Audi A8 Breakdown
Discussion
Gents, looking for some mechanical advice.
I recently bought a 2005 A8 with the seller advising the car had some issues with the battery. Over the last couple of months, id get into the car and the power management message would flash. According to the MMI, the battery would be very low. After a decent drive this would pick up but would resurface after that couple of days.
It was tested and seemed to have a dead cell but kept working.
Anyway, yesterday, while driving on the motorway, the glow plug light started flashing and the engine lost all power. The battery light illuminated and I couldnt start the car. The engine would turn but not start.
After being recovered I tried again a while later and it still turned but with far less gusto and still didnt start. The recovery guy tried with a booster pack to no avail.
Im going to charge the battery tomorrow and give it another go. Im wondering if anyone would be able to advise whether the battery giving up mid journey would cause such an unceremonious breakdown? Id budgeted for a change anyway but dont fancy any engine related bills!
I recently bought a 2005 A8 with the seller advising the car had some issues with the battery. Over the last couple of months, id get into the car and the power management message would flash. According to the MMI, the battery would be very low. After a decent drive this would pick up but would resurface after that couple of days.
It was tested and seemed to have a dead cell but kept working.
Anyway, yesterday, while driving on the motorway, the glow plug light started flashing and the engine lost all power. The battery light illuminated and I couldnt start the car. The engine would turn but not start.
After being recovered I tried again a while later and it still turned but with far less gusto and still didnt start. The recovery guy tried with a booster pack to no avail.
Im going to charge the battery tomorrow and give it another go. Im wondering if anyone would be able to advise whether the battery giving up mid journey would cause such an unceremonious breakdown? Id budgeted for a change anyway but dont fancy any engine related bills!
There are a number of known issues with A8 and batteries with lots of information on-line, here are two links:
https://www.google.co.uk/search?client=opera&h...
http://www.tyresmoke.net/forum/topic/139875-audi-a...
Probably your best source of advice is here:
http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/index.php
https://www.google.co.uk/search?client=opera&h...
http://www.tyresmoke.net/forum/topic/139875-audi-a...
Probably your best source of advice is here:
http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/index.php
A dicky battery will cause a grinding to a halt even mid journey. Oil burners need three things to run - air, fuel and electricity, take any one of them out of the equation and it'll give up the ghost. Chances are the alternator couldn't keep up with the drain on an already dying subpar battery, it couldn't generate enough juice to supply the glow plugs, one thing leads to another and next thing you know you're grinding to a halt.
alpha channel said:
A dicky battery will cause a grinding to a halt even mid journey. Oil burners need three things to run - air, fuel and electricity, take any one of them out of the equation and it'll give up the ghost. Chances are the alternator couldn't keep up with the drain on an already dying subpar battery, it couldn't generate enough juice to supply the glow plugs, one thing leads to another and next thing you know you're grinding to a halt.
As far as I know, glow plugs are only required for starting (and even then, cold starts only I think).If anything, in a low voltage scenario, it'll have been the fuel pump that couldn't maintain fuel pressure.
Be aware that an A8 MMI can show a 10% battery charge when this may not be the case though the engine management believes it is and the car won't start. Mine's petrol engined so I can't say how this affects diesels when running.
Further reading here: https://www.google.co.uk/search?client=opera&q...
Further reading here: https://www.google.co.uk/search?client=opera&q...
alpha channel said:
A dicky battery will cause a grinding to a halt even mid journey. Oil burners need three things to run - air, fuel and electricity, take any one of them out of the equation and it'll give up the ghost. Chances are the alternator couldn't keep up with the drain on an already dying subpar battery, it couldn't generate enough juice to supply the glow plugs, one thing leads to another and next thing you know you're grinding to a halt.
Remind me, what job have the glow plug got to do when the OP is hurtling down the motorway with a nice warm engine?eltax91 said:
alpha channel said:
A dicky battery will cause a grinding to a halt even mid journey. Oil burners need three things to run - air, fuel and electricity, take any one of them out of the equation and it'll give up the ghost. Chances are the alternator couldn't keep up with the drain on an already dying subpar battery, it couldn't generate enough juice to supply the glow plugs, one thing leads to another and next thing you know you're grinding to a halt.
Remind me, what job have the glow plug got to do when the OP is hurtling down the motorway with a nice warm engine?OP. Buy a new battery you cheapskate. And next time do it before you break down.
I'm going to put my money on the breakdown being something other than an electrical failure of the battery or alternator.
The battery light probably illuminated as the car cut out and coasted to a halt. The fact that it was then turning over but not firing to me indicates that the battery isn't dead or flat. And if it wouldn't start with the breakdown man's boost pack on it then that says to me it's something else.
The glow plug light illuminating may indicate a generic fault, not specifically to do with the glow plugs.
The battery light probably illuminated as the car cut out and coasted to a halt. The fact that it was then turning over but not firing to me indicates that the battery isn't dead or flat. And if it wouldn't start with the breakdown man's boost pack on it then that says to me it's something else.
The glow plug light illuminating may indicate a generic fault, not specifically to do with the glow plugs.
Matt_E_Mulsion said:
I'm going to put my money on the breakdown being something other than an electrical failure of the battery or alternator.
The battery light probably illuminated as the car cut out and coasted to a halt. The fact that it was then turning over but not firing to me indicates that the battery isn't dead or flat. And if it wouldn't start with the breakdown man's boost pack on it then that says to me it's something else.
The glow plug light illuminating may indicate a generic fault, not specifically to do with the glow plugs.
Boosters don’t do much to help barges with huge battery’s. You can take battery’s out of barges which won’t even try to start and use them in small normal cars for years to come with 0 issues.The battery light probably illuminated as the car cut out and coasted to a halt. The fact that it was then turning over but not firing to me indicates that the battery isn't dead or flat. And if it wouldn't start with the breakdown man's boost pack on it then that says to me it's something else.
The glow plug light illuminating may indicate a generic fault, not specifically to do with the glow plugs.
Slow said:
Boosters don’t do much to help barges with huge battery’s. You can take battery’s out of barges which won’t even try to start and use them in small normal cars for years to come with 0 issues.
I have a booster pack about the size of a thick paperback book that can start my A8 4.2 petrol two or three times without needing to be charged.TonyRPH said:
alpha channel said:
A dicky battery will cause a grinding to a halt even mid journey. Oil burners need three things to run - air, fuel and electricity, take any one of them out of the equation and it'll give up the ghost. Chances are the alternator couldn't keep up with the drain on an already dying subpar battery, it couldn't generate enough juice to supply the glow plugs, one thing leads to another and next thing you know you're grinding to a halt.
As far as I know, glow plugs are only required for starting (and even then, cold starts only I think).If anything, in a low voltage scenario, it'll have been the fuel pump that couldn't maintain fuel pressure.
PositronicRay said:
TonyRPH said:
alpha channel said:
A dicky battery will cause a grinding to a halt even mid journey. Oil burners need three things to run - air, fuel and electricity, take any one of them out of the equation and it'll give up the ghost. Chances are the alternator couldn't keep up with the drain on an already dying subpar battery, it couldn't generate enough juice to supply the glow plugs, one thing leads to another and next thing you know you're grinding to a halt.
As far as I know, glow plugs are only required for starting (and even then, cold starts only I think).If anything, in a low voltage scenario, it'll have been the fuel pump that couldn't maintain fuel pressure.
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