Re: Newbie: v8 ring gear done, steering rack needed soon? (longish)

[Orin Eman <orin@wolfenet.com>]

> I had a major problem on the V8 recently: a busted Ring Gear. Car broke down
> a couple blocks from home, so that wasn't too bad. (But, good thing I
> checked the owner's manual on towing proceedure, 'cause the tow company did
> not send a flat-bed at first!) Later, the dealer quoted a very expensive
> repair (needed the ring gear, a starter and many hours of labor...) So I cut
> corners through some friendly mechanics in the Olympia area (i.e. got the
> ring gear used, but in perfect condition at Max's Audi Volkswagen down in
> Centralia for $300 off the dealer price, etc.) Then had the dealer do the
> work and install the parts. (the other mechanics who know Audi's here either
> didn't have the time or quoted same repair price as dealer). Still, the job
> was an unexpected drain.

> Perhaps the qlist has an idea on what may have caused the ring gear to break
> (I saw it: 4 or 5 teeth in a row were either missing or chewed real good).

Yes, we have heard of this before.  A leaking injector fills a cylinder
with fuel which then hydro-locks when you try to start the car.
The weak point is the starter and the flywheel teeth - either or both
get chewed up.

> The car was described to me when I bought it as "a cold starter" but I have
> yet to understand what that means. It generally takes 10-12 seconds of
> cranking to start, even with the new starter. But sometimes it starts on a
> dime, like it should. The colder it gets outside has no bearing on the
> starting time, so why should it be called a "cold starter"? Could the eight
> years of long cranking have been the cause for the broken ring gear? More
> importantly, do these cars always start that way?

See above.  Get the injectors checked ASAP.

> p.s. I've been wanting to take a winter-driving course. Does anyone knows of
> one, preferably Quattro, planned for the Northwest?

http://www.nwquattroclub.org

Look under the fall newsletter for 'steamboat springs' and 'snoqualmie event'.

Orin.