Meine Klunk est Solved (I hope)

["Al Powell" <APOWELL@agcom.tamu.edu>]

"Graydon D. Stuckey" <graydon@apollo.gmi.edu> hisself quoth:

> There are a select few cars that I maintain for friends.  Occasionally one
> of them sends me a new 'customer' (victim is more like it, hehehe) and the
> first question I always ask is "Who worked on this last, and what did they
> purport to do?"  That often leads me to the problem if I assume the
> previous mechanic screwed up.  Jobs previous to that one are generally not
> relevant, since the car had managed to run long enough for a new problem
> to surface. 

Sounds like good theory to me.   The weekend's festivities seem 
to have solved both my idling problem and clunk.  Here's a 2- part 
story...

The VERY helpful Mitch Loeser stopped by and spent a good portion of 
the PM here in our driveway.  After first determining that my 80K 
oxygen sensor was still working, we were about to make adjustments to 
the fuel system to try and solve my 200's idling problems.

THEN....I (finally) looked at that famous three-port vacuum hose at 
the back end of the rocker arm cover, and said:  "Lookee here, Mitch! 
This sucker has big cracks!  Do yew-all s'pose that could cause a 
vacuum prollum???"  His reply in essence, after looking more closely, 
was "No - since it's downstream of that crankcase breather hose with 
the four-inch hole in it!!!"

EEEKKK!!  I looked closer and the hose coming off the crankcase 
(approx 1" diameter) had collapsed and split wide open.  When I 
handled it, chunks broke off.  Yuck.  The 3-port hose was also mush.

We restored the idle by the simple method of plugging the crankcase 
breather hose downstream of the leaks and allowing the crankcase to 
continue venting to atmosphere, as it evidently has been doing for 
some time!!  I'll get new hoses on there ASAP to avoid continued eco-
crime.

The moral: if you're having idle problems, check the hoses which 
return crank gas to the intake...they can break down.

Part 2 - DAS CLUNK.

I got back underneath, and was first decoyed for about 45 minuts by 
the pool of oil which dripped out.  Mitch and I sincerely fear that 
the rear main seal is going on my 200.  Although messy, it is not 
leaking enough oil to require adding any .... so I think I will try 
changing to a semi- or non-synthetic oil for one change to see if its 
reduced tendency to creep thru seals reduces the leak.

At any rate.........

On further inspection (with vigorous application of crowbar) the LR 
motor mount revealed that it WAS in fact broken...some of the rubber 
had turned soft from continued oil dripping, and the rest had broken 
in two.  I pulled two of the small bolts and pried on it, and 
witnessed the internal split.

Ever tried to find a LR motor mount for an Audi 200 at a generic 
parts store!  HAR!!  Their parts lists won't even admit it exists.  
So for hoses and a motor mount, I think Linda at Carlsen will get a 
call Monday.

My thanks to Mitch for a great visit and superb advice and company!!
Al Powell                           Voice:  409/845-2807
107 Reed McDonald Bldg.             Fax:    409/862-1202
College Station, TX 77843           Email:  a-powell1@tamu.edu 
W3 page - http://agcomwww.tamu.edu/agcom/satellit/alpage.htm
"Baseball is 90 percent mental.  The other half is physical"...
...Yogi Berra.