My ur-Q is feeling much better

["Douglas Hurst Quebbeman" <dougq@iglou.com>]

Good afternoon, listers!

After dealing with bad weather, paranoia, and incompetent and/or thieving
mechanics, I've got the ur-Q running as well as when I bought it.

Thanks again, most notably to Steve Buscholtz, Robert Houk and Phil Payne
for their assistance.

Along with the bad running and backfiring, not getting a reading from the 
duty cycle port was my primary symptom. I traced wiring, pulled out the
fuse/relay panel to find most suggested mods had already been done and
were sorely needed when whoever did them did them. Finally, about 10 minutes
before Marty Liggins pulled up to the house, I noticed that the connector
to the OXS Frequency Valve had fallen off due to lack of a retaining spring
thingy. Slipped it back on to find an instant change in the engine's sound.
Revving the engine no longer produces backfires. I haven't had the nerve to
drive it with a license plate yet, but may.

I guess the next step is to take it for another emissions inspection, get it
flunked, and then go from there.

However (and here's my question), the knocking noise I'v been hearing is 
much louder when you're under the engine, sounds like it's coming from the
crankcase for sure.

I've had several offers for engines/ heads, blocks, etc. But before I go through
that much work for meeting the simple goal of making the car legal to drive,
I want to ask about a shortcut.

It used to be possible with many enginesto remove the oil pan, loosen the main
bearing caps a bit, and drop the crank just far enough to slip a set of bearings
in. I realize it's more likely that I'm hearing a rod bearing, and not a main,
but if I have to pull the head in order to slip the pistons and rods out through
the top, then I might as well replace the mains as well.

They even used to make a small tool sort of shaped like a bearing shell which you
slipped in there and it rotated the old bearing out.

Does anyone know if it's possible to do this with an I5, specifically the WX engine?

More questions coming soon...  -doug q

--
-Douglas Hurst Quebbeman (dougq@iglou.com)       [Call me "Doug"]
    QuattroClub USA# 4536     Audi International # 100024
       74 100LS Auto,   77 100LS Auto,   84 Coupe GT 
           83 ur-Q,   86 5Kcstq QLCC 1.8bar  
"The large print giveth, and the small print taketh away."  -Tom Waits