Re: a couple of questions

[Steve Manning <stephenm@ix.netcom.com>]

At 05:44 PM 8/27/96 -0400, you wrote:
>Hi Audi gurus.
>
>Have a couple of questions:
(snip)
>Where do u clean the brake dust off ? is it the wheel caps or the wheels 
>themselves ? if it is the wheel caps, does it affect the performance of 
>the car besides making it look slightly unclean ? and if it is the wheels, 
>that seems some amount of work (i presume u need to take the tire off to 
>get to the wheels) if it has to be done every 15 days as the Audi manual 
>says. How frequently do u need to do it ?

Clean it off the wheels - most brake dust will attack the finish on your
wheels.  Use just about any wheel cleaner (I'm not jumping into that
discussion!!), but be careful to wash it all off and make sure it doesn't go
anywhere else (paint, mirrors, you, etc.)  Once every week/two weeks should
do it.

>now for something interesting -
>I have an 88 90Q - 5 spd. When I put the car into second gear, the stick 
>shift vibrates visibly. Sometimes, though rarely, this does not happen 
>and the stick seems fine. In this position(non-vibrating), the stick seems 
>to be resting in a position that is slightly off compared to what it 
>normally ends up in. Any ideas on cause/solution ?

Only thing I can think of is loose/broken engine/tranny mounts.  They tend
to go fairly often in the 80/90's.  If the one engine mount that is
liquid-filled has gone dry it can cause some weird vibration patterns.  If
your shift lever moves a lot under hard acceleration, that's probably it.
Otherwise could be mis-adjusted linkage (although I've never run across it).

>is it usual for the trip computer switch to get hot ?

Mine get somewhat hot; don't know why.

>the fan seems to work strangely. In the supposedly OFF position, I can 
>still feel a draft of air(Is this usual ?)

If the car is moving, you will still get air w/the fan off, since the
default setting is to not re-circulate the air and it will be forced in at
speed.  BTW, the re-circulate only works with the a/c on (unless you are
irritated by that function and do a little creative re-wiring, but that is a
different subject!!).  Also, if the a/c is on, the fan defaults to the I
position if the fan switch is on 'off'.

>Also when I turn the switch 
>thru positions 1-3, I can notice no change in the behavior of the fan, 
>i.e. I can still feel the same draft as in the OFF position. And then 
>in position 4(the last position), it comes on in its full glory. Any ideas
>what I can do to find determine the problem?

Two things this normally is - resistor pack on blower motor going bad (easy
to replace), or the fan switch is going bad (also common, but pain and $'s
to change).  I suspect the resistor pack since the fan switch normal failure
mode is to stop working on certain speeds, not keep the same speed.
Resistor pack is on top of blower motor, which is behind the glove box.  If
you suspect the fan switch, try removing the dash pieces around the fan
switch and spraying it w/electric contact cleaning solution spray (moving
the switch as you do).  You can sometimes rescue them that way.

>finally, how good is amsoil's claim of 6month/25,000 mile no-change on 
>their synthetic oil and filter ? I do remember someone mentioning that
>their oil filters are way superior, but are they good enough for 25000mi
>Is there any way(non-destructive), one can tell if the filter needs to 
>be changed ?

This is crap, IMHO.  Change both every 2500-3k...cheap insurance.........SLM

>help thanx  (= thanx for help in ADVANCE ;)
>Mehul


Steve Manning:	stephenm@ix.netcom.com (Metro D.C. area, USA)
	Mopar:	'67 & '68 Plymouth Furys (big blocks)
		'70 Barracuda convertible (small block)
		'87 GLHS (tiny block)
	Audi:	Two '88 90Q's (built on the same day)
	Misc:	'73 Ford Country Squire wagon (daily driver!); other stuff...