Kevin Bacon

I had that problem with an old Golf 16V and it turned out to be the Hazard Light switch, which is where the alarm fitters tap into to flash all 6 indicator bulbs at once when you chirp the alarm. If the bulbs are dud, you normally get a faster flash from the relay on the direction that is faulty. I'd check the wiring on the hazard switch. Kev

What offset are using? Is the wheel fouling the brake caliper? You can get 7.5x16 in offsets 20 to 45. I reckon you may need ET 20 or 25 to clear the calipers, which is effectively the same as putting a 10mm spacer behind ET 35 wheels. And then that could potentially open up a can of arch clearance worms due to the 7.5" width. Do Stil Auto still make the Sigma wheel? Almost identical to the Azev A but more fitment friendly. Do you like the Borbet C wheel? They definitely go on the VR OK. It's a shame you're having such difficulties with them but you may need to consider sending them back and trying a different design/brand. Kev

You should be able to buy a new ignition barrel/bearing housing or pinch one from a scrapper corrado. Not sure about interchangability of later and older Cs but yes shear bolts generally feature. They need drilling out or a groove cutting into it with a dremel for removal with an Impact srewdriver. Kev

Yep both windows share the same thermal fuse. It's not only VW that use this system. Hyundai are another brand that springs to mind. Some passenger windows are deliberately non-one touch for safety reasons, whether VW employed this system I don't know as there seems to be conflicting opinions on what C windows do and don't do. I know mine is one touch on both directions (and works) on the driver's side but the passenger side is one touch on the lowering cycle only. Ta Kev

Just to reiterate, there is nothing special about Corrado FA kits and triangles. They are standard VAG items and are still available from the dealers for all cars. One size fits all. People selling them on eBay think they're sitting on a Goldmine and they're not. Kev

Yep. I think Vince still keeps a few pre-modded ones on the shelf. The woodruff key slot needs maching further round the camshaft to restore the correct timing. The exhaust cam has an extra 0.5mm of lift and slightly more duration than the inlet cam, so you do get a slight improvement in performance, more noticably in the midrange but on my 16V I also saw a worthy bottom end hike. The 2.0 with 2 exhaust cams is good for around 160bhp with a couple of other things. Kev

Or a King size air lock. Coolant should be filled via the rad top hose and not the expansion tank as this forces air out of the block and head from the bottom up. Pouring it in from the expansion tank just introduces air as the water pours down into the galleries. Stick a hose in the rad and see if water comes out first, you may have a blockage. Kev

The problem with high speed pinking is you can't hear it over the wind/road/engine noise. It does definitely happen though as my 16V was put on the rollers with the same complaint and it showed huge troughs in the power curve at 5,600 to 6000 rpm. Pinking! Mat is quite right in suggesting a higher octain fuel, so try that first. If not that you may have worn plugs (16Vs are quite fussy with these), broken down HT Leads, again, common on the 16V causing a very slight misfire or the injector seals could be leaking, which surprise surprise, is also a 16V achilles heel. All are cheap (except the leads) and easy to fix. You might also want to consider the warm up regulator mod to supply more fuel at high rpms. You'll need to speak to stealth about that as it is a very precise procedure. Kev

i've just bought a set from my local VW-dealer for under £60......they come under the quantum brand tho If the metal ends have Beru stamped on them, then they are original equipment and top quality. Kev

Personally speaking, no not really if it's misfiring badly. Unburnt fuel sent in the exhaust will melt the catalyst.

I got a 16V torch key key made up a few years ago and it was £21 from VW, including the profiling. The light output is not great so I replaced the filament bulb with an ultrabright white LED. HTH Kev

In case anyone's interested: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... egory=9889 Kev

Depends on budget! If money was no object then it would have to be a Porsche 911 GT2. If money was more a deciding factor then I'd go for a Mitsubishi Evo 6 or 7. Kev

Can't have been a Storm as they were only Mystic Blue and some Green shade. Kev

What you mean too close to the filler neck? Kev

You only need the KR inlet cam as the 2.0 and 1.8 exhaust cams are the same. You could also fit the larger 50mm manifold from the Golf to improve air flow although the benefit of this is debatable. Some 16Vs respond well to the larger manifold, others don't. Kev

I think Roddy has hit the nail on the head. Kev

I wouldn't want to be sitting in that seat when the engine throws a rod :? Can you imagine the power to weight ratio though? Jeeessuss H C! Kev

Yep 1340Kg is the Cabrio weight. To be fair you have a 30 horse advantage on your SLC driving friend but then again your car's extra weight didn't appear to swing the odds in the SLC's favour! LSD+RWD = rapid getway! Kev

About £150 all in IIRC. I fitted it myself which saved a bundle of loot. Kev

OK, here goes my definitive KR engine CO setup guide which has worked time and time again over 6 years of 16v ownership:- 1. Get the car up to temp and switch off. 2. Disconnect the idle valve circuit by disconnecting the large red spade connector behind the ignition coil. 3. Pull the breather hose off the airbox and plug the airbox hole. 4. Restart the car and the idle will be very lumpy and slow. 5. Using a 6mm socket, turn the brass screw on the throttle body anti clockwise until the idle is at 1000rpm. 6. Insert a long 3mm allen key in the little hole in front of the air boot on the airbox. 7. Turn the allen key (don't press down on it) anti clockwise or clockwise until the idle is dead smooth. Use small 1/8th turns and rev the engine each you time you make an adjustment. 8. Switch off and reconnect items 2 and 3. Your 16V engine is now set to 2% base CO which is what KR 16Vs run best at. If this doesn't cure your lumpiness when warm, you need to investigate air leaks and perhaps your fuel accumulator is dying. Kev

There is also a large black ECU type box behind the passenger side kick panel. Is this ABS related? Kev

Not nosey my friend, just inquisitive! I like to know the workings of the motor in case things go wrong, such as the puddle of coolant under my car this morning for example. Why does the Corrado always reward my time and effort with another problem? Ungrateful bast! The engine is clean and tidy because the previous owner looked after it and left it completely standard. The airbox has one of those rare paper filters in it too! I'm not really sure why there is a purge tank, I should imagine there is sudden turbulence rush as the valve opens and the purge tank softens the blow, perhaps? Again I don't know what the hissing is all about. I'll put all these questions to Vince when I got to Stealth on Thursday :lol: Kev

Here is the idle valve and associated hosing Kev

It's under Sharan VR6. £115+VAT. Their online system is cr#p. Just ring up and ask for one. German & Swedish show it on their website for £117+VAT Dealer price is £180+VAT Kev