Turn Signal Relay Short Circuit - A4 96

Hello fellow DIY enthusiasts,

I'm currently in Cologne and was planning to drive to Hamburg tomorrow afternoon. However, my turn signal stopped working today.
Okay, I thought, just replace the fuse and it'll be fine... but: the replacement fuse also blew. I did some more investigating tonight in preparation for my appointment tomorrow.

"When I bypass the fuse with an ammeter, quite high currents flow, but only when I activate the left turn signal. There's also some smoking coming from behind the center console. The hazard lights no longer work at all."

I suspect a short circuit directly at the relay, but at least somewhere behind the upper section of the center console. Unfortunately, I don't have a repair manual available, so I have the following questions:

"Does anyone know how to disassemble the center console without it falling apart into pieces (Audi radio + automatic climate control)?"

2. Are there separate hazard light relays and turn signal relays; and are these rare parts, or is there a chance I can find a new one somewhere tomorrow?

Happy New Year!!!

Ernst.

Hello,

Before you disassemble the center console, have you checked the cables and lamp sockets on the left turn signal side?
For example, if a chafed cable is resting on the vehicle's body (ground), the cause has already been found.
"Why don't you just disconnect the connectors on the left turn signals, both front and rear, and then see if the fuse still blows out (if it does, then there's probably something wrong with the bulb sockets)?"

Best regards, Rainer.

It's not as bad as it seems!

'It might be the relay; I've had that problem before.'

It costs just under €17 and you can replace it yourself in 5 minutes!

In the Audi A4, the hazard light switch also functions as the relay.

To remove the buttons, you only need to pry them off with a small screwdriver! Be sure to protect the surrounding wood from scratches. Then, use a small pliers to pull out the switch with the relay! You'll need to overcome a little resistance.

Regards,

Manuel.

Hello everyone,

Thank you for your input. I will implement them right away.

That I could have actually figured out yesterday evening that the switches on the center console could be removed in a classic way, I probably should have. But it was probably already too dark to think.

Best regards and thank you.
Ernst.

Hello fellow DIY enthusiasts,

Unfortunately, the repair turned out to be more complicated than expected. After disconnecting the turn signal relay and both left turn signal lights from the connector, there was still a short circuit on the left turn signal wire.
After that, I obtained a wiring diagram and clipped the faulty turn signal positive cable at the turn signal lever - to make matters worse, the connector was on the right side of the steering wheel; logical, or not?
"So, I temporarily ran a new wire from the left front turn signal, through the turn signal switch, to the left rear turn signal. Also, I had to disconnect the wire for the hazard lights on the left side of the turn signal relay, so that the fuse wouldn't blow again if it was accidentally activated..."

The result of the whole operation: The left turn signal is working again , although there is no display indication, and the hazard lights are also no longer working .

Okay, here's the translation:

"Now, my question: How do I find the fault in the left turn signal positive wire? There are quite a few branches of this wire: one for the front turn signal, one for the side turn signal, etc."
one for the rear turn signal and two for the instrument display - and the connection is somewhere in the dashboard...

Is there a measuring device that can accurately measure in the very low ohm range, allowing you to essentially measure your way to the faulty location? The resistance isn't the same everywhere. For example, I measured 7 ohms on the rear turn signal, but only 2 ohms on the front one.

Or is this action pointless, and would it be better to completely decommission the old cable and run a new cable everywhere?

Best regards,
Ernst.