Re: need a checklist for '91 200tq

[Brett Dikeman <brett@arthur.malebolge.com>]

>Better get 1.8 at full throttle - or at least 1.7 indicated. If not - my
>first guess would be the WG freq. valve.. 1.4 boost will feel ok - but you
>are missing about 40+ hp..
Well, I took it out for a spin; they're right on a 2 lane highway...I was
conservative about getting into traffic, but a blip in 1st found that not
to be a problem :)

Engine hits 1.6bar _no_ problem, much quicker than my 5kcst gets to
1.3...turbo visibly looked a hell of a lot better than mine(probably
because it's up a lot higher.)

Only GOTCHA! while driving the car was that I wobbled the steering wheel
very slightly, by accident, at about 40-50, and the power steering went a
little, uh, overboard...caught me _very_ much by surprise, being used to
the perfect steering on my mother's ovloV and the very hard steering on my
5kcst.

The guy said he hadn't looked at the timing belt; car had stamp after stamp
in the repair records from the local Annis dealer.  2nd owner car; this guy
got it from a dealer(probably was a trade-in.)

The BBS wheels were in pretty rough shape; corrosion on the flat parts
right at the edge, and the front right was badly, badly scraped from some
sort of Night-Of-The-Living-Curb incident.

Pearl paintjob was in good shape; pass. side mirror didn't work;
couldn't/didn't want to test heated seats :); no AC click on the radio, no
stick wobbling with throttle blip; MPG reading on computer was 16.6(ouch!);
engine compartment...no visible leaks(though steam powerwashes can clean
that up) or coolant spills, all fluids were in the right places(no
milkshakes, no oil in coolant.)

Interior was fairly clean; starting the car I noticed(on the higher-budget
Autocheck display) that the brake pads were worn, more on that
later...driver's seat leather was a little dirty/beat up, but for 7-8
years, not bad...back seat +pass side perfect.  Really comfy seats!  Clutch
was a joy(instead of a pain)...Bose sounded crisp+clean(a peek in the
trunk...hmm...those are just a little bigger than my speakers...yikes...)

Brakes...not very strong at all.  Could be I'm not used to the heavier 200
body and weight from the q system, but...oh, and there was a very slight
pulsing while braking indicating warped rotors(what does the UFO kit do,
how much $$$ can I knock off for him not having done that, etc.?)


Shop is _very_ Audi saavy.  Guy knew what I was talking about when I asked
about the UFO retrofit.  They service Audis, BMW's...a Saab, Mercur, and
1-2 Mercedes were around...


Overall impression?  In 4th gear on the highway was lots-o-fun...that
engine has a very different personality...behaves sorta like the 5000t for
a few seconds and then...WHHEHEEEEOHOHOHOOO!  Very nice not having the
front end lifting off under power, an no traction problems _whatsoever_...

speaking of which, when will the diff switch work?  I tried it at about
30ish and it wouldn't light up(but did at a standstill before I took it out
for a spin...is it under 25mph only?)


Only remaining question is what shape the other 2 in the newspaper are
in...there seemed to be a blossoming of 200tq's in the paper(wierd!)

Aside from brakes and the BBS rims(and Pearl paint job) this might be the
one, but I'll have to see...only question really is money, and if my bank
will like giving me(young) money to buy a 6-7 yr old car...

Thanks for all your replies!  Might just have a 200tq sitting in my
driveway in the near future.  Keep you guys posted on what happens and
details on other two cars; no who/where info yet because I don't want
someone "stealing" a beast out from under me! ;-)

I really, really want to see the blue one...oooooo...Largo Blue, one of the
best colors...

Brett
>
>here's a copy of what I posted on 3/18..
>
>The main things I would look at on a 91 200q are:
>UFO brakes? Personally, I like them!!
>Boost goes to 1.7-1.8 bar. Hill in 4th gear at 2k rpm, floor it and boost
>should be 1.7+ before 3k rpm. I can usually spool up in about 300 rpm.
>Crank case breather hose - it's a bitch to change
>Water hoses on back passenger side of engine - look for evidence of leaking
>coolant.
>Turbo water pump - check for broken housing inside of hose - make sure
>engine is pretty cool as this could spray hot coolant.
>While driving, lift and reapply the throttle - watch for play in the shift
>arm - if it moves, it could indicate sagging/broken rear trans mounts.
>Listen for drivetrain clunk - mine has 98k and is still tight. Drive train
>clunk could indicate a bad center U joint.
>Downshift rapidly into 2nd gear - make sure the synchro is still good.
>Drive with the A/C on and the radio on - listen for a loud click in the
>radio when the compressor cycles off. There's a tech bulletin for this.
>Check the timing belt - just pull the top of the cover back and peek at it.
>Just the usual Quattro/new car buying stuff.

------
Brett Dikeman
brett@pdikeman.ne.mediaone.net
~)-|
Hostes alienigeni me abduxerunt.  Qui annus est?
Te audire non possum.  Musa sapientum fixa est in aure.
Ita, scio hunc 'sig file' veterem fieri.
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