Sunday, December 2, 2007

Next Up

The car is running and gets us from Point A to Point B quite well. However, there are several issues which I will need to tackle immediately.

Casper is idling right around 3000RPM, which is terrible-bad. The car should idle ~750RPM. It is possible we have a bad sensor somewhere, or also possible there is a vacuum leak. I hope it is the former, as it is simpler for me to troubleshoot! It seems less likely there is a vacuum leak as the car will sometimes idle near ~1800RPM. Even if I can get the car to 1800RPM consistently, that is still way too high.

Something is slowly draining the battery. This is simple to troubleshoot: put a 12V bulb in-line from the battery terminal to the battery cable and start pulling fuses until the light turns off. That will at least narrow the problem down to a smaller electrical subsystem.

The rear disc brakes are 99% gone. I already have the replacement parts, but I am not able to install them due to lack of proper tools. A "special tool" is needed to force the brake piston to its resting position, and I have not yet brainstormed a suitable alternative. Also, the housing for the brake pads - which also holds the rotor in place - seems to require a very large hex tool for removal. The outside of the bolt is a perfectly smooth, round surface. How lame is that? For the brakes alone I need five distinctly different tools! Shame on you, Audi!

I'm going to replace the V-belts on the recommendation of a friend. He says they look cracked, and could break at any time. I already have the belts, I just need the time to replace them.

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