Re: A4 1.8t cat placement?

[orin@netcom.com (Orin Eman)]

> He really liked the feel of the 1.8t engine, very responsive and powerful
> (this compared to his '82 Coupe with 100hp I-5).  The interior is
> reasonable (he doesn't like fancy interiors, and dislikes wood; apparently
> the car he drove had carbon fiber, and he can live with that, barely),
> and he really liked the sport seats he tried.

The 1.8T I drove had metal 'painted' (silk-screened maybe) to look like
carbon fiber.

> So, his biggest problem with the A4 1.8t is the placement of the catalytic
> converter (can you tell he is trying to keep the '82 Coupe, in spite of
> my Mother's pressure to buy a new car?).  He says it is bolted right up
> to the back of the turbo, in the engine bay.  This supposedly makes the
> engine bay extraordinarily hot.  He is concerned that the heat will cause
> a lot of problems down the road with the engine (especially the rubber
> hoses and such).  This is a big point with him, one that may stop him
> from buying an A4.  How long has the 1.8t been on the road (in Europe)?
> Are there any problems beginning to show up?  What is the reason for
> the location of the cat, and what problems could it pose?

The cat is there so it heats up faster - less emissions.  I would guess
that the vacuum hoses will need replacing eventually, but it's not
something I would worry about.

> cooling work, are there hoses running from the head to the turbo?  
> Is there any cooling once the car is turned off (i.e. something pumps
> coolant through the turbo)?  After destroying a number of VW Bug engines
> with superchargers when he was a reckless youth, he is slightly concerned
> about the longevity of the turbo & engine.  He does not drive the car
> hard at all, so I would think it would last reasonably well (he wants
> ~160K miles before he needs to rebuild the engine).

I wouldn't worry about the engine.  My 86 5kCSQ has 153k on it and
the engine is fine.  The VW/Audi water-cooled engines are extremely
hard to kill!

Orin.