[V8] IC cold solder joints

[Jason Wilkerson]

Thanks all,
  I plan on taking the dash out (yet again) in a month or two - I'll re-solder and spray - then let you know how it goes.  Ron, you could have just sold me the box for $15 - but you had to go and be all honest.  Thanks.


--- On Tue, 2/3/09, Mike Arman <Armanmik at earthlink.net> wrote:

> From: Mike Arman <Armanmik at earthlink.net>
> Subject: [V8] IC cold solder joints
> To: v8 at audifans.com, "Jason Wilkerson" <wilke_jb at yahoo.com>
> Date: Tuesday, February 3, 2009, 10:54 AM
> > 
> > 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 . . .
> 
> 
> 
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