quattro digest, Vol 1 #590 - 12 msgs

[TheRingmeister at aol.com]

ENGINE LIGHT ISSUE
When accelerating the engine light will come on and the engine will lose
power. It sometimes shuts right back off or will stay on with a lack of
power for minutes only to restore itself. The car has never overheated or
been mistreated.

1. On occasion, when starting the car up, the fuel pump makes a strange
noise kind of like a “ whhhaaasssshhhhh” like its struggling to get fuel ???
During the summer here in Las Vegas when it’s nice and hot, the fuel pump
buzzes constantly, especially after hard driving with the a/c on. My
mechanic says “ you have water in your fuel”. I’m not sure of that.

-----------fuel pumps buzz, and some don't...mostly it's when you're low on fuel b/c the pump is no longer covered in gas and you can more easily hear it.  The fuel also serves to cool the pump, so some suggest not letting your fuel level get too low for that reason.  I believe it's not a good idea anyway due to the potential to get dirt up with the gas.

2. I noticed that my throttle potentiometer is broken under the throttle
body. How important is it to replace the throttle potentiometer if broken?

---------extremely important!!! That's what tells the ecu where your throttle plates are and if it's not attached securely, you'll have poor running conditions you describe.  I had the same problem, but was able to re-attach the tpot to the underside of the tbody...the screws work themselves out over time and you have the situation you describe.  don't let it go too long or the heat from the exhaust manifold heat shield it'll end up sitting on will fry it.  You'll also notice if you dump the codes your ecu is telling you the tpot and possibly the throttle switch are your reason for the light coming on.

3. I was told that the distributor rotor is glued on and cannot be replaced.
Is this true?

----true it may be glued on, not true that it can't be replaced.  use vice grips to crush the rotor and remove any old bits of plastic with emory cloth or a wire brush..be very careful not to twist the shaft, as the gear on the bottom is plastic and can be damaged.


4. My car has been running very rich for awhile now and my gas consumption has been high too, even AFTER replacing the O2 sensor. What gives? I’m not
sure if I have several problems or just one.

---------your gas consumption is most likely due to the tpot problem, as is your mixture...fix that first, and if you're problems don't go away, then start seeking them out.  could be a mixture adjustment (CO) possibly, but i'd fix what you know is wrong first.

5.I am considering the removal of my middle muffler for improved flow and sound? Is there any serious consequences to consider before doing so. Some
people say it makes no difference except some small torque lost at low RPMs. Anyone know any better?

-----it will cost you a little torque due to decreased back pressure. straight piping will give you better flow, but as is usually the case, there's a cost to everything.

6. Has anyone heard of the catalytic converter getting clogged or burnt out on our cars?

most definitely.

my suggestion is that you spend some time at www.20v.org and really read some/all of the information there.  at the same time, go to rennlist.org and join the 20v emailing group.....you'd be amazed.

good luck
wylie bean
theringmeister at aol.com
90 cq
99.5 A4Avant1.8TqS