Good Audi day . . .

[Mike Arman]

Finally stopped raining here long enough Sunday to do some deferred
maintenance to the 5KS.

All fluids OK (Pentosin low, as usual), picked up a nail last Thursday
evening in right rear tire, only place open was Allied Discount Tires,
monkey lad scratched up the alloy BBS style rim when the rim "jumped off!"
the tire changer, fortunately not badly, cleaned it up with a file (idiot
monkey lad - but I can't change my own tires, dammit).

Tire pressures down slightly (normal), tire the moron fixed ("32 psi,
please") had 40 psi . .  spare had 10 psi, and when was the last time you
checked yours?

New oxygen sensor - old one came right out with an open-end wrench and a
little grunt (pleasant surprise!), new one went right in, made it tight,
exact torque unknown - maybe I'll get better gas mileage?

Now the biggie - recently I was caught in a torrential downpour, and as
soon as I turned on the defroster, the windows totally fogged over, instant
zero-zero visibility. Question to the Audi collective resulted in "Check
the recirc door spring!" as the way to go, so I finally did.

Passenger seat all the way back, remove tray under glove box (2 screws),
remove glove box (2 6mm bolts), lay down on back with door sill exactly in
small of back, look up and see recirc flap waving in the breeze, with
spring dangling off it.

Extricate self, get flashlight, determine that upper spring anchor is gone
- broken off. Standard problem, or so I  hear. Don't feel like ordering the
"official" kit from Linda and waiting a week, not willing to kludge it with
tie-wraps either.

Examine hose to vacuum motor - yech! Need a new one of those, too. Remove
lower door (recirc air door) for extra working room, clean it up and
replace VERY tattered weatherstripping around edge.

How to fasten the top of the spring to the plastic rails? Tried a few
kludges, either didn't fit, or didn't fit right, or didn't work once fitted.

Finally made a bracket from a few inches of the perforated strip that comes
with car radio installation kits.

Bad ASCII art follows: 

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Bracket starts outside one rail at bottom, goes up over top of that rail,
comes straight back down inside the same rail, then comes UP in an inverted
vee, then up on the inside and back down on the outside of the other rail.
Idea is to distribute the load on the plastic rails, and have the top of
the clip high enough so there's adequate tension on the spring.

Snipped off remains of old spring perch, installed bracket - it fits!

Installed new hose on vacuum motor - there is NO WAY to do this from the
bottom, so turned the capsule slightly to disengage it from the seat, and
wiggled it so the hose could be pressed onto the spigot working through the
fresh air door, at the top!

Threaded hose through center of mount, turned capsule back to reseat in
bracket. Blow into hose, door moves, suck on hose, door moves other way -
neat!

Thread hose up through tiny, inaccessible hole in fresh air box, connect to
tee, done with plumbing.

Hook top of spring over fabricated bracket, re-mount recir door, hook
bottom end of spring to recirc door, start engine.

Sonofagun - it works!! Smoothly, quietly, properly! Wash face (crap falls
in your eyes a LOT when you do this job!) and hands. Reinstall glove box
and package tray. All done.

Best Regards,

Mike Arman