Re: "new" '84 5000S (message length alert)

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

Lowell Lamb wrote:
> 
> Hello everyone.
> 
> I-I-Is it s-s-s-afe t-to p-p-p-p... post here?
> 
> Ok. Here's the story, and I'm sticking to it.
> Any Joe Fridays only interested in the facts can skip to
> my lou.  Oops, I mean they can skip to the end.
> 
> Went to a car auction last Saturday, was going to "just look" to
> see what a couple older MBenz's were going to go for.  After
> driving 40 miles to the wrong auction house, we came back to
> town and went to the right one about 2 miles from my house.
> So when we arrive 2 hours after it had started, they're just
> putting the MB back in the lot.  Bid's didn't make it to the
> reserve, which was way over my budget anyway.  Skipping over
> some of the story to the interesting part, while walking
> in to the arena, I notice an Audi in the lot.  "Two or Three
> thousand" I thinks to myself and don't even break stride or
> give it a second glance.  Not 4 cars after I sit down, they
> drive this thing in to sell...
> 
> Auctioneer: "We got this here Audi.  Ride and Drive.  What'l
> ya give me for this thing?  $400?"
> 
> The only sound was my jaw hitting the floor.
> 
> He finally got the bidding started at 2 or 3 hundred and I'm
> sitting there wondering what the hell could be so wrong with
> the car and wishing I'd taken more than a .01 second look at
> it.  All I knew was from 40 feet away the passenger side and
> rear panels looked fine and my girlfriend was about to break
> one of my ribs from elbowing me in the side.  A few seconds
> later I was $700 dollars poorer and an 1984 Audi richer.
> 
> The ride and drive showed power steering gone (low/no fluid)
> and something wrong with the power boost on the brakes.
> Well, assuming it had power brakes since I noticed it didn't
> have the big booster diaphram.  Putting some fluid in cured
> the power steering.  I then experienced my first Audi miracle.
> The brakes started working!!!  ;)
> 
> - - -
> Ok, here's the facts.
> 
> The good news is it rides and drives great, probably better
> than anything I've owned before.  Electric seats work.
> Comfort control system seems to work.  Cruise control
> worked when I finally (accidently?) pushed the buttons
> the way it wanted.
> 
> The bad news is it rides and drives great, except several
> various functions aren't...
> 
> Amazingly, there seems to be a leak out of the steering rack.
> (I'm getting hip to the problem.)
> 
> Drivers elec window only one functioning.  Switches seem
> generally ok and have power, so I guess 3 motors gone.
> 
> Elec sunroof doesn't move.  Switch activates motor.
> Motor goes one way a few turns and stops.  Goes the other
> way a few turns and "ratchets" a few times and stops.
> My guess is a bad cable or messed rails or something.
> Maybe gears are ripped.
> 
> Temp and fuel guages work, but no idiot lights.  Even when
> first turning on ignition.
> 
> After sitting a while, auto tranny doesn't want to shift up
> for a few miles, especially balky on 2nd-3rd shift.  Works
> ok after it "warms up" a few miles.  Fluid level right on.
> Don't know yet about final drive level.
> 
> Front passenger door outside lever doesn't open the door.
> My handy Haynes book makes it look fixable.  Is it?
> 
> If I have the auto locking door stuff it don't work.  If I
> don't have the auto locking door stuff there's some other
> reason the driver's door won't lock.
> 
> This missive is too long already so I'll leave my more specific
> questions to other posts.  Thanks to anyone who cares to
> respond to any particular item already mentioned.  Please
> take care to delete out any of my unneccessary verbage in
> any response to the list.  I'm sure nobody wants to be amused
> twice at my adlement.
> 
> Even with the problems, it's still the best by far $700 dollar
> car I've ever bought.
> 
> :)
> Lowell
> Lamb@macs.oandm.uiuc.edu

With the windows, check the motors individually before buying new/used regulators.  If you have a 12-V supply 
(or just jumper from the battery), this helps.  The window might just be stuck!  On my '4000Q, the passenger 
side window wouldn't budge when I bought it.  The tiny lightbulb in the switch worked, however, and at night, 
it would dim slightly when you pushed it.  This told me the motor was probably drawing current.  It was.  The 
window hadn't been operated in a looong time and the regulator had become frozen in the up position.  I removed 
the inner door panel, took out the regulator, cleaned and lubed it. It's a pretty straightforward job. Now it 
goes up and down perfectly. 

