Re: Pentosin and magical mystical fluids

[ti@bazooka.amb.org (Ti Kan)]

SOP8920@Siena.edu writes:
>     I'm a touch nervous here. When I went to the nasty shop in ohio and pulled
> out my bottle of Pentosin, the owner said.. "ayuh.. that's the stuff..." even
> while the junior mechanic mumbled that "well gee... isn't that the same stuff I
> used for the power steering in that awh-dee a few days back." 
>     So... for ignorant fools like myself and the record... what fluid goes
> where?
> Is Pentosin strictly for the power steering? 

Your car uses a central hydraulic system that provides boost to
both the steering and the brake systems (notice that it doesn't have a
drum-like vacuum booster behind the brake master cylinder).
The hydraulic pump and associated components uses pentosin.
To the untrained eye the hydraulic pump looks just like a power
steering pump and its fluid reservoir is for the "power steering fluid"
(this reservoir on your car should be a tall cylindrical plastic
canister mounted on the firewall near the center, and it should
have a sticker around the cap that says "Use Audi hydraulic fluid
G 002 000" or some such).

The brake master cylinder uses normal DOT 4 brake fluid.  Don't
put pentosin in there!

>     Most importantly: What do I do now? Should I schedule an appointment with
> my mechanic, whom I affectionately refer to as the gnome, and have him flush
> the system (pressure flush) and fill it with the proper fluid.

If you put pentosin in the brake master cylinder, then yes, flush it all
out and fill it with brake fluid.  I hope the pentosin didn't damage
anything in the brake system...

Your car's owner's manual should have information about all this,
but perhaps you don't have one?

-Ti
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