Alright everyone,

I'm feeling dead inside as if you were following my previous post about my no-start issue there, it ended up being the MAF. Replaced and it ran fine, idled, drove it to redline.. everything as of yesterday... It ran for one day...

Anyways, I decided to take her out to fill the tank for a trial run that would last 2-3 hours. Boom, car fired up the first time and died before even breaking 1k revs. I did it again and this time it almost caught to start but I just heard the attempt and a complete shut off.

So at this point I'm pissed, I break out my tools and get to work, it starts pouring during this time so I guess when it rains it pours.

I try the S5 de-flood procedure with gas pedal down and crank. Then I remove the EGI engine bay fuse, and again crank just in case it is flooded. Put everything back and nothing.

So I made sure all the wires were on correctly on the coil side. Yep fine. Plug side. Fine again. I decided to look at the MAF plug but it's fine as well. I say **** it and pull the trailing plugs and listen to even bounces while cranking with the EGI fuse out. Sounds like a steam engine on the front first, then the rear rotor. Perfectly in sync and even. I decided to do the same thing with the leading plugs and same thing.

At this point I think I need to help the compression a little and used some oil in a baby syringe and put some (by some I mean 5ml per rotor) in and see if it helps. Bump crank it with the fuse out to move the oil around. Keep doing that in short intervals for 5 minutes.

Put everything back together, push the plug wires back on with a satisfying pop, and replace the fuse and go to crank her... Nothing, no life, no last gasp of breath nothing.

​​​​​​It's getting gas because I can smell it on the plugs and out the exhaust, the plugs are very dark with a little build up.

So now my thinking is that the plugs went the way of the dodo and I am currently ordering 2 sets online and wires etc which should arrive next week.

Has anyone else had bad plugs cause completely no-start? I can't remember when I changed them but if I had a misfire I would have felt it last night no? No stumble or anything. It ran and pulled like a champ.

My next thought is the rain is doing something weird. The car was drenched on the outside and I noticed a little pool on the silver fuel pump resistor box under the air box. The next thing is some water hit the throttle body when I popped the hood.

Any ideas? Could the plugs really cause a no-start issue? I'm about to tow myself and the car off a cliff.

Edit: I found a video on YouTube of a guys S4 doing the EXACT same thing as mine... Give it a watch, it's about a minute long.


Edit again: another YouTuber with the exact same issue. Mine did the same jump up the rpms and it just slowly died the same way... Even holding the throttle.. check this one out as well

 

if its flooded i like to pull the plug from the circuit opening relay, which is right over your right knee. the circuit it opens is the fuel pump, so you have everything working as it should, but no fuel
so you crank, and if its flooded there is enough fuel for it to start and run and then you can put the plug back in, and be on your way

 

I'll try that when I get home, could the plugs cause this issue though? It is exactly like in the videos I linked. I have the parts on the way so I'll pull the plugs after trying your method and put the new plugs and wires in.

 

I always ask this because its a quick and easy fix.

Have you been working near the back of the alternator or water pump area recently? The coolant temp sensor for the ECU lives back there, and when it's unplugged the ECU defaults to assuming that coolant is at 176 degrees Fahrenheit. This means no warmup enrichment. Although it usually will start for a second before dying again, which I suspect is due to cranking enrichment.

If you lean over the engine from the passenger side, and look straight down behind the alternator sort of between it and the thermostat neck, you'll see the sensor. Make sure it's plugged in firmly.

 

I was actually just reading about that happening.

I was not working around the alternator/water pump area. I did order a spare one so I'll check the plug anyways.

Would any connector near the plugs cause this? I have been fiddling with the wires and plugs and maybe I hit something?

I'll check everything out.

 

Hey I'm back again, new plugs and wires, verified spark with a wire tester. Verified fuel as I can smell it on the plugs. Checked all the connectors in the engine bay.

I even used a little bit of oil to build compression in the leading plugs holes.

I took the battery out of my daily to see if it was that and it just won't start.

​​​​​​Any ideas?

 

In 25 years, I've seen ONE case of plugs keeping an FC from starting. Random thought - if you replaced the MAF and it worked... maybe the condition that killed your first MAF still exists, and killed your new MAF. Was it a used unit?

 

Check for vacuum leaks with a pressure tester.

 

What would happen if you removed the air filter and propped open the MAF flap just a little?
Does the flap move smoothly?
You can check the resistance, see the service manual.