The Project Pad

I got lucky with my first 4kq as it was converted to R134 and I bought a can on a whim and tossed it in. To my surprise the AC was ice cold. I have not been successful on my own since then. The 90q I had charged at a shop, it was cold for a year or so, then the compressor would never kick on (was full of refrigerant). Tried filling my newest 4kq, didnt seem to work that well. I have not tried the 200 yet since it doesnt have a belt on the compressor, so I'll be tracking your thread and looking for AC updates.

I havnt had AC since it worked in the 90q, so both cars now have zero AC. Fun

You know, now that I think of it, I do have several cars which need their AC serviced (635csi, M3, and now the avant). Guess it's time for a tool investment! But EFR first though... time-wise anyway.

Thanks for sharing your luck with can AC charges Mike. I have had terrible luck with it. I hope doing it the real way with a vac pump will make it work a bit better!

Wow! Rough week-and-a-half for the RENNWGN!

Two weekends ago the AC compressor failed. Last weekend, a tire blew out suddenly. Today, the power steering pump sprung a bad leak.

I made it home on the spare tire (so glad I had it!) with about 150 miles remaining on my drive when it happened. Got a new tire mounted that weekend all while traveling to CT to see my sister and nephews. It's nice having at least one vehicle that isn't old LOL (the X3 is a 2012).

Then today I drove about 200 miles and on the last 50 miles or so the "Brake" light came on the dash. I figured it was just a little low on green gold, but miraculously, this car doesn't have any notable PS leaks. But when I left the meeting today I just happened to look under the car after I started it up and was horrified to see a puddle of something forming quickly. Luckily, it turned out to be green gold, so I wasn't stranded. Unfortunately though, the leak is so severe that the pump is now only giving me assistance intermittently.

So that brings me to two questions...

Will the pump be damaged if I run it without the Pentosin in it for a while? I imagine the answer is probably yes, but I've rebuilt power steering pumps which, by design, wouldn't be damaged when run that way for a temporary period. I'm thinking I'll probably be better off cutting the belt off and suffering with no PS until I can replace the pump.

Second question... I couldn't really tell where the leak was coming from other than it was from one of the fittings at the top of the pump. Where is the most common failure point? The big X-plug thing? Any advice on replacement pumps, etc.?

The thing that sucks is that the pump was placed at 215k... it only has a little under 240k on it right now. Maybe the X-plug just needs to be tightened? **After some research it appears that the x-plug is probably the culprit and I should get a new one and the o-ring that goes with it. **

Oh man, I just went through this with mine. I would be very surprised if your issue isn't an X-plug. Those leaks can go 0-60 real fast. You can still get the X-plugs with O-ring from Audi (026 145 541), but they're a little pricey at ~$13/e. Unfortunately, once everything gets soaked in Pentosin, it's hard to tell which of the 8 plugs is the culprit, so it may be better to just re-seal the whole thing. Reseal kit is PN# 026 198 049B, which has a pretty broad price range depending on manufacturer/source. I'm running el cheapo from AutohausAZ at $7 to see how it lasts, but you may be better off in terms of reliability sourcing an OEM seal elsewhere.

I wouldn't advise running it without fluid, though, given how the internals look (it's like a radial engine, with each piston's movement being dictated by a central cam). Once the film of fluid wears off the cylinder walls, I bet they'd start to score and burn up the pump. If you're desperate, I've got a couple of pumps laying around that should be good to run for now. I also have an X-plug and the drag-link socket you need to pull them off.

Hmm, I just thought of this... I won't have power brakes either without fluid in the pump lol. One more reason to do another vac brake conversion!

I'm pretty sure it's just the top x plug, but I agree that it should probably just be completely resealed given that it blew so soon. I think it is also the culprit for my slightly funny sound that comes from the front of the car. It's interesting how totally different this pump is from the one I rebuilt on my 635csi. No pistons involved with that one.

Thanks for the part numbers and parts offer. I'll let you know if i need anything!

I might just get a new one because I suspect the bearings in the current one.

Can anyone verify whether the power steering hoses on our cars use crush washers or o-rings on the banjos? I remember crush washers on my sedan, but a parts site I'm looking at seems to disagree.

5k uses washers, 200 uses orings.

Would love a picture of the plug.

Fun fact : Mobil 1 AtF synthetic fluid works as a direct replacement for pentossion and is about 10% the price.

