200tq auxilliary water pump

[Thomas Barbera <tjbst39+@pitt.edu>]

    The auxilliary water pump broke on my '89 200tq.  The plastic that
makes up the outlet shattered and coolant went everywhere.  For a quick
fix, I pulled out the pump and simply directly connected the hoses.  The
car runs just fine without the pump, and the coolant temperature seems
to be normal.  Is that pump even needed?  I priced one at $180, and if I
don't need to buy it, I don't want to.  As far as I can tell, the pump
that shattered is unrepairable.  I sure wouldn't trust epoxy.  If
someone could tell me whether this pump was just one of Audi's paranoid
little additions, or whether it will cause some major problems without
it, I would greatly appreciate it.  Thanks in advance.

Thomas Barbera
'89 200tq
'86 4kq