2002 A4 TDI Electric gremlin

stevel · 04-09-11, 04:17 PM

Has anyone come across this intermittent fault - the dashpanel background illumination and indications for side lights and main beam vanish, accompanied by A/C switching off and indicators stopping working? A swift blow to the dashpanel over the instruments helps bring things back to life, but sometimes only for a minute before it all conks out again. After half an hour, everything seems to settle and work as it should. Any help or advice would be appreciated.
Steve.

tttoptotty · 04-09-11, 06:21 PM

Has something similar in my Avant but it was little mouse living in my dash eating throw wiring and it just tripped and then it would be ok sorted it by replacing wire to instruments panel and it works ok.

stuartmmcfc · 04-09-11, 06:23 PM

I had a similar"ish" problem with the digital display on my quattro.
It turned out to be a cracked connection on a circuit board which was near a bulb and the heat caused expansion and therefore a gap in the circuit.
A swift blow cured it until everything warmed up and the expansion was no longer happening.
We're only talking fractions of a mm and it took ages to find and was a right pain.
Not much help but it must be a poor connection and I'd look at an area where heat might be having this sort of effect on a circuit.

Phil Payne · 05-09-11, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevel

Has anyone come across this intermittent fault ...

Come across it? Whole books have been written about it. The slap was originally known as 'the Type 44 salute' and it's become one way of greeting a fellow Audi driver.

http://www.sjmautotechnik.com/troubl...nstrument.html

stevel · 05-09-11, 07:42 AM

Hi Phil,
I was nearly in tears, I laughed that hard at your "type 44 salute"! These problems apply equally to later models? Mine is a 2002 A4?

Phil Payne · 05-09-11, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevel

Hi Phil,
I was nearly in tears, I laughed that hard at your "type 44 salute"! These problems apply equally to later models? Mine is a 2002 A4?

Oh, yes. Seen it on lots of cars. I'm not sure whether they've really fixed it even now.

04-09-11, 06:21 PM	#2
tttoptotty Senior Member Classic Audi Club Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Middle of Nowhere anyone knows Posts: 1,832	Has something similar in my Avant but it was little mouse living in my dash eating throw wiring and it just tripped and then it would be ok sorted it by replacing wire to instruments panel and it works ok. __________________ Audi the ride of your life

04-09-11, 06:23 PM	#3
stuartmmcfc 4 ring whore! Classic Audi Club Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 3,243	I had a similar"ish" problem with the digital display on my quattro. It turned out to be a cracked connection on a circuit board which was near a bulb and the heat caused expansion and therefore a gap in the circuit. A swift blow cured it until everything warmed up and the expansion was no longer happening. We're only talking fractions of a mm and it took ages to find and was a right pain. Not much help but it must be a poor connection and I'd look at an area where heat might be having this sort of effect on a circuit.

05-09-11, 07:42 AM	#5
stevel Grown up member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 32	Hi Phil, I was nearly in tears, I laughed that hard at your "type 44 salute"! These problems apply equally to later models? Mine is a 2002 A4?