sworley77

iTrader: (1)

I have a 2 fold problem which I am hoping to receive some advice on. Any replies are greatly appreciated.

1) I snapped 2 belts on my drive home from the gym today. My mechanic said it was probably best to replace all the belts since we were going to have to take them all off to get to the alternator belt. The other belt that snapped was the A/C belt. We changed them all and when tightening them he was having problems with the bolt that is under the air pump. We tightened the rest the best we could and discovered the head of the air pump bolt snapped off when loosening it. It appears that everything is tight and I was able to drive the car the rest of the way home which is roughly 9 miles at highway speeds (okay, I go 80mph on the hwy.) My question is, if everything remains tight and am diligent in checking it, should I be worried that the underside bolt is not tight?

I really don't have the money to take the car to the shop and have them remove the fan and whatever else they need in order to get to the bolt, drill it out and re-install. It is above my mechanic's friend time limits and my ability.

2) This is at least the third bolt that has broken, stripped or been a pain-in-the-azz to get off. To me it is not surprising that I've found so many bolts in what amounts to roughly 60 days of owning the car. It appeared it had sat for a long time and I have been making my way through AaronCake's recommended maintenance after purchasing the car. This and replacing the thermostat and hoses were the last things to do. Is my assumption correct, there will be a lot of bolts that will break since it is 22 years old and likely sat for a period of time and likely neglected for a period before that? Or should I be looking in to a new mechanic who is not prone to breaking these bolts? My friend appears to me to know a lot about cars and even better, he works for beer money. On top of that I've known the guy for years and wouldn't want to blame him without reason.

Thanks again,

misterstyx69

iTrader: (142)

air pump bolt..easy..drill it right out and use a through bolt..done.
Now if you are asking if you should get your Beer Buddy to work on your car then that is up to you.Just make sure you have lots of penetrating lube..for the Bolts,man....For the BOLTS!.( I kill myself sometimes.hahaha!)

sworley77

iTrader: (1)

So, can I drive the car without the bolt secured?

I'm not really mechanically inclined and I don't have the tools either. I'll have to take it to a shop.

misterstyx69

iTrader: (142)

No,I did not say that.
I said that to replace the bolt was easy.

If your bike chain was loose and you peddled like mad,would it stay on?
If the belt loosens the air pump at all,it will slip off and take anything it can OUT.I had it happen and I had just put on new belts..chomped the hell out of them.

Now you can drive the car,but at your own risk.
You could also,just to save the belt,remove it to get to where you want to go..if it is a 86-88 S4...the S5 may not be so friendly with the VDI operating off the air pump.
S4 aux ports are activated by exhaust back pressure.

sworley77

iTrader: (1)

Thanks Mr. Styx

I think I'll get my hands dirty and see what I can do tomorrow. I've resisted driving the car any long distances and luckily it has held up. I know drilling out the bolt should be easy, I'm more worried about what I have to remove to get to it.