Loss of power CQ20V??
 

Alex was driving back from the shops today when the Coupe (B3) decided to lose all power on the slip road off the M54. Luckily only about 800yds from home but an inconvenience as she was about to go to work!
Now, have had the one of the spark plugs out and tried to see if there is a spark, but can't see a spark at all. The engine turns over but doesn't fire. Yes there is fuel!
So, by the grand process of elimination, I would deduce that it would be an electrical fault.
I would point my finger at the moment at the coil pack.
Anywhere else where I can point my finger and phillips screw driver and hammer at for now?

Ahh, Coxy... :) 7A has the worst engine management [or, let's say, expensive] of all old audis and ke-jet is only next to it :D

As far as I remember, most latvian 7A users lost spark because of ignition timing sender fault - either some of senders is gone or pin on flywheel is gone. Also there is possibility that igniton distributor gear is gone - sometimes this happens to 7A and 3B.
P.S. All fuses in place?

I'll have a check tomorrow as I've had enough of cars today.
What's the easiest way to find out if it's the ignition timing sender fault without getting dirty?!
Or is there an easy way to trace back what the fault is rather than pulling my hair out in the morning?

Try removing the dizzy cap and turn the engine over to see if the rotor arm is turning some times the gear breaks on the end of the shaft

Agree with MSH, also, have a butchers at any after market alarm/immobiliser... They can perform some stunning stunts when they go west.

If there's fuel but no spark it's not likely to be a fuse or relay as these should stop the fuel pump first (the engine ECU is fed power via the fuel pump relay) but still check it's not popped something seemingly insignificant! Power output stage unit can fail but usually starts as intermittant fault.
As mentioned, check the dizzy is turning with engine - common one that. If none of above works then I can PM you copies of the test sequences from my Audi workshop manuals for the 7A, it'll help you find the faulty bit rather than go spending on random bits you dont need!

One question, when you crank it over does the rev counter needle move at all? If it doesn't even twitch when cranking then either the hall sendor (inside dizzy) has fialed, or the dizzy drive wheel. Easy check!!!

There's a slight twitching of the rev counter although the battery is a bit low as Alex tried turning it for several minutes before she rang me up.

Had this fault when I had the 7A. Distributer gear would be the first thing. Remove the cap and try and see if you can turn the rotor arm. I upgraded to the brass disi gear.
Other poor design is the pin in the flywheel to tell the engine where TDC is. Though this is only used on initial start up. If it falls off once the engine is running it will not stop the engine. I found this out after dropping a nut into the bellhousing (thought it had dropped onto the drive) and on starting the car it ripped the pin off but not before it had started. But next time I came to start....

well, as many of you suspected, dizzy out and dizzy gear in 3 bits.
Cheap Chinese plastic me thinks!

So, anyway, what's the best course of action here?
Can I just and the new dizzy gear (upgrade to brass one maybe?).
Or is it easier to get a 2nd hand dizzy off someone like Audibits and fit that?
Then of course all the messing around with the timing. :(

Was there really "mess with timing"? I remember that some R5 engines u can turn distributor as u wish, as long there is contact, ignition timing doesn't change, 7A isn't one of them? :D

Funnily enough, rang TPS and they said.....On back order...NLA!:(

make sure the new dizzy you fit has a metal gear on it,not worth fitting a second hand one with the original plastic tat on.One of those pathetic designed plastic gears left us stranded half way between alice springs and ayers rock several years ago.

I have a couple of 7a dizzys still in heads,there is a possibilty they have been upgraded to metal gears,will check later for you.

just got to try and find one now!!!!!!!!!!!

Setting the timing on one of these is easy. Set engine to TDC with cam sprocket mark aligned with head. Insert disi with rotor arm 30degrees away from the small notch on the housing so that as you insert it the rotor arm turns to align with notch, once in adjust housing so notch sits dead centre with the rotor arm, tighten clamp and thats it.

See my article on gear here:
http://www.s2-audi.co.uk/articles/au...ver_feb_03.htm

Got one from here

http://www.ignitioncarparts.co.uk/index.aspx


cheers to AndyP off the S2forum:tup:

ok, dizzy arrirved this morning so 10 out of 10 for speed.
First look and great, a dizzy cap for a 4 cyl motor! Nice!
So the point of me saying it was for a 2.3 5cyl engine obviously fell largely on deaf ears.
Now, apart from that, it does look the same and does have the brass drive gear on it.
My initial thought is that all he's done it bung on a cheap nice new shiny dizzy cap to make it look pretty before he put it in the box and in fact (I hope!) is the correct dizzy.
There's no other markings on the dizzy apart from Bosch and Germany. No visible part number and I don't have the other one with me to compare.
Any ideas if there is anything else I should be looking at to see if it is correct or not before I get on the phone to them?!

Check the hall sender ring inside the distributer. Does it have 4 or 5 slots?
If 5 you can use it, But best compare with old one or pics in my article first.

As above check it is for a 5 cyl engine the ring below the rotor arm and under the plastic shield should have 5 bits comming down that pass through the sender

ok, maybe I'm being dizzy here.
Have taken off the rotor arm and the plastic shield, but can't see anything with 4 or 5 bits at all???

Post a photo up Alister, this might help :idea:

firstly: doh!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/coxy914/007.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/coxy914/005.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/coxy914/006.jpg

from a 5 cylinder 10valve

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...s/P5130175.jpg
you should have 5 of those lugs / gaps yours looks like it has only 4

Rule number 1 of Classic Audi

PHOTOS

And lots of them :nono:

err, mine has only 1 gap

7a dizzys only have one window

oooh! that looks like a matching pair!

All R4's of old audis have distributor with four windows because R4 engines is without additional crankshaft position senders like R5.

Looking at that pic of new one and comparing to the stripped one in my article it looks like you can use it with your 5 cylinder cap. Try it and see!

yup, got it home and compared it to the one on Alex's coupe and they are the same.

Should never doubt a man who sells a complete dizzy for a 5 cylinder motor and puts on a 4 cylinder dizzy cap!