Roger Blassberg

Hasan, If the pedal travel is not abnormally long and you are confident that the pads and discs are in order, it would point to a failure of the brake servo or the vacuum supply to it. Best wishes RB

It is indeed position 4 (4th from left on top row), also known as the load reduction relay. Best wishes RB

I woul say, "Don't!" The metal is quite thin, you need to maintain the close tolerances in the injector ports where the seals are located and you certainly do not want abrasives or powder in the fuel runners. Give it a going over with wet and dry and a lick of matt black paint. It's pretty well concealed by the manifold anyway. Best wishes RB

Yes, it's to do with the X-relief relay. It controls the supply of current to all sorts of circuits while the engine is being started Can't remember which one that is, bit it's cheap enough to replace. Best wishes RB

Must pay more attention. Must pay more attention. Must,,,,,,,,, RB

All the brakes would be binding if the master cylinder were sticking. I would be inclined to take the front calipers off their carriers and make sure that the slider pins are not sticking as a first approach. Then take the pads out and clean the backplates and the caliper carrier where the pads sit, and apply a touch of copper grease (not to the friction surfaces, obviously!!) to ensure that the pads are moving freely. It is not unknown for flexible hoses to collapse inside and to hold some pressure after the brake pedal has been released, so new hoses may be required. Best wishes RB

Gaz, They are available, on back order but stupidly expensive - over £50 from VAG !! I cannibalised a throttle body I got from ebay, and got a spare TPS into the bargain. Mookie let me know your email address (by private message if you prefer) and I'll send you a print of the set-up procedure for the damper. From the youtube video it seems to be not totally broken, there is some damping there but not over its full stroke. Best wishes RB

I'm not familiar with the G60 engine, but by stripping the belt the first time, have you not now bent a valve or two? Would this cause resistance to turning which would increase with rate of rotation causing the second belt to fail ? (Of course that doesn't answer the question, "Why did the first belt fail?") How tightly did you do up the camshaft bearing caps? Certainly on a 16V ABF engine the caps are done up to "only" 11 ft.-lb. which surprised me. Are you using belts of a known good quality and correct specification? (Sorry, but it has to be asked.........) Best wishes RB

The set-up is described in the Bentley manual - if you haven't got it, I'll scan the relevant page and send it (assuming I can work out how to attach it to the reply !!). I had precisely the same problem and symptoms of jerky off-throttle slow running. This is what I did; 1. Replaced throttle damper and set it up as per Bentley. This made some difference. 2. Cleaned out ISV and made sure there were no air leaks on induction side. 3. Did a basic settings to ensure that the throttle position sensor was coordinated with the ECU. This helped too, but not completely. 4. Got a good second-hand MAF; (they are not necessarily goood just because the engine doesn't stall if you disconnect it at idle.) Make sure the connector and the platinum wire are clean, and check the wiring for continuity back to the ECU. This was a further improvement, but still had occasional stalling when de-clutching from over run conditions (like throttle closed going downhill). 5. Disconnect 42 pin connector on the side of the cylinder head (with the ignition OFF !!), clean pins and socket with contact cleaner and re-seat the connector. This significantly improved idle and general running. The electrics for all the injectors and for the ISV go through here so any bad connections are bad news. 6. Had all injectors ultrasonically cleaned and filters replaced. FINALLY !! Perfect idle, no stalling, greatly improved starting and fuel economy. For good measure also put in a new set of standard issue NGK spark plugs. The difference is like night and day - it will trickle through traffic in 4th gear with no snatching and surging and, best of all, no stalling at junctions. Try these. In the meantime, I'll try to remember to send you the damper set-up procedure RB

I think more than £200. You will need the seal itself, new flywheel bolts and it will be sensible to have a good look at the top chain tensioner assembly and the chain guides. Put in a new clutch if the seal has been leaking oil into the bell housing. Best wishes RB

Vagcom won't show up injector problems such as blocked microfilters or nozzles but it will show electrical failures such as earth and signal faults. Undo the big 42-pin connector on the side of the cylinder head, spray pins and socket with contact cleaner and reseat the connector - all the injector and ISV signals go through there. It might be worth pulling out the injectors and having them serviced ([email protected] ). He charges about £70 plus postage. You can usually find a spare set on ebay for £20 -£30, they are the same as for the Golf VR6 AAA engine, (Bosch part no. 0280150956, VAG part no. 021 906 031A). Of course it's a fair bit of a fiddle to get at the injectors - you have to take off the inlet manifold, but I did mine recently and it made a big difference to the smooth running and the idle, as well as improved fuel economy. Fuel pump relay is a cheap and worthwhile try as well. I assume that the air filter is clean and that you have checked for air leaks on the induction side MAF is a perennial problem, difficult to prove that it definitely is or is not at fault, but if you can get someone with a known good one to try it on your car that should narrow it down. Where are you? I can help if you are near to St Albans/Herts Beds border. Best wishes RB

I have a cracked screen and have booked Autoglass to come to my house to replace it. I recall that when I had it done some years ago, the fitters that time (RAC) insisted that the job should be done in the workshop, but Autoglass made no such stipulation. Has technology moved on or are they just being slap-dash? I intend to be there whilst the work is done - are there any common workmanship problems that people here have noticed such as bad practice, damage to seals, poor work generally?? I don't want to have to call them back to sort out problems. Best wishes RB

