Rpmayne

Thanks for the advice. We syphoned most of the diesel/petrol mix out at lunchtime and filled it with diesel so fingers crossed it will be ok.

Not Corrado related but thought I few of you might know.. Why is it so bad to put petrol into a diesel car. A mate a work did this morning. Filled the tank with petrol so its about 2/3 diesel and 1/3 petrol. Can he get away with this or does the tank need draining? Can sort of remember something about diesel lubricating the bores so putting petrol in could make it seize, and that diesel needs heat and compression where as petrol needs a spark to ignite. Thanks.

Anyone got any ideas how to fix the fuse box back up again. I got the car back from the garage with the fuse box hanging down. Can see the two pivots at the bottom but I've got two white brackets things spare and haven't worked out how to make them fit. Ta.

Got the ECU back from the supplier, they found a fault 'track breaking down' which they repaired. Thought this was the source of the ignition problem so fitted it along with a new piece of wiring loom to replace the burnt cable to the light switch. Engine started, tapped abit, but settled down and felt really good. :) Fitted the stereo back in, drove to get some car tax then took it for a run. Had been driving for about an hour in total with no problems... then the engine cut out, turned over but would not fire as before and have just got back from being towed home. :( This car has been sent by the devil to generally piss me off! :evil: Just to top it off, tried starting it once we pushed it onto the drive and it started as if nothing had happened! :mad:

Mine has been a near complete rebuild included oversized pistons, rebore, all new bearings, oil pump, timing chains / tensioners, lifters, guides plus all the seals / gaskets etc. Other things cropped up as it went on though like the belt tensioner, blowing downpipe replaced, alternator, crank position sensor, ECU, oil cooler kit. Must be more but can't remember now. :? Mine needed the lot. Off the point abit but it turned out the inlet manifolds had been ported and the ECU chip wasn't standard although the soldering looked very original. :| My engine is also a '94 in a '93 car. It's been played with and treated badly by the looks of it. When I bought it though it was dyno'd at 194bhp and no signs of smoke. Within about 4 months it was smoking / plugs 1 and 6 were getting fouled, getting through 1 litre of oil per 1000 mls and understandably running like sh*t. :( Originally thought the burning oil was the guides / seals (done 80k by the way :| ). If that's all your problem is then probably worth doing with the timing chains and tensioners. Roughly think that would come to £600 for the bits and the machining work for the head if you fit it yourself. If I ever get round to it I'll list exactly what the whole lot cost, but overall it must be near £5000.00. Probably can be done alot cheaper but then you get into the, 'well, if you're doing that you may aswell do this', which makes sense but things can get out of control. I think for this sort of money I could have got a ready done lump for a lot less than this, and then done the swap. Well worth looking at the options, and I'll add a few grand into the equation next time for hassle.. 6months off the road so far.. Don't mean to put you off by the way. :lol: Good luck!!

Just checked the connections to the ECU and all the earths and supplies are present when the ignition is on. What I don't understand now is.. its definitely pumping fuel, so the ECU must be getting all the running information to control that. So why is it controlling some things and not others? Maybe an ECU fault, going to send the ECU back for checking then if that checks out ok get the alarm looked at.

Yer, think I might get the alarm linked out as you say. Just took a spark plug out, earthed it on the -ve battery terminal and turned the engine over. Definitely no spark. Got a scope on the connector to the coil pack, supply is there when the ignition is on. No signals from the ECU though to fire..

I've just checked all the relays and no problems, assuming the flasher relays need a load to operate as they didn't switch by just applying volts across the energise terminals, but not related to the car running anyway. So all the relays and fuses are ok, split the fuse box in the car for a quick look and can't see any signs of overheating or damage. Quite substantial tracks, would take alot to damage them i think. I tried disconnecting the damaged part of loom and starting to eminate any shorts there might be and it still won't fire. :roll:

Cheers Mike, will try that. Any idea how yours was caused? Will go and check through all the relays now, and replace that bit of wiring. If not I might take you up on that offer Kevhaywire, I'm near Brighton on the coast.

Don't be sorry mate, well grateful for the help.. All fuses are ok, will check all the relays tomorrow then disconnect everything to have a look at the fuse box. Not looking forward to that. Honestly mines a complete mess. Loads of extras fuses have been fitted for something aswell, alarm maybe. Just hanging there on crimps, didn't move it much and one connector fell off. Unfortunately that wasn't the problem.

When I did these on a Golf someone had already tried and rounded the bolts off. Good old dremmel came to the rescue, cut a slot through the head then used a flat screwdriver attachment (chizel size) for a socket set to undo it. Think I had to butcher the rubber bit though for access so needed new ones. Refitted the new ones and covered the heads with wax oil.

Following what you've said I phoned up ATP electronics (ECU specialists where I bought the new one) and they said my particular ECU off a '93 VR6 doesn't have an immobiliser in it. The later ones do though as you say, and they do need coding as per the returned unit. As all the sparks are dissapearing, they say its unlikely a coil pack or ECU fault, more a loss of supply to either. One to check is the ECU control relay. Maybe the short has buggered the fuse board and subsequently lots of other things. Spoiler doesn't work automatically since this either, not sure that relay is in the fuse board though?

Ahh, I didn't realise the ECU had an immobiliser. So has the door key got a chip in it? I recently bought a new ECU for the car, is it possible that this won't match up with orignal keys then?

Cheers for the tips, mines got an aftermarket Laserline alarm/immobiliser which could be causing problems. That was one of the garages ideas to link it out and see whether that cures the problems until he saw the back of the fuse board. Apparently the alarm fitters have cut lumps of the cabling out so you can't just see for instance, red wire, black wire, red wire. Ahh, reconnect red wires and thats bypassed. Good so its not nicked just using scotch clips, wish someone had though! :lol:

Don't you have to undo the rear brake pipes from the axle aswell to let it drop for access to the bushes?

