mckay johnson

I am pretty new to the site, but I was hoping that someone could shed some light on a problem that has been very elusive in diagnosing/remedying.

As I stated, I have a 1995 90Sport with 62k. It has been a good car and a thrill to own, and I have full intention of staying in the Audi family for good. However, with that being said, my relationship with my Audi is quickly becoming a love hate relationship. I have loved and babied the car like no other vehicle I have ever owned. BUT here recently I have hit a rash of problems that have caused me to reconsider my feelings for the car.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

1st: I noticed two months ago that after the car sat for more than a few hours, whenever I would turn the key in the ignition, the engine would turn over immediately, but NONE of the components in the car would activate (the A/C--I have the digital climate control--the window switches, the windshield wipers, the sunroof control, even the turn indicators would not work). I proceeded in turning the ignition to off, and started it again, and viola! Everything worked. This went on for weeks without exception, and every time the electronic components would not come on unless I turned the vehicle off and then restarted it after the first attempt. Unfortunately the problem progressed until a week ago, none of the components ever came on again. I tried starting it over and over again, but alas: nothing worked but the engine. I drove it to the mechanic, and the first thing we checked were the relays and the fuses; but everything was in order. The mechanic said that he could not get to it for a week, and so it took it home. I checked all the fuses again, and again everything was fine! I did notice that the more I started it, the more the starter would hang even after the engine turned over, it's almost like the starter didn't know to disengage after the engine turned over. Has anybody out there had any experiences with a problem like this? Any suggestions?

2nd: About the same time that I noticed the problem with the electronic components I also noticed that the passenger side Catalytic Converter went out. Apparently, the biscuit inside had taken too much abuse and dislodged itself. That way every time the car started you could hear it just rattling around, waiting to clog the exhaust and drain the engine's power. I called my Audi dealer, and the Cat listed for $750 plus shipping. I thought that that was preposterous, and looked for a universal converter. But alas, no universals really fit the Audi, even though many said that they did. I talked to a few mechanics who looked at my quandary, and suggested that I just de-gut the bad converter (especially since the car has two of them) and go along my merry way. This does not seem right, though. Isn't the engine calibrated just right to perform with the amount of resistance or back draft that the tow Cats create? If you de-gut one, wouldn't you have to de-gut both of them? Has anyone else tried this? What are the other options besides shelling out close to $850?

3rd: Since about 51k, I have noticed that Overdrive "sticks" when the transmission shifts into it. It has gotten progressively worse as time has gone by. The first thing I did was have the Audi dealer reset all the transmission electronic switches back to the factory defaults (just in case some had gotten out of sync.) That did not seem to help. Then I had the transmission fluid flushed and refilled with new fluid. This helped for about 200 miles, and then it began to do it again. It has gotten so bad that I no longer drive in Drive 4 (the setting where the Overdrive kicks in at about 42 - 45) and just use it when I know that I will be driving over 65mph for an extended period of time. Even then, when the overdrive kicks in, it sticks so bad (meaning when the transmission builds up the pressure to shift into overdrive, overdrive wil not engage until so much pressure builds up that it literally forces it into gear) that the entire transmission and the car shake. Has anyone else had to deal with this problem? I am scared to let anyone open the transmission, for fear that when they put it back together, it will not work (I have heard horror stories). Am I about to lose my transmission? Why do all the other gears work great? Why is just the overdrive?<p>Mckay

DaveN

sounds like a bad ignition switch. Number 2 might cause problems with smog checks as half the engine would not have a cat on it, it is also bad for the air. Maybe try to find a used one? Number 3 I don't know, I have no experience with automatics.

ChuckH

If Audi won't give you a new converter, try a discount supplier for one. For example: Europarts sells factory parts for significantly less. I think the cats for your car are about $350 from them (or HIM, as is the case). I've ordered lots of parts from Europarts and have never had a complaint. There are others, but I don't have persinal experience with them. Here's a link.<p><img SRC="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/AudiWorldPics/2000/A4xtsg5.jpg" BORDER=0></a>
2000 Nissan Xterra SE V6 4x4 (personal)
'98 A4 2.8 Q-Tip (business)

<ul><li><a href="http://www.europarts-sd.com">Europarts</a></li></ul>

QCRAZY

..on ignition switch!! Unfortunately your not the first person who posted with the same "flaky" ignition switch problem.

Follow the link......sound familiar!!
---
Andrew
95 90Q
91 90
90 80Q<ul><li><a href="https://www.audiworld.com/forum/m/general/msgs/8168.phtml">The "other" car</a></li></ul>

SteveAngry

Could be a bad Differential Pressure Regulator...maybe. Seems like you would have problems with the other gears too...worth having it checked out.

Steve Ankney
88 5000 79k

audi/s/scott

I had the same problem. I went with a aftermarket high-flow car from a local muffler shop. The job cost about $250.00 for 2 new cats!!! As a bonus I gained more flow and better acceleration (aftermarket exhaust helped too).
I had to go with the high-flow ones because they were small (and yes they are a universal fit). If you are in New England I can reccamend a place in Manchester CT. Fast Go Muffler, quick, fast and cheap.

Ironside

...just had exactly the same electrical problem with mine, and getting the ignition replaced fixed it. I had the cat problem too, and was able to get it fixed by AoA under recall notice because my car fell in a certain vin range.

ARK

You can "gut the cat", it will run fine. The tranny problem is the the lock-up torque converter.

JimW

Problem #1 in in an official Audi Service Bulletin. It should be replaced for free from an Audi Dealer.
The cats on these cars SUCK, but a generic one from a local muffler shop works great. I have two on my '93 90S (same as the '95) and they are fine.