[V8] Was Dizzy Seals, Now Radiator

[Scott Simmons]

I guess I should get this out of the way:

    You were right, Ron.

Hey now, I have the ability to admit my wrongs and compliment those who 
are right.  It hurts my ego, but it's always the right thing to do. ;)

The radiators are scrap.  Or maybe just the one I got.  The molding 
differences on the end caps were acceptable: the drain cock is now just 
a normal wingnut style, the mounting studs on the backside (where the 
two nuts hold it against the radiator support) were threaded holes 
instead of studs, the holes for the transmission lines were not flanged 
exactly the same as OE,---- but all of this would have been acceptable.  
There were two killers:
1) the fins crumpled under the lightest touch.  Just smooshed themselves 
down.  I can't even bend the OE rad fins.
2) the frame flexed way too much.  I could probably break the damn thing 
with my bare hands.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a143/indischrot/audi/rad1.jpg

I started to cut away the notch on top for the hood latch, but didn't 
bother.  I wasn't going to put this POS in.  So if anyone wants it, $50 
incl shipping else I'm going to sell it to a radiator shop in town for 
scrap metal.  Lesson learned, I guess.

While I was in there, I attended to the real reason of the job: 
retensioning my t-belt.  It was a little loose.  When I did the t-belt 
job, the old radiator would leak water from the trans line area after 
reinstallation.  That stopped after about a week or so, so I stopped 
caring.  But I knew that I needed to recheck t-belt tension... which 
meant pulling radiator... which would probably leak like a sieve if I 
put it back in. 

Turns out the plastic near the mounting bolt for the lower trans line 
has started to split/pull away in a layer.  It was such a simple problem 
that I just smeared some JB Waterweld on there.  If it didn't leak 
without the JB, it shouldn't leak with it.  If it does, ah well, water's 
cheap.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a143/indischrot/audi/project.jpg

Worst part of the entire job?  Fighting that mother f*#ing clutch-fan 
shroud.  That thing would not stay in one place.  It always fell down 
ontop of what I was doing and always managed to get itself wedged.  I 
didn't take off radiator support, so I couldn't completely remove the 
right t-belt cover.  So when I had that thing out of the way to get to 
the eccentric pulley, the shroud would be wedged somewhere looking like 
it was about to break or some crap like that.  Oh it drove me nuts.

And don't forget, the right tool for the job makes it 1000000x easier.  
Having a 90º pair of snap ring pliers to fit into the eccentric pulley 
to tension was far easier than the first half hour with the 45º needle 
nose pliers that would keep falling out.  Tensioner that was originally 
at 6 o'clock (judged by the center between the two adjustment holes) is 
now properly tensioned at 11 o'clock.

I don't know why, but for the first three tension adjustments, I'd 
measure 136mm on the shock.  Lock down the pulley.  Rotate engine 720º 
and find the tensioner shock at 145 or 155mm.  That was frustrating.  I 
finally got a consistent reading but will check it one more time 
tomorrow before installing radiator.

I did have to "break" the air snorkels that fit in front of the radiator 
and condenser to get the radiator out.  They're held in place by plastic 
snaps.  I'll figure out a way to reattach them.  There was no way the 
radiator was coming out without removing them.

No other "gotcha"s.  I have one left over piece from the previous t-belt 
job (March) but I couldn't figure out where it goes.  It's a space/shim 
to fit around a M8 bolt.  15mm wide with a 7-8mm hole (M6 bolt??) and 
it's about 4-5mm thick.  Looks like a silver donut, with sharp edges.  
Where the heck did this go?
Here's a picture of it, don't mind the bolts:  
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a143/indischrot/audi/bolts.jpg