onlyaudis

installed a VDO volt meter in the car so I had more than a dummy light monitoring the electrical system. Noticed right away the alternator seemed a bit weak, with an output of only 13 volts or so even with no lights or anything on. I looked at the thing and it looks really ancient, so I decided to replace it. Went and got a rebuilt Bosch one today at the local parts places, but after taking the thing home, I could see it wasn't the right one. found out there were two styles, the "AL27X and AL115X" , and mine takes the harder to find, more expensive AL115X. supposed to have one coming in Friday morning. Typical old car stuff!

Rogviler

If you find the charging to still be inadequate, I highly recommend one of these (scroll down to "Internal Adjustable"):

http://www.davebarton.com/AdjustableVoltage.html

Mine took the 28mm one, so if your alternator is stock it should be the same. Solved several problems for me, especially at night with the lights going.

-Rog

onlyaudis

is this the one you got from then in 28mm?

I have an adjustable on an old Fiat and liked being able to dial it in to the mid 14's volts. I have noticed cars run better with a stable clean higher voltage. (as long as you don't go too high and fry the battery of course.) i will measure the output of my new one after i install it today, and if it is over 14V, will probably just leave it be. These are 90 amp alternators, so they shouldn't have any issues keeping up with a decent amount of lighting and accessories.

Rogviler

Yes, that's the one. It looks just like the stock one except for the little screw hole for adjustment. I've seen many people with not enough juice off the stock alternator/regulator, so your experience may vary.

-Rog

onlyaudis

went ahead and ordered the adjustable regulator. Was still only getting 13.8 volts right at the battery, and prefer more like 14.2-4. Nice inexpensive upgrade--I like that.

been fooling around with the ignition timing. this engine can take a lot more lead spark than the factory setting, and it improves the throttle response and overall power. I ran it at 12 degrees at idle and 36 or so total advance, and it ran fine there. Just bumped it up a couple more degrees to see what would happen, and it seems even happier, still no pinging even when lugging it up hill. will leave it at this setting for now and see how it goes.

Rogviler

Yeah, according to Huw's guide (the links I posted on the first page), it's nigh impossible to get the engine to ping with advanced timing (within reason of course), even with cheap gas. Thus, amount of power is definitely your best gauge for how far to push it.

Once you drive the car for awhile, post how you like the 034 hoses. I wouldn't mind having them myself, but some of the parts they make are great, others not so much (or appears to be stuff from China that you can get off eBay for a lot less). I'd probably just be happy if they fit tighter than the stock pieces. It's not like they're overly expensive.

-Rog

onlyaudis

so far I am loving all the 034 hoses. fit was pretty much perfect. The top Rad hose is really nice and doesn't collapse like the rubber one did at that top bend. the vacuum / blow by hoses also have a real quality feel to them. The local Audi / VW tuners I know like 034's stuff a lot, they just tell me you never get the parts on time as promised, which has been my experience as well. as long as you are not in a hurry, their stuff is great. I have their high flow cat on my B6 A4, and that thing woke that car up better than any other mod I did to it.

Been running the car at 14-15 degrees advance at idle and about 40 total advance, with no pinging at all under any circumstance, and the throttle response is terrific. I can't believe how hard this particular car pulls -it seems to have noticeably more grunt than my 87 did. The Hushpower muffler also seemed to open up the midrange and top end a bit. the rear section that was on there before was a baffle type muffler and was more restrictive.

had been having problems with my driver's door catch not wanting to open from the inside handle at times-pretty anoying. took the damn thing apart for the third time today, and this time I saw one of the internal sliders was hanging up intermittently. cleaned it up and put some lithium grease in there, and it seems like it is now working. some complicated mechanicals inside that catch.

onlyaudis

took the car in for an alignment, and the place has the top of line Hunter machine. The mechanic on duty was young and new at it though, and he wasn't exactly sure how to do the old 4000Q. I asked him if i could use the rack and do it my self, and he let me. spend about 1 1/2 hours playing with the numbers and got it really spot on. the rear tie rod adjusters were really hard to brake loose and that took some penetrating oil and patience. fronts were fine because we were just in there. I got all the settings to spec: about -1 degree negative camber front and rear, thrust angle near zero, and slight toe out front and rear. Castor reading looked fine too, even though its not adjustable on these cars. Car tracks awesome at speed, and turn in is nice and tight. that 18mm rear sway bar still was the magic set up on this car though and made a huge difference in the overall handling balance. I also love the stock ride height and can pull right in to any steep driveway without fear of smacking anything

Put a new Kenwood Excelon unit in the car and slightly larger rear alpine speakers, and the sound is quite good. Can't believe how inexpensive some of the nice head units are now. Did some dynamat on the rear sheet metal areas under the speakers and behind the seat. Also put a few screws in the panel that the speakers go in to mount them more solid to the back sheet metal.

wish there was room for a small powered sub, as that would really finish off the system, but don't really see a great place to put one. the gas tank location makes a rear mount difficult, and there isn't enough room under any of the seats.

onlyaudis

changed your temp sensor recently? this is what i found when I pulled mine out. My O2 looked about like that as well. car runs better with the 2 new sensors installed. Idles better, engine just seems happier.

I was told the real Bosch ones are starting to get harder to find. I got mine here. check out the supposed discount. should buy two at that price.

http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/sk...3-1624345.html

audi-driver1126

i just replaced mine with a Borg Warner temp sensor. My previous one couldnt even start up with a cold engine...

the new sensor works great, but i have a few really weird issues still.

Example: when driving from idle, up to 2000 rpm the engine is very sluggish and slow. after 2000 rpm has been passed i get all the power back as if i was experiencing serious turbo lag. the engine also backfires from the exhaust quite freqently.