[s-cars] Low boost on 1995 S6 (insert swearword of your choice)

[Paul Heneghan]

Help chaps,

My two month old purchase (1995 S6 Avant UK spec) is now showing a maximum
of 1.7 on the trip computer boost gauge.  It still drives very well, but it
no longer reaches the 2.1 that it used to, and it's lost some of its old
exhilerating acceleration. By the way, these figures are ABSOLUTE pressure
(i.e. I see 1.0 - atmospheric pressure - when the engine isn't running).

I'm in the process of ordering the VAG-COM so I can pull the codes, but it
will be a month before it reaches me (personal delivery courtesy of my dad
who's in the US at the moment).

Has any one had any success with the Engine Check Light on UK spec S-cars.
I had the dash apart yesterday, replacing backlight bulbs and noticed that
there is no bulb fitted to the Engine Check Light position. Scott Mockry
seemed to think that there was a posibility that the computer was already
connected to this position, and inserting a bulb would allow the codes to be
read, but he was doubtful about whether this was also the case for a
European car.  The other bulbs in that region of the dash (key security
code, air bag, flasher relay) are connected directly to the wiring loom
instead of drawing their supply from the PCB; the wiring loom does not have
any extra wiring for this bulb, and I can't tell if the pcb has tracks that
the bulb can contact.

The car is 7 years old, and has done 68,000 miles.  What is likely to
suddenly lose me 0.4bar boost.  I've had a look at Scott Mockry's 20vt boost
diagnosis page, and I feel quite overwhelmed!  Where should I start?

I'm now beginning to appreciate the simplicity of my old 1984 80q.  The
Thermotime Switch was about my limit!

Paul

p.s. Replacing backlights on the dash is a doddle on these cars.  All the
guides (Haynes, Bentley etc.) say to remove the steering wheel - this is
complicated by the air bag.  I found a couple of websites that said that it
was possible to do without removing the steering wheel:
http://www.urs4.com/technical/interior/interior_trim.html
http://eamnesia.com/others/backlight/index.html
...and they were right.  I was too mean to buy new backlight bulbs from
Audi, so I bought 10 x grain of wheat bulbs from Maplin at a cost of about
30p each.  It needs a bit of delicate surgery to get them into the twistlock
bulb holders, but I managed it.  I just noticed that RS Components sell
twist lock bases (T1 1/2-5mm Twistlock Mount Wedge Base Lampholder) - the
photo looks very similar to the Audi types.  The bases are about 60p each
with bulbs costing about 30p each.  Might be worth investigating.

Paul

Paul Heneghan,
Lecturer (Computers and Networks)
BBC Training & Development
*	Work:   	01386 4 20120
*	Fax:  	01386 4 20127
*  	Room B11, BBC Wood Norton, Evesham, Worcs., WR11 4YB
*	mailto:paul.heneghan at bbc.co.uk
*	http://training.gateway.bbc.co.uk/td




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