Roger Blassberg

You are very welcome. I get all, well, most, of my spares from Murray MacDonald in Hatfield (01707 272686) which isn't that far from you, including the Beru coilpack which I think was about £130. Best wishes RB

For starters I would just check that all the electrical connections are clean and secure, the 5-pin low voltage connector and all six HT leads. I don't think a new coilpack is £300 - I bought a new one a couple of years ago for less than half that amount. Best wishes RB

Could be a defective coil pack; if one circuit goes down it will cut a pair of cylinders out. Best wishes RB

Answer or question? Probably both........ :sleeping: I'll do anything to get to the magic 1000 posts Best wishes RB

David, how long have you been saving that picture up, in the hope that it would eventually be useful?? :lol: Best wishes RB

There's a releasing agent called " Rost-off Ice" made by Wurth; as the name suggests it freezes the joint and cracks the rust, allowing the penetrant to do its work. It's worked for me. I'm always wary of using heat - certainly an oxy-acetylene torch is a bit too much in inexperienced hands as you can start melting things fairly quickly. The fire risk is a bit worrying too, and the heat soaks into all sorts of places you would rather didn't get hot. Then there's potential changes to metallurgy and distortion. Blacksmithery belongs to the steam engine age! Best wishes RB

Just think of the dilema I have with my S-Type R Jaguar with different sized wheels and tyres front/rear and directional tyres - no two wheels are the same. So the only options are either a space saver, which looks and performs somewhat poorly compared to a 275mm wide normal tyre, or run-flat tyres which are generally rather harsh and expensive. As has been said already, I doubt if in an emergency, reverse running is a major issue at sensible speeds and it would almost certainly give better control than a space-saver. Why not have a symmetrical tyre on the full size spare wheel - is that legal in tandem with an asymmetrical one on the same axle? Best wishes RB

Did you disconnect the ECU ? Or the battery? If so, settings will have been lost and will need to be re-learnt. Best wishes RB

Any 5 stud Passat B4 (that is ABF 16V or AAA VR6) has the 288mm setup. Best wishes RB

Partly to answer my own question, I went to VAG about the brake pipes; apparently a lot of the pre-formed ones are no longer available as such. The official advice is to have them made up from stock material to suit individual shapes. Thanks for all responses. Best wishes RB

Pinking/knocking is more of a metallic clattering noise than a chuffing. The engine will run with defective knock sensor(s), Best wishes RB

Yes the standard 280mm caliper is Lucas/Girling. The 288mm caliper, the one with the big spring retainer across the outside, is ATE. Best wishes RB

I'm about to rebuild the rear calipers with new seals and to replace the flexible hoses. Looking in the Bentley manual it advises to pre-bleed the calipers before mounting them onto the carriers - why is this? Surely I can just bleed them normally once they are fitted. I assume that the pressure regulator valve has to be clamped in the open position when the back of the car is off the ground to allow fluid to flow; is that why they advise pre-bleeding? So far as you know, are all the pre-formed steel brake pipes still available from VAG? - one or two of them look a bit ragged so it would be a good idea to do them too whilst the system is open. Thanks RB

You are right! I checked out the MOT requirements and it seems that you must have a right side exterior mirror and one other, either a left side exterior OR an interior mirror. So I can get it on the road and then throw myself on the mercy of Autoglass or similar. Thanks again RB

Have you disconnected the live feed to the starter motor terminal, cleaned it really thoroughly to bright metal, and reconnected it? And the same for the earth cable to the bell housing? With all connections tight? Then check that the connector block on the solenoid is properly fixed. Best wishes RB

Thanks for all your responses. I'll have to get it done for the MOT I suppose , the car is currently on a SORN. Best wishes RB

The rear view mirror fixing plate has come away from the windscreen. Do I need a special adhesive, or can I use superglue or Araldite without damaging the glass? Thanks RB

There is a very comprehensive step-by-step guide in the Knowledge Base to doing the chains, guides and tensioners. But it's an extensive job, and entails removing the gearbox so you need heavy lifting/supporting gear - one or two trolley jacks and a support beam - plus a comprehensive set of tools. The parts aren't cheap (2 chains, 2 guides, 2 tensioners, all the seals and gaskets you will want to replace whilst it's apart, a new clutch, and lots of Elastoplast for your knuckles). Stealth, in Southam, will do the whole job if it is too daunting for you. If the chain has jumped the sprockets there is every likelihood that the top tensioner blade has worn right down; I wouldn't drive it because it might jump again which could lead to valves hitting pistons; then you'll have a head rebuild to factor in to your woes. Keep at it ! I have just finished the timing gear job on mine (I took my time, as the C is not my daily driver) and it now runs like a dream. Best wishes RB

If you have a fluctuating low voltage input to the coil and no high voltage output, the coil is duff (I assume you are shorting an HT lead of known continuity to earth to check for a spark.) The "backfire" you heard could have been a bang from the coil as it blew - was there a burning insulation smell at all? I had that happen once on my Passat. RB

Have you checked that the timing chains are intact - are the camshafts rotating with the crankshaft? (see comments previously). Distributor or coilpack? If distributor, does it rotate with the crankshaft? Is the rotor arm going round? It has been known for the keyway inside the rotor arm to shear off, the spindle rotates but the rotor arm slips. Best wishes RB

Well, if the oil is only on the threads of the plugs and not on the electrodes or insulator, you don't have a problem at all with bore or piston ring wear. Maybe the camshaft cover gasket is weeping oil into the plug recesses and it is running down to the plugs. It's a relatively straightforward job to replace the gasket (once you have got the top half of the inlet manifold off, which can be frustrating as the 7 socket head screws are not easily accessible and will be tight). Best wishes RB

I agree with the others. Unless you have serious issues, such as proven bore wear and huge oil consumption, then the most you will need is a head refurb and the usual chains/guides/tensioners jobs. Mine is currently on 204,000; it's a little bit oily on the plugs but nothing serious. Best wishes RB

A short engine will be block, crank, rods and pistons. How oily are the plugs? If it still "rockets along", and doesn't pour out clouds of smoke, I would live with it for at least a while. 145,000 isn't a huge mileage especially if you have had the head done (and probably the timing chains, guides and tensioners). Do the plugs actually foul up to the extent that they misfire? What rate of oil consumption are you getting? Best wishes RB

Just take the oil filler cap off and watch the camshaft as you turn it over on the starter to see if the chain has broken. If it turns the camshafts, the chains are intact, although the tensioner may have broken leading to a jumped tooth or more. Coilpacks usually show their weakness in damp weather and gradually lose their insulation through cracks in the plastic top - most unlikely to be the cause of a sudden stop. Best wishes RB

In answer to your query about whether the ABS system will be upset by different sized rolling radii, I would have thought that the system must have an inbuilt tolerance to different wheel speeds to account for the differential action when going around corners. Best wishes RB