rallyjiggz

I own a 96 2.8 12v A4. I took it to the local big box store shop to have them look at my upper control arms. Well, sometime between the time I dropped off the car and the time I got the keys back, the ignition key lock managed to retire itself. I now have a car that won't start, but the lovely instrument cluster lights all get turned on when I turn my key. No starter, no engine turning over. After doing the back and forth parlay with the manager he simply would not take responsibility, and I guess that was my fault for picking a shop that I thought could do something simple like give me a second opinion on the state of my suspension. I didn't expect to come back to a car that won't start. Luckily I found a couple of guys on the street willing to help me pop my clutch.

If anyone has a tip for how to get into the ignition and do the "twist two wires together" manoeuvre for the time being please help me out. Stealing cars wasn't really part of my experience with working on them, but I need a way to start the car in the meantime before I can get the issue addressed. Will this method work on a pre-facelift B5?

Oh and maybe PM me specifics instead of posting it for the world to see. I'm sure I'm not the only person out there that would love a step by step on how to get cars going without the need for a key.

4Driver4

Why not just buy the new switch, plug it into the harness, and use it to start and drive the car?

rallyjiggz

From an Audi dealer or ---? I'm sorry, I'm not sure of that is an Audi-specific part or one that, like a fuse or bulbs, can be bought from any other store. I tried another shop and they don't want to tell me what I need unless they diagnose what the problem is - and charge a $55 fee.

I'm sitting in a parking lot idling while I wait for my girlfriend to finish up work, but after we get home I'll have no means of getting around until I can actually buy this part. Which might be tonight, might be tomorrow, or might be in 10 business days

Someone suggested a flat nose but turning the ignition isn't the problem. There's power from the battery but no power going to the starter. I don't really want to try drilling through my ignition if I might not have to.

4Driver4

Buy a switch from the Audi dealer. All switches suck, but the Audi ones are marginally better. Unplug the harness from the bad switch and plug it into the new switch. Use a screwdriver to turn the new switch to start the car.

You will need to remove the steering wheel to install the new switch correctly, but there should be no need for drilling.

turbo510

A new switch is $6.64 at Autohausaz.com. Maybe not top quality, but probably works. But you will cause hundreds of dollars of damage if you stick a screwdriver into your ignition lock in some unwise attempt to make the car start. Drilling into it isn't going to do anything except put metal shavings on the carpet. To do this correctly, you need to remove the steering wheel like 4Driver4 said. You will need a T30 Torx key, similar to an Allen wrench. These are very cheap but necessary to remove the wheel on the '96. The problem is that the lower shroud, which is in the way of the switch, is held on by some screws behind the steering wheel.

All this assumes that the ignition switch is the problem. Before I got that far, I'd make sure that the switch was actually the defective part.

coloradobob

Are you sure it's the ignition switch? The switch on the clutch pedal has a habit of failing and you get the symptoms you have. I'd check that first before messing with the ignition switch.

Frank06

I don't mean to steal the thread, but we have a 2001 A4 1.8T that occasionally won't turn over either. There's sometimes an error message referring to the clutch switch but the switch tests out good. My understanding is that the switch is an input into an ECU somewhere: does the ECU ever fail? Last time this happened the car was at a repair shop to replace a wheel bearing, and it *eventually* started after holding the key in the Start position for 4-5 seconds. No DTC's could be read with a scanner. It was reliable for two weeks after that then did it again last night.

Does crankshaft position have anything to do with this issue? Is there some sort of sensor that hits a dead-spot?

Any advice appreciated!

coloradobob

The clutch switch simply closes the circuit between the ignition switch and the starter. The ECU has no role.

It's possible the clutch switch is working intermittently or something else isn't working

AudiMick

96 A4 didn't have a clutch interlock.

Frank06

Hmmm... the switch is normally closed and opens when pushing on the pedal which seemed to be a fail-safe kind of approach i.e. should the switch fail it's still open circuit which is why I assumed it went to the ECU. This tested out pretty consistently with a continuity meter.

Is it hard to get access to the ignition switch? Does one have to remove the steering wheel in this model to get at it?

thanks