Yes they are the same. I have the original ones from my Corrado, part nr. 021 906 031A, sitting on the bench, needing the treatment. Yours for £25 ono, plus postage; PM me if you are interested. Best wishes RB

Latest news on this. I did as suggested, bought a spare second-hand set on eBay and gave them to MrInjector (see reference earlier) who ultrasonically cleaned them, and replaced the filters and seals, for a grand total of £73. There is a £7 charge for return registered postage if you need it. They are now in my engine which is running very noticeably more smoothly with a rock-steady and consistent idle. The additional bonus is about 10% better fuel consumption (admittedly over a relatively short period, but I think it is a fair estimate). All gaskets from cylinder head to throttle body have been renewed. The heavy load pinking has gone, so there was probably an air leak somewhere. I thoroughly recommend MrInjector (Steve Biggs, 07860350390, near Stevenage Hertfordshire). He gave me a guided tour of his workshop and showed me exactly what he does and all the equipment he uses to test, service and report the work. The process took a couple of days to turn the injectors around and they come back pristine and restored to good order. As an indication, the spray patterns were restored from generally uneven and ill-defined to excellent, and the flow rate was improved by up to 8,5% on one of the six, with an average of over 5% overall. Best wishes RB

Despite what you say, it sounds like the crank position sensor - starts then dies almost immediately. It will run without a good cam position sensor, you just won't get sequential fuelling and you'll be down on power. As an alternative, perhaps the ignition switch is faulty; they are cheap enough (get a genuine VAG one though) just awkward to change. Unfortunately, the crank position sensor will ALWAYS show a fault with a stationary engine, which can be confusing; try taking it out and cleaning it. Best wishes RB

To disconnect ignition, take the centre HT lead from the distributor cap, or the multi-connector from the coilpack, depending on the ignition type. Alternatively, pull the fuel pump relay or the ECU relay from the fuse/relay panel. Best wishes RB

Interested to know how you will be getting 380 hp from a 2.0l 16V Best wishes RB

Put it on axle stands to save flat-spotting the tyres and doing in the wheel bearings. Get a dehumidifier kit from Robert Dyas or similar (plastic box with calcium chloride crystals inside, about £5 ) and put it in cabin. Close windows. Disconnect ignition and spin the engine on the starter once in a while to get oil pressure up - lubricates bores, camshafts and crankshaft. Starting it and running it stationary will almost certainly leave a lot of acidic moisture in the exhaust system which will shorten its life Trickle charge battery occasionally. Pump brake pedal and pull up handbrake sometimes to keep pistons and mechanism free. Leave handbrake off so as to stop pads from sticking to discs. Put money into piggy bank regularly so that you can get back on the road asap. Best wishes RB

Thanks. RB

The flexible fuel lines on my VR6, leading up to the fuel rail on the inlet manifold, are perished and dangerous looking, especially at the fuel rail connections. I have ordered new ones, and would be grateful for any tips on fitting them. How far down is the connection to the steel pipes? Are there any pitfalls in fitting them, apart from the obvious fact that there is bound to be a spillage of some fuel ? Best wishes RB

I have a spare ABS ECU with traction control (EDS) from a Passat B4 VR6. I think its the same part as the Corrado, if it turns out that you need it. Let me know. Best wishes RB

Thanks for all interest and replies; I'll get in touch with Mr Injector, he's just up the road from me. Cylinder 6 seems to be the hottest running one, grey/white deposit on the plug (not oil, surprisingly for that cylinder on a 212K mile engine). I didn't renew the throttle body gasket (re-used the old one) when I did the chains job, so there may be a leak there. I'll get new seals and gaskets on and take it from there. Using standard NGK plugs by the way, so the heat rating should be ok. Anyone know offhand the Bosch and VAG part numbers for the injectors on an ABV engine? Best wishes RB

Assuming that the standard VR6 injectors can be cleaned and serviced, can anyone recommend a reputable fuel injector cleaning company please?. I still get light pinking under full throttle acceleration, and one or two (but not all) spark plugs indicate lean running. Thanks Best wishes RB

Yes, the connector is the big cylindrical one near the coilpack. Quarter turn anticlockwise and then it pulls off. I gave mine a good spray with contact cleaner on to both sides, then let it dry and reseated it. Also spray the wire inside the MAF and the six-pin connector. They are supposed to self clean when you switch the ignition off. Best wishes RB

Could also be a MAF or ISV issue; I had the same problem when mine went through a phase of rough running, unstable idle and stalling. Also check that the dashpot on the throttle body is damping the throttle closure properly - if it is dropping closed suddenly that may be your problem. Those dashpots are stupidly expensive from VAG; I bought a spare TB on ebay, complete with dashpot and throttle position sensor and cannibalised it for parts. Have you had the battery disconnected recently? If you have, do a basic settings to coordinate the throttle position sensor with the ECU. I checked out the ISV and cleaned it, made sure that there were no vacuum leaks, changed the MAF for a known good one and (most effectively) cleaned the contacts and reseated the 42 pin connector on the side of the cylinder head which deals, amongst other things, with signals to the injectors and the ISV. It now runs very much more smoothly and that lurching at very low throttle openings has disappeared. And the stalling problem seems to have gone away too..... Famous last words. Best wishes RB