Heater core replacement and turbo

[Derek Pulvino]

Matt,

Give it a little time.  I had a pretty potent vinegar smell for a  
while when I replaced mine from the same sealant stuff that goes  
around the core.  Took about a week or so and was gone.
So don't panic...yet. :)

As to the turbos, for these cars they can be found really easily if  
you're so inclined.  You can get turbos from the 92-95 S4/S6 to  
replace the turbo on the 200.  I did that and no problem.  Just put a  
"wanted ad" in the list classifieds.  You'll be amazed at the volume  
of responses.  Also by looking for those other cars as source, you're  
more likely to get a turbo that has lower mileage.  What to look  
for?  I'd say bascially mileage, but would also wonder what is  
prompting you to want to change the turbo?  As I found out, in  
general they are pretty damn robust.

If you do go for the change, look for a post I sent to the list a  
couple of months back.  Sent in my learned wisdom from the same job.   
Basically easy with a couple spots that are a bit of a pia.

derek p

On Oct 30, 2007, at 8:50 PM, 200q20v-request at audifans.com wrote:

> Message: 9
> Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2007 22:43:44 -0500
> From: "Matt Bolles" <m.bolles at mchsi.com>
> Subject: Heater core replacement
> To: <200q20v at audifans.com>
> Message-ID: <001001c81b70$3d090eb0$5c07da0c at VAIO>
> Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="Windows-1252"
>
> When I replaced the heater core in my car, I replaced the silicone  
> material surrounding the two hose outlets with a Permatex brand  
> black silicone, unfortunately, not giving it too much thought.   
> When I turned on the heat for the first time after the job was  
> complete, a burnt plastic-like smell filled the cabin.  I thought  
> that this was something to do with the new heater core; I was  
> wrong.  Thinking it would "burn off" so to speak, I left the heat  
> on for half an hour the next day on my way to work, before I turned  
> it off as I was starting to get a headache.  I am fairly certain  
> this has something to do with the silicone that I used, as it gets  
> hot from the coolant flowing through the core, it emits this awful,  
> almost toxic smell.  Has anyone made this mistake also?  I feel  
> incredibly foolish for not considering whether a particular product  
> is called for when replacing the silicone surrounding.  Could there  
> be something else I am not considering?  This smell does not occur  
> when the AC is on, only when the heater is.  I am dreading having  
> to pull the box out again, though, for my poor planning, I think I  
> may deserve it.  Any thoughts would be appreciated.
> Also, any thoughts on what to look for in a replacement turbo?  I'm  
> not looking to upgrade, just replace mine with same or similar unit.
>
> Thanks,
> Matt Bolles
> '91 200 20v-203k
> '03 A6 Avant-59k