[V8] Oh my achin'... well, everything

[Ed Kellock]

Pulled a full shift on the '90 V8q today.  Pulled the engine rpm and
crank pos sensors last Saturdy.  The sensors I ordered from a supplier
in Florida are indefinitely delayed for some strange reason.  Best
wishes to all affected by Frances.

Thanks again to Scott Matus for having a stock of common V8 spares. 
Sensors arrived shortly after noon today.  I had already started
putzing around and continued to do so, cleaning stuff, etc.  Got the
sensors in okay.  I wasn't the one who removed them so I had to check
ETKA and Audi V8 Service Training manual very carefully.  As a result
I got them hooked up to the right connectors.

The rest of the day was eaten up doing some more cleaning and putting
a new hose clamp on a hydraulic line.  Oh and effing around with the
throttle cable...

During disassembly, I was a bit indelicate with the throttle cable and
hear a crack or snap.  I noticed that it was cockeyed at the firewall.
 It has a retaining clip on one side only and was sitting half off due
to the spring in the cable connection.

I finally made it under the dash to mess with the "square mounting"
which had spread it's legs and was not holding the cable steadfastly
place.  It seems like a cheap spring steel thing that probably cost 3
cents and once it flexed, it seemed to have no inclination to do its
job any longer.  I did some inventive rigging in the engine
compartment to keep the cable in a certain position.  I'm going to
have to watch it and see what all happens.  Once I had the distributor
back in it seems that the "interface" with between the cable and
distributor also holds it in place.

In the process the cable task, I readjusted the throttle linkage.

The distributor cap and rotor on the drivers side are original.  I
have never seen so much crap on the inside of a dist cap.  I'm
surprised it ran at all.  I cleaned up the contacts but will replace
caps/rotors soon, along with fuel/air filters and probably plugs.

I started around noon and clocked out at 10pm.  There was a lunch
break and some desk time to research sensor connections, but I spent
the majority of the time laying on my stomach on top of the intake
manifold.  I put a large flat 2x2 pillow down and it's quite
comfortable for the first couple hours.  Tomorrow my ribs will be
sore.  BTDT.

All in all a successful day.  Final reassebly will take place tomorrow
morning.  Then I can clear the driveway for the urq to begin preps for
a trip to Park City fo the West Coast UPG.

Good night all,
Ed
Colorado Springs.