[s-cars] AC and Coolant reservoir Q's

[Wayne Dohnal]

>Car is spilling a little coolant.  Opened the hood yesterday after the ride
home.  There was some coolant blowing (spitting actually) past the hose
clamp on >the return line to the reservoir.  The clamp was on tightly and I
believe that the nipple there is free of damage, though I did not remove to
confirm.  Provided >the fitting is OK, I take this to mean that the
reservoir vent cap is no longer functioning?  Is this piece dealer only???

Funny how these things age together.  My coolant tank and hose were doing
EXACTLY the same thing.  I pulled the hose and found that the nipple was
disintegrated under the clamp.  I moved the hose up on the nipple and
re-clamped.  It still leaks.  I have a new tank on the way from SJM
Autotechnik for $45 + shipping.  This is a stranded-on-the-road issue so I
don't want to mess with it.  Just in case our cars have more in common, if
you have a maddening rattle you can't find, suspect the steering damper.  I
have a new one of those coming, too.  Took me a year to find what was
causing the rattle.

Wayne Dohnal
1994 S4