MikeVR6

While the engine is out and as the radiator is being replaced anyway... I believe SPAL fans are a lot more efficient. 11" the right size? Which of these is the better choice? Easy enough to fit? http://tinyurl.com/34osv2c http://tinyurl.com/3yxduwp

Ok, thanks for that Kev. As I said before this is all new to me and I appreciate all the advice. (If you need any IT advice PM me ;) ) Pulley's off the list. ARP bolts back on. Is a lightened flywheel worthwhile then?

Ok. Considered my options thanks to some Sage advice here. Cheers Guys! :cheers: Not going to bother with doing too much to the block itself other than a normal recondition. So chains, pistons, rings, stem seals etc.. No point fitting the thicker gasket now as it will effect the standard running of the car. I'm guessing that ARP head and conrod bolts cannot be reused once fitted? So I'll only use them if they are nearly the same price as VW items. What I will do however is have a Mocal fitted, uprated clutch, R32 baffled sump, lightened flywheel and pulleys and new ancillaries if they look like they need renewed. These can be re-used if we do a block swap later. Next year I'll get Vince to give the block a once over before we go Turbo. If needs be he can swap a 2.8 in at the time and at least my 2.9 will be in good nick and sell easily. In the meantime I should hopefully have hassle free motoring. (touch wood)

Hopefully she'll be back on the road by then. Still compiling the list of things to do.

Sold as seen! I checked all the usual things. Missed the aux coolant pump mind. I think the previous owner had a set of bearings thrown in so he could sell the car. Silicon sealant around the sump certainly points to that. How to prove it though. It was the drive back to Germany that undid the bodged repair. I wasn't sparing the horses and it was a 500 mile drive. Oil temp hit 138 degrees at one point before I eased off. Buyer Beware :( So is everyone running a SC or Turbo using a 2.8 engine? How many rows should I go for the oil cooler? I'll be talking to Vince tomorrow anyway to order a load of bits.

I know exactly what you mean. I wasn't planning on starting any of this until next year. Now I may as well go the whole hog as the engine is kaput!

Ok. So just bore out the bare minimum. Vince advised 82.5mm pistons and rings. Just added SAMCO's, Waterpump, Oilpump, Thermo Housing and ARP bolts to the list. Oil Cooler I guess too. What size? Do the MOCAL coolers come with all parts required to fit? Been looking at http://www.arz-tuning.de as they seem to be a fairly well known local supplier (I'm in Germany). Looks like they carry most of this stuff. Although they do "Racimax" oil coolers and the smallest one is 16 row. Any good?

Ain't got a clue mate. But I know it's been done before. I know about polishing cars not working on the mechanicals. Hence the thread :)

Keep the updates coming. This is of particular interest to me, being in the same position. Have you got the part numbers for the Rad Cover and Bonnet Prop? I'm gonna register on VAGCAT now.

Might go to 3.1 ltr though as I've read on here the standard engine can still be reliable at that spec. Budget is not the over-riding factor here as the work needs to be done anyway. So best get everything done at once. I'm just reading your thread now volksworld13 as it seems you've been down the same road as me.

Decided to start a new thread as I have now had the problem with my engine diagnosed and found a reputable local engine specialist to do the rebuild. These guys are build low production volume engines and gearboxes for VW, Toyota, Nissan, Audi. So they know their stuff. But they are now a tuning house. They don't know about aftermarket mods and such. Here are a few pics they have taken during the stripdown. All these parts have been given a good clean before the photos. Aux Coolant Pump - Possibly the culprit Pistons - Badly Scored on one side. Smooth on the other Cylinder Head - All the bores are badly scored Cylinder Bore Closeup - Really need to run your finger over the bore and "feel" the damage Clutch - Borderline Sump - Battered to Death! My lovely NEW car! Work that must be done. - Cylinders Bored out - Oversized Pistons - Conrod Bearings - Clutch - Chains and Tensioners - Water Pump - Aux Coolant Pump - All Gaskets and bolts - A/C Drier - A/C Condenser - Radiator - Aux Belt and Tensioner - Replace Sump Now. Since I am going to keep this car for a long time and plan on Super or Turbo Charging it at Stealth next year. What else should I get replaced. Or what uprated parts should I fit in place of standard. Uprated Head Gasket? Lightened Flywheel? That sort of thing. I want this engine to be bombproof!

