Stumblin, bumblin, fumblin, 5KTQ

[Brady Moffatt]

Ron,

You mention checking plug wires. Did you check the actual plugs? Even if
they're OK, they can tell a story about the engine.

Sounds to me like you've been living with a couple of problems for awhile
(1.2bar max) and that this is a new one, or an old one getting worse. Might
as well start with the cheap, easy stuff! Plugs, checking Michelin Man hose
sound like good places to begin.

Good luck,
Brady Moffatt
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
86 4ksq, 280,000km
72 Datsun 240Z, 180,000 miles

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ron Katona" <rkatona at bellatlantic.net>


> Appreciate any advice tracking down a bad stumble my '86 5ktq developed
> yesterday. This car is my daily driver for a 5-mile commute and has been
> for the last six months. Ran fine until yesterday when merging on the
> highway under about 3/4 throttle it suddenly stumbled, then began to run
> rough. The rough running has continued since then. The basic feel is
> that it's running on 4 cylinders... a regular miss rather than a
> herky-jerky stumble. It's evident throughout the rev range - power is
> obviously down.
>
> About all I could think to check when I got to work was that all the
> plug wires are on tight and to look for any obvious loose vacuum lines.
> Didn't see anything. Turbo is developing 1.2 bar at full throttle...
> normal for this 200,000+ mile car. No big plumes of white or blue smoke
> that might indicate a blown gasket or damaged valve. Car has 1/2 tank of
> gas on board. Mileage dropped to 12 mpg since then. The car starts and
> runs OK considering (no stalling or hard starting).
>
> I'm fairly handy with a wrench on cars, but this is my first Audi and
> first turbo car of any kind. Other than maybe pulling the plugs and
> replacing them while checking their condition, I don't have much of an
> idea where to start troubleshooting on this car... maybe a bad injector?
>
> Any ideas? Any common failures to look for? Troubleshooting tips for the
> fuel and ignition systems? Helpful web sites?
>
> Please help, until I get this thing back on the road I'm forced to drive
> my '95 M3 to work every day. ;) Thanks in advance!
> --
> Ron Katona
>
>