Big-ted

OK guys, the plot thickens... The fan definitely works on both speeds, as verified by bridging the terminals of the radiator switch connector. Now, as the switch itself is new, I can only conclude that either a) the guage on the dash is just over-reading, or b)the switch isn't "seeing" the correct temperatures during use, which suggests to me that something more serious is up. All the radiator connections get red hot during use (well, hot enough that you wouldn't want to hold onto them for any length of time). I'm wondering whether the thermostat may be sticking and preventing the coolant from actually passing through the radiator, but I'm really clutching at straws now!

OK, so as I've changed the switch, I guess the next stage is to verify operation of the van at both speeds via various bridging combinations of the switch terminals, in the hope it shows up a faulty fan motor... Will report back tomorrow night!

OK, sounds like our problems may be related. I've just replaced the radiator thermostat that controls the fan. http://the-corrado.net/.archive/forum/viewtopic.php?t=34066 Now, my fan definitely comes on, but not until the coolant temp (or at least the guage on the dashboard) hits 110, which seems far too high. Funny thing is, having pulled in with a coolant temp of 110, and got the manual out to read what temps VW consider reasonable, about 2 mins after turning the engine off the fan comes on. As soon as I switch the ignition on, it goes off again. Ignition off, fan comes on, etc. This thread: http://the-corrado.net/.archive/forum/viewtopic.php?t=32792&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=fan+afterrun&start=30 talks about some similar issues on the VR, but I'm not sure how it relates to a valver, and in any case, I'm not sure which car you have. Can anyone help us? Please?! :lol:

Cheers. Exactly as I thought...

Update: Changed fan switch today. Fan works spot on. Lost a fair bit of coolant but topped up with G12+ and all is good. One thing concerns me though. The kind folks at GSF insisted I needed an extra brass washer with the switch. Knowing no different, I ordered this too, but when it arrived the switch already had a brass washer on it, although slightly different to the one sent seperately. On inspecting the old temperature switch, it definitely only had the one washer (the one which was on the new switch already) so I'm sort of at a loss as to what I'm supposed to do with this extra washer. Guess I'll just watch closely for any leaks. For now I think it's time to verify correct operation of coling system on my local private road! :D Many thanks for all your help!

Guys, I was thinking about this the other day... How are the Haynes manuals put together, and what is their reason for not doing one for the Corrado? I imagine the Haynes manuals are put together by enthusiasts, who have specific expertise with the car concerend, no? Now, is Haynes reason for not producing one for the Corrado a) that not enough C's were made for there to be a market. A possible fair point. Or b) no-one has come forward with the car/skills knowledge to produce one. Now if this latter one is the reason, there's plenty of people on here with sufficient skills to put one together, and I imagine there'd be a bit of money in it? Alas, I can't count myself amoung those, but it may be food for thought for someone...

Um, well you have one plug, with three terminals in a line. You connect the two end ones with a bit of wire, and, if your lucky, your tie/knuckles/pony tail get ripped to shreds by the fully functional fan. Oh, wait a minute.... :?

Right. Fan works. It's the two end terminals that need to be bridged for future reference! Guess I'll be attempting the quick swap sunday then, but I think I'll get hold of some G12+, just in case! Many thanks for your speedy help once again gents! ;D

OK, so switch closed = hot, but which two of the three pins should be bridged? Also, a new thermo switch (for a valver, from GSF) cost me about £12...

OK, please have sympathy on me with this one... So I've got a new rad fan switch after noticing that the coolant was getting mighty hot and the fan didn't seem to be coming on on my 2l 16v. Now, am I right in thinking that the coolant needs to be drained to fit this? I guess it makes sense, what with the sensor needing to be in contact with the thing it's measuring and all, but until now I'd managed to overlook this. Now, I've changed the coolant on other cars many times before, but I often read horror stories about air-locks and all sorts on here, so I'm somewhat reluctant to do this on my C... So I want to test the fan before doing anything else. Both the fan and the sensor use a 3-pin connector on my car. Is there a way I can test the sensor in situ to verify it's knackeredness, and can anyone tell me which pins to take a 12V supply to test the fan? Many thanks!

OK, I'm going to hijack this thread rather than start another new thread on coolant temps... I recently changed the oil on my 2l, during which I disconnected the fan just so I didn't break the connector whilst removing the oil filter. I did overfill the oil slightly initially too, but it's sorted now. However, my water temps have been scary high recently (110 not uncommon) and the fan doesn't seem to be kicking in. (Yes, I did reconnect it!!) Everything else is fine. I'd be tempted to believe the guage was on the blink, but that would be far too easy. I think it's far more likely to be the lack of fan, as leaving the engine to idle for ages after a long run still doesn't see the fan kick in. Could briefly disconnecting the fan have killed the switch, or is it just coincidence? Am I on the right lines suspecting the fan switch do you all reckon?

