Velocifero

Hi everyone. I'm new to the forum (and brand), having just bought my first Audi yesterday, a slightly flawed, but otherwise beautiful 1990 V8 Quattro, for just $600! I'm located in Victoria BC, and can't wait to meet other V8 enthusiasts, and learn more about the beast I just bought.

AF Site Team

Hi Velocifero, enjoy your stay :)

zokissima

Oh, do tell about that V8. Is it running? What engine series?

Velocifero

Yep, it's running fine. I have yet to go through all the documentation, but I believe it's a 3.6L series engine. The last owner claims to have performed an engine rebuild/swap 50,000 km's ago. It starts with no hesitation whatsoever and sounds to be in good shape.

Overall, it's got 274000 km's on the frame.

The good:
-New timing belt
-Dropped suspension
-New Pirelli PZero's on Audi alloys (which look like they might be from a later model A6 perhaps)
-Most of the power group still works, including seat heaters
-Aftermarket Panasonic CD deck

The bad:
-Transmission is stuck in Sport Mode (launches in second gear for a bit of a sluggish start, and hesitantly shifts into 4th and 5th only once you're at highway speeds for a while)
-Rear power windows and sunroof inoperable
-Small steering fluid leak from a tight hose fitting
-Tach works intermittently

There might be other gremlins, but I haven't had a chance to unearth them yet.

I'd love to get everyone's opinion on the tranny issue. I've heard it could be a minor issue as easily solved as cleaning the selector switch on the centre console, or swapping out the TCM under the dashboard. What do you guys think?

A4BSSH

The real thing. Congratulations! And enjoy.

johnd12

I used to own one too.Same year.I ended up doing the timing belt on it and I replaced the hydraulic pump twice,the master cylinder plus some other items.Very reliable.There is a forum dedicated just to the V8 with a ton of great info and DIY stuff but I'm not sure if it's still around.It was audifans.com I think.
Enjoy the new car!

Velocifero

Thanks for the advice! Unfortunately, Audifans.com is offline by the looks of it. Hopefully I can get all the info I need here though.

johnd12

That was a great site.Had a ton of service procedures on it.I posted the timing belt service with pictures there.(my take on it as there was another one done by somebody else with more experience).
My wife almost had an accident because of the master cylinder so be careful with that.

Velocifero

I intend to get a mechanical inspection fairly soon, and pay extra for a pressure test on the engine so I can see how evenly the cylinders compress. The last owner says the engine is only 50,000 kms old, so we'll see if he's telling the truth...

What happened with the master cylinder on your V8?

johnd12

It was partly my fault.The brakes were acting up for a while so I should have taken action.I had to pump the brake sometimes so it was a bad thing not to take care of it sooner.I did replace the master cylinder myself.At the same time I replaced all the brake lines too.I also ended up replacing twice the hydraulic pump.It was not too bad of a job.I got it from Rick in Boise Idaho.(Import Parts Specialists).Great guy to know if he's still there.My car had 260,000km and was running perfect.
It was pearl white which I loved and had Recaro seats.