S3- rear wheels feel like they're dragging?

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coyle

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Hey guys,
I've noticed it before,but a lot more so today.
When pulling off, or at realy low speeds (1st gear) i feel a slight pulling,from the rear wheels.
Mainly only when turning,

It feels like the rear wheels are locking up abit/ not freely turning, and are being dragged a little. It stops as speed increases or i straighten up,(generally the two are hand in hand)

Im not sure whats causing it? I heard it could be because my car has the 18" RS4 wheels, and the haldex might play up abit because the standards are 17"


Any ideas?
Cheers
Jon
 
Mine does this also, I have changed the Dif oil, haldex oil and filter and the haldex controller with another 2nd hand item. still does it.
 
Mine done it a bit so i took it in a big open car park late one night in the wet, full lock and right foot down and get that rear diff working properly.

Done the trick for me :)
 
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Pulling the fuse does indeed stop the electronics in the haldex from working, BUT your forgetting you are also isolating all the other components that are feeding signals into the haldex e.g wheel speed sensors, abs unit, etc After all if you think about it the haldex maybe doing it's job, but something is sending it a wrong value/signal.
I would say, from the threads I have seen there are half as as many who fixed their problems by replacing the haldex controller.
On the positive side I do not think it's a diff problem i.e mechanical from what you say.

what year/model is your car ? - oops just seen your model, sorry.

Word of advice from all suffering, take it very easy when making those turns and feeling the rear tyre or 2 locking up. The post above from SamiG is fortunate for him and I have heard the same thing from someone else, but I would not advise it unless you know the car has not been driven for a very long time or has been driven very conservatively for years.

vagcom ?
 
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i'll get it in the air tomorrow and turn the wheels, and see if they move together,
driving tonite it seems to be doing it less. but sometimes it seems realy bad, then others it doesnt do it at all
 
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Sarah's A3 said:
Sorry to jump in but when it happens do you get any vibrations from it??
Click to expand...

Ah i'm not the only one!

Mine does this aswell. It bugs the **** outta me cos i have no idea what it is! Mine vibrates a little not much... sounds like the tyres are just stood still until you pull off straight.
Like a rumble and a small vibration then you straighten up thats it, all gone!

I did swap my rear wheels onto the front and it went away for a while then after the snow it came back..
 
it still does it with the ABS controller fues pulled so its not that, and if you check the haldex controller with VCDS you will see the pump speed is always HI
and im sure it should drop to low when turning at low speeds etc, I think its the haldex controller or as Haldex say Oil Fail in the the haldex unit.
 
So whats the best thing for me to check?
Id rather try sorting it before it causes more problems
 
Sqibber Dip Dab said:
Ah i'm not the only one!

Mine does this aswell. It bugs the **** outta me cos i have no idea what it is! Mine vibrates a little not much... sounds like the tyres are just stood still until you pull off straight.
Like a rumble and a small vibration then you straighten up thats it, all gone!

I did swap my rear wheels onto the front and it went away for a while then after the snow it came back..
Click to expand...

I think it's a lot more common than people care to admit. When buying an S3 I think you must do a number of 3 point turns. if it's ok switch engine off and on and try the same 3 point turn just to make doubly sure.
 
try removing abs fuse , if it's still doing it then put it back and try removing the haldex fuse.
You might want to drive with each off for a week , just in case coincidentally it's working at that time. Rememeber the problem is not constantly there.

Just take easy when doing those tight turns and it can wait till you get to the bottom of it.

BUT i have to say again, there are other sensors that feed the Haldex including the brake light switch !
 
thegoal007 said:
I think it's a lot more common than people care to admit. When buying an S3 I think you must do a number of 3 point turns. if it's ok switch engine off and on and try the same 3 point turn just to make doubly sure.
Click to expand...

You know what i think you are right on that one... I did originally think it must be a small thing like the tyres or due to my car having a seized rear brake caliper for a month or so, but now i've read this, it seems to be not a common fault but a problem the older ones seem to get as age passes them by :(
 
funny you should say that, last time i had it scanned on vagcom there was a brake light switch issue, cant remember what it was though, and hadnt had any symptoms either..
 
I'm curious, and probably not the only one, but has anyone got any latest updated news on this issue ?

far too many of them just end up going nowhere after the advice given.

