Roger Blassberg

I can't believe that the proud artisans of the garage trade would even consider such a thing....... Thanks again Kev, Best wishes RB

A sure sign of valve stem oil seal failure is blue smoke immediately after a period of running down hill on a closed throttle - the high manifold depression sucks the oil past the seals to the inlet valves and into the cylinder. Then it burns off once you go back on the power. I would have thought that the valve springs need to come off to get at the seals which are hidden inside them, in which case the head needs to come off so that the springs can be compressed to release the collets and caps. That's a good opportunity to change the springs. Also, if the seals have been leaking, there is bound to be lots of carbon deposited on the backs of the valves and this can be scraped off at the same time. Check the guides for lateral movement and replace if they are too far gone. Regrind the valve seats if they are in reasonable condition, recut them if they are either badly pitted or if the guides have been renewed. Inevitably, original valve seats will not be absolutely concentric with the new guides. The exhaust valves will leak and burn out if this is not done because they do not get a chance to give up their heat to the valve seat. This based on my experience with other vehicles - maybe the VW 4 cylinder is different. Best wishes RB

Thanks Kev, I'll put a little note onto the windscreen, reminding people that theft is illegal and immoral. Best wishes RB

I fitted the Lupo wipers on Saturday, and the Bank Holiday weather was the perfect test. Marvellous improvement, and thanks to all for the advice. My question is this; do the blades detach from the arm or is it a matter of replacing the whole assembly when the time comes? I hope it's the former, from the point of view of cost and recycling. Best wishes RB

Thanks, have done. Tomorrow's entertainment is "Spanner Time". On the subject of my visit to Stealth, all was basically in order. I had the Superchip (!!) taken out and replaced with the original which finally got rid of the pinking, a VT mount now resides at the front and the engine is significantly more under control, and a rollers session confirmed a power output of 190.7 bhp - not bad for 173k miles. Added to all this was a friendly chat with everyone there. A great run back to St Albans on a deserted M40 completed one of those days not to be forgotten. Best wishes RB

Do you mean it grates going into reverse or it is obstructive and needs a few attempts? If the idle is at all fast, it will grate. Mine is occasionally obstructive into 1st and reverse for whatever reason, but it doesn't give the noises you describe. I can sympathise with the compulsion to have everything absolutely perfect. In my 18 months with a Corrado I have come to the conclusion that it's a recipe for bankrupcy and domestic disharmony, but that hasn't stopped me yet. Best wishes RB

Not absolutely. There is more load on the wheel bearings if drive is being transmitted, but wheel bearings usually groan most when turning a corner rather than in a straight line and the 2nd/4th gear symptom confuses it further. Maybe there is a worn bearing in the gearbox/final drive or a gear selector is making contact where/when it shouldn't. My gearbox whines under load a bit, particularly in 4th. but that's constant rather than pulsating. A pulsating, beating noise could be down to two similar sources interfering with each other :wink: like you get with a twin-engined propellor aircraft. I'm clutching at straws here but could there be some strange aerodynamic turbulences from wheels or drumming from tyres? Best wishes RB

I'm about to replace the rear discs and pads, together with new inner and outer bearings. I have pressed the bearings into the disc/hub assemblies, together with the inner grease seals and am ready to wield the spanners. What about the ABS rotors? Are they likely to survive being removed from the old assembly, or is it better to buy new? I imagine that, if they are distorted, they will give an error reading. And how do I press them onto the new hubs wthout damage - are there any pitfalls for the unwary? I would like to have all the parts to hand before I start pulling it apart. Incidentally, I'll be at Stealth this afternoon for a rolling road session and general check over, so if anyone else is there, please identify yourself - it's good to put faces to names..... Mine is the '94 Classic Green VR. Best wishes RB

Neither a Mini nor a LHD VW, but a Sunbeam Rapier !! The flywheel would have amputated my feet just above the ankles had it got free. Indeed with a Mini, once it gets off the end of the crankshaft there is no gearbox spigot to keep it roughly in line, only a few lightweight aluminium castings to stop a very heavy saw-edged lump from jumping about all over the place. Best wishes RB

Thinking aloud. How can a lightened flywheel alter the power and torque outputs of the engine, or even those available at the wheels? There are (almost) no losses such as friction or drag from turning the flywheel, only inertia which is a measure of the system's capacity to store energy. So, yes, as you are converting that kinetic energy into the potential energy in the flywheel, there must be a reduction in power available to the wheels when accelerating and this is recovered when on the over-run. Reduce the inertia of the flywheel and the effects are reduced. Better acceleration, better engine braking. I had a flywheel come loose once upon a time - it was a bit noisy! Fortunately the gearbox spigot shaft stopped it coming out of the bell-housing and cutting me in half... Moral : get it balanced (in combination with the clutch if possible), use new bolts and do them up to the specified torque. Best wishes RB

I discovered at the weekend that the plugs in mine were completely wrong, installed by the "specialist" who fitted the new cylinder head last year !! The engine was pinking like mad, and I was pleased to have got to the bottom of the problem. The correct specification is 10100035AA; I bought a set of Beru plugs to this specification, 4 side electrode, so-called surface discharge type. They were RUBBISH. The engine had a huge power loss and a total inability to rev beyond 3500 in top gear. Fortunately my supplier Murray Macdonald in Hatfield, is an understanding type, and he exchanged them at no cost for a set of single electrode Bosch plugs. The result is a clean and smooth running engine, and no pinking. Best wishes RB

Some time ago my Passat suffered something similar, and it was diagnosed as a faulty fusebox. I was sceptical; the fusebox itself consists of a plastic moulding and lots of copper bars with no moving parts, and it cost nearly £200. All I can say is that the car was back to full operation after the transplant. Your problem may have a similar cause. Best wishes RB

