I'm sitting here wondering where to go next on this car and maybe some of you will have some ideas. Here's what I'm working on. I've got a friend that called me last week with a 92 A4 that he has only owned for a short time, and just had it towed home after driving it for a few hours the car, in his words, felt like it ran out of gas. He said it started missing and finally quit and wouldn't start after a prolonged period of trying to crank it over the battery finally gave up and out came the AAA card. So he called me and I came over to his place to take look at it and here's what I've done to this point:

-I first tried to charge the battery back up and discovered the negative battery bolt was stripped out in the battery terminal and I could wiggle the cable. Since the battery was already 4 years old he didn't feel too bad about just getting a new battery so off to Wal-Mart and we picked up their 75 month battery and a new set of battery terminal bolts.

-Installed the new battery, cleaned the terminals and installed new bolts. Engine just cranks.

-Checked the fuel level (3/4 tank) and checked the fuel pressure...8-10psi The fuel pump sounded like a bunch of marbles in a tin can.

-Replaced the fuel pump and strainer (Delphi)

-Rechecked fuel pressure...46psi and pump was nice and quiet..

-Tried to start it again and no start....it just cranked and wouldn't light off

-Checked injector pulse on both banks with my noid light...OK

-Checked ignition coil fuse...OK

-Replaced the ignition coil with an MSD coil (he already had it and a new set of MSD wires).

-Still no start

-Got out his 92 FSM and reviewed the diagnostic charts and started through the "Cranks but no start tree"

-Checked spark at plugs, both sides...no spark

-Checked spark at coil..no spark

-Removed grey connector from coil and installed a jumper from B terminal in coil connector to coil terminal as per FSM (to bypass tach)

-Checked voltage at ICM harness terminals A&D...both OK (11.9v)

-Checked AC voltage during cranking at ICM harness terminal B..OK (1.9 to 2.8v AC)....FSM spec 1 to 4v AC

-Probed ICM harness terminal C to B (no voltage present)..the FSM didn't specify if this was with the key on or off but voltage wasn't present either way

-Checked continuity from ICM harness to ground bolt on head...OK

The FSM now says to look for an open coil driver ground circuit but doesn't offer any other help on this so now I'm really lost... Here's what I do know...the car currently has 110k on it and in the receipts from the previous owner he found a dealership receipt for a new Water Pump, Optispark and Ignition Coil in 1999 with 76k miles on it and I see no evidence of any leaks. I'm leaning toward the ICM being bad but why didn't the FSM tell me that? He's wondering if the next step is the Dealer$hip but I told him to give me a little more time on it and let me keep trying to find this...Anybody have any ideas here?

 

icm is not hard to change; the opti was changed in 99; there have been optis that go bad in that amount of time especially the non-vented ones; if it is the opti try the msd one; i have one on my 92 and think it is a good solution especially for non vented optis

 

I forgot to mention I checked and there are no codes present either.

 

Good News I replaced the ICM as I thought and it fired right up!