High pressure hose R&R tips?

[Mike Arman]

>Date: Fri, 2 May 2003 15:20:04 -0600 (MDT)
>From: Iain Mannix <mannix at rmsolo.org>
>To: quattro at audifans.com
>Subject: High pressure hose R&R tips?
>

>
>Anyway - the p-t-r hose *looks* easy enough, but I wonder about
>two things:
>
>1. Getting a wrench on the rack fitting.  Probably a non issue.
>
>2. Getting the banjo bolt restarted on the rack.  That looks like
>it might be an issue.
>



Have a decent selection of the aluminum crush rings on hand. I guarantee
the dealer will give you the wrong parts, and the further away the dealer
is, the more probable they will be wrong. Also, if you plan to do this on a
weekend, or better yet, a holiday weekend, you can bet your life the parts
will be wrong . . .

Your old hose can go to a hydraulic shop to be rebuilt. (Places which do
hoses for big trucks and construction equipment like bulldozers, etc.) They
take the ends, which are "special" and remove the hose, which is not, and
replace it with a new high pressure hose. Tell them to be very careful to
get the length correct, better a quarter inch too much than a quarter inch
too short. If they put a junction in the middle of the hose, your life just
got much easier - it lets you get everything aligned and started, and when
the banjo fittings are tight, then tighten the center coupling. Price is
much lower than at Audi (I had one done for $25 while I waited) and these
Audi hydraulic systems are like toys to the big stuff, so it is easy for
them to do it, and it works perfectly. Probably forever, too.

The *trick* to getting the banjo fitting and crush rings into the rack is a
rubber band. Assemble the banjo fitting to the hose end with the crush
rings in the right places, hold everything on with a rubber band (be
creative), and that keeps stuff from falling off while you get the banjo
fitting started into the rack. Once you're SURE it has started (and isn't
cross-threaded), clip off the rubber band and tighten the fitting.

Access is awkward here, and this is a good opportunity to break off the
return line on the plastic radiator end cap by lying on it (ask me how I
know) so be careful what you lean on and push against.


>Current plan is to remove the old hose, then attach the new hose
>at the rack before attaching it at the pump - I know everything has
>to be lined up just right for the banjo to start threading.

Yes - do the rack end first - and it is hard enough to align and manipulate
that way. If you do the pump end first, it will NEVER work.

>
>Is it easier if I take the reservoir-rack hose off, get it out
>of the way?  I don't have a replacement(duh), so I'm leery of
>breaking the seal.
>

>
>Iain(I'm sure the rack is going to get jealous and start
>barfing Pentosin next week....)
>


It probably will - mine did, but it took longer than a few weeks to start
doing so. I have a Jorgen lifetime rack, so changing it (again) is just a
matter of finding the time, not the money.


Best Regards,

Mike Arman, still alive and driving Audis here in Florida . . .

various stuff with 2, 3,or 4 wheels, wings, hulls, etc.