[V8] IC cold solder joints

[Mike Arman]

> 
> About the IC problems - What cold solder joints?  do I just need to re-solder the pins that
> connect the boards and the pins that go to the plugs on the back of the IC?  Is there something
> else to look for?  What contact enhancer, and where to get it?  Thanks.

The pins that connect the boards are the culprits.

These boards were "wave soldered" when new - if the heat was turned up enough to solder the large, 
heavy parts (think "heat sink") properly, the smaller parts would be damaged. If the heat was kept 
low enough so the small parts weren't burnt, the big parts wouldn't solder properly because they 
didn't get them hot enough. (I've seen this on other PC boards as well, not just from Audi.)

Audi chose to keep the heat down so they had working boards for production - If I were in a cynical 
mood, I'd guess they figured the cold solder joint problem would surface later, after the warranty 
had expired, and then it would be a future profit center instead of a current cost.

Team Doorhandle at Audi (or their supplier) did NOT get this right, so alas, we get to fix it. Keeps 
us off the streets and out of trouble.

Contact enhancer can be bought at semi-reasonable prices from your local Radio Shack (if you can 
find one that is still in business, we've had about half of them go away in this area in the last 
year) or if you are feeling flush, you can get "Stabilant 22" (evidently made of powdered gold plus 
a whiff or two of pure unobtanium) at high end stereo stores.

Best Regards,

Mike Arman
90V8Q, it's more than a car, it's an ADVENTURE!

P.S. - if you ARE feeling flush these days, please tell me what you do for a living, the mortgage 
business is WAY down lately . . .