[V8] Self immolation for The Black Mariah!

Thu Jun 1 08:10:49 EDT 2006

The only reason that I can think of for the failure, was that the rubber
mounting pieces on the top  of the strut assembly were of exceedingly poor
quality.  This car has only had "on road" work, and not terribly much of
that since the struts were installed.  Now, the 1989 200 Avant that I had
had a differing service history.  That car popped off an alternator belt on
fine day when I drove out into the field where they were plowing up and
removing loam.  The alternator belt came loose when I bounced up and over a
freshly made loam berm....

But the damned shock struts didn't fail in that car EVER.  

And for that matter, the stuts didn't fail in the 5000CS Avant that I had
and that car was retired finally with 220,000 on the clock!

GRRRRRRRRRRRR

Roger

-----Original Message-----
From: Ingo Rautenberg [mailto:i.rautenberg at waratap.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, May 31, 2006 11:15 PM
To: Roger M. Woodbury
Cc: 'Tony and Lillie'; v8 at audifans.com
Subject: Re: [V8] Self immolation for The Black Mariah!

Hmm.  Bilstein?  Sounds like when I've (twice) had Bilstein front  
strut cartridge failures, though usually in winter, where the strut  
cartridge fails in the fully-extended position.  However, even then  
it didn't bust through the mount.  Roger, just because it's AWD  
doesn't mean you can go off-roading with it ;-)

Ingo

On May 31, 2006, at 10:47 PM, Roger M. Woodbury wrote:

> Ah, not quite.  The failure was the rubber structures that form the  
> top of
> the strut unit when it is placed into position.  This is a  
> catastrophic
> failure of the strut assembly itself.
>
> R
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tony and Lillie [mailto:tonyandlillie1 at earthlink.net]
> Sent: Wednesday, May 31, 2006 8:44 PM
> To: Roger M. Woodbury; v8 at audifans.com
> Subject: Re: [V8] Self immolation for The Black Mariah!
>
> Roger,
>
> Not the first I've heard or seen. Quite common on older Rabbits and  
> Subie's
> when they start to rust where the strut towers are welded on top. I  
> actually
>
> helped one (Tank trails in Missoula, MT) to the point of punching  
> the hood
> up about six inches on the passenger side!!! Boy, was it fun  
> though! Oh,
> that car cost me $50, and I was 17 at the time.
>
> Tony Hoffman
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Roger M. Woodbury" <rmwoodbury at adelphia.net>
> To: <v8 at audifans.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, May 31, 2006 4:44 PM
> Subject: [V8] Self immolation for The Black Mariah!
>
>
>> Well, it's done it again.  The Black Mariah has returned to the  
>> wrench.
>>
>> For those who have been living under a rock for the past couple of  
>> years,
>> The Black Mariah is my 1991 Audi 200 20Valve Avant the  
>> rehabilitation of
>> which has been forced down the throats of the V8 listers because I  
>> am a
>> closet V8 afficianado who constantly threatens to return to the V8  
>> fold.
>>
>> Anyway, I was driving down to the village a week ago Saturday  
>> morning when
>
>> I
>> noticed a certain sponginess in the front end, and then noticed  
>> that there
>> was a strange bump on the top of the hood vaguely in front of the
>> windshield.
>>
>> Stopped the car, opened the hood and lo and behold!  The left  
>> front strut
>> had completely penetrated the upper shock mount and was impacting the
>> bottom
>> of the hood.  Wow!  Can you imagine what it might have been like  
>> had that
>> happened at, say 75 miles per hour on the Interstate when making  
>> some sort
>> of emergency move?
>>
>> Now back at the wrench, he confesses that he has never seen  
>> anything like
>> it
>> in twenty five some years of wrenching.  Neither have I, in forty
>> something
>> years of driving!
>>
>> Worse still the upper shock mounts on front and rear of this car are
>> new...less than 10,000 miles or two years of use.  Worse news  
>> still while
>> the front uppers were aftermarket, the rears were OEM, and the  
>> right rear
>> is
>> gonzo, too.  The rears were installed less than two months ago.
>>
>> I am seriously thinking of buying a Yukon.  At least I KNOW where the
>> nearest dealer is, and that parts will be available.  Maybe the  
>> Type 44's
>> are really over the hill after all!
>>
>> Roger
>>
>> NEVERmind...I am just cranky.  I had to drive to Portland last  
>> night, and
>> then to Moosehead Lake today.  Almost six hundred miles in twenty  
>> four
>> hours
>> with nearly a full day of work too.  And all my driving during  
>> those six
>> hundred miles was NOT in my Audi, but was in the Chevrolet Silverado
>> extended cab 4X4 with 454 cu.in. engine!  I dunno what was worse, the
>> pounding high miles in short time in the truck or filling the tank!
>>
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>
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