WARNING: Audi Gods Strike!!!

[Audial@aol.com]

Well, it wasn't 24 hours after I bought by '86 5KCSTQ that the Gods decided
to throw a lightning bolt into my happiness...

I was driving my car on a shakedown run in the beautiful Chicago sun, windows
down, stereo cranking, sunroof open and enjoying the living daylights out of
the car.  I turned onto an onramp for the expressway and punched it in
second, hit 6Krpm and was about to shift into third when BAM! the
oil-pressure light exploded on the dashboard and a thunderstorm of oilsmoke
exploded from behind the car.  Instantly I hit the clutch and coasted down
the offramp directly in front of me into (miraculously) a competent garage.

Shut the motor off, got out of the car and looked underneath.  The return
line for the turbocharger oiling was dangling like a limp noodle under the
car, dripping oil.  I pulled the annular crimp off the end of the braided
line and it was easy to see that a crack had begun with corrosion on the
invisible side (from the bottom).  The clamp separated, letting the line back
off of the pipe and letting the motor shoot all of its oil onto the road in
about three seconds.  

Once I got partially over the shock I went into the garage.  The owner was a
smart guy and sympathetic.  We went out and looked at the car.  He didn't
have any new braided lines for the car, but we double-clamped the hose with
two stout hoseclamps.  I refilled the engine with oil, closed my eyes and
turned the key.  It fired immediately - the oil pressure light never went on.
 No evil noises from the turbo and no leaks.  Turbo boost is fine and the car
is indistinguishable from before.  Thank God.  

I would advise anyone who has a Turbo to get underneath the car and
<scrutinize> the fittings for the oil lines.  The lines themselves are
stainless-braided but the clamps are not, and my corrosion began in an
invisble place.  The crack propogated and the line was simply pushed off.
 Had I been in the boondocks it would have been big trouble.  As it was, I
got away $35 poorer.


Does anyone know of a source for these lines and how many $$ am I looking at?
 I want to replace them both. 


Still loving my new car,

Alex
'86 5KCSTQ, fresh oil...