85 5KCST Boost problems intensify

[quk@sievers.com (Phil Payne)]

In message <32BE738A.4FD9@worldnet.att.net> "David C. Kowalski" writes:

> Unfortunately, the problems have gotten worse.  A few days ago during 
> the cold snap,  I started the engine to find that the boost gauge was 
> registering 0.0 bar.  The engine seemed to run normally, but without the 
> feeling of the turbocharger.  I drove the car for a few miles and 
> suddenly, hitting a bump in the road, the turbo seemed to "click in".  
> With a vengeance, as I briefly saw 1.6 bar on the boost gauge and the 
> car felt like it had doubled its power.  

Regular long-term readers will have seen this post before ...
 
BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE - pull the hose from the turbo to the intercooler 
at the intercooler end and check inside both the intercooler and the hose for 
metal filings or debris.  Don't worry about oil and slime - it's usually pretty 
dirty in there.  Anything bright and shiny (or the turbo impellor nut - BTDT)
STOP DRIVING THE CAR!

Turbos are actually pretty reliable beasts - it's quite likely that your 
problem is a control issue, with the computer holding the wastegate open or 
something like that.  But diagnosing such problems takes time, skill and a 
degree of trial and error.  If your turbo _has_ failed catastrophically, you 
will be pumping steel filings into the inlet manifold all the while you're 
playing with the controls.  The downside is $$$$, or - in scientific notation 
- $n x 10E4.
 
--
 Phil Payne
 phil@sievers.com
 Committee Member, UK Audi [ur-]quattro Owners Club