Re: BTDT's on radiator replacement?

[Sachelle Babbar <sbabbar@iris.nyit.edu>]

One thing that got me for a while when I did mine for the first time was
the a/c evaporator (or condensor?) had a lip at the bottom that goes on
top of the lip on the radiator. You have to slide the a/c thing up and
then forward and possibly at the same time, push the radiator back. I've
never seen this discussed in any manual and it would have saved me a few
hours my first time if any did.

**************************************************************************************************************************************************							       
*Steve                                       Sachelle Babbar
*'84  5ksT 1.6-2.0 bar                    <SBABBAR@IRIS.NYIT.EDU>
*Cockpit adjustable wastegate, AudiSport badge
*
*Disclaimer:"Any information contained herein is based purely on my own
*personal experience and may not necessarily reflect yours. Use caution as
*your results may vary from mine."
********************************************************************************

On Fri, 20 Feb 1998, Lawson, Dave wrote:

> Hi Steve,
> 
> I did the 90 200q wagon last weekend, used an all metal replacment. Also
> installed
> the napa metal/plastic heater valve.
> 
> >
> >Anyone have BTDT's on radiator replacement ('90 200tqw)?  Anyone save a
> >note they can forward me or have things to look out for?  TIA....I have
> to
> >replace mine this weekend!..........SLM
> 
> Actually pretty straightforward. You can remove the hyd pump or pull
> mounting bolts and lay across valve cover. Leave fan on. Remove the AC
> cond
> bolts up top - clips in at bottom. Underside there's 3 small bolts and
> one
> rubber mount. Disconnect all hoses and mountings, undo the power leads
> for
> fan and the thermoswitch. Lift up at angle on the engine side  and pull
> out.
> Takes me about 30 minutes with simple hand tools.
> >
> 
> - remove battery ground
> - disconnect fan motor wires
> - disconnect fan switch 
> - 2 bolts for a/c up front, then lift out of bottom rail and move
> forward
> - 2 rubber mounts for upper radiator
> - bottom has 2 rubber mounts and 2 bolts for shrouds
> - remove overflow tank
> - undo hoses
> - leave fan shroud installed
> - I loosened the hyd pump so it would jiggle.
> - then I manhandled the radiator out, rotating it and twisting and using
> the area from
> the expansion tank, it came out with the hyd pump pretty much in place.
> - swap over fan shroud, fan switch and expansion tank hose to new
> radiator
> - Now this is where mine got interesting.
> Everyone I talked to said theirs had 1 rubber mount, my 1990 has 2 on
> the bottom.
> When I go to swap the rubber mounts over to the new rad, only 1 rubber
> mount
> fits in. The hole where the second rubber mount goes was threaded for
> the shroud
> bolt. Hmmmmm. I had 2 89 200q data points and they both said 1 rubber
> mount, but 
> mine had 2. It was the orig audi radiator and had a build  date of 7/89.
> This difference 
> is on the fender side of the car.
> 
> What I did was use the rubber mount on the engine side along with its
> shroud bolt.
> On the fender side, the shround bolt wouldn't work in place of the
> rubber mount because 
> the mount welded to the frame rail is expecting the thickness of a 1in
> rubber mount. Here 
> I just left the radiator alone and took a broken rubber mount from my
> couple GT radiator and
> bolted it to the frame rail mount. I plan on using some cut up rubber
> pipe and then glueing it
> to the rubber mount so the radiator rides on it. I haven't done this
> yet. I figure that side of 
> the radiator had the upper rubber mount holding it and the early cars
> didn't have a 2nd
> rubber mount there anyways.
> 
> - reinstall in reverse order
> 
> Took me 5 hours, but I pretty much did everthing twice that day.
> radiator in/out 2 times.
> Missed the drain pan when doing the heater valve and made a huge mess.
> Somehow
> sliced my finger without making a hole in a latex glove. lost a 6mm
> socket somwhere in 
> the engine bay. It was just one of those days...
> 
> HTH
> -
> Dave Lawson
> 90 200 q wagon, new radiator and heater valve
>