Thanks guys. I also verified the orings by taking one off temporarily. I swear the sedan had crush washers, but maybe I'm just confusing it with the 635csi.

I thought there might be a direct replacement, but didn't want to take the chance and just ordered some Pentosin with all the other parts. I just put in a massive order for a new pump, some new hoses, new reservoir and a few other things. Ouch. Rough week on the wallet! Sucks that I just got ANOTHER pay cut. All the pay cuts in the past year could have bought me a brand new BMW M2 with every option available. In cash.

Mance also recommended Redline Synthetic ATF.

I keep teflon tape in the car just in case the x-plug o-ring goes. It works in a pinch. Just be sure to keep the o-ring in there until you get a replacement.

Flush the system with redline psf and add a 3/8 magnefine inline filter on the return hose.
Should be an improvement!

Chris, if you are trying to rebuild your A.C. or steering pump/components, you can contact Paul with CAC for the hard to find parts. He said his site is not up and running again just yet but is selling privately/direct.

Thank you guys. Here's the situation I'm in. I am out on the rig with a well that will probably be finished next Tuesday, so I need to have the parts here before the weekend if possible. I tried ordering a new or re-man pump, but they are backordered and possibly NLA... not cool. I just found out about that yesterday. So I had to make some backup plans. I ordered 6 new X plugs (I guess there are 8, but I thought there were 6 at the time), a hand impact and drag link socket to install or remove those, ordered o-rings from McMaster just in case the X-plugs don't get here in time, and took Kevin up on his offer to send me a spare pump. I should get the pump in time to just use it. Then I can re-build the leaking one in my spare time.

If all else fails, I will use the teflon tape! And if I can't get the Pentosin, I'll use the other oils. That's fantastic to know.

That's also great news about Paul carrying that stuff. I will probably get in touch with him for the AC parts at least and maybe some of the NLA stuff for steering if he's got it!

Wish me luck with getting everything and being able to do the install out here in the middle of nowhere lol

Good luck don't fuck it up

Lol

When you say Pentosin, do you mean the brand or just as a generic term for hydraulic fluid?

I don't have the link handy, but Mance did great work (as usual) figuring out that at a certain point in time VW changed the spec of the hydraulic oil to reduce the zinc content. This development, of course coincided with higher failure rates with racks and pumps due to wear. The Redline PSF is very high in zinc, and is essentially the same as the old spec VW approved fluid. Plus, it's available at most auto shops and is significantly cheaper... it's a no brainer, really.

EDIT: found the link
http://forums.quattroworld.com/9080/msgs/3541.phtml

Just saw this new AC compressor on the QW classifieds. Not sure if it'll work for you, but figured I'd share:
http://forums.quattroworld.com/classifi ... html#47615

Haha thanks.

I meant the brand Pentosin. Just becuase it's what I know will work and becuase it's on its way already. But next time I'll definitely switch to the redline! That's great info.

Thanks Alex, I'm going to look into it right now.

In the meantime, here's a picture of the ole wagon in its broken yet still gettin-it-done state.

Even broken, it still looks badass!

Aktapod wrote:Even broken, it still looks badass!

Just got the pumps today along with some of the other parts. I can't thank you enough Kevin!

Love the box lol



You can also see one of the temporary banjo plugs (blue) I made on the 3d printer so I could plug the lines in between getting the pumps swapped out. I love that printer!

Savage. Gooooo lox!!

Good as new. It seems like there might be a little air in the system because the steering is a little bit... What's the word... discrete? It has a notchiness to it, but I think it's going away. I think it is quieter than the other pump too. Thanks Kevin, you're a lifesaver!

Good thing I got a few options for backup too becuase only 3 out of 6 packages I had sent to that post office for general delivery actually got there and stayed there long enough for me to pick up... Don't ask.

It was pretty easy using the 5k pump on the 200. All went smoothly, especially with the steering line caps. If anyone wants some let me know and I'll print some!



I also managed to wash the wheels and put a new little plastic nut on the radiator shroud cover thing. It's all in the details right?

I bought some new hoses too, but I'm not going to install them just yet until I find out if I can get a new Reservoir.

Up next, pay for and then take delivery of EFR...

Yay! I'm glad it worked out for you. I had my fingers crossed cause both were a bit of a crapshoot.

Those banjo caps are pretty nifty, though. Probably beats the classic let-fluid-dump-all-over-everything method