Re: Re: quattro-digest V1 #276

["Avram Dorfman" <dorfman@est.org>]

Well, the obvious is valve lifters - the engine will probably be noisy after
first start-up, look to see if it doesn't go away after a couple minutes.
Note: If someone tells you to drop Marvel Mystery Oil in the spark plug
holes before first turning the engine, that's fine, but it will probably
mask a worn valve-lifter problem. Don't worry, as discussed elsewhere today,
apparently it's a very easy & cheap repair. ($30/cyl, about 1 hour of work).

Then there is the diff lock. I've seen several 4kq's lose their center
lock - it won't actuate. On mine, it's a problem with the actuator, not the
actual lock. A garage wanted $250 to fix it. I don't believe it's a
difficult repair, but I'm not sure yet.

The car has two mufflers, at around $170 each minimum new, not including
labor, so pay attention if they look rough, or don't sound perfect.

I've also heard that 4k's tend to crack their exhaust manifold, which I
believe is also a problem on mine. I have brand new mufflers, and there is
still a funny "not quite as quiet as it should be" sound. No idea how hard
it is to fix, but sounds like a lot of work & probably an expensive part if
it can't be repaired. Look for a louder than expected engine with apparently
in-tact mufflers.

I took mine in for a $100 pre-sales inspection before I bought it, which was
quite worthwhile. They found a few things.

Hope this helps for a start...

-Avram

Original Message:
--------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Aug 1999 13:07:18 EDT
From: DuffCutco@aol.com
Subject: Re: quattro-digest V1 #276

can some tell me some things to look for in an audi 4kcsq it has been
sitting
for about 1-1-2 yrs.  it is straight except for a damaged headlight that the
previous owner didn't want to fix, which caused it to become out of
inspection so he parked it.   what are some things to look out for, and how
to get it to fire up after sitting for so long.  any help would be great,
thanks.  Please respond by personal email at

duffcutco@aol.com

thanks
mike