Replacement Crankcase Breather tube - RT/NF/NG Engine

[rob hod]

    I thought i'd add this for the archives as much as anything;

    The RT and I beleive the NF/NG all use the same badly designed rubber
tube from the crankcase breather. Its about 10" long , tapered  and
collapses after a couple of years. Apart from a visual check you can test
whether it is internally collapsed by removing the oil filler cap with the
engine at idle. If the revs drop/ engine stalls you're OK. If the revs don't
change then your crankcase breathing is defective.

 There is a replacement kit available from Audi which i've just fitted. It
consists of a tapered steel tube  with bends in it replacing the old rubber
item , two short hoses, a blanking cap for a take off from the steel tube
and three clips. Total cost was 51 GBP after a small amount of discount. It
all fits very nicely.

    The only part that *has* to come from Audi is the breathertube at
29.28GBP, the rest is just stuff you could prob. get elsewhere, though I
would guess the hoses are vacuum rated and also fairly high quality, as the
crankcase fumes will rot heater type hoses in about 6 months flat. Something
has to justify the fact that they were more than 6GBP each.

    I have one related question that someone may be able to answer. In the
old tube I found a little twisted bundle of wire. I guess it is there to
trap lumps of coke or sludge that get sucked up. Anyone come across this
item? Will it lodge nicely in the new tube?





rob