I've removed (i think) every associated fuse:
fuse no 9 (abs)
fuse 31 (haldex)
fuse (abs motor relay) - 30 amp above battery.
fuse (main relay for ABS) - 30 amp above battery

and STILL have the problem. I would swear it's an electrical problem somewhere because it obviously happens on or near full wheel lock.
 
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Just took some logs whilst just crawling out on full lock and noticed that group 4 logs, the lateral accelaration figures range between 0.1 to -0.27.
The strange one is group 6 logs, Longitudal Accelation ranges between
0.097 to 1.84 - BUT there are few times it jumps between 24.03 to 24.8.

Could this be the problem ? Even if it was, it doesn't make sense as the haldex fuse has been removed and in theory shouldn't be acting on any of it's inputs i.e those lateral & long sensors.

Or by removing the fuse for the haldex it doesn't mean you are stopping it's function ?
 
Hi Guys

I realise this is an old thread but I hope someone can shed some light on whats going on with my car. (2002 Audi S3 8L)

To get straight to the point, When ever im turning fairly tight at slow speeds (under 10mph), my back wheels are skidding, and its as if the back is bouncing round the corner a little...but its only the rear wheels and only the side im turning. I.e. if im turning right, the right hand rear wheel will lock..and vice-versa. The ESP light also flashed as this is happening and turning the ESP off does nothing.

Now it also boggs the engine down when this happens, and I cannot accelerate out of it, so I have to straighten the front wheels to nearly fully straight for it to stop and for the car to accelerate normally. I will also add that it does this in forward and reverse gears

Now ive had someone look at the wheels while I I turn out of my road, and it was completely the opposite to what I thought....the wheels are actually being spun faster then the car is moving...which is extremely strange...and is going to mess my tires up and god knows what else as I have to drive round tight corners daily...

Now as previously said, it does this in forward and reverse gears, and when I reverse, I can hear some strange noises coming from what I think is the four wheel drive system and its a kind of knocking/grinding noise (again only from the rear and only when the wheels are spinning)

Ive had it plugged into the computer at audi and no faults were detected....

Now I wonder if anyone could shed some light on this...as its really frustrating as I cannot work out whats happening
 
Yes I know but all three are slightly different threads therefore I wanted to maximise my message to anyone who has already posted in the three....I realise it's poor form to do so but I will argue they are different threads... :)
 
But getting to the point, @ Badger5 - could you suggest anything here, as I cant find anyone who has exactly this problem mate (wheels spinning faster then car is actually moving)
 
AviatorRichards3 said:
.I realise it's poor form to do so but I will argue they are different threads... :)
Click to expand...

hmmmm.........

argue away

:p

plenty of threads reporting this which you would have read seeing as you posted in most of them.......... lol

dragging its ****.. = haldex stuck on...
controller often the problem - precharge pump stuck on... also corrosion on wiring I've seen

faulty abs sensor signal may also be at play.....

fault codes?
 
badger5 said:
hmmmm.........

argue away

:p

plenty of threads reporting this which you would have read seeing as you posted in most of them.......... lol


The other point I realised I didn't add is that a large number of people in here have also done exactly what I've done, (posting in three or more threads for what ever reason they will claim to do that for).

when you say fault codes...do you mean what would flash up on trip computer or what's said when the car is plugged into the computer?

i briefly explained what was happening to a guy once and he said it could be so,etching to do with the cars brakes/abs or that the car thinks it's sliding sidewise when I'm turning....? I presume this would be a sensor thing then right?

As when the car was plugged in, nothing showed up on the computer/machine that they use.
Click to expand...
 
Get it scanned using vag com for fault codes otherwise you are at best fumbling around in the dark
 
This issue is the haldex plates binding or engaging... sadly there seems to be several reasons for this to happen... could be lack of haldex oil changes so very nasty hydraulic fluid or lack of it (have seen empty haldex units from leaking controllers etc), haldex controller its self (controller houses a controller which controls a servo motor to move a valve to allow the flow of hydraulic fluid to engage the clutch plates) or the precharge pump...

There are also issues regarding the ABS sensors as dodgy sensors send incorrect msgs to the haldex controller and can cause it to engage when it shouldn't... these faults don't always show up as fault codes...

