Can you tell what it is yet?







the story behind this little acquisition is something of an aberration. A mental fart, maybe. When Kamal screwed up the silver V8, I was convinced at the time that that car would end up as a parts car. At about the same time, this Lago Blue car (yes, it really is a sort of blue under that organic protective green covering) came up for sale. For buttons.
It was tatty externally, with damage especially around the windscreen, and rot in the typical rear valance area that the later V8s seem to have. But internally was in pretty good shape, and even had rear heated seats. A test drive proved that the engine, transmission and brakes were working fine; idle was high (randomly 1500-2500 rpm)
It seemed a likely prospect.

The idea being then to MOT it, and see what major issues turn up. if it turned out to have any major issues, then at least the interior, engine and transmission would be useful. And if there were no major issues, then I'd get the body issues sorted.

Sadly, a little carelessness by the MOT man resulted in engine damage. And so, it's sat languishing while I sourced a new engine. A few personal life issues, and moving 3 times has resulted in the project being pushed back several times. Until now.

Immediate issues are
Wash it
Free up the brakes as they are binding, making it a real bitch to move
Clean out the interior which is now looking like a toxic nightmare (hence the first part of the name)
Remove the Toad alarm/immobilser (it's only contribution being to the name) and quantum alarm which both appear to be non functioning.
A small snafu with a rear window is sorted, utilising my spares from the press car that i dismantled.
And try and get power on the engine to start diagnosing the problems there, and run the diagnostics.

At this point, I am not entirely sure if the car will survive, at least as a road going machine. I hope it does, as it was nice to drive. Slightly different from the other 2 V8s.

Its a 1993, 4.2. Grey leather, sports seats.

If anyone is watching?
Is there a good source of carpets for the V8? Either a good restorer/copy, new old stock, or good condition salvaged.
In reality, I could use 2 platinum or 1 platinum, and 1 graphite, subject to price.

Hi Mark,

I would look out for good used ones. The problem is, you require them for an RHD, but they are not compatible with the LHD, I fear. Maybe the best source is somebody on classicaudi?

Otherwise, if it's only about dirt, there are several ways to get them clean...

Regards

Bastian

The chances of finding a good RHD carpet is slim, at best. Most of the cars that have been broken have been as a source of mechanical components, in particular the engines. The rest is simply large, low value items, as the market for right hand drive cars is small.

So.
I'll have to use a left hand drive carpet, and adapt to suit. But what could be the issues?
The carpet itself covers all of the rear floor with 2 'wings' that go forward to the foot well trims in the front. I suspect that is largely the same, whether left or right drive.

Looking at VagCat, the rear segment is not identified as LHD or RHD. The front inserts are, though.
I believe I can salvage these, with new carpet/mats to tidy it all up.

I'd rather not use a generic carpet to do the job. I think, though, that I'll have to recover the front plastic sections.

Well, I had a little tinker today...

Diagnostics. After some temporary repairs, I have these functioning. It appears the injectors aren't operating.

Codes. 4411, 4412, 4413, 4414.

On the subject of diagnostics; are there any differences between the PT and ABH ECUs? The ABH setup doesn't seem to respond to the ClosedThrottle trigger. It could be that this is a part of my problem.

So. Engine still not currently running.

More wiring woes. The supply to the injectors was only achieving 12v off load. On load, it was dropping very low. Down to about 4 or 5 volts. Another high resistance joint courtesy of alarm installers

It's running, again.

I've been unbelievably busy these last 4 weeks; I'm off overseas for a while. Again! As usual, these things coincide with progress being made.

Anyways.
After much faffing around, finding wiring damage everywhere, the engine runs, and it gets up to temperature. So I'm nearly back to where I was when it got botched!

I found wiring damage in the starter solenoid, injector, fuel pump and ECU power circuits. Mostly down to really bad installations of both the alarm and immobilizer systems.
Fixing sounds easier than it really is. Many of the spliced joints had corroded badly, so high resistance connections abound.
Getting the diagnostics working took time, which slowed down testing everything else. So far, only the ECU diagnostics have been run. Transmission, instruments and aircon next.

The ECU is faulty. I'm running the spare unit for now.

The aircon does everything except run the internal fan, so I've isolated the electrics, to avoid any surprises.

The shiftlok has decided to play up, so the ignition key won't come out, and the ignition lock is sticking. Care is needed, as I think it is keeping the starter engaged sometimes.


Interior wise, the carpet's toast. Or, more precisely, mushroom porridge. The prolonged damp means it's rotting.

Throttle
This was a problem when I bought the car. At the time, it seemed that it was an intermittent high idle, and several stabilization valves were tried; in fact it was a very sticky throttle assembly. Basically, it wasn't closing fully all the time. Now, it almost closes on its own, but I'll have to work on it a bit more to get it working right.

Carbon Canister.
Going crazy. Or at least the solenoid is. Especially once the engine is warm.
I'm not even sure how this interacts. It's evaporative emissions control, or something of that ilk, but other than that, what's it supposed to achieve in daily use? More importantly, how to stop it clunking away?

reads a bit like a Sisyphean challenge
Be careful with the sticking ignition key. Keeping the starter engaged is the lesser evil. I will be more unpleasantly if your ignition cuts off during a passing maneuver i.e.

I'm not worried about that. The car, now known as the Toxic Toad, is a long way off going back on the road.

Of course it's a question of patience.

Basically, if the structure is sound, and I can get the car to an MOT capable state, then it goes into the body shop for a full paint.

