[urq] This week's issues: Cold start, Spedo, Radio

[Andrew B]

Update:
Silly as it is, the radio had a wire that went directly to the
battery.  Firestone had unplugged it.  My bad.

However, my clock is still not working. The radio seems fine, but the
clock doesn't do anything.  On the back of the dash, there is a plug
behind the clock with nothing running to it.  Should there be
something there?  It sure seems like it, but the clock has always
worked fine, and nothing has changed back there except for the spedo.


Stumped-
Andrew


On Tue, 21 Dec 2004 16:34:03 -0500, W. Bremer <wbremer at maine.rr.com> wrote:
> Hi, Andrew:
> 
> Sorry to hear of your run-in with Firestone.  Aside from the Better Business
> Bureau and so forth, you could also file a complaint with the Consumer
> Protection Division of the State of New York (I've not used it, but in most
> "regulatory" states (like NY) you should find something either freestanding
> or on the State of NY's website, often under the link to the NY Attorney
> General's page..
> 
> Although you were inconvenienced a lot, it doesn't sound like you succumbed
> to their demand for money, so the Consumer Division might not do a lot for
> you, but a complaint would put that shop on their radar.  If they got a lot
> of complaints on that shop, they might even seriously investigate.  Your
> email pretty much sums it up for the Consumer Protection Division and send a
> copy of the complaint to the BBB, too.   If they were an AAA shop, let the
> AAA know as well.
> 
> With regard to the speedo, it's possible that the cable has a broken
> strand--then it can wind up and when it unwinds, you think you're going way
> too fast.  It's also possible that the cable itself "wound up" from the lack
> of lubrication due to the cold weather and then unwound and gave you that
> false reading.  While it's uncommon for that to happen several times (the
> speedo cable will usually break) ya never know.  Check out the least costly
> problem (the speedo wire or wires if you have the little box at the upper
> end of the speedo cable under the hood) before you dig into the sppedo (IMO,
> that's a professional shop job, unless you are really careful, patient, and
> good with small tools).
> 
> Those old fuses go with an antiquated fusebox, unfortunately.  The internal
> workings can get corroded or even "fried" and there goes the circuitry.
> It's not all that likely (since everything else works), but it's possible.
> Before you tackle the big stuff, take some sandpaper and clean the "prongs"
> that hold the affected fuse.  It's possible that you pulled the wrong fuse.
> (I know, I know, you didn't do that, but it's been done by others.)  If
> those old fuses are blown, it's obvious.  It sounds like a fuse problem, so
> clean off the support prongs, pinch them together slightly so that they hold
> a good fuse carefully, and clean off the contact sides of the prongs and of
> the fuse itself.  A little corrosion on these contacts, and the voltage
> won't flow (and the fuse will look/be OK).  At some point, you'll want to
> clean all of the fuse contact points and the "prong" areas and also coat
> them with "bulb grease or somesuch to help ensure a good contact.  Those
> fuses live in a damp place anyway, and the electrical things, including the
> fusebox, get corroded easily.  That fusebox is problematic: it was designed
> for a VW and, for the urq, must carry about 30% more power than it was
> designed for, so there's lots of heat and corrosion.
> 
> As much as we all love these cars, you have to remember that they are 20+
> years old, and many 20-year-old cars will have all sorts of probems when it
> gets cold--see Louis-Alain's post!--even when the owners know better.  I
> have to admit to storing my urq during the Maine winters.
> 
> Not that it wll make you feel a lot better, but you WERE VERY LUCKY that the
> car ultimately started and got you home....
> 
> And...welcome to the wonderful world of urquattro ownership....
> Bill
> 
> PS: if you car is reasonably stock and you're on 205/60x15 tiresw, the
> speedo will be turning 3,000 rpm at 69.0 - 70.5 mph in 5th gear (the OEM 5th
> gear speed per 1,000 rpm is 23.3 mph or 23.5 mph (the two sources differ
> slightly).
> Usually the speedo reads about 6% high around 70 mph.  If your car is stock
> (i.e., the original diffs, not the 4000Q higher diff gearing), and your
> tires are the OEM size, 3,000 rpm will be 70 mph +/-   It will probably read
> 75 mph, and each 100 rpm will add about 2.3-2.5 mph; so 3100 rpm will be an
> actual speed of around 72.5, and will probably read around 78 mph.   But
> that's what was reported for an 83 US-spec urq when new, and darn few urqs
> have the OEM drive train and tire size.
> 
>