Door Adventure + Assorted Questions

[A v G <avangerb@zoo.uvm.edu>]

I went digging into my rear driver's door today for the first time, what a
pain in the ass to get the inner cover back on.  Figured a way to get the
lock screw thing in the hole it belongs in, used half of a pen hollowed
out.  It was very hard to get the inner cover to slide down all the way
and stay.  I just held it while I screwed the top outer screws in to hold
it.  Then holding the top center of the cover for the screws in the
handle.  Real pain in the ass.  But hey it was a good learning experience.

Also bled the brakes on my sister's 5000s for the first time ever, she is
so impressed she can't stop talking about it when she drives.  The color
of the fluid in the rear lines and the proportioning valve was BLACK,
yuck!  Another good learning experience, except that each bleeder nipple
had a different size bolt, one 7, a 6, and two 8mm?  Strange.  I used
Castrol DOT4 w/ some special name.  Is that good stuff?

On another topic, the family 200q20v has a soon to fail throwout bearing.
How nasty a bill is that?  Also diffs. are leaking badly.  My mother needs
to take better care of that awesome car.  She missed two oil changes, one
after the other.  Not very smart, especially with a turbo engine as such
with 165,000 miles on it!  I have to talk to her about that.

Another topic, my engine is making some clicking noises as if the valves
springs are dying, or can it be something else?  When it sits for some
time without being driven it will make a LOUD clicking noise until the oil
is flowing, and if the oil isn't topped up all the way it clicks for a
while.  What should I lookout for?

Another topic again, getting what sounds like a squeaky mouse in my
catalytic converter.  Only when car is idling in drive and I have the foot
on the brake.  When I have it in park and rev just a little it also makes
the noise.  The exhaust system is rusty as all hell.  Almost like a loose
belt, but from underneath the car? I have an auto trany if that could be
the source of the noise?

Thanks again!

         AvG '88 80
------The Audi 80 Pages------   
http://surf.to/the80pages.com
        ICQ 29279171

 Katonah, NY  Burlington, VT