The not quite S

[78F350]

Priorities change. In early April, I had most of the Audi engine harness connections identified and connected to various things. I powered it up and got the instrument panel/immobilizer good, it had good fuel pressure, cranked but didn't start. No bounce of the tach needle. I needed my garage for other things, so all that mess got pushed aside.
Here's the thing. I want more power. Accelerating hard from the low rpms, up through the band is a good feeling. When you are on a track with powerful cars all around, or you have it floored exiting a corner and the instructor says, "Ok, give it some gas now." the 2.5L falls a bit short. The reality is though that I am not skilled on the track yet. That extra torque will get me into trouble quicker, but not necessarily around the track faster. I will get the engine swap done, but what I need for now is to make the basic car safe and reliable as I develop my skills.
Over the last couple weeks I replaced the leaking steering rack, stripped out weight, put in a Sparco seat (then put the original seats back in), changed fluids, and thought I fixed the cooling system - which had been running hot and venting coolant.
Today I took it to the track. In hindsight I realized that this was the first time I had driven the car over 20 miles. I probably should have given it more of a workout before driving 90 miles to the track.


I managed to get two sessions in. The car felt good and handled great, but during the second, it started overheating. I decided to call it a day and focus on just getting the car home. From what I can tell, it has a leak in the expansion tank that only leaks under full pressure. The tank has looked rough since I got the car, but I was hoping to get by until I swapped the engine.


With the vent open on the coolant tank, it didn't seem to have much trouble. I made the trip home only stopping once to top off the coolant. Next DE is in two weeks. I'm hoping to have it ready again by then.