Re: Ur Quattro HELP!

[rdh@sli.com (Robert D. Houk)]

   Ailing vehicle:

   1983 Ur Quattro

   On Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, I was cruising down hiway 280 
   (SF Bay Area) at approx 80mph and the Seat Belt Warning Lamp began to 
   flash.  The flashing became more rapid and the lamp intensity 
   ...
   components from a fellow Ur Quattro owner.  After much substitution 
   they have determined the following components need to be replaced:

   ECU                       $1738.00
   Hall Sensor                 160.05
   Ignition Control Module     237.25
   Relay                       100.65
   Battery Cable                37.55

   Labor       `               504.00

   The question that I have is:  "Does it seem likely that all of these 
   ...
   love the cars!  But, I would like to make it as painless as possible!

Sorry -- painless need not apply!

The only thing I can think of that would cause that kind of problem is
a runaway voltage regulator frying your electical system (and, from my
experience with the wiring, I would think the wiring itself and/or the
fuse box would melt first...).

The ECU (newer "F" part; older MAC-02 is part number 035-905-383B,
newer "Version 2" ECU is 035-905-383F, and it works just fine in the
older UrQs) is available from Linda@Carlsen's for around $1300. I'm
sure the IgCtlModule is available much cheaper too (same part as VW's
use...). $100 for a relay? Ha! Call Linda! Labor -- sounds cheap to
diagnose/fix a busted UrQ, so... (Actually, all of those parts are
trivial to replace yourself, excepting the battery cable from the al-
ternator to the battery (as opposed to the grounding strap, which you
can do for $4.99) which could be a real bitch.

Why a battery cable? did it melt? corrode? (Actually, if the cable to
the battery was corroded/bad contact, that would wreak havoc with the
voltage regulator (which depends on the battery as a "filter/current
sink").

If you're not desperate for a "fix the car now" (i.e., can afford to
have the car out of service for a week or two -- surely you're not
dumb enough that your UrQ is your *only* car [cough cough...why are
you looking at *me* that way?]), you can UPS me your ECU and ICM and
I'll try them out in my car ('83 UrQ -- which just happens to have the
glovebox predisassembled-and-removed, so it would take me 30 seconds
to verify your two parts...). If you do buy a new ECU, I'd be inter-
ested in your old one, to see if I can parts-swap pieces with *my*
olde deade ECU to get one working ECU . . .

Good Luck!

					-RDH