Also, here's a weird one:  on that same window that was stuck, the switch seemed to work.  However, the window 
was sluggish.  I popped out the switch and turned it upside down with the wires still attached (stretching the 
wires slightly), and the action of the motor became 100% faster as if by magic.  Obviously, the switch was just 
barely making in its normal position and would prolly be failing any day now.  I desoldered it and replaced it 
with a boneyard switch.  Window zips up and down like new.  It's hard to believe things like this are true, but 
there it is...  

I've never dissected a power sunroof, but if the window regulators are any indication, the sunroof regulator is 
probably built with the same type of motor, cabling, and a plastic take-up spool that might as well be made of 
play-doh.  If so, it sounds like the cable has munged the spool, jumped its track on it driven by the motor 
(inside the motor housing) and wrapped itself into a knot.  The sunroof is probably also itself glued in place 
through lack of lubrication/neglect. Take the motor apart and you might be able to replace just the spool.  No, 
of course you can't just BUY the spool from an Audi dealer separately, you big silly.  Audi will, however, sell 
you a complete automobile, or an entire manufacturing facility, or the nation of Germany as a whole (this might 
take some time for delivery, there are a lot of options), in order to get your sunroof working again. If I am 
right, the cable ends have little iron anchors.  These are tough to get out of their notches in the spool and 
replace, but I think it can be done, with patience and a little luck.  All disclaimers apply to this 
description, however.     

Hmmm.  Automatic tranny problem doesn't sound promising.  It might need a rebuild.  Have a reputable Audi      
 mechanic replace the fluid and inspect the tramsmission.  The automatic is a common item, so you might be able 
to just get a used unit installed by a good mechanic for not too much money (approx $750) if you are lucky.

Front passenger outside door lever can be removed easily.  Pry off the trim strip (probably chrome) along the 
center of the lever.  Remove the anchor screw at the front end of the handle.  Open the door and find the big 
rubber grommet above the door lock mechanism.  Remove it and take out the screw with a magnetic driver (so you 
don't drop the screw into the door and have to fish around with a magnet).  The handle will then fall away from 
the outside off the door.  It will still be attached to the link rods that open the door and lock it.  
Carefully remove these, tying them in such a way that they don't get lost inside the door, and don't break the 
little fragile plastic clips.  If your door handle is like everyone else's, the designed-to-break lever 
assembly has fractured.  Buy a used door handle at a junk yard for $10, or else get a copy of European Car 
magazine and get a replacement from one of the advertisers.   To remove the lock cylinder, locate the 
little circlip holding it in the handle.  Remove it and the lock cylinder falls out in your hand. Reverse 
dissaembly.  Lubricate the handle pivots, door latch mechanism, and rods, and inform your loved ones NOT to 
pull too hard on the handle if the door doesn't click open with fingertip pressure, or you will be repeating 
this job over and over (especially watch out in winter...Audi apparently designed the Quattro system to get its 
owners through the snow, but also designed the door handles to keep them out of the car when things 
freeze...how's that for tough love?). 

The power lock mechanism on the driver's side door shouldn't prevent the outside lock from working. Can you 
even lock the door from the inside? It sounds like the driver's side door lock mechanism is fouled up.  These 
also get rusty and sticky as their grease hardens into pie-crust.  The power lock mechanism is a vacuum pump (I 
think yours is under the back seat) with little switches controlling it.  Maybe the pump motor is shot or the 
wiring has come loose, or a line is broken, etc.  It isn't a complicated system.  Your lock-rod might be 
adjustable for length, or you might put a slight bend in it to compensate for wear.  You might have to remove 
the door panel and the door handle to figure out what's wrong.  

Sorry, no clue about the idiot lights.  Haven't ever had that problem, but they are probably run through a 
control box or relay that is blown...but maybe the instrument panel has a problem?  

I'm happy the car runs well for you besides these problems.  The steering rack leaking is unfortunately pretty 
common.  If you want to keep the car running without putting yourself in the poorhouse, think about buying a 
Bentley manual for it.  It's not cheap itself, but lays out the entire car for you.  Try Carlsen Audi at 
1-800-523-2408.  Welcome to Audi World, land of the free and home of the mechanically prepared!  

Best Wishes,

Alex Kowalski
'84 4KQ