Exploding Distributor Cap...

[thompers@together.net (Thompson Smith)]

Message posted for my bro...

Here's a good one for everyone...

My younger bro owns a Titan Red metalic '86 5KCStq and just recently had
his distributor cap explode apart on him....?  He lives at 7800 feet in Tahoe,
daily driver,  regular guy, minimal maintenance dude. (Never changed it I
bet...)
He said that it..."looked as if it got burned and blew apart ... scattering
brick red plastic everywhere, with a blackend look"  I told him that the
Audi gods had let a big "dist cap fart..." and that he needed to spend some $$$.
A new cap fixed that one.

Next good one...

The same bro, and quattro went for a long drive with the wife and kids from
Lake Tahoe, CA down into the depths of Arizona, through the Mojave, to
San Clemente, etc... and back to Lake Tahoe.  On the trip he noticed on a slight
steady uphill, (1.1 bar~ or 1.2 bar) and that he felt a random "engine
miss/skip" at
75mph or 3000 rpm's...?  Temp, 90 degrees outside and less than a 1/8 of a tank
of petrol..... hmmm.  Could this be a vapor lock...?  or something more
severe...?
After filling up with petrol he said that all was normal, what gives...??  Was a
sensor acting up...?

After replacing the dist. cap he also changed plugs (WR7DC). I thought that
the orig plug wires could be shot and recommended replacing those as well,
possibly
contributing to the engine miss....?

Looking forward to tons-o-responses.... please help

Thompson Smith-
Art Director/QCUSA
1983 Ur-quattro #568
1986 5000CS tq pearly wifes car.