Roger Blassberg

My personal view on such critical items, ones which will be catastrophic or a serious pain if they fail, is to go for genuine VW items. I am told that Febi Bilstein stuff now comes predominantly from China - not necessarily a bad thing , but for such items I want the security of a VW guarantee which I believe is 2 years on engine parts. In the grand scheme of things, you get what you pay for. I had to replace Febi Bilstein rear wheel bearings after about 6 months, they might just as well have been made out of chocolate for all the good they were. Fourseasons in California supplied my chains etc, all complete with VAG partnumbers on the boxes and moulded into the bits themselves. Best wishes RB

The Bentley manual is your best friend on the subject of cylinder head removal. As we discussed yesterday you will have to get the camshaft sprockets away from the top chain by releasing the top tensioner bolt and then disengaging the chain. Undo the head bolts in the correct order, starting from the ends and working towards the middle. Don't use the bolts again once removed - you must use new ones for re-assembly. The head is quite heavy too, especially at arms length. You would be well advised to get a support bar for the engine to assist in the removal (and especially the replacement) of the transmission. The gearbox comes out from underneath so you need sufficient clearance. Support it on a trolley jack and gently lower it. I would suggest at least two pairs of hands. Best wishes RB

Yes, quite a few comments. You simply cannot get at the chains, tensioners and guide rails without removing the gearbox because the intermediate chain wheel and the bottom half of the chain cover are behind the flywheel housing. The engine can stay put but will need supporting when the gearbox is off; the gearbox mount holds up that end of the engine as well. I suggest that you look in the Knowledge Base - there is the most excellently documented procedure including photographs in there Until you have removed the cylinder head you cannot ascertain the level of damage to the valves and/or pistons. If there are bent valves then the associated valve guides may also be damaged - easily replaced if you have the right equipment but would entail recutting the valve seats. I would advise replacing all valve guides, springs and stem seals at this stage because you are then certain to have no more problems in that area for the next several years. Certainly it would be worth stripping the head to give it a light skim and checking all valves for straightness, even those which are apparently undamaged. Any damaged pistons would obviously have to be assessed and replaced as necessary. Best wishes RB

Oh dear!! I went to see Hasan's engine this morning and it's bad news, the crankshaft and the camshafts are no longer connected so it seems that the bottom chain has indeed broken (the top chain seems to be intact). Peering down into the innards it looks as though the intermediate sprocket teeth are mangled, so it's definitely a case of gearbox and head off to ascertain the extent of the carnage and to rebuild at least the timing gear. What a thing to happen to such a low mileage engine! (And, by ther way, to such a nice guy; thanks to Hasan and his family for their great hospitality. Best wishes RB

Unless it has already been done recently, a new set of plugs (standard NGK are perfectly adequate and can be had for about £4 each) and leads and maybe even a coilpack. Give the MFA wire a good clean with brake cleaner and some contact cleaner on the connector block. Throw in a new air filter element. These things deteriorate over time, you don't notice it until you sort them all out. The best £200 you'll spend, and your fuel consumption will benefit too................ Best wishes RB

Top tensioner pad is to the back of the top (double row/duplex) chain; it is not the same thing as the belt tensioner which is on the other end of the engine by the fuel pipes. You'll see the chain tensioner by peering down the chain aperture. The top chain tensioner bolt appears as a very large hexagon bolt head on the outside rear of the engine; lean over the engine where the top chain is seen in your picture and you can't miss it. This is the only bit of the chain tensioning apparatus you can remove without taking the gearbox off, but , frankly, don't bother at this stage because they don't go wrong as a rule. The only thing that can happen to it is for it to get blocked with dirt - it relies on oil pressure to develop its tensioning action. Tappets, also known as cam followers, are immediately below the camshafts. There is one for each cam lobe and they appear as large circular shiny shapes. In fact they are inverted buckets; under each one is a valve stem. They also rely on oil presasure to keep their adjustment and can be blocked with dirt if it unfortunately gets into the system. More likely cause of failure is wear. To get them out you need to take off the camshafts. It's all pointing to the belt end of the engine for the tapping noise, isn't it ? The starter failure seems coincidental. The only thing I haven't yet quite got my head around is why the engine stalled, unless one of the ancilliary components has completely siezed its bearings and that was enough to stop the engine via the belt. We'll get there eventually. By the way, where in Middx are you? You've got me hooked into finding out what's going on and I'm not a million miles away so might have a look for myself if you are in agreement. Send me a private message if you like. Best wishes RB

