RussB

Sad, but true.

AndrewsQuattros

Actually he should be taking the Audi on long commutes. These cars love highway driving. :-) I wish your car was taken care of better in the past /: Just please be careful that you dont put wayy too much money into her. Are you really going to get the car all straightend out?

darkerblue

Ok, so the door handle came off yesterday. I know that it's a simple piece of plastic that broke and has nothing to do with anything else in the universe, but this a.m....

I turned the key to unlock the door. The ***** came up. The kid was able to get in the back seat, but the driver's door still acted locked.

I could not open it.

Hubby climbed in the passenger side and couldn't open it from the inside either. He manually pushed and pulled the **** and still no go.

I told him to roll down the window so I could hear him. He cranked the car and rolled down the window. I tried the door again and it opened.

Once it was open, I tried interior and exterior handles again and they moved what parts needed to be moved, so it's working now.

Hubby, mechanical genius that he is, blames the broken door handle on the inside. Of course, this is JUST the handle that one uses to pull the door closed and not the handle one uses to open the door, so I know full well there's no connection.

Or is there? Anyone have the foggiest notion waht might have happened, what I need to look at, whether I'll have to leave the car unlocked forever now?

By the way, you guys are great. I can't believe my luck at finding such friendly and knowledgeable people to help me with all these questions.

Shannon

tragopan86

I have to say, I once purchased a 72 plymouth valiant for 100 dollars right in a restaurant parkinglot at high noon, and drove it for a good 2 years with minimal repair costs. I think it is great that you got this car for so little, but it is not a windup toy like the old plymouth, and you really should think twice about sinking a lot of dough into it. Little things like doorhandles and rust spots may be annoying but you have to prioritize. Forget about the climate controls and the odometer. Find out from your mechanic friend what kind of shape the motor is in. If its good, then you can start thinking about whether its worth fixing the ancillary systems. Check the steering rack for leaks. If the thing hasnt started leaking then flush the system and check/fix the hoses. Check for coolant leak. Flush the coolant system. Dont stress about a bad pressure accumulator. Not necessary for inspection. Make sure your E-brake cable is good. Are the brake components rusted heavily? A total brake replacement will cost about $1000. I did mine myself and it still cost about $600. I bought my 86 turbo sedan from a mental patient/customer last winter. (No, not my patient) She has since upgraded to a late model Volvo wagon. My big wake up call came when, one day, I discovered that my inspection sticker had been scratched off by some neighborhood junkie. (My pneumatic door locks never did work.) When I went to have it replaced, I found a whole barrage of problems I never knew I had. Mostly brake related. Magically as if on cue my former vehicle suddenly came back to life, and I was relieved of the problem of instantly fixing the Audi. I have all summer to do the work that need to be done. It is sure nice to have a backup system in place. Maybe you should go buy a moped to get yourself around the block, and, (after deciding if it is worth the trouble) fixing the Audi little by little at your leisure. Good luck to you.

the red pill

Re: indeed, leave it at the junkyard so nobody else will have to deal with it

darkerblue

Trag,

At this point, buying a moped may be the smartest thing....

Tried to get a smog test today after yesterday's new cat. Still no go. The numbers are greatly improved, but still pretty bad. The legal max on the CO output is .8, and it had been (before the cat) 3.8. Now, after the cat, it's down to 2.8.

Mechanic did a diagnostic and I need a new 02 sensor, whatever that is. Ok, yeah, he did explain what it is, but what really sunk in was that it's another $200. And it still needs a tune-up which he'd gladly do for another $200.

Then, on the way out of the place, I thought to ask hubby to check if the duct-taped coolant hose was holding up. He said it was, but the PS reservoir was EMPTY.

And the driver's side door that wouldn't open this morning now opens just fine because the lock is broken.

This hasn't been one of my better days.

Shannon

zsolt1

Can someone confirm the number for that particular ca? I think mine would be different.
Zsolt

tragopan86

Have you checked the rack, at the base of the tierod mounting bracket, center of the firewall in the back of the engine compartment, you will see the steering rack. Peel back the accordion boots on both sides. You may find that they are already busted out. If you find lots of steering fluid in there, that tells you that your rack is seeping. If not, you must have a leak at the pump or on one of the pressure lines. Maybe everywhere. There are links on this website for steering rack replacements, and rebuilds. If all the seals are eaten away by the petrochemicals in the steering fluid that was used in the system, then they are All Going to have to be Replaced. That is something I wouldn't want to face. Since you haven't really spent all that much yet, in time and money, I would recommend, after confirming that the seals are all shot on the rack, ditching the car, figuratively speaking that is. If you hunt around for a few weeks or so, you should be able to find another one for about $800 to $1500, that will need some work, but stuff that you can face and deal with. By the way, changing an O2 sensor is a little more difficult than changing a spark plug, but not much. They say police auctions are a good place to find these cars. They must get confiscated a lot, probably from people who ended up robbing convenience stores to keep up their mechanic bills.

darkerblue

Trag,

You're a doll to put so much into answering my questions.

Hubby happens to work for Mitchell 1 (some sort of auto repair manual place) and his "assignment" for today is to find the how-to on replacing the 02 sensor for me.

I think this is my opportunity to learn how to actually fix a car... And what a way to start, huh? Dive right into the deep end.

I'm going to do my very best this weekend to put in this o2 sensor myself.

If any of you guys have the time and inclination, can you tell me what to watch for and any other advice on the 02 sensor that would keep me from making an even bigger mess of this?

Yes, I'm quite sure that the PS is leaking from every orifice. I haven't checked, but it's bound to be. I know for sure that the previous 2 owners were dipsticks in their own right as far as maintainance goes, and I'm going to face a lot of trouble from that.

But the sad fact remains that I really need a car that will take me on short errands and really cannot afford to lay out a few hundred in one chunk to get another (somewhat better) car right now.

We have year-round school (I work at my daughter's school) and we get out after one more week. After that, I won't need to drive it very much at all for about 6 weeks and will have more time to tinker with it.

Yesterday Hubby offered to start driving the Audi and give me back my van, but I am more comfortable keeping it close to home for now because I have to get the o2 sensor in before it gets driven much or the new cat will burn out before we can get it to pass smog.

If I can somehow make the Audi less liable to conk out in the next 2 months, he'll take over the Audi and I'll have my van back next school year.

If anyone has any pics that would help guide me through the o2 sensor change, that would be a huge help, too. If you'd prefer not to post them in messages, it's perfectly fine to send them to me personally at darkerblue@aol.com. I have high-speed, so size of images isn't a problem on my end.

Shannon

audiqv8

The oxygen sensor for a 1985 5000 should be a single wire sensor non-heated. Shouldn't take more than a half an hour to replace. See link below, cost under $20.00 + shipping or try to find it at a local auto parts store (PepBoys, Autozone). If removing the connector is difficult, then cut the wire and splice the new O2 sensor in.<ul><li><a href="http://www.professionalautoparts.com/au_1985_5000--002_c_O225-1300_6.html">Oxygen sensor</a></li></ul>