[urq] 83 urq smogged! Now What?

Keith spotatashleys at hotmail.com
Fri Aug 16 13:39:18 PDT 2013


Paul
If you're new to working on quattros there are a few websites that will help 
you immensely - suggest these for starters:
http://www.isham-research.co.uk/quattro/index.html
and from the "links" page of this site 
(http://www.isham-research.co.uk/quattro/links.html) any of the then 
mentioned sites.

With regard to your electrical problems:
Door mirrors and windows--wires can break in the bellows in the door shuts 
but most wiring problems stem from bad earths and/or corrosion and lack of 
use. Also the grease in the window winder mechanisms can get hard and the 
motors can burn out. My guess is, lack of use and poor connections will be 
the cause of most problems.
The clocks can be a bit "iffy". See if you can get one from a breaker (other 
contemporary Audi models will be more common I guess)
Door power locks. These operate by vacuum. First listen to hear if the 
vacuum pump is working when the lock is operated. Best done from inside the 
car and by lifting the lock lifter (its easier to hear the pump inside the 
car). If no noise from the pump then it might be dead or "sleeping" through 
lack of use. If it is whirring but the lifters are not working then it is a 
case of checking the continuity of the vacuum pipe system and the actuators. 
(if the diff locks aren't working, again check continuity of the vacuum 
pipes and actuators - but these run on engine vacuum and are nothing to do 
with the power lock vacuum pump - I merely mention these because the 
problems are similar)
Radio? What do you need that for? You have a glorious 5 cylinder. Get the 
windows fixed so you can wide them down and hear it better. Antenna is most 
likely bad earth or the results of water ingress. Investigate further.
Interior lights are on a shared fuse/circuit - are the other things on that 
circuit working? If yes, then likely bad contacts in the door shut switches 
which are not the most robust of things.

The websites I have pointed you to will give you lots of help and guidance 
but this list is the best. Glad you've joined it.
Good luck and all the best

Keith

'87 WR in sunny Worcestershire UK

p.s re: wheel alignment - all advice over the years is the best set up is as 
the factory settings - everything else costs lots of tyres. I have the 
settings if you can't find them on the web pages I have pointed you to. I'm 
sure the late Phil Paynes site (isham research) has this but if not please 
let me know.

-----Original Message----- 
From: Paul Ahvenainen
Sent: Thursday, August 15, 2013 10:24 PM
To: urq at audifans.com
Subject: [urq] 83 urq smogged! Now What?

The 83 Quattro I've had for about 3 weeks is now legal to drive on CA roads. 
I have changed all the fluids except the Dexron in the power steering 
reservoir, which I am waiting for a replacement filter for.  The car runs 
great, with decent power and good handling.  The braking is a bit vague, but 
I'm hoping some fresh SS & Teflon brake lines will help.  Does anyone know 
where to get a premade set, or is this strictly a custom job?

It seems that the next area I need to tackle is electronic systems.  The 
following items don't work (all fuses look OK):  both power mirrors, both 
power windows, power locks, quartz clock (erratic), stereo (erratic), power 
antenna, interior lights and turn signals.  I think the turn signal may be a 
relay issue, which is also on order.

The question is, should I be looking for one problem that is causing all 
these issues, or is it a matter of tracing each fault?  It seems odd that 
all these systems would fail on a car with 54K miles.  I have read that some 
owners have installed fuse blocks from later cars, should I be looking at 
this solution?

Also, is there a recommended "sport" set up for the wheel alignment?  I 
typically like a little more negative camber and less toe-in than stock.

Thanks:
Paul Ahvenainen
Dir. of Winemaking
F. Korbel & Bros., Inc.
(707) 824-7605

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