Re: Between a rock & a hard place (and torsen, AARRRGGHHH!)

[Don Hoefer <hoefer@eng.pko.dec.com>]

> As for the CFC recovery problems, as much I as _really_ hate to say
> this.... if worse comes to worse, you can always open the valve yourself.
> This is _only_ a last resort, of course, and your system will still have to
> be vacumed.

This is an AC FAQ that deals with a lot of these issues:
http://www.vettenet.org/acfaq.txt
You can evacuate 90% or so of the freon by connecting your system up to a
tank (a clean empty propane tank works) packed in dry ice.  But then where
would you take it?

> Many, many people find it hard to believe that it is
> possible for humans to impact such a large system as the atmosphere,

I have avoided climbing on a soapbox in the intermittent three or so
years that I have participated in this group.  But give me the luxury
of doing so for one moment.  This applies to Torsens as well as the
greenhouse effect and the ozone layer.

The earth and all of it's systems (people and Audis included) are
NON-LINEAR.  The peril here is to apply linear thinking in analyzing it.
The increase in CO content of the atmosphere will lead to a change.
Because it is a non-linear system this means that the change could be .0001%
or 10,000%.  The fact that the system's content is changed means that the
system will change.  Rest assured of this.  We will find out what that
change is when it becomes obvious to us.

What about cars and Torsens?  Use them within the limits of their capabilities
and they are fine, drive on the edge and all bets are off.  What distinguishes
a car usable at the edge from one that is not so usefull is how gracefully it
falls off the edge of usablity and how predictably it does so.  You won't
know any of this for sure until you go off that edge and then it is obvious.

We're driving the earth pretty hard.  Let's hope that it stays on the
curve until we can ease off.

Don Hoefer
'82 Coupe
Massachusetts, USA