You can try pulling the fuse (no.31) and see if it goes away... this will eliminate the issue as mechanical... if it goes then unfortunately it could be any of the above... there are some output tests you can do in VCDS (not ever had to do them so you will need to have a search for the blocks)...

Last S3 Bill had in that did this turned out to be a controller but the haldex had been run with very little oil for some time and what did come out was very nasty indeed...

<tuffty/>
 
I know this is an old post so forgive me, i'm new :icon thumright:. I am experiencing the exact same issue with my newly bought S3. Almost as if dragging the rear wheels like everyone is saying. Now Badger has said that if the Haldex fuse is pulled and the problem stops then its obviously not a Mech issue. Ive pulled the fuse and the problem goes away. Poop...

I've had it plugged into VAGCOM as the previous owner is a very good friend of mine and is meticulous with his cars, the fault that came up was nothing listed on this or other threads that i have read with regards to this issue.

Fault was: Intermittent/No communication Steering Angle Sensor.

Has anyone had the same issue at all? TCS light is constantly on and it bogs sometimes under power and then other times it flies.

I have yet to check the earth strap on the Haldex as i know these can cause issues however the car has had a full Haldex Service and Rear Diff oil change too.

Any one shed any light on the issue at all as I don't want to go down the route of replacing expensive parts without knowing or at least having a better understanding of the issue.

Many Thanks in advance!

P.S I's anyone in the South Wales area?? Would love to meet some people and maybe have a cruise up the black mountains? :rockwoot:

Pic of her below :) :) :)
 

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Badger, Heard lots of great things about you and your knowledge! Thanks for replying!

Thats what i was afraid of, the mate i bought it off said that i needed a new Steering angle sensor/reacalibration - what are the chances this could be the cause as i know they are cheaper than a controller!

If it is the controller, where is the best place to get one from as im searching online and all i can find is used parts (can never guarantee they are 100% working!)
 
2nd hand is the way to go a new controller cost £1k plus your old one
 
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Josh S3 said:
Badger, Heard lots of great things about you and your knowledge! Thanks for replying!

Thats what i was afraid of, the mate i bought it off said that i needed a new Steering angle sensor/reacalibration - what are the chances this could be the cause as i know they are cheaper than a controller!

If it is the controller, where is the best place to get one from as im searching online and all i can find is used parts (can never guarantee they are 100% working!)
Click to expand...
Hey!
Unrelated question but I really like your rims and I'm looking to get new wheels for my s3, what type and size are they? Do you have spacers?
 
2nd hand is the way to go based on the cost, but as its such a common issue the chances of swapping for another bad one is very worrying.
That said, try and gauge a genuine seller or/and perhaps one that's come off a car that has been written off from a frontal crash.
Not sure if purchasing one off certain ebay sellers they might offer a 28 days warranty.

I was in the same boat and waited (literally) years before I was extremely lucky to find a dealer in the USA selling a boxed original brand new one for a measley £155 including getting it over here. I think at the time that is what certain people were selling them second hand in the UK.
 
I had the reverse bunny hop syndrome , full lock slow reverse , one of the rear wheels would tramp and
spin in the opposite direction ..felt like rubber band winding up .. stopped with fuse out

check on wet grass and slowmo camera , rev and dump in first showed system still working , fronts rotated abt 90 deg before the
rears engaged .so haldex electrons appeared to be still working

luckily picked up a working controller - ok since

I suspect , its the high pressure control valve after high mileage worn/passing , causing the clutch to partly engage , fuse out the pump is disabled , no pressure / no leakage = no drag
would need to rig up a jig using old diff etc , some interface/bingo box , to check , I'm sure a good shop / model maker could re-machine the valve ...there is a solvent for the board coating , looks like humiseal from the 1980's .. the next genaration
can be repaired .. not these ..

Must be 100's if not 1000's of duff controllers world wide .. one for the garden shed Mr fix it's -)
 
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I think I too kept my old controller - hidden somewhere in the depths of my tool shed!

tbh, I dont even know why. perhaps wishful thinking one day it will be curable!
and in a good few years time might be worth $$$.

Found some old 1981 bmw 635 rear plastic lens in my loft (spares from my old car, when i tinted the original ones), sold them on ebay for £450. I think i got them second hand around those early days for £100
 
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