RE: "Out Of Fuel" warning lamp...progress, I think...

[Aleksander Mierzwa <alex@matrix.com.pl>]

Gerard wrote:

	>> Pedal hard right after switching the engine off: bomb is
dead.
	>
	>Did it. I assume pushing in something like an inch before
hitting
	>hard means my bomb is dead. :( With the engine on I pushed the
	>pedal as far as I could. At the bottom of the travel, right
through
	>my CATS I could feel the hideous shudder. Drat. And Darn, too.
	>So it seems my baby has blown its bomb. Would this be the cause
of the
	>low pressure warning signal I am getting? 

Yes

	>There are no sensors connected to this thing, right?

The pressure sensor is screwed into the brake servo.

	>Okay, so if this has to be a replacement job, just where
exactly or
	>what exactly is this thing? Is this the brake pressure
regulator that
	>is connected to the rear axle via a spring? Haynes indicate a
	>procedure for resetting it, but it requires measuring
equipment.
	>Am I thinking of the proper thing?

On LHD car the bomb is between the LH strut and LH engine mount. I don't
know if it is on the opposide side on RHD cars. It has nothing to do
with the brake pressure regulator. The bomb (it's called "the bomb"
because it looks like a hand grenade) accumulates the hydraulic fluid
(Pentosin). It has three purposes:
1) Provide more hydraulic pressure to the brake servo
2) Enable safe braking should the PS pump drivebelt break at speed
3) Smoothen the pressure fluctuations generated by the PS pump (the pump
has pistons inside, that's why you feel the pedal shudder when the bomb
is bad)
The bomb cannot be rebuild and must be replaced.with a new one (buying a
used one is not a good idea as these things go bad often). 

Aleksander Mierzwa
Warsaw, Poland
mailto:alex@matrix.com.pl
87 Audi 5000CS turbo (mine)
88 Renault Medallion wagon (mom's)
91 mountain bike (just in case both cars broke at the same time :-)