Huh? What? Who?

[Mike Arman <armanmik@n-jcenter.com>]

>
>Date: Thu, 05 Nov 1998 12:51:43 -0500
>From: Dave Head <dhead@sundial.sundial.net>
>Subject: Idle craze solved
>
>Thanks to my mechanic (Irish Mike's Auto - looking for a 4Kq to convert to
>race mat'l), Chris Miller and Mike Arman (who's lounging in the Carribean
>and has no clue he donated a part) my poor decel valve is no longer having
>a hernia. Problem was a failed open ISV. Slapped a spare in (thanks Mike!)
>and everything is hunky doory again.
>
>This is one to remember. My mechanic sez its a common problem on vws...
>
>
>********************************AUDI FAN***********************************
>                                   EMCM(SW) Dave Head  


Yes, I plead guilty to lounging in the Carribean (but there really was some
business involved), and as I'm going through the 100+ accumulated e-mails,
I find the above nugget.

Anyone care to bring me up to speed on this?

ISV valve? What ISV valve?


(I was on St. Martin - ugh - and St. Barts: When people who live in heaven
get old and die, if they've been good AND if they are lucky, they MAY get
to go to St. Barts. Dave saw the photos - he'll tell you! Rental car was a
very tired Mini-Moke. $38 a day. For you young 'uns who don't know what a
Mini Moke is, here's a description: Produced by BMC, they started with a
pile of tin cans, and flattened them out with a rock. Then they stapled and
duct taped the flattened cans into the shape of a cement trough (more or
less), put a stolen shopping cart wheel on each corner, and an 850CC four
cylinder rubber band in the front. There are four VERY thinly padded seats,
the headlights contain a few dead fireflies, and the ONLY concession to
automotive safety is a pair of long-unused seatbelts/shoulder straps which
I had to work on for a while to free up. The rental agent assured me that I
didn't have to use them, but after a very cursory examination of the
utterly unpadded interior and many sharp edges of the rolling cement
trough, I said "Yes, I do."

The roads are appalling - no guard rails, no signals, few signs, the
largest vehicle on the island was a Ford van - and it looked like the
Hindenberg - people ran away and hid under bushes in fright as it
approached - it took up both sides of the road. - Kind of like a Hummer on
a go-kart course. Miss a turn and you go over the edge, end over end to the
rocks, far below. Many tiny Korean and Japanese cars totally unknown in the
US - a Chevrolet Cavalier would look like a full-sized Buick station wagon
in comparison - a zillion motorscooters with bikini-wearing (no helmets, no
shoes) French girls with straw baskets stuffed with French bread slung over
their shoulders.

Airport is at the bottom of a mountain - 1,500 ft runway, slopes down to
the water. Procedure is clear the hill (by 50'), full flaps, cut engines,
dive bomb runway, do carrier style landing (WHAM!) and stand on brakes or
the passengers go swimming sooner than they expected.

Without a doubt, it is by far the most beautiful and restful place I have
ever seen in my life. The Rothschilds have an estate on the island - now
that is *REAL* money - they could buy and sell Bill Gates without even
breathing hard (being in the banking business all over Europe for 500 years
will do that for you . . . )

The average Wal-Mart parking lot has more pavement than the entire island
of St. Barts. I saw no Audis, a lot of VW pickup trucks, a very tired MB250
coupe, and a fiberglass 356 replica which looked OK as long as you stayed
more than 250' away from it.

Fabulous place - I'll go again!!!!!!!

Best Regards,

Mike Arman