Roger Blassberg

Thanks for that, Henny. The moral of the story is to keep a set of jump leads tucked away in the car. Best wishes RB

I can't understand how bump-starting could do the timing chains or the tensioners any damage. As far as the timing gear is concerned, it is being driven by the crankshaft, irrespective of whether that is being driven by the starter motor or by the gearbox. Everything is rotating in its intended direction within the normal range of speeds. The only possibly damaging scenario would be if reverse gear were engaged whilst the car was being towed forwards, causing the engine to be rotated backwards, putting tension on the wrong side of the chains and rubbing the contact faces of the tensioners in the opposite direction. Anyone have further clarification on this? Best wishes RB

:wink: Sounds like a busy weekend. Best wishes RB

there are at least 2 different types of electrical connector available, so make sure you have the right one before you take it all apart Best wishes RB

It could be that the bearings in the fan motor have run, the drive belt to the second fan could be slipping and screeching or something may have got into the fan shroud and is being touched by the rotating blades. The auxilliary water pump also runs with the fan, so maybe it's that. I don't think the bearings can be serviced so it would mean a new fan. A new drive belt would be a lot cheaper. Something in the fan shroud should be cheaper still to rectify !! A noisy pump would need to be replaced I suppose - about £60. Best wishes RB

That's very reassuring. I was about to enquire on the same subject. To me it feels very similar to driving over a cattle grid for about half a second, but very much less harsh. It's always nice to find that what seemed to be a problem is exactly the opposite !! Best wishes RB

I had one fitted at Stealth a couple of months ago, and the engine is certainly more under control. I have noticed no difference in vibration transmission at all - some people think that there is a little more due to the increased rigidity of the VT mount but I don't think it is significant or troublesome. It's reasonably easy to fit; support the front of the engine on a trolley jack, release all the mount bolts and jack up the engine until the old mount can be withdrawn. You will need to undo a bracket that stabilises a power steering hose for easy access ( one small bolt), insert the new mount, lower the engine, check all bolts are tight. Half an hour's work and your bonnet is safe again. Best wishes RB

The flashing light is purely an indication of the fluid level in the expansion tank, and nothing to do with temperature, so I do not believe temperature senders come into that particular problem. It will be the level sensor in the expansion tank or the wiring to it. I don't know if you changed the sensor with the expansion tank. You say you have starting problems; that may indeed be the blue temperature sender playing up. Best wishes RB

You need to get the CV off the driveshaft so that the small diameter end of the boot can be pushed onto it. The nut which holds the end of the CV to the drive flange (you see it poking through the hub when you take off the centre cap of the wheel), is done up very tightly, so loosen it before you jack the car up - apply the handbrake and put it in 1st gear. You'll need to split the ball joint at the lower suspension arm/hub connection; it's easiest with a proper splitter. It's best to clean out the CV and re-pack with grease whilst you have it apart; any dirt will accelerate wear and lead to failure, affecting the steering - that's why the MOT is strict on this. If you do totally dismantle it, make sure that the balls go back into the same places in the inner cage. Good luck! Make sure the car is on axle stands, not just on a jack. Best wishes RB

On my way this morning, a clack-clack-clack noise developed driving straight ahead, particularly when de-celerating. It is directly related to road speed, not very loud but noticable. Sounds like a cv joint, but not related to steering wheel position (ie not pronounced on lock) so probably not an outer joint. Turned round and straight back to my local specialist who put her up on the hoist, no obvious problems. He took her out later and couldn't replicate the problem over a reasonable test. There are no horrible gearbox noises, and the transmission oil level is correct. One of the inner driveshaft joints has a relatively new rubber boot, which leads me to think that maybe that it has been replaced at sometime in the past. Maybe the joint wasn't cleaned out and repacked when the boot failed, and the wear has finally made itself apparent. Does anyone have an alternative theory? Best wishes RB

Maybe top mounts. New ones made a huge difference to the feel of my VR6. Best wishes RB

Ahhh, yes. Very,........... nice. Does it improve the performance of the headlights by any chance? Best wishes RB

Pardon my ignorance, but what is/are "Angel Eyes"? Best wishes RB

you say Do you mean that the starter doesn't turn for that period? If so, it could be a problem with the ignition switch or perhaps a poor earthing connection at the battery or the starter motor. It would start better when warm because there is a lower load on the starting circuit when the oil is thinner. Best wishes RB

Tailgate cover/panel (?). This cover is needed when changing to the RS4 style bumper (Part nr. 3748). mit freundlichen Gruessen, RB

Has it failed on CO content? I don't know for certain, but I think that fueling is all controlled by the ECU with input from the lambda sensor and temperature senders amongst other things. What is the condition of this and its associated wiring, and of the cat? A quick interogation with VAG-COM or the 1551 will identify any malfunctions. Best wishes RB

OK, let's start again. Do you have an obvious catastrophic oil leak after having fully refilled the engine with oil after replacing the sump gasket? If "yes", the solution is to search that out and cure it. Are there clouds of smoke pouring out of the exhaust when the engine is running - if "yes", the oil control rings are probably fecked due to having been cooked. Also, check spark plugs. Are they very oily? If "yes", same diagnosis. Is there oil in the coolant ? If "yes", most probably the head gasket has blown, maybe in addition to the piston ring problem. What is the problem with your radiator? Is it blocked? Is the thermostat failed in the closed position? Best wishes RB

The entire underside of the car would be covered in the stuff if it were pi$$ing out at that rate. You changed the sump gasket you say. Err, you did refill it fully of course........ And, by the way, what's the problem with the radiator? Not full of oil by any chance? :lol: Best wishes RB

If you were burning that much oil, we would see the smoke from here !! (Your reference to "quarts" leads me to think you are in USA). Come to think of it, I would be amazed that the engine was running at all without completely fouling the plugs. Is there oil contamination in the coolant? (equals headgasket failure). Generally though, I agree with Jim; to have used that much oil in such a short time you must have a major external leak. Best wishes RB

Do you have aircon? Maybe it's condensation forming on cold pipes and dripping onto the ground. Best wishes RB

fla, look under "Common Corrado Questions", a thread entitled "Dinkus making slurping noises", or something similar. In amongst the merry banter you may find some further clues to the problem you have with your cooling/heating system. I hope that helps. I'm more and more tending to think that it is related to the auxiliary water pump which, I believe, is actuated by the radiator fan cutting in. Best wishes RB

Phew !! Now that's what I call a comprehensive answer which definitely goes into my collection of "Useful Information". Best wishes RB

Ther's a rubber breather hose on the front of the engine, just above the oil filter, which has a sharp bend in it . This perishes and leaks crank case fumes into the under bonnet space and in through the heater. Replacement is about £10. (NB, this is based on experience with an ABF 16V engine, so it may not apply to yours...) Best wishes RB

Exactly. There will undoubtedly be times in the future when you will be in despair over the seemingly never-ending problems with the Corrado. But you reinforce my feelings precisely about why I bought the car in the first place. Best wishes RB

Whatever oil you are using, get the engine thoroughly warmed up when you run it if you are doing so few start-ups. Condensation in the exhaust system needs to be dispersed, and any excess fuel from initial enrichment should be boiled off from the oil. The brakes need to be put through their paces a few times as well to keep everything free from corrosion and sticking. Obviously the oil should be changed on the basis of time rather than miles driven if you are using the car so little. Come to think of it, how do you restrict yourself to so few miles? Every time I drive mine, I look for any excuse for a long diversion. Apologies if some of this is slightly off the subject - funny how the mind wanders.......... Best wishes RB