'84 4KQ burn, baby, burn

[Alex Kowalski <akowalsk@shrike.depaul.edu>]

Ok, so I tried to fix my car's last remaining Dirty Little Secret. Ever 
since I've had the car, the cooling fan motor has run as long as the fuel 
pump relay was working.  Blew a relay when it was hot outside as a result 
of that. No biggie, I thought, since the wires to the thermo-switch on 
the radiator were disconnected, must be the switch is bad and the last 
guy was not so swift, right? 

(He installed home alarm systems for a living.  I can't relate to you 
completely my impressions of him, but let's just say that he prefaced our 
discussion of the Quattro by saying that he'd wanted to find aftermarket 
springs to RAISE the car so that it would handle better as a 4WD.  I knew 
I had to rescue it from his hands immediately.  He did keep it very 
clean, though.)

So, let's fix it before the weather gets warm again and the relay 
succumbs.  

Well, I got a new thermo-switch.  Tested the fan relay, it was OK.  
Checked continuity between wires and relay to make sure nothing was 
broken.  Also checked that terminal on Fuse Relay Panel that is supposed 
to supply power when relay clicks was, in fact, doing so. 
Cleaned connectors.  Nothing left except to remove Big Jumper from brass 
block on FP relay to fan motor and reconnect to factory wiring to correct 
this asinine problem. Rewired/replaced/retaped/refilled everything.

Ran the car for one hour <in place> to make sure everything was working 
OK. It was.  The fan cycled like it shoud, the motor hummed, all was 
bliss.  Success!

Blam! Blooey! (to quote John Barth)

I took the car for a ride.  I got 1/2 mile before the temperature gauge 
began pushing upward; turned the heater on full blast. Sweated. Let the 
car cool down for 1 hour, drove it very gingerly back and parked it.  
Windshield wipers won't work.  The fuse is blown!?  Fan relay runs 
constantly, with it the fan.  All engine electronics dead, car has 1 
horsepower.  Smoldering fumes rise from underneath dashboard.  

I lift the fuse relay panel to find two melted, burned, singed, 
conjoined, mutated wires, both of which are associated with the fan.  
Took out the fuse relay panel.  Through the peep-holes, I glimpse the 
green evidence of corrosion. I can only guess what is amiss within. The 
grim realization that I have outsmarted myself takes hold. 

I have replaced all wiring associated with the fan, and checked 
everything else in the associated connectors and grounds.  It took a long 
time. I had to make sure that the burned wires had not fried through the 
insulation on adjacent wires that might supply voltage/ground to 
something else.  I have ordered another fuse/relay panel and I have 
access to another set of engine control electronics to test everything. 
(This guy even got into the pins on that -- two of them were bent).  
Hopefully, everything should be running by Tuesday.

Does anyone have the Audi part number of the cruise missile that 
annihilates the previous owner of the car?

Best wishes,

Alex Kowalski
'84 4KQ (lightly toasted)
'68 327 Corvette Convertible (cleverly shielded from alien EMP generators 
by its construction)