1987 Audi 5000s Coolant Leak..

Martino, Search

archives for the words "Heater core steak knife" and you'll find a procedure for replacing the heater core - it might also be in the Knowledgebase. I've never done it, knock on fake wood desktop, but apparently it's somewhat of a beast of a job, and best tackled by removing the hood. Cheers! Steve Sears

1987 Audi 5kTQ 1980 Audi 5k 1962 and '64 Auto Union DKW Junior deLuxes (SPAM Blocker NOTE: Remove SHOES to reply)

Getting to the heater core is a time consuming task on the T44s. Still better than later models that require removal of the dash.

With some difficulty, I fear :-) It does sound like the heater core. The problem is that the core itself (which is basically a small radiator about

12 inches by 6 inches) is completely within the heater box, which houses the whole heater mechanism (flaps etc). You have to get this whole outfit out of the car, and it has to come out from the plenum chamber behind the engine bulkhead and in front of the dashboard. So you'll probably find yourself standing on the engine mountings and heaving it out - what the Haynes manual describes simply as "withdraw the heater upwards". It can be done, but it's a pig of a job. The actual changing of the core is easy and then you have to get the whole lot back in. If it's a hose rather than the core, you *might* be able to do it without taking the heater box out.

Regards

Jonathan

Thanks to for the good input!

I have a pretty good idea now.

A nigthmare would be lying upside under the dashboard on he drivers side!!!

Just a footnote:

Bot this car for $5000 under sticker in 1987 when CBS was running the Bad Audi 5000s special "unintended acceleration"

For almost 20 years now, the car has been running perfect, engine sounds just like new.

In fact the car runs and handles just like new.

Small stuff like odometer, doorhandles, window switches is no big deal to me.

Also, never had "unintended accelaration" What happened, besides causing a number of dealerships go out of business???.....

If the project is something you do not want to tackle or pay others for you could try the Q&D approach.

Get a can of coolant system st> Thanks to for the good input!

Martino, Sounds like a good car - certainly a keeper! Yeah, the 60 Minutes UI Fiasco - There's a page on the web about that crap - and that's what it was. After all, when someone originally says that they mistook the brake for the gas, and then changes their story for a TV show. see:

watch "The Insider" to see how flexible the show was at handling areal issue. As the article says: "According to NHTSA, that generation of the Audi 5000 had the lowest fatality rate of any vehicle then sold in this country, including any Volvo. So, panicked Audi owners quickly got rid of their very safe cars, only to purchase something not quite as safe. Meanwhile, they got soaked on their Audi trade-ins, because the car's resale value had plummeted as quickly as 60 Minutes' ratings had soared." - I can attest to that, having purchased my 1987 5ktq for a song. Cheers! Steve Sears

1987 Audi 5kTQ - Accelerating Controllably with Gas over C$1/litre 1980 Audi 5k - still have the Audi retrofit brake pedal shim around somewhere 1962 and '64 Auto Union DKW Junior deLuxes - acceleration? whuzzat? (SPAM Blocker NOTE: Remove SHOES to reply)