kaboom!

[Brett Dikeman <brett@pdikeman.ne.mediaone.net>]

Yep, I think the bomb on my "new" 91 200q is completely toast.  Hence my
complaints about "jeez, this car's brakes suck" :|

How did I find it?  Got in the car this morning, fired it up, messed around
with a piece of hose(aka cheap steth) to find out what was making a very
annoying tik-tik-tik noise(think it's the PS pump, since it was loudest
from around there) and out of curiosity, shut the car off and pumped the
brake pedal.  Rock solid. "HUh?"  Pump it some more("maybe I've got it
backwards, hard to soft, not soft to hard?)
Start car.  Brake light is on.  "Huh?"  Wait a few seconds.  Light goes
out.  Press brake pedal, hard.  Sinks to the floor, while pulsing at the
end, and brake light comes on, then goes off again.  Repeat.  Light comes
on each time, then goes right out again.

Is my diagnosis correct here?  This would explain why braking sucks when I
don't downshift, but is great when I do...I assume the pulsing was the PS
pump...maybe this sudden pulsing is also causing the noise, and the bomb
replacement will solve the noise too?  Would be nice :)

Prices to expect for bomb?  $200-300?  I'm going to make an appointment
with Central Service in Frammingham, MA on tuesday morning...that and a
flushing of brake+hyd fluid, as well as a check of differential fluids and
advisement if they need replacement.  I also need to find out what's up
with a rough idle when coming to a stop...engine falters once or twice, not
too bad, but not normal.  I think it's the O2 sensor, since I don't think
the car passed inspection(the guy who did it ran the test 3 times, and I
got a printout saying "0000 RPM   0.00HC 0.00CO2" etc... and a big "THIS IS
NOT A VALID STATE INSPECTION" printed at the bottom.  Arggghh!  O2 sensor
was last replaced at 62k, car now has 105k on it.  I'm going to inspect the
spark plugs to see if things are seriously out of whack with mixture...

Brett

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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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