emax

Thanks for all the help guys, very much appreciated. I have got the Injectors firing using the VAG-COM tests so I know that it isn't a wiring problem there. Going to go to the car just now (via Halfords to pick up some contact cleaner) to clean the relays to see if that solves it. Failing that, I'll check the voltage on the fuel pump itself (although I can hear it prime when I turn on the ignition).

Thanks Kev. I'll be going back out to the car tomorrow so I'll try cleaning the relay just in case that solves it! Cheers.

I guess the next thing is to check to see if fuel is actually getting into the piston? I don't have a plug lead removal tool so I'll need to try to source one of them from VAG first. Plug 1 did look very dry when the AA removed it (which is normally a good sign on a VR engine!!) Thanks

Hi Kev, Pretty sure it isn't the fuel pump as the injector rail did seem to be pressurised. When the AA man removed the fuel line, fuel went pissing everywhere! Besides, I'm pretty sure I can still hear the pump prime when I put the ignition to stage 2. The car is now fitted with a Toad immobiliser. If it was the immobiliser, would that not stop the spark too?? The car is a '94 coil pack model. Thanks.

Thanks Supercharged. I was told that it couldn't be the crank sensor as that would stop the spark too.

My car has just died and I'm looking for pointers of things to check. I was up North with a friend doing some walking and the car had been running great. Then, all of a sudden on a B road, the engine just died. It was extremely sudden, it didn't go through a phase of misfiring or anything, just died immediately as I was driving along. Tried to restart and there was absolutely no sign of life as the starter turned so called out the AA. After about 30 mins, I tried again and it started, ran roughly, and died within 2 secs. When the AA guy arrived, he checked plug #1 to see if it was oiled up as he thought it was overfuelling (hmmm). Plug was dry and sparking, so no problem there. He then pulled the fuel line and fuel went pouring over the engine (!!) so we seem to have fuel too. I've had the car towed down to a friend's driveway in Kirkcaldy which is near Star Performance so that it'd be easier to tow it in if I can't sort it myself. Star are shut until the 5th so I'm going to see if I can diagnose the problem myself before then and if I have no luck, I'll give up and let them have a look. VAG-COM showed no relevant faults (a couple relating to the Lambda). Like I said, the car had been running well with no signs of problems and it died very suddenly. There were no nasty noises or anything. Temps were all normal before death and the car still has all its oil/coolant! I was given some advice to check Relay 109 which I did by checking for a voltage between the red/blue wire on the MAF (apparently, this also feeds the injectors) and the engine block with the igntion on stage 2. I got 12v Any other ideas/suggestions/theories are very much appreciated.

Before you shell out for it, double-check it's getting power. I had the same problem and VW quoted me an astronomical figure for a new one. Turned out that the wiring between the battery and the ABS Pump had died which is slightly cheaper to put right ;-)

Thanks for your help Supercharged, I sent them some pics and, although the damage isn't covered by the guarantee, they are willing to supply an individual lead for £14 (incl VAT) + £3.50 postage. Thanks for your help ;-)

Thanks Supercharged, do you think they'd take it back even if the breakage was due to misuse? As the lead was trapped and physically damaged, I'm wondering if the warranty would cover it... I guess it might be worth a try but my car could be out of action for quite a while if I sent the lead back and waited for them to decide as they're in the US.... unless someone in central Scotland has a spare lead they'd lend me in the meantime in exchange for a couple of beers ??? ;-)

My VR started firing on 5 cylinders last week. I had a good check around under the bonnet and discovered that the #1 lead had been trapped by the earthing bracket that's on my Schrick. The insulation was damaged and the lead was shorting to ground. I've carried out a temporary repair with insulation tape but I'm looking to replace the lead. AFAIK, Blue Igniters can only be bought as a complete set. Does anyone have a spare Blue Igniter lead for #1 (or I guess #4) that they'd be willing to sell? If so, how much?? Failing that, I'll just order up another standard lead from VW. Much appreciate any help you can give.

I'm in the market for a socket set at the moment and was looking at Britool stuff etc on eBay. Just checked Halford's website this morning and the Pro 150 piece set is now down to a bargain £99.99 (from £149.99) again. I missed this deal by two days last time!!! Reserved mine and picking it up later on today. http://www.halfords.com/opd_product_det ... e=0&cat=68

Obviously the one I raced wasn't the 272bhp version then!!!

It was a private plate so not sure what year. I joined the motorway at about 50 and saw him boot it so I changed down to third and used the higher revs. No way would I want to try to out-torque one of these things!!!!

