the fickle (and inevitable) finger of fate

[Phil Rose]

This afternoon I drove the Lago sedan home and pulled into my garage.
I shut off the engine and went inside--returning within a few minutes
to check on whether or not the afterrun fan/pump would come on (I'd
recently installed a new sensor). Instead, what I found was steam
rising from the hood and coolant at my feet--the radiator's upper
nipple had chosen just this moment to break off. Exquisite timing,
don't ya think??

I assume I can get around temporarily by clamping the hose onto the
remaining 3/4" stub. Is Audi's brass insert/epoxy "kit" worth
installing if only needed for a couple of weeks until a new radiator
is available???  Speaking of which: after Dave Kavanaugh's experience
with the Nissens metal radiator, I'm tempted to go with another oem
radiator (i.e., plastic) for the replacement.

BTW, it seems that my radiator's failure followed the classic
pattern. Late last summer the fan's fusible link cracked, causing the
coolant to "boil over". The radiator nipple broke about 3000 miles
later. As far as I know the radiator is original and is at 140K
miles. Seems to me that installing a new fusible link every few years
would be a reasonable way to spend 75 cents on preventative
maintenance. No, Bernie, I don't want to know your opinion. ;-)

Phil
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Phil Rose
Rochester, NY
mailto:pjrose at frontiernet.net