85 UR quattro

9 minute(s) of a 211 minute read

Finally got my Unicorn clips from Germany. AKA actuator clips. I only need one but got a few spares.

All the bits needed to make the center diff actuate.

Installed

10-6-2015

I checked the timing again. The cam pulley and bell housing seem to me to be as you described. I forgot to check the tab on the oil pump housing but the mark on the crank pulley lines up with the pip on the cam belt cover. Pics are not the best, soz.

10-8-2015

Popped the waste gate back on the other day. Doesn't seem to use a gasket!

Then this arrived. Can you guess what it is?

Repaired down pipe curtesy of Thompson Racing Fabrication (TRF)

I don't know much about welding but it can't be easy to weld stainless steel to cast iron. Apparently Audi didn't do a good job the first time.

I'm not installing it yet as the engine will want to lean on it while it's sitting on the dolly.

I did remove the leaking coolant reservoir though Yep, the more parts I install the more I remove. Even with the engine out Audi found a way to make it difficult to remove. This is leaking from the seam around the top. Any ideas about repairing it or does it have to be replaced. Can it be replaced?

10-11-2015

I took the subframe back out so I could clean off thirty years of oil and grime from the engine bay with a toothbrush and some degreaser.

The photos really don't show the difference but it is quite a transformation. Before:

After:

10-23-2015

Inspired by the clean engine bay I thought I'd go parts shopping. First thing to show up was this new hall sensor for the distributor. The old one broke the connector off during engine extraction but was marginal anyway. This one is meant for a Ford but seems to be a match. Not ready to disassemble the distributor right now though.

I managed to find a used coolant reservoir locally. This is after I cleaned it out. It is a slightly different shape on top but has the same part number. At least it's not in-your-face-shiny-new looking.

I thought it might be an idea to pressure test it so enlisted my bike pump. Gave it 22psi and a bath. No bubbles and it held that pressure overnight. I guess we pressure tested the pump too.

I sent off the steering rack for a refresh to Jorgen Automotive. They seem to be the authority in these matters and are only 45 minutes west of me. Sent it Monday, got it back Wednesady! Amazing turnaround. I specifically asked them not to bead blast the body as I wanted to retain the patina. Normally they would be like new when they are done.

I also sent out the turbo for rebuild but that won't be back till next week at the earliest.

Not sure what to tackle next. Might refurbish the wiper mechanism as it's slow and I can stand in the engine bay to work on it. I could open up troubleshooting the CIS system but that's probably too a big job for my current schedule, or I could add some relays to the headlights as they are a lot more accessible with the engine out. Damn, everything is a lot more accessible with the engine out on this thing.

10-26-2015

I took the wiper mechanism out of the car today because it was running slow. Typical of this car: you can see it, can remove the bolts but have to jiggle the crap out of it to extract it! Will be fun putting it back.

The theory is that the spindle bearings and joints seize up over time. I sprayed the joints with grease and greased the pivots. I couldn't say that they were seized but I believe they are now free-er at least.

Another theory is that the gear lube gets old and dry but I have to drill out rivets to get inside. Not sure about that yet.

I then installed the replacement coolant reservoir.

10-27-2015

I reassembled the wiper mechanism today and put it back in the car. Seems to work.

As I had to remove a couple of relays to make enough room I cleaned the fuse box and coated all the relay contacts with dielectric grease.

Inspired by my electrical prowess I might tackle adding relays to the headlights tomorrow. I seem to remember reading about a simple plug and play kit that was available. Anyone have a source?

12-28-2015

Oops, seems like tomorrow turned into two months. Sorry about that. Got a little distracted by wheel sales, 911 mods and this:

An 83 that looks like it wants to be a rally replica build. I'll post a link to it's buid thread once we get stuck in. But first we have to finish this one right?

So what did we do lately in that regard? Well, we received our rebuilt turbo. Like with the steering rack we asked them not to bead blast the housings.

Then we tackled replacing the Hall sensor on the distributor as ours had brocken it's connector.

We did add the headlight relay kit we got from Germany but we haven't tested it yet so perhaps we'll address that in the next update. Hopefully not two months from now.

Happy New Year!