There are 2 chains; one comes up from the crankshaft to an intermediate gear, the other comes from there up to both camshafts. There are guide rails and tensioners for both chains. The only bit you can remove without taking off the gearbox is the top tensioner bolt which in turn bears against the top tensioner pad (which is the most likely area of wear, but with such low mileage is unlikely to be an issue). You can only see the top chain and the top tensioner with the gearbox still on. The belt tensioner needs to be relieved of its tension before removal by screwing a bolt (M8 from memory) into the threaded hole provided, until the pulley is clear of the belt; then simply undo the three locating bolts and it will quite literally fall off. Be careful when you do these bolts back up!! It is very easy to over-torque them and strip the threads in the aluminium head casting, so use a torque wrench. About 15 Nm. (to be confirmed) I can't answer your other questions, but I know several men who can; one of them will be along very shortly. Looking back on all of this, you still need to eliminate the serpentine belt driven ancilliaries when looking for your tapping noise. Best wishes RB

I think that there are two; one is a very long one that goes into the engine mounting. The motor is located accurately by a lip in the endplate fitting into a recess in the block/bellhousing. Best wishes RB

I never did get around to doing it, the C has been SORNed for a while and has slipped off my radar a bit. But my local specialist garage advise me that the bush can be removed thus. 1. Remove starter motor (Obvious really, but don't forget to support the engine) 2. Find a piece of steel bar (although hard wood might do) that is the same diameter as the bore of the bush. 3. Fill the bush with grease. ( :lol: ) 4. Drive bar into the bush - the hydraulic pressure of the grease should push the bush out from the recess, (or alternatively squirt a few ccs of grease into your face). Alternatively, cut the bush up with a junior hacksaw blade. Best wishes RB

very sorry to hear that you have a strange creaky groin as well :D Best wishes RB

Another cause of the creaking may be that the exhaust system is touching the underside of the car under acceleration. This could be due to weak or broken engine mounts allowing the whole power unit to move and take the exhaust system with it when you let the clutch in. Lift the bonnet, apply the handbrake hard, put in 1st gear or reverse and gradually let in the clutch against a running engine (apply revs as needed to keep it going) and watch to see if the engine rocks fore-and-aft significantly - it's easier if you have an assistant but have him stand to one side, not in front just in case.......!! Look paticularly at the front mount and the one down by the gearbox. Best wishes RB

Could the creaking be caused by a binding rear brake, resulting from a seized caliper? You said at the beginning that the shuddering came when cornering which could be the result of a loose wheel bearing (which would allow the disc to move relative to the brake pads and make a noise), or axle bushes so badly deteriorated that the axle is moving about. Does it steer securely through bends or feel rather vague and erratic? If so, the bushes are probably worn out, although you do get used to it and only really notice the difference once they have been renewed. Best wishes RB

Most likely result is too much braking effort on the rear wheels when lightly loaded, which can cause the back end to overtake the front, especially when braking going down a hill. It's there for a very good reason, so it needs to be sorted out. If you have an accident and an eagle-eyed inspector spots that it is defective, he'll smile and walk away from your claim. Best wishes RB

Only thing is, it's an auto gearbox, so it's a spanner job. Best wishes RB

The starter motor may be turning but if it has not engaged the starter ring, the engine isnt turning. Take out a plug and check that the crankshaft and pistons are rotating. Only then can you be absolutely sure that the chains have broken. But, tbh, if it stopped dead it sounds bad Best wishes RB

