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RE: 1988 5000S Quattro New Subscriber
Congrats, on the new Q, I have an '87 5kSQ myself and my Dad has
another so I can tell you some experience I have with the cars.
_______________________________________________________________
Date: Fri, 1 May 1998 13:28:35 -0400
From: "Christopher J. Ritchie" <cjr1@gte.net>
Subject: 1988 5000S Quattro New Subscriber
I am the new owner of a 1988 5000S Quattro; a new subscriber to this
list;
and, a relatively recent Internet researcher. The car is in good
shape
with ~ 90K miles (the odometer has been replaced). This list is a
real
help and service to people like me.
Queries:
1. Any recommendations for a mechanic or dealer in the Boston area?
How
about the New York City area?
>In the Natick/Framingham area of Mass. is a shop called Master Auto
Works, guys name is Rick Laplan(sp?). He is the best Audi mechanic
I've ever come across and has been a nice honest guy with me.
2. Any peculiar preventative maintenance tips for this car? What
about
the timing belt? Is this engine a non-interference type? That is,
when
the belt fails, do the valves come into contact with the pistons? I
do not
know the car's previous maintenance history.
>This is supposedly a non-interference engine but at high engine
speeds the safety of this has been debated on the list. Better safe
than sorry. Change the timing belt, idler pully, crankshaft seal, and
water pump (beware Graf water pumps). Change the other belts since
they come off anyway. I changed my thermostat and replaced all the
coolant hoses at the same time. Other good maintenance is to flush
the brake system with new brake fluid and the clutch as well.(you
won't believe the crap that comes out of the clutch cylinder) Check
for oil leaks around the engine and drivetrain. The old cork Valve
cover gaskets that always leak can be replaced with silicone gaskets.
Rear differential seals will need replacing so keep an eye on it and
keep it full of gear oil. The air and fuel filters should be changed
depending on driving conditions. Beware of noisy fuel pumps. I seam
to be going through them about every two years.
3. Is the factory service manual (Bentley?) worth the money (~ $94
from
amazon.com)? I am a more than competent "shade tree" mechanic.
>yes
4. The horn will not sound and the turn signals will not cancel
unless the
steering wheel is pushed in. I assume this is not a defect, but is a
feature. How can I get the steering wheel to stay in the pushed in
position?
> Assuming the wheel is on tight this is not a problem with the wheel
but with the turn signal switch cluster. There is a clamping screw
that can be accessed from under the switch cluster. Once loosened,
move the switch cluster out towards the wheel till the horn contact
works.
7. The car seems sensitive to cross winds at highway speeds. Is this
normal?
> All four tires must be the same. Also try an alignment (beware, tie
rod ends tend to rust on and unknowledgable mechanics will use heat to
loose them. The tie rod end internals are plastic and will be
destroyed by this.
8. I usually get a noise from the engine at start up that sounds like
a
noisy lifter. Not always, but usually, especially if the weather is
cold.
Is this the noise I am hearing? Are the lifters hydraulic? Is this
typical? Is it a matter for concern? If so, is it easily fixable?
>Normal, oil filters with anti-drainback valves may help
9. How do you set the stations on the radio? The radio appears to be
OEM.
>Press and hold for a few seconds
10. The radio display for the station setting is very dim. Is this
normal? If not, is it easily fixable?
>not adjustable
11. The air conditioner does not work. I realize that a fix cannot
be
diagnosed without seeing the car and testing, but does any one have
any
advice on this system? Is it straightforward, or are there any Audi
specific anomalies?
>This is why your buying the Bentley manual
12. The "Check Brakes" light and bell goes on sometimes after driving
a
bit and using the brakes. The brakes seem to work fine. The car has
the
ABS option. It appears this warning is triggered by low fluid in the
power
steering/power brake system reservoir? I slightly overfilled this
reservoir to cut down on the warnings. The manual states to check the
fluid level when the engine is running. I did. When the engine is
running, the level dips below the "Min" mark. When the engine is not
running, the level exceeds the "Max" mark. (Which is why I only
slightly
overfilled it. I did not want it spilling out when I shut the engine
down.) I realize that this condition is probably a problem and needs
to be
fixed. Any advice? Where does the fluid go when the engine is
running?
If it comes back when the engine is shut off, I assume there is not a
leak
in the system. But where fluid cannot compress, where is it going to
come
back from? Finally, is this dangerous?
>There is a compressable component of the system reffered here as the
bomb and in Bentley as the pressure accumulator. The Bentley has
extensive diagnostic procedures for the hydraulic system with almost
all problems resulting in "replace pressure accumulator". Another
source of system internal leaks is the brake servo. The hydraulic
pump and the steering rack tend to be the source of system external
leaks. If there are no external leaks, and the system internal leaks
are not too bad, you will get the brake warning when you first start
the car after its been sitting for a while, then it will go off and
everything is fine. Just be aware that you do not have any power
assist for the first 60 seconds while the system builds 2000+psi of
pressure.
Good Luck,
Patrick Kelly
'87 5kSQ