Bitch Piss and Moan, but not justified!

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

Well it seems I have to change the clutch slave cylinder on my 5Ks YET
AGAIN, and I went to see Heinz at BAC auto parts here in Daytona, because
he had one on the shelf and sold it to me for $60 - pretty good price . . .

Heinz ist from der old school of auto parts, and has five or six type 44
Audis himself, and a couple of DKWs and and old Benz (phone 904-252-1483)
und he talks funny, jahwohl, but he really is a decent guy who knows Audis
pretty well (and has good prices).

Anyway, he has an 87 turbo (slushbox) which needed a check valve - the
expensive one on top of the fuel pump - so he mixed and matched some parts
and came up with a check valve which replaces the banjo fitting on the
outlet of the under-hood fuel filter. He used a Mercedes part and an Audi
part, and it works just fine, and you can install it standing up instead of
writhing around in the fume-filled trunk. Call him for the part numbers if
you need this - we got side-tracked.

OK, so I'm complaining about going through clutch master and brake
cylinders about as often as tires, I mean these things are consumables, and
seem to last only about a year or so. He said that in his experience, the
rate of consumption for these parts wasn't exceptional for Audis, but that
Mitsubishis and Jeep Cherokees (!) have chronic failures of these parts.
There's also one model of Cherokee that has the clutch slave cylinder
INSIDE the bell housing, and you have to drop the tranny to change it!!!!!!

He did say that using DOT-3 brake fluid (the cheap stuff) is guaranteed to
make the seals leak . . . I need to check that I have ONLY DOT-4. Even
though DOT-3 and DOT-4 are supposed to be interchangeable (except for DOT-4
having higher temperature limits), using DOT-3 is an invitation to trouble.
Hmmm.

And a side note about the long-stroke/short-stroke flame fest going on: One
of the limiting factors for RPMs on a long stroke engine is piston speed. I
seem to recall 700 fps as being the maximum speed for engine longevity -
since an engine is a pump, and the faster you turn it, the more you pump
(translation: more revs mean more horses), one of the major limiting
factors for RPMs on a long stroke engine is maximum allowable piston speed.
Hence, short stroke engines can be revved higher than long stroke engines
because the short stroke keeps the piston speed down.

Last item - just saw a brand new 500 Mercedes 2 door coupe slammed and
lowered, with a set of bright, chrome 17" wheels and skinny "rubber band"
tires - Gawd! If there are Mercedes Gods corresponding to the Audi Gods,
they must be on vacation! Or perhaps the Robert Bosch Lightning Bolt
Instant Heathen Vaporizer is broken (or on back order).

Best Regards,

Mike Arman