RadioZ

I just purchased a 2001 A4 Z28 Camaro about a week ago. It has 73,600 miles on it. The more I drive it, the more I'm noticing what may be issues, and was looking for some help with a few problems.

1. The car is now getting poor gas mileage, and has a check engine light. I've consulted a few people who are far more mechanically inclined than I am (I am not mechanically adept, for the record), and they think it's a bad lifter. The engine has a rattling sound that comes from the passenger side, and seems to emanate from the valve cover area. The car still runs just fine otherwise, and spins the crappy tires with ease (though that may not be saying much).

2. The ride is NOISY. Part of it is the really cheap tires it currently has on it, but I'm wondering if the rear wheel bearings might be worn. How can I check this? I put it up on a jack, and the back wheels have no side-to-side play, but they have a little bit of play when moving them in/out. Is this normal?

3. The previous owner bought the car and never really drove it much (so he said), and didn't do any of the weird mods that are on the car. One of them is dangerous and needs the most attention: the ASR has been bypassed (no idea how), and it has also taken the ABS with it. Combine this with winter weather and crappy tires, and you can see why this is the most concerning issue. Does this sound like a software based thing, or could someone have just yanked the plug on the ASR?

I'm trying to get it to a mechanic, but cannot drive it anymore until I get a policy going for it, so are these easy fixes, or am I in for a world of financial woe? I'm beginning to think I should have passed on this car, despite the good deal I thought I got initally. All help/suggestions are appreciated.

ULTIMATEORANGESS

iTrader: (4)

have it scanned and see whats wrong.


your shocks might be worn. a really nice set makes a big difference.


fix the important stuff first and go from there.

zracer323

iTrader: (12)

The ABS and ASR are not controlled through the computer. The abs sensor may be bad or the fuse may be blown. Have someone pull the code it is throwing and go from there.

RadioZ

Ah, good to know.

I'll be setting up an appointment to have a shop look at the codes and see what's going on. As a total noob at working on cars I have to ask: what's the best way to check my shocks to see if they are worn? The car doesn't squeak or groan when going over bumps, and it doesn't feel like it has excess travel so it doesn't seem like they're worn, but I'm no expert so what should I look for?

Thanks for the responses guys! All help is appreciated.

PGUFF

iTrader: (12)

just go to advance to get the codes read, it's free