Oh, I had no intention of doing so, don't worry! :lol: Not actually had the chance to try anything so far as I've been preppin' it for MOT, but I'll let you know of any solutions I come up with...

Blimey, it all looks a bit different here! Not been around for a while! Both my front seatbelts have suddenly started being really slow to retract back into the housing. (Cue either having to slowly feed the belt back into the door card, or other people just slamming the door onto the belt before it's taken up all the slack :mad: ). Any ideas what could be causing this? The belt defginitely isn't twisted. I'm going to try just spraying some light lube into the mechanism, otherwise I guess there's some sort of spring which is fading with age... :( Any advice much appreciated!

Hmm, I live literally 5 mins from Top-Gear. Think they will be getting a call in the morning as my C has just politely asked for a new system... :mad:

http://the-corrado.net/.archive/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18687&highlight=bunker You can see mine in one of those pics. It looks a lot better now I've sprayed it to match the bumper, but no bodywork has been cut, and as far as I know I could remove it at any time by simply cutting through the upright behind the bumper. I'm going to try and wash the car this afternoon so I'll get some better pics up, as several people have asked me about this now.

Well, I hope those that stocked up on fuel for themselves are happy. No reported protests or problems with supply, and yet forecourts are dry, and prices are on the increase again. Cheers. Incidently, whilst up in Edinburgh I noticed the pump price of unleaded actually fell 2p/litre between Sunday and Tuesday. In the meantime my local garage has gone up by 1p/litre.

But (I presume) the aim of any possible blockade is to get the government to give tax breaks until prices come back down and the industry stabilises. You say it's unreasonable to expect this, yet are we not all in agreement that the amount of tax we pay on fuel is already obscene? This is an oppurtunity to show that current prices are crippling us, and that something needs to be done. Panic buying is just selfish, as it just means there will be less for everyone else in the long term. These protests are one of the few ways people have left to make their voices heard to the government. IF they go ahead, (and let's not forget that this is still very much a rumour, before everyone rushes out to fill up) I think we should support them fully.

Guys! Panic buying just goes to reassure the government that they can carry on taxing us! STOP! Try and go a week or so WITHOUT using the car. I know for some this is impractical, and I may well get flamed for it, but seriously, you'll save money AND help to bring prices down in the long run.

As posted elsewhere at the expense of my wrists... : :oops: 94.9 for bog standard unleaded?! Gone up 3p over night! I'm still in shock! I can understand that due to events in the states prices have gone up, but would anyone here care to predict the chances of it going back down again?

20 litres? That's some over-boring... My valver gets up to 38mpg on long journeys at a steady 80mph, but this is on the mfa which I find typically is 1mpg optimistic. My long term average is 32mpg, but my commute is literally about 5mins drive, hence me starting to use the mountainbike more. It's amazing how much you save in fuel costs, and how much healthier I feel!

94.9 for bog standard unleaded?! Gone up 3p over night! I'm still in shock! I can understand that due to events in the states prices have gone up, but would anyone here care to predict the chances of it going back down again?

Are myself and Riley the only ones to be slightly curious about the "dieselengine" and "four wheel drive" bits??

A mate of mine has a Capri x-pack. No idea how rare it is, but damn it looks cool!

What I don't get is that it diesels are more efficient, not due to anything inherent to the fuel, but because of how technologically advanced the engines are. A lot of money has been invested in their development due to heavy taxation of petrol. I would have thought that if one were to invest the same amount of money in a petrol engine, you would end up with something at least as efficient, and probably more powerful/refined due to the increase in volatillity of the fuel? :?:

Sen, Remove the heater control knob (mine just pulled off). The piece the control knob connects to need to come off as it also forms the axle for the vertical gear wheel. This is done by carefully prising out the four clips with a very small screwdriver. I seem to remember this being easier from the back of the panel. This should allow you to lift the vertical gearwheel up slightly, so you can turn it back to reallign it. If you need to get to the tracks for the control arms under the horizontal wheel, you will need to remove the little metal clip that gives the indents to the four vent positions. I think this was quite tricky but with a bit of persuasion, and the vertical wheel removed, it came eventually. Slap lots of grease under there while you're at it! (See my pic above) Hope this helps! Rob