Lucky sod Andy! Good luck with the new project Shaun. Can I ask where you got the Storm mats from? Was it Justmatz by any chance?

Will do Rick. Once I get her running right. A set of 16" BBS or RH rims and a full Miltech system with oval pipe will be next on the list. Suspension is still good. Was it 2008 when it was fitted?

They did include all the extras. They seem to think it won't be possible to find a 2.9 VR6 for some reason.

Kev what engine would you recommend then to replace the VR? From the quote (in German) I can see they priced a 4 motion engine from VW.

Flash Red had a terminal problem with its ABS. Numerous sensors, 2 pumps, a new loom and 3 ECU's and it still wasn't working! No MOT no value :( Headgasket was gone too and compression down on cylinder 1. So she's gone to a mechanic friend of mine who will convert her to 20vt and get her resprayed. Picked a Mystic Blue Storm up at the weekend. Formerly belonged to Rick here on the forum. Unforunately the owner between me and him had neglected her a bit. Got some engine gremlins to sort out. Here's a few quick pics...

I think the previous owner did a "quick" repair by throwing some bearings in so he could sell the car. Can't prove that at the moment. Will know for sure on Tuesday. Oil was remarkably clean for a car that hadn't been serviced in 10,000 miles Car had been neglected Rick I think the guy didn't have the means or facilities to take care of it. I dropped it round to a local engineering works here in Cologne who make specialist engines for Toyota, VW and BMW. They really made a fuss of it when I called in. The technician working on it has a G60 himself. Worst comes to worst. They quoted me €4500 - €5000 to stick a brand new R32 engine in. Hopefully it won't come to that though!

Thanks Kev. Think if the engine is Kaput it may be 24v time.

Ok. Took her to a specialist engine builder today. On first hearing the engine he reckoned a conrod bearing had gone. A little further investigation and he disconnected the sparkplug for cyclinder one. The noise disappeared immediately. So possibly the "cylinder pin" or cyclinder itself. They're going to take the engine out and examine it. I should know the diagnosis next Tuesday. Whatever the fault is, I may as well get the chains, tensioners and clutch done while the engine's out. Currently on 93k miles. I'll keep the updates coming.

It's doing it all the time. I have 6 litres of magnatec here. I'll get the garage to change the oil for me. If it's tappets. Is it safe to drive? I think the last service was 10k ago. So it's due anyway. I'll be changing the oil every 5k from now on. Previous owner didn't have the £££ to run a VR.

This is exactly what mines doing........ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6abuQAvV ... re=related (This is not a video of my car BTW)

Took the car over to the Bosch serice center where I work. Had to go there anyway to get an Emmission Control Zone sticker for it. He had a listen, shook his head and sucked a bit of air through his teeth. He said it needs some serious engine work. Not something he would take on. But he gave me the name of a place that rebuilds engines. He reckoned €3k for a rebuild. Not really satisfied with this diagnosis though. So I've put feelers out on the German forums for a VW Specialist in the area. Hopefully someone will come back to me. The bloody thing was only built about 100 miles away in Essen!

The oil use doesn't really bother me. I expected to burn a bit off on the journey. What does worry me is the excessive temperatures. 138 degrees is pretty scary. Plus this noise coming from the top of the engine. I'll make a video clip later and post it up. Think I'll look into getting a Mocal. Where does it fit in the engine bay? It's pretty crowded in there! If you're going to the 'Ring give me a tinkle. It's only 60 mile from me and I go there once a month.

Quantum Synta Gold 5/40 Fully Synthetic. Still sounds like a bicycle even after topping up.

How do I check that Kev? It's illegal to work on your car in a shared garage in Germany. So I gotta be careful when I poke under the bonnet. Ozervise I vill be reported to ze Gestapo! :hitler: (always wanted to use that smiley!)