Farwell to the 80t

[Dan Simoes]

I don't think so, but it is true.  This is also a problem on the 4kq,
where the rubber grommets under the car trap moisture and the lines rust
out.  Fire danger is low unless you got a huge leak that was ignited by
the exhaust, and probably only if you were sitting in traffic.

Peter Sperry wrote:
> 
> About a month ago, I took my 90Q20V into my local mechanic who's done some
> AC work for me in the past to look at my AC system in anticipation of
> converting it to 134.  Anyway, while it was in, he mentioned to me that I've
> got a fuel line leak, and that I was lucky that I'd not started the car on
> fire.  He said that the 80/90 series fuel lines are routed really poorly as
> they come into the engine compartment from below.  Basically, he said,
> there's a couple spots along the line that never dry out, and consequently
> rust through very frequently because of how they're routed.  I had him
> replace the lines and re-route them in a way to alleviate this in the
> future.  Maybe something like this caused your mishap?
> 
> Peter
> 
> '87 5KTQ
> '90 90Q20v
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Alexander van Gerbig" <Audi_80 at email.msn.com>
> To: <quattro at audifans.com>
> Sent: Monday, June 25, 2001 12:53 AM
> Subject: Farwell to the 80t
> 
> >     Well after a great day at MtW the worst possible ending happened.
> While
> > driving back following Dan Simoes my car burst into flames.  While pushing
> > 100mph behind Dan I started to smell gasoline and the turbo started
> sounding
> > like a vacuum cleaner.  I turned the radio off and listened carefully,
> noise
> > got worse, turbo sounded very wizzy.  I flashed Dan to pull off at the
> next
> > exit.  When I pulled next to him I put the window down and smelled lots of
> > gas, plus the engine sounded like it had no exhaust.  I pulled up to a
> > little median and immediately shut the engine off.  The second I shut the
> > engine down the passenger's side of the hood blew up and black smoke
> > starting billowing out of everywhere.  I grabbed whatever I could and
> threw
> > it out of the car onto the median.  Dan grabbed his little fire
> extinguisher
> > and dowsed some flames, but to no avail, it got hotter.  Flames started
> come
> > out from the hood and the paint started turning black.  Luckily a nice
> man,
> > retired fireman probably, ran out of his pickup with a huge extinguisher
> and
> > killed the fire after I popped the hood for him.
> >
> >     Everything rubber in the engine bay melted, absolutely the worst smell
> > ever.  Two of the four fuel lines were broken at the metering head, where
> > the hard line meets the braided line.  When the problems started all
> gauges
> > read normally, high oil pressure, low oil temp, low coolant temp, high
> > boost, and 100mph on the speedo.  Thanks to the man with the big
> > extinguisher the rest if the car was saved, brakes, rims, times,
> suspension,
> > and probably the engine itself, just nothing rubber around it.  I'm glad
> I'm
> > alive first off, secondly I'm glad Dan was there to help, thank you!
> >
> >     I had the car towed back to Double Z motors in NY and left a note on
> it,
> > $350 tow job and my mum couldn't find the entrance to the shop, so I
> waited
> > for 2 hours in my burnt out 80, very sad.  I figure I'll salvage
> everything
> > possible, new pistons, rebuilt head, turbo, and all that if possible.  I
> > think this time around I'll be getting a quattro, but my frantic mother
> > insisted I get a new car and not touch it, blaming me for the fire, what
> are
> > mothers for?  I may have parts for sale or not, but I hope to pick up a
> > 90q20v and slap on my bits, not the turbo though...
> >
> >     If anyone has a clue as to why this happened please explain.  The fuel
> > lines I used were the stock lines and I had the metal pipes bent up
> slightly
> > to clear the intake tract, but never bent or molested the part where the
> > hard line meets the braided line.  Plus why would the turbo sound very
> wizzy
> > if a gas leak occurred?  My A/F gauge read that the mixture was fine?  I
> > wonder if the turbo seized, but the oil temps where 80C when this happened
> > and oil pressure at 5bar.  I'll be doing an autopsy as soon as possible,
> if
> > the turbo seized then I have some serious beef with guys who rebuilt it,
> but
> > I can't see how that would cause a fire unless the turbo got so hot it
> > started to burn things, but I'd figure the oil temps to be mighty high if
> > that happened.  What a horrid night...
> >
> > Alexander van Gerbig -- '88 80t (crispy engine and stinky interior)  :-(
> >
> > The Audi  80 Pages-----------------
> > http://surf.to/the80pages.com
> >
> > North Ferrisburg, VT 05473
> >
> >