[s-cars] Choosing a mechanic

Tue Dec 11 17:41:22 PST 2007

Dohhhhhh! I have to buy a compression tester! Boy I'm green at this  
stuff. And my pops was a mechanic, too! Ok ok. My face is a bit red now.

R/S
Floyd Noel
Sgt/USMC

On Dec 11, 2007, at 16:38, Vincent Frégeac <s.sikss at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi Floyd,
>
> Any compression tester will come with basic instructions. In short:
> - Buy a compression tester.
> - Remove the plug on all injectors.
> - Remove the coils
> - Remove all the spark plugs
> - Plug the compression starter on the first cylinder
> - Swith the starter on until the compression doesn't increase.
> - Take note of the reading
> - Move to the next cylinder
>
> IME, it sounds like head gasket or cylinder ring failure. Valve  
> guides are
> another source of burnt oil but it usually smoke for 1-2 minutes  
> only on a
> cold start. Once you've tested the compression on all cylinders  
> once, add a
> spoon of oil in each cylinder and test again. If the compression  
> rise on the
> low reading cylinder, there's a good chance it's the cylinder rings.  
> If you
> get the same reading, there's a good chance it's the head gasket.  
> Note that
> I said "there's a good chance" since I had once false diagnosis from  
> this
> way to segregate lower end leaks from head leaks.
>
> The list will certainly enrich the diagnosis procedure but that's a  
> start.
>
>
>
> Vincent
>
> -----Message d'origine-----
> De : s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com
> [mailto:s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com] De la part de Floyd Noel
> Envoyé : 11 décembre 2007 14:24
> À : Tom Green
> Cc : s-car-list
> Objet : Re: [s-cars] Choosing a mechanic
>
> Yes, I'm still trying to learn everything I can right now. Of course,
> all the resources are scattered. I've been searching for a couple of
> weeks on how to do a compression or leakdown test, to no avail. But
> I've got the day off today so hopefully I can figure it out. I just
> took the hose off of the turbo and tried to wiggle the shaft (I think)
> and it wouldn't move, although when I took the hose off there was a
> little bit of oil in there, but barely any so I think it's a normal
> amount. I want to replace the spark plugs and see what they look like,
> but I still need to buy new plugs. Plus I read that I should do a
> compression test while I'm changing them, and I still need to find
> instructions for that. As far as the smoking goes, it mostly happens
> when it's cold, so I wasn't sure if it was related to that, but it
> pours out huge clouds of smoke when I'm stopped at lights, etc. After
> the car warms up a bit it's not so bad, but I can still see it coming
> out of the exhaust. Also it reeks of fuel near the tailpipe. And the
> engine bay smells weird, I get a waft of it when I step out of the
> car, like burning rubber or plastic or something (maybe coolant?)  but
> I'm never low anything, except maybe going through oil quickly. It
> never seems to leak much, though. So of course any tips or things I
> can check out myself are appreciated.
>
> R/S
> Floyd Noel
> Sgt/USMC
>
> On Dec 11, 2007, at 8:17, Tom Green <trgreen at comcast.net> wrote:
>
>> Floyd,
>>
>> Sorry, I don't have a personal recommendation for someone in the
>> immediate
>> area to do maintenance.  You are in the enviable position to have
>> 2Bennett in
>> the area in Davis and Dad's salvage for parts in the Sacramento
>> area.  You
>> won't find a more competent and honest outfit than 2Bennett for
>> routine stuff
>> or performance work.
>>
>> There are many parts that are still best obtained from the dealer,
>> so a good
>> relationship with one can be handy.  Several offer discounts and do
>> a brisk
>> internet or phone order service that may meet your needs. You are
>> probably
>> already finding that a ready supply of parts down the street
>> probably doesn't
>> exist so you will need to order parts before the repair is performed
>> if it is to
>> be done in a timely manner, even at the dealer.
>>
>> You are the most trusted mechanic for your car, and even if you
>> aren't doing
>> the work yourself, the better informed you are about the problems
>> the better
>> any service will be performed.  Much of the diagnosis is just basic
>> auto
>> repair to start with then some of the FAQ advice for specific areas
>> before you
>> ever need the repair manual.
>>
>> All that said, are there any suspects for your smoking problem?  Any
>> problems
>> with performance?  Smoking on start?  Continuous?  On hard
>> acceleration?
>> Oil use?  Type?  Embarrassingly large cloud?  In danger of failing
>> CA smog?
>>
>> After answering all those questions and a thorough troubleshooting
>> with a
>> compression and leak down check, you may be no closer to pinning down
>> the actual cause between the usual suspects of turbo or internal
>> engine
>> valves or rings without a look (disassembly) because at higher
>> mileage, all
>> these will contribute some oil use that is unnoticeable
>> individually, but shows
>> up in the aggregate.
>>
>> You may be lucky enough to find the turbo shaft wobbles so much that
>> oil would
>> surely get by the seal and a replacement would eliminate most of the
>> smoke.
>> Hopefully you will find a straightforward solution to your problem
>> and a trusted
>> tech to do the work.
>>
>> Tom
>>
>>> Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2007 12:39:49 -0800
>>> From: Floyd Noel <floyd.noel at gmail.com>
>>> Subject: Re: [s-cars] Choosing a mechanic
>>> To: s-car-list <s-car-list at audifans.com>
>>> Message-ID: <79916A66-B010-4838-9E08-46B7D2F6328C at gmail.com>
>>> Content-Type: text/plain;    charset=US-ASCII;    format=flowed;
>>> delsp=yes
>>>
>>> I'm in Santa Rosa, CA, which is in the North Bay of SF. And I'll  
>>> make
>>> sure to stay away from the dealers, I've run into a few people that
>>> tried to tell me that my car doesn't exist, or think that it must be
>>> small (since it's an S4). Thanks
>>>
>>> R/S
>>> Floyd Noel
>>> Sgt/USMC
>>>
>>> On Dec 10, 2007, at 12:25, chris chambers
>>> <fastscirocco_2000 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Floyd,
>>>>
>>>> Stay away from the dealer, odds are they won't have a mechanic
>>>> that is familiar with your car. In fact they might claim no such
>>>> car ever existed!
>>>>
>>>> Where are you at, it'll make it easier for informed listers to
>>>> provide a recommended mechanic if they know where you are.
>>>>
>>>> Regards
>>>> Chris
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --- Floyd Noel <floyd.noel at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Hello Listers,
>>>>> I am in need of a mechanic for my urS4, and was wondering if  
>>>>> anyone
>>>>> that's BTDT had some advice on choosing one for these cars, or  
>>>>> if I
>>>>> should just take it to a dealer. There's a lot of smoke coming
>>>>> out of
>>>>>
>>>>> the tail end these days.... TIA
>>>>>
>>>>> R/S
>>>>> Floyd Noel
>>>>> Sgt/USMC
>>
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