Re: distributor rotor (long)

["Eric Renneisen" <renneie@hlthsrc.com>]

The plot thickens... I'm calling in the mother list on this one, 
so 20V-listers please forgive the rehash.

Background: Chasing down a cold stumble and 2114 fault code 
(distributor out of adjustment)on my '90 CQ, I discovered that 
the resistance of my rotor measured somewhere around 5M ohms 
rather than the specified 1000 +- 400. I replaced it along with 
the cap with a new one from my local Bosch man. I turns out that 
this replacement is the infamous 04170, the generic 10V rotor. 
It appeared to be exactly like the one I crushed off the shaft. 
Like the 3B, the 7A originally came with a smaller rotor. The 
parts fiche doesn't even list the rotor separately from the 
distributor. John Larson graciously measured the difference 
between the Audi rotor and 04170, and came up with 18.55mm and 
15.10mm respectively.

Immediately after replacement and starting/idling the car, the 
2114 fault code disappeared. I ran the output tests to _force_ 
the fault memory to clear, just in case. The car starts/runs 
just as before, including the hesitation when cold. I was going 
to look elsewhere for the solution, but when I pulled the codes 
last night (first time after actually _driving_ with the new 
rotor) the 2114 was back!

So, the 5M ohm resistance wasn't the cause. My only symptoms 
(but possibly unrelated) are a slight stumble for a few minutes 
after cold start and she's always taken a few more cranks to 
start than she should (but not excessive). There are several 
possibilities that I've come up with:

1. Distributor out of alignment.
 - Do I really need the VAG tool to check this? I've already 
   checked the cam timing, which appears to be OK. (the mark on 
   my flywheel was just red paint!)
2. Problem with hall sensor or ignition timing sensor.
 - Bentley has a few rudimentary voltage/resistance checks, but 
   I'm thinking that if it's a circuit fault the car either 
   wouldn't start or would run like crap. Any tricks I can use 
   to test this stuff?
3. Wrong size rotor.
 - Has anyone seen this symptom with the generic 10V rotor on a 
   20V? Can someone who is using this rotor on the 7A dump their 
   codes for comparison?
4. Magnecor wires not operating as expected.
 - I'll check their resistances, and I've still got the old 
   wires that I can test with.

TIA for any suggestions or second opinions.

Eric Renneisen
'90 CQ 20V  -  my '2114-ing-iron'  ;^)
Chattanooga, TN