car keeps cutting out

[catseyes9]

hi everyone ,hope you can help .i have an audi a4 1998 model, petrol.The car has no problems starting and it runs ok when moving the problem is when i slow down and get to 1st gear the car cuts out .It has been to a non vw,audi garage twice they ran it on their computer they tried all thinks likely that comp said ,theycouldnt repair it.My husband says if he keeps car moving very slowly keep revs going its fine otherwise it cuts out,hes on the motorway everyday stuck in heavy traffic its driving him crazy.please can anyone help

[Jimbo]

Have you ever jump started the vehicle? this sounds like what happened on my V6 when i made the mistake of jumping the car when the battery was flat.

somehow this damaged the ECU engine mapping (tickover section on the chip) and would every now and again when running at low revs make the car cut out. i can only assume that this is a related problem. solved by fitting another ECU, verify this with the VW/Audi peeps first but it sounds like they dont have a clue :( (note if your car is plugged into a comp they will run through the entire list of error codes if they dont see a specific one relating to the ECU they will try everything else shown in the error codes list before getting the real problem solved).. its a matter of oh the diagnostic comp says its this so lets try it.. not common sense anymore :( dont mean to slag off any VW/Audi mechanics but this has been my experience i in no way think your all like that :)

hope that helps.

[catseyes9]

hi thanks for your reply.no we have never had to jump start the car.it all works perfectly and runs fine its just when he slows down to 1st gear it cuts out ill mention you idea and see if he thinks its related many thanks for that

[Kev.trebuan]

This VW Audi engine cutting seems to be quite common. I too have an engine cutting problem on my A6 2.0 8v, but it manifests under high load pulling from lights or hill starts. However most forum threads I've searched talk about engine cutting when slowing, which sounds similar to yours. I did a Google on the relay part number 165906381. Apparently its a common fault with MK3 Golfs, and replacing this part has cured some people's engine cutting problems. It's a comon relay across VAG and will cost you £11 from the main dealer. However, replacing mine hasn't solved my problem though. Hope this helps.:Blush:

[RickT]

Have you got a misfire?? does the engine run smooth or does it feel like flat sports when putting the power down??

Could be a coil pack on it way out?

RiCKT