Roger Blassberg

I agree with you; Mel Nichols' articles were very well written. I think I'm right that he used to write for CAR magazine in the halcyon days of LJK Setright, Philip Llewelyn and George Bishop. Today we have Clarkson - amusing at times, boorish quite often - but not of the same quality. In the previous era, I would say that Denis Jenkinson was the consummate master; not only was he an enthralling jounalist, but also technically supreme. Best wishes RB

Just a gentle warning about picking up extreme loads; your large intestine breaking through into your scrotum can be one of life's less enjoyable experiences. Best wishes RB

One of the most useful gadgets is a flexible stalk with a magnet on the end for retrieving bits that you drop into inaccessible places. This can save hours of frustration. Again Halfords; relatively speaking they cost peanuts. And a can of PlusGas. If you are going to get down to suspension and brakes, a rear caliper piston winder is cheap enough at £20, and a taper joint breaker is probably even less. The list is endless of course, but there is nothing like having the right tools; there is a lot of damage you can do to the car (and yourself!!) by bodging. You just can't beat the satisfaction of doing a proper job and saving hundreds of pounds in garage bills into the bargain. My latest puchase? A really good set of overalls with lots of pockets. You only have to save one pair of jeans and a shirt from terminal oilstains and it has paid for itself. Best wishes RB

How many people know about this? About 18 months ago, an idiot ran into the back of our '94 Passat at the traffic lights - a complete "open and shut case" of 3rd party blame. We notified our insurer, and they stated that the damage repair cost was more than the value of the vehicle and that it was declared to be a Category C write off. The damage was a destroyed rear bumper and minor dents and scratches to the rear hatch door and wing. The door opens and shuts perfectly so there is no distortion to the shell. (The car is perfectly serviceable and has passed 2 MOT's in the meantime.) So I reluctantly withdrew the claim (another long story, not worth repeating) and found a 2nd hand bumper and rear door for next-to-nothing. I had the rear bumper sprayed the right colour and fitted it myself; the rear door is only slightly dented and the scratches are negligible, so the original remains in place and the spare sits in ("clutters up", according to Mrs. B ) the shed, awaiting the next opportunity for me to demonstrate my mechanical expertise. This was all 18 months ago. The car is due to be taxed at the end of June. I received no reminder from Swansea, so I rang them. They said that it needs a VOSA Vehicle Identification Certificate, otherwise I can't tax it again. So, there is a form to fill in, a fee of £36 to be paid, an appointment miles from home to be met at an inspection, and only then can I tax the car!! It's all to do with preventing the fraudulent hijacking of vehicles' identities by "ringers". It's a good idea, but very badly publicised. Be aware of this. It's very inconvenient and incidentally another way for "Them" to get their hand into your pocket. If you have had a Cat.C write-off repaired, you'll need this VIC before you can re-tax your car. I now have to rush around like a mad thing to get this all organised before the end of the month. In today's world, where we are all encouraged to re-cycle and be more responsible in the use of raw materials and resources in other aspects of life, it seems to me that the whole system is strongly biased towards throwing away cars which have been lightly and cosmetically damaged but which remain perfectly sound and useful. Just because it is 14 years old doesn't mean that a car is only worth a few percent of its original value. The irony is that it would probably realise five times the write off value if broken up into parts and sold piecemeal. Best wishes RB RB

Sounds as though the cam cover gasket has sprung a leak at the back, or maybe you spilt some oil when you last topped it up. Best wishes RB