Unless you have EDS (a sort of traction control operated through the ABS braking system and standard fitment on a VR6), you may well get different rates of spin for each wheel under hard acceleration, particularly if the steering wheel is turned. This will be detected by the ABS system as lock-up of one wheel and may put the warning light on. Does the light go out once you have stopped hard acceleration? Best wishes RB

Don't allow water to get into the hydraulic pathway (ie make sure the seals are in place and the hose connection point is adequtely closed off). Best wishes RB

If it's less than a year old I am sure that you are covered by the Sale of Goods Act if it has failed in normal service. Regards RB

Try de-tensioning the serpentine belt by screwing an (M8 ??) bolt into the tensioner far enough to slacken it, and then start her up. This will stop all the ancilliaries such as alternator, water pump, tensioner, a/c compressor if fitted and pas pump. There may be a rogue bearing in there somewhere which is rattling when cold and under load. It's easy and worth a try before taking the top off of the engine. Best wishes RB

No, when I went onto the website it showed the item as "out of stock". Then it slipped my mind, so I'll have another go sometime soon. Best wishes RB

Was it the bolts holding the pump onto the block or the ones holding the pulley onto the pump? It might be worth taking the pump out and having a good look at the vanes if it had been clattering like that; if they are damaged, the pump will not be doing its job properly, with all that that entails. It would be a good idea to inspect the serpentine belt for damage too if the pulley has been running out of line. Best wishes RB

An article in the November issue of VW Driver (pp52,53) details an upgrade to front calipers. The rubber bushes in the caliper, through which the guide pins pass, are replaced with bronze bushes located by circlips. This does away with the slightly sloppy location of the caliper on the carrier and tightens up the feel of the brakes. No special equipment is needed to install the bushes, and a kit costs about £50 from a website in USA http://www.tyrolsport.com Has anyone tried this? If so, what comments do you have? I'm tempted to give it a try on the 288mm setup on the VR6. Best wishes RB

Err, yes. Confession time. About a year ago, your Honour, I was proceeding in a northerly direction on the A1 near Mill Hill, north London. In front were 2 Ford Mondeos one behind the other doing about 80, obstructing lane 3 on an otherwise empty road. Well I gave them the polite message that I wished to pass, ie right hand indicator for 10 seconds then a quick headlight flash. No response. We came to a roundabout and went round , carried on along dual carriageway, same performance, so I slipped into lane 1and went by at about 90 with a clear lane in between. At which point the unmarked police cars switched on their concealed blue lights, and we all adjourned to the next lay-by for a little chat. 6 of the 8 coppers jumped out. It turned out that they were doing high speed pursuit training. We had a short exchange on the merits of overtaking on the left, obstructing Her Majesty's carriageway contrary to the Highway Code and observing speed limits, and then it turned out that they needed to be somewhere else quite soon and didn't have the necessary paperwork etc., etc. One of them had a quick look at the car and expressed muted admiration. And then we all buggered off, me somewhat slower than them. Not my finest hour. 11/10 for good fortune, 0/10 for observation. Aren't our policemen wonderful?? And getting younger all the time. Best wishes RB

If you are cruising on the motorway at say 3000rpm with the throttle only about a quarter open, there will be a relatively significant inlet pressure depression (manifold "vacuum") which may be sucking water into the engine via a leaking head gasket. When going around town, you are on the throttle a lot more so the manifold "vacuum" effect is not so pronounced. Just a theory. Is there any evidence of water or steam leaking externally? Best wishes RB

Anyone see 5th Gear last night? I refer to Plod doing 100mph through a red traffic light on a public road and 130mph on a mixed single carriageway (one lane in each direction). All "jolly good fun" what?? Whose lives were deemed to be legitimately put at risk by this madness? VB-H had a giggle, and presumably the two brave Boys in Blue were pleased to oblige her (cough), so I assume that this training run was ok by the local Chief Constable. Any notice of intended prosecution in the offing? I think it unlikely. I know 5th Gear likes to try to out-do Top Gear, so I assume this was an attempt to kill not only a presenter but two of our "Finest" plus anyone else who got in the way. I'm just off to drive very carefully past the local nick....... Best wishes RB