I don't normally get involved in these situations on the road but I had a go at a 330d yesterday on a dual-carriageway. I was behind him coming down the slipway to join and he floored it, I stayed with him until I decided things were getting silly at about !20mph. I know he was trying too, kept seeing the odd puff of smoke out the rear pipes. I was quite surprised that the VR could stay with one of these!

Thanks. I spoke to Star before driving it in this morning. They said it should be ok as long as I drive it gently.

Turns out I had an oil AND a coolant leak. The former was caused by the filler cap's seal not being good. Got a new cap on Friday. My coolant leak seems to have confused me (I thought it was oil due to the stains at the car park at work). Anyway the coolant light came on on my way home from work on Friday. I wasn't paying attention and didn't look properly, assuming it was the oil light (idiot!). As I'd stopped in a bad area (pulled over straight away) I put in about a litre of oil. Only when I drove off did I notice that it was the coolant light! This figures with the area of the leak which was the same as here: http://www.gti-vr6.net/library/engine/r ... using.html So it looks like it was the thermostat houseing/seals. I don't think I'll have done any damage in driving it home, there was still some coolant in the expansion tank and I only drove about 6 miles (3 with the coolant light on). Coolant temp was normal on the gauge.

I've just managed to over-fill my VR by about 1 litre. It's going into Star Performance tomorrow to sort out a coolant leak anyway (about 15 miles). Will it damage the engine/cat if I drive it this distance and let them drain the excess (I don't have the tools to hand you see)?

Hi Roger, Pretty sure I'm not over-filling it. The car has done 3,000 miles trouble-free. In which time, I have had to add a total of 0.5 a litre. I've been checking the oil in the morningl, first thing, when the engine is stone cold and then adding as necessary. I always err on the side of under, rather than over-filling as I don't fancy buying a new cat any time soon :-) I'll get to the bottom of this as it is starting to leave a nasty stain in the carpark at work!!!

Vortech, I'm keeping it topped up at the maximum level so no worries about siezing ;-) Like I said, if I drive it really gently and it drops no oil.

Thanks guys. I'll remove the plastic lead guide and investigate the CPS area. I'm going out tonight so I'll take a look later in the week and take some pics if it's still not clear. Oil pressure is normal (4bar plus at 3,000rpm when warmed up). I guess oil spreads a lot more on a smooth, flat surface but it still is a heck of a lot. I've put in about half a litre in the space of a few days driving!!! The thing that surprised me is that the leak came suddenly. After months of not dropping _ANY_ oil, it seemed very sudden. Can the RC Gasket fail so suddenly? Anyway, I'll check it out and get back.

Strangely this dumping of oil seems to be intermittent. If I drive the car really gently (no full throttle and If I drive the car a bit harder (occasional ~ 4,500 RPM bursts) it drops a 2-3ft diameter puddle from the Rocker Cover area. I don't know if this sheds any more light?

I think it is a little higher up than them. They still look pretty clean. Thanks

My VR has sprouted a sudden oil leak. Yesterday and today, when I park up and leave the car for a few minutes, I have noticed a substantial deposit of oil underneath the engine. It seems to be coming from the passenger's side of the engine and stems from the rocker cover area. I don't think it is anything sinister like a head gasket problem -the car still runs fine, no mayo on the oil cap and normal oil pressure. It has hardly used any oil in the last 3,000 miles until it started to piss out yesterday. I recently loosened the spline bolts that hold the plug lead guides on that side of the engine to check the wiring on the CPS and one of the bolts had been rounded (not by me!). I tightened this bolt loosely as I didn't want to have problems getting it out again next time. Do these spline bolts also have another purpose? Like holding the rocker cover in place?? Any other ideas?

Interesting, thanks for that. I'll check the connections out and see if I can get to the bottom of it. Cheers :wink:

Not bad actually. I'm on the case (with some help from a clued-up mate) on diagnosing the idling/hesitation problems with my newly-ordered VAGCOM. The injector-related problems cleared up with the recondition which was great - she always starts cleanly now although the revs sometimes flare up to around 2k when the engine catches which I don't like but I think a lot of them do that... The only other question mark was the low compression on #2 which the garage thought was down to worn piston rings.... Not convinced there's anything wrong with my engine so left this one for now. Car still pulls very well; uses about 1/2 litre of oil (if that) every 3k miles and there's no smoke from the exhaust on the overrun which makes me think that the piston rings can't be in too bad a state after all... Was sorely tempted by the charger group by but have resisted the urge due to the caning that the missus would give me if she realised the cost!!! These BMC's sound interesting but at the price, I think I'd want to know for sure so I'll try to go along to the next local meet and see if I can hear one for myself. Thanks for describing the sound though! If you're giving it the thumbs up that counts for something as I know you're not a fan of the induction cones anymore than I am!