Roger Blassberg

Are you sure that the material of your non-standard bolts is the same as the OE specification? Not all bolts are the same. Best wishes RB

Sorry to labour the point, and just in case someone may know the answer. I took out the rotary control heater panel (see other thread) and put it all back together. Now the blower only works on no.4 Having read the Wiki on this subject it does say to first check that the dials are on in the right order and that it can lead to this problem if they are the wrong way round - I don't understand that comment, all the knob covers are identical and it's the copper contacts that control the speeds surely. I know about the thermal fuse being the usual suspect for this problem and I'll check that out, but this dial - in - the - wrong - place stuff confuses me. It seems coincidental that the fuse would go at this particular time. Any one know what it means? Grateful thanks RB

Just met a fellow Corrado-iste at Silverstone. M13 S** in metallic purple, VR6. Lives in Chesham. Also, saw a black C of unknown type, D5 or D15 *** on A5 roundabout north of Milton Keynes at about 4pm on Sunday 13th April RB

Latest on this. Because of extreme stiffness in my heater controls (please, this IS a family friendly forum...)the direction dial had jumped a couple of teeth so I gritted my teeth and took out the dashboard centre console to investigate the workings of the dreaded Bowden cables and toothed wheels. To get the position right again I decided to disconnect all the cables and electrical plugs to take the control panel somewhere more comfortable than the car. The toothed wheel (behind the panel)can be separated from the rotary dial (at the front of the panel)by inserting a thin flat blade behind it an levering back the four retainers on the boss that goes through the panel. Lots of bad language is inevitably involved. Once the wheel is free it can be correctly repositioned and the dial pushed in again from the front. I put it all back in, including the replacement unbroken centre console, which has been lurking around the study to Mrs. B's continual and verbal displeasure,and have left the jammed diverter disconnected for the time being, until I can work myself up to a full dashboard and heater removal. Nice pristine dashboard, a few rattles sorted out, but now the fan only works on setting 4 !!! The electrical connector is fully in, I just despair. Any ideas?? Could the thermal fuse in the blower have given up coincidentally?? The Wiki warns of not putting the rotary dials in the wrong way around, but I don't understand it quite........ Anyway I treated myself to an afternoon diversion at a VSCC meeting at Silverstone where I met a very nice fellow Corradiste (M13 S**). And saw a black Corrado (D5 or D15 *** ) on A5 near Milton Keynes. Rambling, but you get the gist. RB

Thanks for your advice. Plenty of useful references RB

I now have a heater blower arrangement which is useless on misty mornings. The foam lining of the diverter flaps is all breaking up, they don't move and seal as originally intend, and the rotary control is very stiff. So I need to re-line the flaps. What material have people used for this purpose and where can I get it? I would also appreciate some guidelines on how to access the heater box. Is it a case of taking out the dashboard again? How I wish I had done this when I had the matrix done a while ago!! Thanks for any assistance RB

Lots of people have thrown away perfectly good rear wheel bearings because their rear tyres have become noisy as they get old and worn. Best wishes RB

Did you have a look at the sparkplugs? What colour are the electrodes? Are they oily or covered in sooty deposits? Or maybe only one or two are? You may have a defective injector stuck open and putting too much fuel into the cylinder - a sooty plug will reveal that. The injectors are relatively easy to get out and can be cleaned and restored. An oily plug will probably mean severe bore wear, especially cylinder 1 or 6, or a broken piston ring with all that entails. Keep at it!! RB

I changed the tensioner yesterday and it is VERY much quieter, but not totally rattle-free. I'm probably being ultra-critical of a very "mature" engine. I'll have a look at the top guide rail some time soon, but I am confident that there is no impending catastrophe (famous last words..........) Thanks to all who commented. RB

I would agree that breather system sounds likely. You say that the oil level is ok; are you sure it's not over-full? Is there any sign of oil being blown out in the engine compartment? If you run the engine, put your hand over the oil filler with the cap off - is there a feeling of pressure in the crankcase? Best wishes RB

Don't despair Michael !! It will get sorted out. Just be prepared to put up with disappointments and a few expenses and your Corrado will give you a great deal in return. The sensor installation is straightforward enough. There is a bracket above the sensors held on by one small screw (10mm hex head). Take it off to get the sensor locating clip out, pull out the sensor, put in new sensor AND sealing ring, reconnect and refill coolant system. RB

A problem will arise if the main bearings are damaged or if the crankshaft itself has been scored; then you'll have to get the crankshaft out. I am being pessimistic I know, but how are you going to be sure that you have cleared all the swarf out of the lubrication system without jetting all the galleries and drillings? I'll bet that you oil filter bowl is a glittery sight!! RB

