Need your help with weird problem....(long)
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
From: Miami, FL (Kendall)
Need your help with weird problem....(long) Ok, here's the scenario:
1998 C5 A4 with 34k on the odometer. Only mods are K&N FIPK and ZO6 Ti's. Rear wheel bearing and new calipers installed on Saturday. After this install I take the car to a local closed course for some straight line runs with other drivers. When I get to the starting line I go through my normal procedure for a quick tire warm-up/clean-off. Put the car in first gear, hold the brake down, and floor it. RPM's go up to 2k and then.......nothing. Car doesn't squat down and start to spin the tires. Brakes are not straining against the car's power. Nothing. Car feels absolutely dead! Like if I was missing 100 horsepower. I put the car in second and it does a burnout fine. Put it in third and the same thing....perfect burnout. I line up for a run with a CLK55. Car is really soft on lauch and first gear feels sluggish. CLK gets two car jump. Second and third feel about normal and I catch and pass him by about a car in the 1/4 mile.
We line up for another run and I again attempt a first gear burnout. Again I get nothing. Car stops at 2k RPM's. I guess the best way to describe it is like a "clogged cat" feeling or reduced power mode sensation. Put it in third and do a small burnout with no issues. Line up and I see the coolant temp creeping over 220. Hit it and first feels really slow. But now second and third are hurting too. CLK ends up taking my by about 3 to 4 cars in the 1/4 mile. Glance down at the gauges and coolant temp is at 230 and tranny temp is at 236. Throw on the a/c and cruise back to the staging lanes. Temp drops rapidly. I shut her down when the temp reaches 200 and tranny temp is at 206.
About two hours later we are all leaving. I start the car and everything is fine. Coolant and tranny temps are all normal. Car idles and runs fine. Try the first gear burnout once more for ***** and giggles as someone suggested it might have been too hot. Same thing......no go in first but fine in second and third. Drive home about an hour on the Turnpike with no issues. No codes from the DIC and nothing wrong upon visual inspection of fluids, belts, and underhood components.
Any guesses or suggestions? Anyone have a similar experience? Could it be the torque converter or first gear in the tranny going out? Any help would be appreciated.....
p.s. Traction control was off so that's not it.
1998 C5 A4 with 34k on the odometer. Only mods are K&N FIPK and ZO6 Ti's. Rear wheel bearing and new calipers installed on Saturday. After this install I take the car to a local closed course for some straight line runs with other drivers. When I get to the starting line I go through my normal procedure for a quick tire warm-up/clean-off. Put the car in first gear, hold the brake down, and floor it. RPM's go up to 2k and then.......nothing. Car doesn't squat down and start to spin the tires. Brakes are not straining against the car's power. Nothing. Car feels absolutely dead! Like if I was missing 100 horsepower. I put the car in second and it does a burnout fine. Put it in third and the same thing....perfect burnout. I line up for a run with a CLK55. Car is really soft on lauch and first gear feels sluggish. CLK gets two car jump. Second and third feel about normal and I catch and pass him by about a car in the 1/4 mile.
We line up for another run and I again attempt a first gear burnout. Again I get nothing. Car stops at 2k RPM's. I guess the best way to describe it is like a "clogged cat" feeling or reduced power mode sensation. Put it in third and do a small burnout with no issues. Line up and I see the coolant temp creeping over 220. Hit it and first feels really slow. But now second and third are hurting too. CLK ends up taking my by about 3 to 4 cars in the 1/4 mile. Glance down at the gauges and coolant temp is at 230 and tranny temp is at 236. Throw on the a/c and cruise back to the staging lanes. Temp drops rapidly. I shut her down when the temp reaches 200 and tranny temp is at 206.
About two hours later we are all leaving. I start the car and everything is fine. Coolant and tranny temps are all normal. Car idles and runs fine. Try the first gear burnout once more for ***** and giggles as someone suggested it might have been too hot. Same thing......no go in first but fine in second and third. Drive home about an hour on the Turnpike with no issues. No codes from the DIC and nothing wrong upon visual inspection of fluids, belts, and underhood components.
Any guesses or suggestions? Anyone have a similar experience? Could it be the torque converter or first gear in the tranny going out? Any help would be appreciated.....
p.s. Traction control was off so that's not it.
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,123
Likes: 0
From: Maypearl, TX
Sorry man, that's over my head??? There'll be a few mechs in this evening to help solve this mystery. I bet you were frustrated as you could be having the CLK beat up on you that second race, especially knowing that you're car would eat him if it were running right 
I had the same issue when I had my 99 A4 C5. But that did all of that because it had the traction control on. My dad had a 2000 FRC that had a similar problem turned out to be his ABS control box. But you might also want to check your cannon plugs to the wheels bearings for the sensors maybe you have a broke wire or something. But if you did either way you would haev a code of some sort. Hook up a diagnostic reader, or run your codes in teh DIC to see if you may have something going on. Not every code that goes off sets off the SES light. good luck