There are some rust areas needing work, such as the rear valance which is rotten, and windscreen frame.

[QUOTE=The Real MSH!;364963]Looking a bit better already...

[/QUOTE]

I'd worry about starter damaging the flywheel!

And yes, ignition off during drive is also a symptom ... we have an RHD here having the same issue. If it will be ever fixed ? ...

The ignition key has been locked in the ignition/steering barrel for the last few week, refusing to come out. I've been putting off attacking it, as there were a few other things needing attention, first.

Anyway, today, i bit the bullet...

That lump on top of the assembly is part of shiftlock-III, which involves a steel cable linking the shift lever and the steering lock. If the key is not in the lock, you can't get the lever out of park.
If the lever is not in park, you can't take the key out of the lock. At least, that's the basic idea.
Add in 20years of dirt, grime, some water contamination, and different metals, and the result is that one day it doesn't do as advertised.
Added to the woes was a very sluggish return, which occasionally left the key in the start position- not good for starter or ring gear.

I'm slowly working through the various issues.

Recent jobs-

Headlining removed, and prepped, ready for new material. I'm actually going to use this lining in the silver car.

Sunroof assembly removed. In the process of cleaning, lubricating

Heater blower. This is a real pain. The motor is FUBAR. Removing it is a major effort, as the assembly is slightly different on the RHD cars, and there's no room to slide the motor out, even with some less than gentle flexing.

As the interior has suffered somewhat, and needs to be removed for the windscreen frame welding, I am thinking of using the black interior that is sitting around spare, when I out it all back together.

But I need 2 items to complete-
Front left inner trim panel. Black
Left passenger door handle. Black.

Do any of you folks on the continent have a source for such parts?

Hi Mark,

typically one or more sources can be found in the "Marktplatz" section or around the bay: armrests / inner doorhandles

Before quickly replacing the handles, check twice if they're actually faulty. Serious amounts of dirt and stain can be removed using oven cleaner or the orange-oil stuff professional refurbishers make use of. If the clamp wouldn't "bite" any more, take an allen wrench and turn in and out the clamp mechanism on the removed handle checking if the thread is in it's place and working.

Cheers

Flo

I guess I should have put part numbers up-

The door handle in question is the large solid grab handle- I'm missing one. The main reason for changing the interior is the now scruffy state of the grey leather, and that I have a near complete black leather interior sitting idle.
All 3 of my v8s have grey leather, so it would add some variety!

Ps. Thanks for the link. Probably the easiest way of buying the one I want.

Electric mirros
Now almost fixed, these were erratic at best. with very short movement intervals. I now have full axis adjustment on the left, and on the right, up, left and right are working. Down is still a problem, but I am fairly sure the problem is in the mirror. Its working sufficiently for now.

I've run a short thread on the subject, separately.

Audi V8 update

An bit of an update is needed, I think.

Progress so far.

Electrics.
Numerous nasty electrical problems due to previous alarm installations, resulting in something like 20 electrical joints being repaired. I do still need to attack a few more, but right now, the car has working systems.

The central locking pump has suffered a bit, with fractures affecting the drivers door circuit. So central locking only works on one side. Rather like a ur-quattro. Not really noticeable when you obviously open the passenger door first, to let ones lady in.
(Please note- painfully aware that presence of cars is matched by lack of women)

The mirrors are 87.5 % working! and I'm happy with that.

The aircon has just enough gas charge to achieve a chilly output, and the whole system now provides full range heat/cooling, after replacing the blower with one from a (c4) A6.
You guys with left hand drive need to thank your lucky stars. The right hand drive adaptation does not lend itself to such easy maintenance.

Mechanically

Brakes
I've stripped, cleaned, new seals, and learned a lot in the process, putting the the rear calliper back into operation. Now, I have a handbrake that actually holds against throttle, sufficient to pass the MOT.

Front brakes need some attention. They are HP2.

The biggest issue I currently have is that the brake pedal very easily goes full travel, giants a mechanical rather than hydraulic stop.
Is this a fluid issue? I am going to do a further flush of the system.
The rear axle regulator is seized in the open condition. I can easily bleed the rears.

The gearbox will be given a full drain out, new filter if I can find one, and refill. It shifts into reverse very aggressively. I may need to look at the prop shaft.

Bodywork
Here is the expected bigger issue.

Windscreen.
I managed to pull the trim off the windscreen. It was a fairly nice chrome trim, but not original. The windscreen is a replacement sometime in the past, and as with many that I've seen- careless! The result is poor sealing, water leaks, and some rot. Fortunately, it doesn't appear to have perforated as previously feared. So there is going to be a two phase effort on the bodywork.

Windscreen frame and roof, first.
Lower panels, boot, bonnet later. It's not idle, but a practical solution for now.

A large number of UK cars have rotting rear valances. I should point out that these are the ones with plastic inserts for the bumper trim, rather than the welded in studs.

I really need-

441813308C. The rear valance. I'd like to convert it to studs, as these seem to be far longer lived. Does anyone know of one going spare. Although I could probably just make a full width patch, and cut back as far as I can to clean metal.

The end is nigh, as the fella in the funny wastegate oft proclaims.

Good news Mark sounds like Toad is coming along nicely I did not have any trouble getting hold of a new gearbox oil filter ,when I changed the oil on mine last Xmas.
I'VE just repaired the fan on mine roof linin is going back in tomorrow,and hopefully new windscreen,managed to save the chrome trim.So helpfully it will be back on the road at the weekend
Good luck with your quest to save all the RHD V8,s