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Instrument Bulbs, Sunroof Lube & Interior "Roof" Cleaner + Something else.
On 4/4/96 I wrote that it was possible to remove the instrument cluster on a
91 - 90Q without having to remove the steering wheel first. I also guessed
that the 80Q was probably the same since I have never seen the inside of one
of those.
For those of you who want to know......I have done this countless times on my
90Q for a variety of reasons and now have it down to a 10-15 minute
procedure. You need to be careful, patient and having smallish, long fingered
hands helps (mine are not that way). You will need a small flat head
screwdriver, a phillips head screwdriver and a pair of needle nosed pliers.
Here's how:
1. Remove the plastic top cover to the steering column directly behind the
steering wheel. It has a phillips screw on either side on the bottom.
2. When you remove the cover it will expose two philips screws that secure
the cluster itself to the dash. Remove these.....careful the plastic is
pretty brittle!
3. Gently slide the cluster out, bottom side leading and turning it slowly
and gently so that the instrument faces face upwards as much as possible.
4. Disconnect all the connectors plugged into the back of the cluster. You
will need the small flat head screwdriver and the needle nosed pliers to pry
out the center locking device on these connectors. You will also have to
disconnect the Air Bag light from the cluster, it is the only lamp with wires
attached, turn the socket 90 degrees and it will pull out.
5. Once this is done, turn the cluster over so that you are looking at the
back side of it and slide it to your right (the passenger side).
Now you have the thing in your hands and you are on your own. To dismantle it
first remove the white computer housing by unscrewing the four screws that
hold it in place and pull the thing up gently until it unplugs. There two
wires that connect to the main board that holds the instruments, don't mess
with these if you don't have to.
The main board has about 10 screws holding it to the cluster housing. Unscrew
these and the board will separate from the housing (Again, be gentle and
careful).
The instruments themselves are bolted to the board with nuts on the back.
These bolts also act as connectors to the motherboard. Unscrew the nuts and
the instruments can be pulled out from the front.
The dealers, when they work on the instrument cluster, will remove the
steering wheel, disconnect the battery and disarm the air bag. There has to
be a at least an hour's labor in this ($$$$). The Bentley, I believe, says
you should remove the steering wheel to service the instrument cluster. They
are not going to piss off the manufacturers or the dealers!
On the subject of Bentley......................
The Bentley also says that if you have a problem with the drive shaft on a Q
with an air bag (which you will...... it is just a question of time and
mileage) you should replace the whole damned shaft. A dealer only item @ $
1,300 plus 3 hrs labor, you are looking at $1,500.Plus about $300 for a
special tool to align the shaft (which nobody but VW/Audi carries) once you
put it in. In most cases, unnecessary.
The drive shaft on a Q with the air bag is made up of two parts connected by
a universal joint. The front is carbon fiber which holds the support bracket
and bearing and the back is steel. When Audi put air bags in the Q they
changed the shaft. It is carbon fiber so that in the event of a front ender
it will break and allow the engine to slip under the car. If you have damage
to the shaft itself or the U joint or the support bracket and bearing, then,
yes, you probably will have to replace the whole thing.
In most cases what goes is the front CV joint (bolts to the flange on the
Torsen diff.) and takes the most punishmen (torque and heat). The noise it
makes when in need of replacement sounds like it is coming from right smack
in the middle of the carbon fiber section. It can be heard by jacking the car
up on a hoist and running it). You will also hear a rattling noise from
inside the car which stops if you depress the clutch pedal while in motion
and you may also hear a grinding sound when shifting from 1-2-3 at 2,500RPM
or more and if you go into reverse you might hear a few "clunks". One Audi
specialist who heard mine suggested that I needed to replace the back bearing
on the lay shaft in the gearbox! Took it to a dealer, his comment: "Oh! A
Quattro! Don't see too many of these around here!". I didn't bother to tell
him why I was there and left - I live in the SE.
The CV's can be replaced without replacing the whole shaft and if you don't
lose the original shims on the support bracket, you should not have a problem
with alignment of the original shaft. Just make sure you center it front and
rear properly. Make sure you put some loctite on the CV bolts when you put
them back.Audi uses red loctite when installing them at the factory so you
may have some difficulty taking them off.
Neither the Owner's Manual or the Bentley say a word about service to these
parts. My advice is: Look at the CV joints - front and back on the drive
shaft as well as the ones on the axles - every time you rotate the wheels and
take them off and re-pack them every 45K Mi. I didn't and I just replaced
both of them. The grease had dried up completely on the front one and water
had gotten in also, obviously it was shot. The rear was OK but replaced it
anyhow. Total $ 580 could have been less if I had had the time to do it
myself. Moral of the story: No more noise and the car is as tight as the day
I bought it. You could save more by having the CV joints re-built also.
If I was buying a high mileage Q, this is one area I would definately inspect
thoroughly.
In point of fact, the manuals don't say a lot of things, for example, like
flushing out the coolant and hydraulic fluid periodically. A lot of ills can
be traced to just this.. Audis, Q's in particular, are terrific cars but high
maintenance vehicles, as I am sure most of you have learned by now!
Forgive the length of this, but hope it is helpful to someone out there!
Graham