Just used jump leads from my Stilo 04 1.6 16v to start my Audi 80 cabriolet and now have the following problems with the Stilo


1. Battery light on in dash
2. Power steering gone, alternator failure message in dash
3. Rear brake lights stuck on


Don't know if any more problems as yet, just dashed in to research on here but a bit confused with all the different views.


Is there a quick fix/reset procedure?


Is the ECU goosed?


Any advise would be gratefully appreciated. Thanks, Geoff

try disconnecting battery to reset it may work.

suspect your voltage has dropped heavily, leading to error codes,

how did you connect the cables..??

battery to battery..?, or battery to engine mount ??
Charlie

Hi Charlie

I went red from Stilo to Audi then black from Audi to Stilo, Stilo was running as I did it if it makes any difference?

Have just disconnected the battery, worth a try?

Same here, try to disconnect the battery for at least 10-15 minutes.

Correct procedure should be to leave the donor engine off. This seems wrong, with a danger of having two dead cars instead of one, but if the dead car is just a dead battery, without other starting issues, it should start fine without draining the donor battery. Leaving the donor engine running asks its alternator to try to charge both batteries, but they are in different states of charge, which it does not cope with well. This is why caravans have a relay to split the charge, without confusing the alternator. Connecting while the engine is running creates risk of sparks causing fires or fried electronics, although this is actually rare.

As varesecrazy says, it is likely that the sudden voltage drop has confused your ECU. Disconnecting for a short time should hopefully reset it.

Update...........


Connected battery back up after over an hour (disconnected both terminals) without success.


Have disconnected again and will leave overnight. Is it right to disconnect both terminals btw?


It is actually the brake lights that are stuck on, am beginning to think an electrical spike has occurred. Alternator failure still displayed on dash along with battery light and loss of power steering.


Have had previous with a Fiat Coupe many years ago, battery went flat while on holiday so used jump leads to start it upshot was a new ECU etc from Mangoletsi in Knutsford. If I remember correctly think it cost around £500 to sort it..... bloody Fiats!!


Thinking this may be a similar issue??

geoffwa3 said:

..... bloody Fiats!!

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I'd blame the Audi!

It would appear that the alternator may be shot.
Body computer could be dead, or could be unhappy about alternator not charging.
Steering will not work unless alternator is charging.

You need to get a voltmeter across the battery when running to test alternator output, and get the computer codes read. Various options are available, from local garage with code reader, to DIY using MultiECUscan.

I assume you're in Cheshire (Mangoletsi area), but give your exact location, someone may be able to help locally.

Peat said:

If you have a battery charger or access to one, a neighbour(?), then use it to re-charge the battery over-night.

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Thanks Peat, battery was new a few weeks ago so is ok.
Car was running fine until I used the jump leads to start my Audi.

portland_bill said:

I'd blame the Audi!



The Audi 80 cab has been stood for months(since the summer really) with a flat battery and I realised last night the MOT ran out last month!
Got it booked in today for it's test, hence the jump start and guess what........ sailed through with no advisories. Not bad for a 20 year old car! Like I said bloody Fiats!!!!

It would appear that the alternator may be shot.
Body computer could be dead, or could be unhappy about alternator not charging.
Steering will not work unless alternator is charging.

You need to get a voltmeter across the battery when running to test alternator output, and get the computer codes read. Various options are available, from local garage with code reader, to DIY using MultiECUscan.


I see where you are coming from but the car was completely fine prior to the jump lead start and the fact that the brake lights are stuck on makes me wonder if it's a spike and done some damage to some electrical component?? Suppose a scan would be the best way forward.

I assume you're in Cheshire (Mangoletsi area), but give your exact location, someone may be able to help locally.

Click to expand...

I'm on the Wirral (New Brighton) close to Liverpool if anyone can recommend a good mechanic?

Not sure what happened to my reply there??

The brake lights are controlled by the body computer. The brake light switch only sends a request to the body computer to turn them on.

If the alternator has died, the body computer may just be acting silly because of the wrong alternator output, especially if the alternator output has gone AC if a diode is popped. So that needs to be diagnosed first.

If the body computer has spiked, it should hopefully show a fault code to tell us this. Whe the Audi started, its own alternator will have pushed a voltage out, which may have given the Stilo a spike.

So check alternator output first, then read the car codes using the OBD connection.

