RE: 5k w/o Pentosin- Heresy?

[steveb@falcon.kla-tencor.com (Steven Buchholz)]

> Having just removed the leaking line (the pipe is cracked, so having the
> fittings so a new line can be made would be pointless) from the Green Gold
> System in the 5kt, a recurring thought came up. Now I want opinions. Is
> this heretical? Impossible? Unsafe?
> 
> Yes, I'm pondering getting the Pentosin out of the 5k entirely. Except for
> some to keep the rack seals happy. I've driven it with the pump disabled
> for weeks at a time- could easily handle it unassisted. But what would be
> the horrible repercussions? Broken pinion in the steering? The brakes seem
> as effective, they just require more effort. Pedal is firm, not unlike an
> older 911. Is there *any* P/N for a master cyl for a 5k that was
> unassisted in the first place? 

I doubt that any were completely unassisted, but you might want to con-
sider a conversion to a vacuum assisted system.  Some of the non-turbo 
5ks were available with vacuum assisted brakes.  

I feel your pain Rob,  I've had to do the rack on the '88 5k, and I 
replaced the pump because I thought it was leaking, but it turned out 
to be one of the hoses.  When I think of the years of trouble free 
service I've had with the hydraulic system on the urQ, I've wondered 
about cleaning out the system and running it on ATF Dexron instead.  
The design of the steering rack on the urQ is much simpler, and doesn't 
have that problemmatic center take-off for the steering tie rods.  I 
did have the bomb go flat on me, but I think that I can preserve the 
current one by bleeding down the system after shutting the car down by 
pushing the brake pedal 40 times.  

You're a stronger man than me ... I must say.  IME the steering gets 
considerably more difficult when the boost is gone.  I would tend to 
agree with you on the brakes.  I would think that the best way to make 
the rack inert would be to connect both the inlet and the outlet to 
the hyd fluid reservoir ... this would provie the best situation WRT 
creation of back pressure.  I think that if I were looking to eliminate 
the hydraulic system on my car, I'd look into retrofitting an unassisted 
rack.  
> 
> I just thought that this was the *only* serious dislike I have with the
> Audi. Well, aside from the fact that it seems to me that without the rear
> timing covers, a T-belt/h2o pump job would take about an hour and would
> not disturb the crank pulley...hmm. 

Yes, I know what you mean!  I think that it is there to keep the belt 
from jumping teeth on the crank pulley ... it is awfully small.

Steve Buchholz
San Jose, CA (USA)