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Re: Thinking of buying a '91 200TQ
At 11:22 AM -0500 11/1/99, Paul R Luevano wrote:
>Hey all-
>
>Just looking for some advice on what to look for in a '91 200TQ20V. I've
>looked at this car twice, and am very close to putting money down on it,
>but I'm not sure of everything to check on it.
>
>Things I know are wrong: Only pulls 1.4 bar boost. I know the car has a
>bad cat (can hear it rattle, confirmed by mechanic). Could the low boost
>be because of this? I could not get the AC to kick on, even though the
>seller said it works, low charge maybe? Looks like a slight leek from the
>rack, but nothing that would need attention anytime soon.
Most likely, the multi-function thermo-time sensor has gone south and
is sending a overheat signal to the ECU and CC head, causing no A/C
and no more boost than 1.3/1.4bar. This is particularly suspect if
the temperature gauge happens to be kinda flaky(same sensor.) The CC
head diagnostics Chris mentioned can be used to show if the CC is
getting an overheat signal or not. Do the test, and if it shows up
as a bad sender, that's $60 at most to fix.
The rattling cat is probably not a bad cat, but a heat shield that's
loose, or a hanger that's broken/disconnected. Is your mechanic
-sure- that it is the cat? Ask him how he came to this
conclusion(this is always a good thing to ask!) He either did the
"pound it" test(listening for elements of the cat rattling around
inside) or just listened and said "yep, that's bad" when the car was
running.
The 200q20v's are slightly more complicated than the older turbos
because of some added toys(turbo bypass valve, MAF sensor, dual knock
sensors) and more complicated for basic maintenance like rotor/cap,
crankcase breather hose, etc.
The UFO brakes(hard to describe how they work) tend to warp. I've
had mixed luck; mine seem to "warp and unwarp", and they never get
very bothersome; I've learned to put up with them.
However, that said, in my mind it is one of the top cars Audi has
ever built and one of the fastest, redefines "sleeper", and is a nice
bargain as far as initial cost.
Brett
----
Brett Dikeman
Artel Software 617-451-9900
381 Congress Street 617-451-9916(fax)
Boston, MA 02210 http://www.borisfx.com