quattro Digest, Vol 36, Issue 28

[Louis-Alain Richard]

> -----Message d'origine-----
> > I do want to know, though. Did the factory quattro sports have diff
> > locks at all?
> 
> Just shooting from the hip here, but back then the street cars
typically
> had atuators at each diff (center and rear) that were manually
> controlled via cables or vacuum.  The street choices were, IIRC,
locked
> center or locked both.


You are almost right Huw, at least if I use ETKA-Euro for confirmation.
The only difference between a urQuattro and the SportQuattro is the
Bowden cable (it must be shorter by 12 in...). The rest of the setup is
identical, with both vacuum actuators on the rear diff bracket.


Just for the sake of information:

- 1980-81 urQ had a dual lever/cable setup. Levers were just bellow the
handbrake lever. I drove such a car last year, and this setup was quite
nice, fast acting with a positive engagement feeling. You can lock de
diffs independently.

- the 1982 to 1984 urQ got the dual vacuum actuators on the rear diff
bracket with a Bowden cable to activate the center diff. 1982 and 1983
have a single position pull switch so both diff are operated at the same
time. 1984 have a dual position pull switch, so center only and
center+rear can be locked.

- the 1985 to 1987 urQ still have dual vacuum actuators, but now the
center diff actuator is mounted on the transmission, replacing the cable
with a steel rod. There is now a rotary switch with dual positions.

- Finally, the 1988 to 1991 Torsen cars don't have a center diff
actuator for the obvious reason and the rear diff is still vacuum
operated, but with an electro-pneumatic control box instead of engine
vacuum, like a type 44/89.



Louis-Alain
Who repaired his urQ diff locks no later than yesterday...