You checked the suspension? When I bought mine the rear shocks had been uprated and the front were knackard standards. Could feel the difference when going over a speed bump and feeling the damping. The result was the back end sliding all over the place as you say. Changed the suspension for a complete kit and now only really get the back going round damp round abouts, otherwise mild understeer at speed. Never felt the braking problems though.

After roughtly 6months of very unhappy Corrado ownership, the local garage is going to tow the heap back to mine after having no luck finding why it won't start (turns over, no spark) then starts and intermittently cuts out. A while ago the alternator energise wire shorted to earth. That was repaired but before I found that there was some smoke from the dash one morning.. That I found last night as the neutral wire running from the fuse box to the head light switch. According to the electrical diagrams all it does is earth the lamp within the switch. It earths nothing else, and even if something had shorted the feed side of the lamp, the lamp itself should limit the current. This wire (after abit of research) being 0.5 must have taken over 20A for it to burn and brake as it has!! :shock: I reconnected it and the light in the headlight switch turned on, tried starting the car and the running problems remained. The wire didn't get hot either so the cause has dissapeared. I know this could be anything but anyone got any ideas? My next task is probably to check the fuse board as this took the current aswell, just don't remember the mk2 Golfs looking like such a birds nest.. Is this a sign of a quality hand built car. Move it slightly and half the connectors fall out for you. :? Saves time but putting them back will be a laugh. :(

Has anyone with a VR felt any real difference in removing the CC and cutting the air box? I take it the forced induction motors benefit the most?

I got some white smoke from around the steering column area a few months ago and posted it on here.. Still haven't found what burnt, but think the cause was the blue wire to the alternator wearing on the braid to the newly fitted oil cooler. :roll: I think this connects to the ignition switch so might have overloaded the contacts a tad switching the battery straight to earth. No evidence of burnt wires though and haven't checked the switch yet, cars still dead for other reasons. Never saw anymore smoke after that, bought a fire extinguisher but on second thoughts a fire extinguisher isn't much good if a direct short starts frying things.. Local mechanic sugested an isolation switch near the battery to kill the power first, then start extinguishing things. Could just end up with alot of steam otherwise until the circuit eventually breaks.

How do the ployurethane inserts fit and how much? Is it a press out and in job? Don't fancy the egg shaped bonnet happening any time soon, and can't afford the vibratech. Ta.

Had a thought about this problem I thought I would run past you all.. When the car went to the garage, they tried running it and it sounded like a tank, apparently from the cam area. Second time starting it was purring then stalled with what they describe as a 'not so good' noise. They then tried to turn it over by hand on the crank and it locks up mid rotation. When changing the crank sensor there was some very fine metal filings on it. I flushed and changed the oil and filter. About 100 miles later I removed the sensor again and found more metal filings. The question is... Could these filings be blocking up the hydraulic lifters and upper chain tensioner so causing the cam noise, and then resulting second time in the cam chain jumping so locking a valve with a cylinder? I'm abit stuck here because I don't really want to take it apart unless I have a good idea whats happened. What could wear to cause the filings? Thanks for any thoughts. PS. Just found out today the 316 run around has a blown head gasket, :mad: Thats going back to the garage this afternoon, didn't really feel like taking that on aswell.

I know everyone seems to say do this and that at the same time because otherwise its a waste of time, but personally I'd be abit careful and stick to what needs doing. E.g. Change the valve guides only if they need doing. 1mm rock is the maximum limit. If you do the guides it a head off job, alot more money and time, and you're scare yourself looking at the state of everything else. And it might not have needed it anyway. The problem is changing things without actually diagnosing whether they are at fault of not. Why does the clutch need doing with the head? Does the clutch ever slip? Why not change the cams aswell, they must have worn by a thou' or so by now. Isn't that abit like buying new HT leads when you change the spark plugs.. :? Get it compression tested by someone who knows what going on.. If you take the head off thinking its something as trivial :? as the guides, only to find its the rings and bores, you'll wish you'd sold it. I do!!!

Can't really see how the chains could have jumped.. Its a ratchet bottom end which I pushed out to tension and the top is one of those oil pressure things.. Unless that is knackard cos its one bit i didn't change. If I take the plugs out and try then, if it turns ok its hydraulic lock yer? Then head off to check. Haven't looked at it myself yet, studying is suffering badly so going to catch up then have another look in a while. Cheers for the encouragement, lifes a game and all that.

Checked the exhaust cheers mate. Found the middle joint was loose, tightened but no difference. Took the car up to the Bosch garage for diagnostics, they phoned us 2 days later telling me to tow it away because its now mechanically jammed. Can be wound back abit by the crank but locks up at a certain point. :shock: Oh s**t me thinks, the plan is now to buy a B-reg 316 and take the thing apart again once I've calmed down abit. :x Sounded lovely aswell for the rare occasions when it ran. What do you recon now, break it and sell the bits which work or sell the whole car once working? Or take an angle grinder to it and post the results on the forum... The latter is very tempting :evil:

I've seen a few posts on this topic but has anyone got any advice about fitting one to a VR6. As paranoid about this car as I have become, I thinking it would be a good idea to get one for diagrnostic purposes. I take it you need to fit a new sensor so a T-piece is needed to fit the old and new sensors into the same hole in the oil filter housing. Can anyone recommend a kit which contains all the bits required (cables not to much problem) for fitting? Also, any idea of a discrete location to mount the gauge? Thanks.