Roger Blassberg

Yes, I think that it was to test the capacity to survive bird-strike. It all went wrong because the tests were failed dismally. Only afterwards did someone discover that, instead of using the specified fresh birds, some bright spark had been down to Tesco and got frozen ones. It's probably one of those stories that got more and more embellished with every telling but it's good for a laugh, especially after a couple of pints.......unless of course it was your company's windscreen or multi-million-pound jet engine that was totalled in the process. Best wishes RB

It has been said before, but merits repetition; make sure you can undo the filler plug before you undo the drain plug and let all the oil out. Best wishes RB

The MFA calculates mpg on the basis of inlet manifold pressure; a low pressure, sometimes called "manifold depression", corresponds to a closed or nearly closed throttle, a higher (close to full atmospheric) pressure when the throttle is open more widely. It does it by means of a small-bore tube attached, at one end to the inlet manifold downstream of the throttle and, at the other, to a diaphragm transducer somewhere behind the dash. This gives a signal on a continuous basis to the processor in the MFA which integrates it over time into mpg figures. If there is a leak in that pipe or its connections, the manifold pressure appears to be more than it actually is and the processor will interpret that as a more open throttle position. So, it thinks that more fuel is being used. Clearly it is a rough-and -ready method, but sudden changes or obvious discrepancy can be caused by a leak in the connection, or by a faulty transducer. By the way, your test over 98 miles was nowhere near long enough to give a representative result; just a strong following wind can distort figures upwards over such a short distance. It would be better to do it over 2 or 3 tankfuls to get a more accurate indication. Hope this helps. Best wishes RB

Think yourself lucky it wasn't a frozen turkey....... Best wishes RB

Maybe something to do with the dim/dip ballast resistor down behind the battery. Yellow wires and connector. Best wishes RB

Looks as though this has been discussed on another very recent thread, under "Yellow sensor...." Best wishes RB

Perhaps your old pressure cap is also leaking. I would try a genuine VW replacement rather than the GSF one you tried before. Are you confident of the pressure tightness of the header tank itself? Best wishes RB

This sounds as though your yellow sensor is starting to play up. It controls the fan/pump run-on and, I am told, the temperature gauge input. I suggest you change it and see what happens. It's relatively easy and cheap, certainly more so than the water pump. Your temperatures may be normal but are being signalled as too high by the faulty sensor. Best wishes RB

Maximum temperatures seem normal - at least, they are the same as mine which may not be the same thing! Water temperature should drop a bit lower on the move when the air flow through the radiator increases. It does seem as though there is some air in the system which has risen to a high point and can't get out. It probably sounds worse than it is because the auxiliary pump is whooshing the air into the water. When you changed the thermostat, did you fill the cooling system via the header tank with all the hoses connected? If so, you may well have trapped some air; it is better to disconnect the top hose at the rad end, hold that end as high as you can and fill the system through that , then re connect it and top up via the header. This is what I did and it seemed to work; it might be best to do this with hot water into a hot engine to make sure the thermostat is at least partly open. Best wishes RB

In the overall scheme of things, these may be minor and almost frivolous questions, but I'll ask them anyway. How on Earth did you manage to get the engine and the engine bay so clean? In particular, the inlet manifold and top cover look brand new. Did you have them chemically cleaned and painted/plated? Was all the rest steam cleaned? I'm a bit nervous about steam cleaning when the wiring looms look so fragile. In conclusion though, thanks Sean for a really useful series of commentaries and photos. It has given me encouragement to do the job myself. Chris, I look forward to your write-up too....... Best wishes RB

It's the car of a work colleague. It has been driven from London to Birmingham and back since repair and appears to run better than it did before it started cutting out. My expression of surprise was with the analysis and repair item of the bill. Regards RB

Turned out to be the speed sensor according to the Stealer. £126 for the sensor and, (wait for it), £250 for "analysis of problem" and labour. Dear God, it beggars belief !! Dick Turpin is alive and well and running a VW dealership in NW London. Best wishes RB

Looks like it might be time to sell up and move on............. Best wishes RB

Ok, the VW workshop says that the engine speed sensor is to blame (associated cost of over £450, allegedly, sounds like a lot to me!!) - my view is that this is a common mistake when reading the diagnostics since it always shows this fault with a stationary engine. Am I right on this one? Apparently they have by-passed the ignition switch and it isn't that. It's looks like the immobiliser. Best wishes RB

That's definitely worth looking at Henny. Thanks a lot. Best wishes RB

We, that is the owner of this car and I, assume that the immobiliser is integral with the ECU and that a fault would mean replacing the whole lot. Is this correct? If so, any idea on the cost, or does anyone have a spare one knocking about? Best wishes RB

yes it does, and that was the AA man's question. VW workshop has apparently given that a clean bill of health; whether that means that it is indeed fault-free, or just that the key and the immobiliser work together to give an initial start but then it gives a fault afterwards, who knows? Have you had experience of such problems with the immobiliser? Thanks Best wishes RB

It's a 96 Golf GTi 8v. The engine starts, then dies instantaneously after 5 seconds, i.e. doesn't fade away. All the ignition system apart from the distributor has been changed, there is fuel (admittedly a flow rate check has not been carried out). AA has been in attendance twice, and the car is currently with a VW stealer who can find no fault on the analysis equipment. Any ideas? Best wishes RB

Yes, it is called the load reduction relay, or X-relief relay; it's the one that cuts out various circuits during engine starting, including the headlights and indicators as well as the ones you noted. I had exactly the same problem on and off and it's a real puzzler when it first happens!! Changing the relay cured it. Best wishes RB

Is the float in the brake fluid reservoir floating completely freely? - if its action is being impeded and it doesn't float to the top of its travel it will give a low fluid warning. Alternatively the switch connected to it may have developed a fault. By the way, where exactly do you get your car washed..........? Best wishes RB

The Gospel According to Mr. Bentley shows as follows; blue 2 point sender to ECU, yellow 4 point sender to control fan run-on and aux water pump, black (if fitted in place of blanking plate) for aircon. So where the h**l is the gauge sensor?? I feel a Kevhaywire moment is needed at this point........... Best wishes RB

I'm always a bit sceptical about these things - a more noisy induction may lead to imagining an accompanying performance improvement. But, on the other hand, if it is backed up by dyno tests............... My other concern is the potential for contaminating the hot wire in the MAF with oil from the filter, etc.(if indeed it is that type). Also, I'm rather too old to be making lots of un-necessary engine noises in public. Best wishes RB

You are welcome. Please be sure to let us know what the outcome is. Best wishes RB

Try swapping the connectors between blue and black sensors to see if that brings your temp gauge back into the land of the living - I think that the sensors are both essentially the same. If the black sensor is dead it will fail to give the ECU the correct water temperature info and your start-up may be a bit difficult due to this. If the level in the header is correct, then there should be no flashing light. The level sensor is very sensitive, so even a cm. or so below will set it off Sensors are cheap, probably less than £10; if you replace one make sure you change the rubber o-ring as well. Just in case you didn't know, use G12+ coolant to be on the safe side. G11 and G12 react with each other to form a cloggy mess, G12+ does not and is safe to mix with either of the other two. Best wishes RB

I thought it was something to do with air conditioning - do you have that? Have you also checked the wiring and connector continuity. Best wishes RB