RE: EM Bracket - Was - OK, so let us know . . .

["Buchholz, Steven" <Steven.Buchholz@kla-tencor.com>]

> downpipe.  Will this cure warping and cracking on a one piece?  I haven't
> a
> clue, but if the answer was as simple as a bracket, I would think Audi
> would
> have been figured out 10 years ago.  Mike said he fixed literally 100's of
> EM's under warranty when he worked for Audi.  The non turbo EM's were
> apparently worse.  One comment he did make.  Once a warped and cracked EM
> was planned and welded, recurrence of the problem was minimized
> substantially.  And they didn't have the bracket.  I talked to Mike about
> this very issue.  He is absolutely not convinced that this bracket will
> help
> a one piece EM.  He has been working on Audi's exclusively for 18 years.
> His comment deserves some investigation.
> 
Well put Gary!

While I don't have hundreds of EM's under my belt, I can say that the one
that warped on my QTC which I had planed has worked flawlessly ever since.
Some people claim that the broken studs/warping is a result of a bum right
motor mount.  While I'm not completely convinced it was true that I needed
to replace that mount of the QTC at the same time I did all of the EM work.
If indeed it was a contributor I could definitely see the advantage of the
flex pipe after the downpipe, but it isn't clear to me what benefit there
would be for that bracket.  

I also had a couple broken studs on the 5kCSQA ... I STILL have yet to pull
the EM on the car to see if it is cracked or warped.  I can say that the
motor mount is intact though.  I certainly hope that it is just warped as I
don't think I'd trust a welded EM as much as one that had just been milled
to be flat again ... OBTW, please let me know where I can have an EM milled
for $70!

Steve Buchholz
San Jose, CA (USA)