Me too. In fact I'll take 2, (one for the B4 Passat) RB

There's a small cover which rotates 90 deg and slides over the manual closure allen key socket on the motor body; this must be in the closed position before the motor will run. Worth checking. Also, undo 4 socket-head screws on motor body and remove the cover to expose the plastic gears which take the drive from the worm gear on the motor spindle to the actual winding mechanism. Take out the idler gear so that the motor is now free of any load from the winder, and then temporarily connect it back to the wiring in the roof loom. Activate the power and see if the motor turns - it should spin freely and constantly. I it does, the motor is probably ok. If not, it's not!! If it passes that test, put it all back together with the idler gear and the manual drive cover in place, then reconnect to loom , but still not to the sunroof itself, and see if it will operate through all its actions. Run it through several complete open-shut phases, finishing at "closed". Then bolt it up and try to operate the roof panel. It should certainly tilt up and down at least. If it does, but will not slide, then the runners or the sliding mechanism need attention which means taking the whole sunroof cartridge out and rebuilding/cleaning/lubricating/repairing. Good luck RB

Check the main bearings as well. If there was oil starvation they will have been damaged too, but you'll have to take the crankshaft out to do them. Best wishes RB

Hasan, thanks for the offer, but I have now bought the new bolt. I'll give it a go; how did you prime it? Immerse in a pot of oil and push the plunger in and out a few times? RB

I changed the whole set of chains, tensioners and guide rails about 20,000 miles ago using the latest top pad and tensioner bolt, using genuine parts. Now the chain(s) are, rather disappointingly, rattling again so I will replace the top tensioner bolt as a first move before the (inevitable, probably) strip down to inspect the top pad and guide rail. The question is, do I need to prime the bolt with oil before putting it in, or is the spring sufficient to pre-load the tensioner pad until oil pressure comes up? I will take out the plugs and the fuel pump relay and give the engine a good spin before firing it up anyway to ensure full oil pressure in the new bolt. Best wishes RB

It could be that the blue temperature sensor on the thermostat housing is making it run very rich (ie too much fuel when it has warmed up) I assume you mean CO (carbon monoxide) not CO2 (carbon dioxide). Or maybe your catalytic converter has been contaminated and is no longer functioning properly. Take out a spark plug and look at the colour of the electrode. Is it black and sooty? - if so it is running too rich (blue sensor problem). What fuel consumption are you getting? Overall mixed driving you should be getting 8,5 or 9 litres/100km. Much more than that and there is something wrong. Best wishes RB

I went through all this a couple of years ago. Eventually I had the fuel injectors professionally cleaned and that made a huge improvement in stability of the idle (and to the fuel consumption generally). Also check the wiring to the injectors is all ok; it runs in a conduit under the inlet manifold and gets very hot and brittle. Also undo, remove, clean pins, re-seat the multi pin round connector near to the coilpack. This deals with ISV, injector energisation and so on. Good luck RB

......and flexible hoses with banjo connection RB

That's normal. It runs with the ignition on and also IF the fan controller sets over-run. So nothing to worry about there. Best wishes RB

No it's not normal. Could be that the rad thermo switch is shorting out. Test by pulling the plug off of it and observing if fan still comes on. If it still does, there is a fault elsewhere (wiring loom or maybe yellow sensor, or fan control unit, or third sensor on thermostat housing if you have AC....complicated innit??)If it doesn't, the thermo switch needs replacing. It's a bit inaccessible, you need a 30mm deep socket ideally to unscrew it. The good news is that it is cheap, about £15. Good luck RB

OK it turned out that a previous owner had wired the stage 3 fan to come on when the thermo switch on the rad called for stage 2. And the thermo switch was faulty and not switching on stage 1 at all. So the fan was going straight from nothing to stage 3. I cleaned the contacts on the controller unit, replaced the thermo switch and the 4 pin ("yellow") sensor, and all is well again, including run on of the fan and electric pump. I'll leave the stage 2/stage 3 combination now that I have stage 1 back in action. Best wishes RB

OK it turned out that a previous owner had wired the stage 3 fan to come on when the thermo switch on the rad called for stage 2. And the thermo switch was faulty and not switching on stage 1 at all. So the fan was going straight from nothing to stage 3. I cleaned the contacts on the controller unit, replaced the thermo switch and the 4 pin ("yellow") sensor, and all is well again, including run on of the fan and electric pump. I'll leave the stage 2/stage 3 combination now that I have stage 1 back in action. Best wishes RB

Have a look in the Definitive Cooling Guide sticky at the top of the Engine Bay section; it gives all the fan cut-in/cut-out temperatures and a good troubleshooting guide if things aren't doing as they should. RB