[urq] Scary night (long)

AUDIJIM at aol.com AUDIJIM at aol.com
Wed Jul 6 15:07:39 EDT 2005


Well, the drive home last night from DC to NJ was nothing short of hair 
raising. The pucker factor was definitely on the higher end of the scale. Besides 
the heavy rain, lightning, thunder, and the typical inexperienced foul weather 
drivers, my 282,000 mile Audi 5000cs Q got me home, but with problems. I just 
put the car up in the air, but haven't yet looked under there yet. The grass 
is very long, and the weeds are just right for pulling (I long for the day my 
wife picks gardening as her new pass time) so I'm taking a break before I start 
the lawn. It all started when I left National Airport to head for home. I was 
on the Baltimore/Washington Parkway when I started to get a shaky steering 
wheel. I brushed it off to a little bit of hydroplaning. I slowed down and it 
went away. It then returned on a less wet/puddled section of road and went away 
when I let off the gas. Now I'm a little concerned. It feels like it's coming 
from the right front. It got so sever that I pulled over to inspect the front 
steering and suspension gear and did I get soaked. I was remembering the time 
that someone or somehow loosened my left rear wheel lug bolts and how that 
felt (possible wheel theft attempt?), but this wasn't the case this time. 
Everything looked airworthy and I continued on. When I got onto I95 N, I was waiting 
to go through the tunnel so I might see what effects a dry section of road 
would have on my situation, no change. I continued on until the first rest area 
(Maryland House) and pulled under the cover at the Sunoco. I pulled out my jack 
and lifted the passenger front off the ground. With my Streamlight, I 
inspected the control arm and strut, drive axle and sway bar, everything under there 
that would indicate the sever steering wheel shake I was getting while on the 
accelerator. Nothing was visually wrong, even all the wheel weights were in 
tact and where they should be. Now I'm a little nervous for a couple reasons. 
I'm about 2 hours from home at this point, it's 0300 in the morning, I have no 
metric tools with me (less the tool kit in the trunk) and I can't see what 
wrong when I KNOW something is! I again pull over at every rest stop between 
Baltimore and the New Jersey Turnpike and home to inspect. To top it off, my A/C 
compressor exploded as I was going through the toll booth right after the 
Del/Mor Bridge on the NJTP. Now my visibility went Tango Uniform (Tits Up) and I 
have to use full heat to get any sort of clear sight. Not that my cooling was a 
problem, but at least the engine ran a lot cooler with the secondary radiator 
(heater core) now in operation. I'll keep you informed with what I find. The 
car has been running absolutely perfect and did so when I drove to DC and the 
car sat in front of the hangar I work in for 4 days, except to run to the barber 
for a fresh high and tight.

And to top it off yet again, I find out that my union has asked to be 
released from contract negotiations for a cooling off period and a strike vote. I 
will be lucky if I'm able to hold onto my job through the summer. Anyone need an 
airframe and powerplant technician with FAA and FCC, aircraft welding certi, 
SAE, former Audi tech, former VW tech, former State of Virginia safety, 
emissions tech and inspector and an AS in aircraft maintenance technology? I might 
need new employment soon.

Sorry for the rant, I needed to vent.

Jim Furdyn
1983 UrQuattro #170 
1987 4000cs Q
1987 Euro 200/5000cs TQ 282,000 miles
1996 A6 Quattro Avant 
1987 Mercedes Benz Truck model 1219


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