Two things can make this simple job very much more difficult. Firstly the hexagon socket screws (8mm) that hold the carrier to the suspension arm can be very difficult to undo, as they are inaccessible, get rusted in, covered in crud, and easily round out. Give them a really good overnight soaking in WD40/Plusgas before attempting to undo them, then clear all muck and rust scale out of the socket head, hammer your hex-wrench in hard then undo. They are done up tightly and have a serrated underside to the head to stop them from loosening unintentionally. Secondly, make sure that you have the proper tool to wind the caliper piston back in; it will not simply push in. And be prepared for the bellows-type dust seal to turn with the piston and tear; very gently prise it free to loosen it in the groove in the piston to ensure that it doesn't stick. To drive the new bearing outer track into the recess in the disc, use a suitable socket or mandrel. My advice is to use genuine VAG bearings; they are maybe £5 more expensive, but there are some shockingly bad pattern parts around which you should avoid. New seals and split pins of course. You may find that the new grease caps won't fit the discs- use the old ones one you have cleaned them out. Make sure to tranfer the ABS cages fron the rear of the discs to the new ones. CAREFULLY prise them off, wire brush them and lighty tap them onto the new discs. If you distort them, you'll get an error message from your ABS warning light. New ones are about £10 each As said above, do not overtighten the hub retaining nuts; the thrust washer should be just about moveable with a screwdriver pushed against one side of it. Clean all rust scale from the caliper carriers. Fit new pads, and use copper grease on the sliding surfaces of the backing plates.Ideally use new bolts with thread compound to hold the calipers to the carriers.

Have you tried locking 2 nuts together , (please, no sniggers at the back of the room :nono: ...), and then turning the lower nut? That should unscrew the stud. Best wishes RB

Hasan, there must be a mixture of emotions there; on the one hand, "how could I have been so careless to have caused myself all this trouble?", but on the other, "thank heavens I have found out the definitive solution to the problem". And you have probably the cleanest engine in the business. And you have met some nice people on the journey....... And Spring has come at last! Best wishes RB

I don't know about that. Haven't you heard of Deutsche Normen and the Blue Max? mit freundlichen Gruessen RB

Best to turn it on about once a week to keep the seals from perishing. Best wishes RB

The elbow is a known weak point, there's a seam running along its length and that splits. New ones are cheap and easy to fit, 2 small bolts. Make sure to order the O ring at the same time. It's certainly worth trying that before spending a lot more on a radiator. Best wishes RB

And just to prove it, I have one. First registered 28 January 1994, a very auspicious day for both of us as it was a "significant" birthday for me. Best wishes RB

might be worth calling an auto transmission specialist, Hasan. I've no idea Best wishes RB

1. Assuming that the crankshaft is in one piece (sorry, just my little joke!!) the positions of all the other pistons shouldn't concern you as they will always stay in the same relationship to Nr. 1. I should think that they will all be somewhere other than tdc, because the layout of the crankshaft is not all in one plane as it would be for a straight 6. 2. Don't know. As we have said before, it SHOULD be immaterial, but Cheesewire had another opinion on that one. 3. Cam slots horizontal, and in line with each other and the face of the head, small sector up is my interpretation of the instructions, Best wishes RB

The catalytic converter can be contaminated by excess oil being blown into it. There's a warning message on the filler cap to that effect. Probably the easiest solution is to undo the filter drain plug and empty the bowl. About half a litre will come out and it's more controllable than undoing the sump drain. Best wishes RB

The noise and vibration could mean that the motor bearings are about to seize. Spin the fan by hand to see/hear if the motor is running freely (as has been said, disconnect the electrical connection first). Obviously the "slave" fan has a bearing too so check that and replace the belt. They do roar a fair bit, especially on the higher speeds. Best wishes RB