If it needs a body computer, don't rush out and order one. Check back here. Hopefully one can be found from a scrappy or on Ebay, but it will either need to be "virginised", or you might need body computer, engine ECU and keys from a scrap car, as they all talk to each other before they will allow the car to start. The codes off the unit label will be important to obtain replacements.

Thank you so much for the advice Nigel, always appreciate it when people take the time to help others out.


You sound very knowledgeable so could I ask, due to my past experiences, do I need to take the car to a specialist diagnostics outfit or should my local garage have the right diagnostic equipment? I am led to believe the more expensive the diagnostic equipment the more likely it is to get to the root of the cause?
Although I have lost the power steering would it be safe to drive the car a shortish distance to them?


Thanks to all for the continued support

Any garage will have a basic code reader. Make sure they tell you all the codes read, so that the collective expertise on here can help.

Reading the codes is only the easy bit. A code is stored when any input is outside of its normal range. This does not tell you why. That relies on thought and experience, which is the difference between a good garage and a poor one.

Stick a request on a general thread, such as "Tech Talk" for anyone local to you with MultiECUscan. There might be a forum member willing to visit and read your codes. Some people do not read threads not relating to their vehicle, so a general thread is more likely to bring help. Sorry I can't do it, you're about 200 miles away.

If you can manage the weight of the steering, even in an emergency, you can drive the car with the power steering not working. it will be hard work! Do you have breakdown membership that includes home start? The breakdown man will have a code reader.

Update.......


Did exactly what you suggested ant the end of your last post Nigel.


This morning I realised I am in the AA with homestart so called them out, thought may as well let them have a ganders first and maybe read the codes for me?


Bloody hell he was quick 10 mins after the phone call!

Anyway popped the battery back on as I left it off overnight just in case it would clear anything but still the same.


The guy popped his meter on the battery terminals, all good. Then from the alternator to the battery an no charge registered so he was of the opinion the alternator was goosed.
Then he found a brown wire dangling behind the engine, one end connected to the alternator the other end looked like it originally connected to the battery terminal block. (see pic) This wire has definitely been a recent addition so he popped it back on to the battery block and hey presto the power steering came back, the battery light went out and the alternator failure message disappeared, however the brake lights were still permanently on.

Things started clicking into place then............ I bought the car a few weeks ago and the guy told me he had just fitted a new battery. After I picked it up (200 miles) it was parked up a few days then when I used it I went a few hundred yards down the road and the car suddenly packed in, lost all its electrics. long story short it was down to the fact a couple of nuts were missing from the positive terminal block causing the intermittent sudden loss off all electrics. Stuck a couple of 10mm nuts on the missing posts an all sorted, trouble free motoring until yesterday's jump start issue.


The AA guy reckons someone has wired the alternator direct to the battery because the alternator was knackered and it temporarily gives the power steering back and extinguishes the battery light/alternator.fail message by passing a switch? Because the battery is new it has enough charge to run everything until it drains down to a certain level. At some point before I fitted the new nuts to the battery terminal the brown cable had popped off but because the battery is now at a certain level the issues had shown themselves. Maybe the guy had done it to sell the car on quickly?? He reckons the jump start had drained the battery below the threshold level and that is why I still have the brake lights still on.


Sort of all makes sense so I am currently getting an alternator fitted locally (well the garage take it off refurbish it and but it back on apparently? £100+vat) so if all goes well car should be sorted in next couple of hours. I really hope so as I don't want any expensive ECU problems!!


Will update later, comments appreciated.

Well, getting close to 5pm so rang the garage (they said it would only be a few hours and would ring me when done) to be told it was sorted but they were just locking up so I will have to pick it up in the morning. Apparently it had been done a while but nobody remembered to call me........... some things never change!!


Will update tomorrow when armed with more info.

Well done.
Hopefully all will be well now, but if brake lights still on, check the brake light switch. Do a search here, there are a few threads on the switch troubles (minor) and how to fit/reset one. Not a big issue.

Update......


Car all sorted now... hooray!!


Re-furbed alternator fitted an now drives like a dream with no brake light issues.


The guy at the garage confirmed the seller had cocked the car up with the brown wire
to sell it quickly, knowing it had a knackered alternator and would only last a few weeks. Gob****e. Brown wire ha snow been stripped out.


Car actually drives better now, there was a slight hunting on tick over before and a bit sluggish setting off but not now. Any explanations for this??


Really thought I was in to expensive ECU/electronic issues so really happy now.


Thanks again for the support especially you Nigel, your technical info/advice was spot on