theMaab

Hi there,
I've been trying to find an article that could explain the problems I'm having, but couldn't.

Recently when starting my car (A6 1998) it seemed like the battery was a bit low. It would always start, but I assumed I might need a new battery.

I got to looking and found corrosion on the positive terminal. So I got a cleaner and those little reg and green pads from the auto part store.

I took off the connections from the battery, cleaned it real well and then put the corrosion pads on and then connected the battery again.

Well, I went to start it up and it was worse, but still started. I drove around to the front of my place and it was all sorts of messed up.

Now, when it changes gears (auto or manually) it lags into neutral for about 5 seconds before the next gear catches. As you can imagine, it's like popping the clutch and the car jerks real bad.

Plus when it goes to shift and comes out of gear for the next one, the engine revs way up until the next gear does catch, about 5 sec later.

Just a side note, not too concerned about it at this point. But the windows do not have the auto up and down function. You have to hold the window switch the whole time to get the windows up or down, instead of just tapping it and they go all the way.

I can't imagine just disconnecting the battery would cause this. There are no Audi dealers where I live, but we have a 'European Mechanic' in town that does Merceds/BMW/Volvos and such.

So, I took it to him. He says $115 to hook it up and find out. So, I left it with him.

But, if you guys have any ideas that might help me. Anything to reset after disconnecting the batter? Could a bad alternator cause the transmission problems? I'm just at a loss.

I'd appreciate any helpful input,
Thanks,
theMaab

Kris Hansen

For the windows, run the window all the way up, and hold the switch for 5 seconds or so.

audikillsbmw

Or, you can make them go up and down once or twice. That also resets the "auto" feature.

signal11

If the battery has been disconnected, you're supposed to turn it to On, but not start it for about 20 seconds for it to do a throttle body adaptation (if it thinks it needs it). The throttle body adaptation can also be forced using a VAG-COM.

You'll also likely need to enter the radio code to unlock it in addition to setting the auto window feature.

theMaab

Well, now all this has been done, you think I can just disconnect the battery again and then try waiting the 20 seconds before starting?

Or now is my only option Vagcom.

I'm very eager to get a Vagcom setup. But i'm confused as it seems to be available for purchase and available for download. I dont understand. I saw nothing of a trial download verision.

I'm also unsure as to which USB adapter to get. I've seen several on ebay. Any ideas there?

Thanks for the input. I was sure it was something I did and crossing my fingers for a simple fix. As they say, when it rains it pours,

Well, i appreciate it a lot. It's great to have access to a person a bit knowledgeable on the subject.

themaab