I did this a while ago on an ABF engine, essentially the same. The camshaft cover gasket comes in 2 parts, the outer part goes around the perimeter of the cover, the inner part has 4 rings joined together to surround the plug recesses. And there is a semi circular plug for the distributor end where the camshaft bearing caps have been line bored. Remove the plug leads and lay then to one side, then remove the plastic lead guides. Disconnect all supports cables and pipes to the inlet manifold and then unbolt and lift clear the top part of it. Make sure that you block the lower inlet manifold with paper or rags to stop things falling in. One or two of the support machine screws around the back, above the exhaust manifold, are inaccessible and tight; be careful not to round them out. My trusty Irwin bolt removers got me out of trouble at this stage. I found it much easier to disconnect the throttle body from the inlet manifold for reasons of access; if you do, renew the gasket on reassembly. Undo the machine screws around the periphery of the cam cover and the ones in the middle, then tap the cover to release it from the gaskets which will probably be hard and brittle. Clean the jointing surfaces of the cylinder head and cover thoroughly but carefully; do not use metal scrapers as both parts are soft aluminium. Fit the gaskets and don't forget to renew the half-moon plug at the distributor end. It will seem too big but will compress when you tighten the cover. Position the cover and check, re-check and re-re-check that all is lined up, especially the central part of the gasket surrounding the plug recesses. Tighten the cover screws as you would a cylinder head, starting in the middle and working outwards, progressively a little at a time, to the final torque (I can't remember what that is but it's not much). Dont overdo it because you'll strip a thread or distort the cover. Take out the paper or rags from the lower manifold (!!). It's a good idea to replace the gasket between the upper and lower inlet manifolds, screw it all back together and check for vacuum leaks, especially those pieces of small bore hose. And there you have it. Best wishes RB

It could well be the so-called "crack pipe". (Is it called this because it cracks or am I being a little naive for comic effect.........??). Anyway, it's a large diameter, hard, brittle plastic pipe, prone to failure, that runs across the front of the engine, connecting the bottom hose to the thermostat housing. They go wrong with no warning and then your water dribbles out. Which reminds me; I must have that prostate examination. It's a fiddly job to do (the crack pipe, not the prostate examination) but the parts are relatively cheap. Best wishes RB

Are these figures barg (gauge pressure)i.e. above atmospheric, or absolute pressure? Best wishes RB

Hasan, you have my mobile number? I'm here from about 0730 most mornings, until about 1645. Give me a call (not while you are driving of course!!) before you turn up and I'll get security to let you into the car park. Best wishes RB

I have a set made by (from memory) Irwen, or Irwin. They are sockets with a left hand very coarse conical spiral thread, each of which adapts to a small range of bolt head sizes, and just bites into the bolt as you do it up as Kev says. They are an absolute life saver. Hasan, give me a call if you want to borrow them and arrange to pick them up from the office in Greenford on your way past one day. Best wishes RB

it sounds as though the intermediate sprocket may have failed (it is in two parts, interlocked) so that the bottom chain is not driving the top one. Probably the extra stress from the seizing camshaft bearing has taken its toll. Let's hope it was not the bottom sprocket that has failed, because that is integral with the crankshaft. OK, it was a a flippant remark before, but how about getting a brand new head from Fourseasons? At that price it's a real bargain. Check out the vag price first, though. Prices go up and down like a bride's nightie.The labour charges to sort yours out are going to be very high, plus new camshaft(s). In fact, are bearing caps available separately? The other question is, "where has all the swarf from your camshaft bearing and journal gone?"Sorry to sound negative, but a total strip down may be on the cards. Best wishes, RB

OOOOOh! Why's that? I thought it just drove the oil pump, so its orientation was immaterial. By the way, despite the fact that this isn't my thread, "Happy Christmas" to all readers. Best wishes RB

Personally speaking, I would take the trouble to remove the camshaft sprockets; this will make the removal of the head so much easier as it will then be a straight lift. And think about the rebuild; do you want to try to get the top chain over the sprockets in the right orientation whilst supporting and tilting the head and risking damage to the head gasket in the process. So much easier to bed down the head and then start thinking about setting the camshaft timing. Maybe you would get it right , but probably you would get it wrong (not a comment on your expertise, but a restatement of Murphy's/Sod's Law.) Best wishes RB

Fourseasons has a BRAND SPANKING NEW head complete for £550. Have it delivered free to the East Coast and then go and get it. What a bargain. It can't weigh much more than your baggage allowance. Best wishes RB