanic and confident that he would catch any potential problems so I think whatever I'm about to explain just "broke". Here’s the scenario; Oil light flashed on a few days ago and I pulled over immediately to find my dipstick read empty. Had AAA tow it to my mechanic who said nothing was blatantly wrong but that it's just an old car and to keep an eye on the oil and a quart in my trunk and just top it off as needed? He did an oil change and everything was good. Yesterday my car starts fine and I go to run some errands, when I go to start it again after my first stop, nothing. Get it started by coasting and popping the clutch (manual by the way) but the car wanted to stall every time I let off the accelerator, which eventually it did. Left it for the night due to lack of options but just got back from jumping it and driving it home. The voltmeter read 14 at idle (it wasn't trying to stall this morning) but as I accelerated the voltmeter approached 16 but never got there. Got home and did the “shut off and start up” test and she failed, no juice at all. It's a brand new battery that I got about 3 months ago. Any suggestions?

turbo510

The oil use and electrical problems are two different issues. Yes, watch the oil level, as driving without oil can get expensive.

You said the voltmeter idled at 14, which is normal. Then you said that the voltage approached 16 but never got there. It shouldn't. 15 volts is as high as you'd want to see, otherwise electrical system damage can occur.

First, you need a hand-held voltmeter so you can measure directly across the battery posts. If it is still charged, then next I'd clean the terminals, especially the smaller cable''s that attaches to the positive post of the battery.

aschneider9

Thanks for the quick reply. I’m going to get a handheld voltmeter and test the battery like you suggested and I’ll clean the terminals. The only reason I mentioned the fluctuating voltmeter is because it has never done that while driving, always stayed at a constant 14 so the fact it is fluctuating seemed worth noting. Don’t mean to get the horse ahead of the cart but any suggestions on what the cause might be if the battery has a solid read or if the battery does not. I’m trying to get a gauge on how big or small an issue this may be.