Have you checked to make sure that the flexible pipes to the fuel rail (one supply, one return) are not leaking where the clips hold them to the rail itself (air filter end of the engine)? Those hoses can get a bit horrible, and the clips can be dislodged when changing the air filter; there's a lot of pressure in there and leaks are not unknown. It will be immediately apparent if there is a leak. Otherwise, it could be to do with a broken hose in the system recycling excess fuel vapour from the activated charcoal canister under the air filter plenum. Is your oil filter bowl done up to the correct torque with a seal in good order, and what about the socket-head drain plug at the bottom of the filter bowl? If it's neither of these, then it probably is the oil cooler seal. Is the cylinder head/ block joint nice and clean near to the belt tensioner? That's a favourite place for an oil leak if the head gasket is getting tired. Best wishes RB

Mine did much the same relatively soon after a recharge. In fact, I am surprised that the clutch is kicking in, because it takes an input from the pressure in the system and won't switch on if there's no coolant in the system (so I'm told.) Anyway, when it was looked at, the core of one of the valves on the rubber hose to the condenser (they look like Schrader tyre valves and are covered by screw caps), was very loose and had leaked all the coolant out. So, make sure the valve cores are changed and fully tightened when you have it recharged. I believe that an amount of special lubricant should be added to the coolant as well, but your specialist will advise on that. I paid £50,- for a specialist to come to my house, and the whole procedure took about half an hour; the first time I had it done by the dealer (who left the valve loose !!) it cost nearly 3 times as much. The latest person also put some fluorescent dye in the system to give an indication of any leak sites. Finally, switch it on for a while every week, winter and summer; it keeps the seals flexible and gives the compressor a work out. If it's left for months without this, all sorts of bits of rubber harden and the compressor bearings can seize up and fail prematurely. Best wishes RB RB

On the subject of rear axle bushes, mine are cream-crackered I think. They look tatty, the suspension crashes mightily and noisily into the smallest surface irregularity, and it all feels a bit slack. I'm trying to keep it all as original as possible, but a real overall improvement over the factory set-up would be considered. I want a degree of comfort and refinement, and so the question is, do I go for poly bushes or the OE? On a 94 VR6, are the bushes the self-steering type? Thanks, and apologies if this has hijacked the original enquiry. Best wishes RB

When mine were done, the garage dropped the front cross member to make it more easily accessible. Best wishes R

Is it driveline "shunt" :oops: (i.e. does it lurch from throttle on to throttle off?) in which case the engine mountings may need looking at. Mine used to pop and bang on the over-run, which actually sounded quite nice. It turned out to be splits in the flexible part of the down pipe. Best wishes RB

If (BIG if) it's a head gasket and nothing more, about 8 hours labour, plus parts (gasket, bolts, all the other stuff that gets done at the same time). £400-500. If it's the head, my advice would be to exchange it with VAG. To repair a pitted or cracked head, it needs to be stripped down and then rebuilt. You would want to replace the valve guides and seals, springs, re-cut the seats and clean everything up, so a new one is the logical solution. If I remember correctly, mine was around £780 + VAT exchange, including absolutely everything brand spanking new above the gasket. The total was about £1600 :shock: Don't rush into it though; there are so many other things to check first. Thermostat, temp sender to the gauge, fan operation, blocked radiator etc. Are both fans running? - one is driven by a belt from the other one. Let's hope it's not too serious. Best wishes RB

shamelessly bringing this up to the front again, does anyone have a clue about my frozen fuel gauge reading ? Best wishes RB.

try Murray Macdonald in Hatfield, Herts. He does mail order. +44 (0)1707 272686 if you are outside UK. Best wishes RB

Sorry, a slip of the finger. The site is http://www.corradoclub.co.uk/tectips.html (No "h" in tectips) Best wishes RB

I think that all the codes start with "L". There's a list on http://www.corradoclub.co.uk/techtips.html (I hope nobody minds the mention of another forum.....) Your "friendly" VAGman will tell you what the colour is called if you show the service book. Primer surfacer should cover minor imperfections, but don't expect miracles. A poor job will stand out like the bol***ks on a bulldog !! As it's a metallic, there will be a clear laquer coat as well. And, as a parting shot - paint is not cheap. How's that for encouragement ?? :lol: Best wishes RB

Look under "corrado door handle help", last Wednesday. There's a link to GPC in Luton who have the real thing for £45. Best wishes RB

Are you keeping the coolant corrosion inhibitor concentration up to spec. when topping up your leaking system? That may have something to do with the brown colour. Use G11 (blue) or G12 (red) but don't mix them together; if you are unsure about which one is in there, flush it out completely and start again. There are many causes for leaks; look in the "Sticky" on this subject. Best wishes RB

I needed to fiddle about with the ECU on Saturday, so I disconnected the battery. Ever since, the fuel gauge has behaved very strangely; despite having driven at least 75 miles, it has remained at exactly the same position whilst the ignition is switched on. It drops to zero in the usual way when I switch off and then goes back to its fixed position. Is there some sort of resetting procedure? Incidentally, when i had reconnected the ECU and the battery and started the engine, the idle stabilisation had gone completely; fortunately my local specialist is literally at the bottom of the road, and he connected it up to the 1551 and reset it. Is this necessary every time I disconnect the battery or or the ECU, or can I do it myself in some other way? Last week, someone (Kev or Henny), said to disconnect the battery for 15 minutes to reset the ECU but this didn't do the trick. Thanks in anticipation of your help. Best wishes RB