smiff

My car is back at Grants. It was picked up on Thursday and he has already fitted mild cams, as I originally asked for. Not totally sure what was fitted before/ or why? The power came in at 4000rpm and then flew upto 7000rpm, impressive but sounded like a hot rod. (Probably not a good idea to redline a 14year old car with 120,000miles everytime you pull away....but, hey it was fun) Have also been told the manifold he was supplied was slightly too short? Causing it to hit the subframe on hard acceleration. A replacement will be fitted on Monday! Also getting new engine mounts as these were shot. Hopefully he will tune her for a smoother idle. Fingers crossed :roll: all will be sorted soon! Better late than never! What a hassle! Second time lucky!!!

wat tha fuk!

Oh I see! That's a bit geeky for me. Not really got into all these abbreviations, I still spell out every word in a text message!!! So, is there an alternative choice for the 16valver?

AFAIK ?

I know your talking about an enlarged throttle body for a VR6, but would it fit a 16V? Or is it a totally different spec, size, shape and design? My throttle body is shot, I was gonna buy a new complete standard part. Is there an alternative?

It is supposed to be picked up today and taken back to Grants Motorsport. But hey, what a suprise Grant has not phoned me and I can't get through to him!

Just had a quick look. Looking straight down on it you can easily slide it left and right on the cog. Without removing the cover completely (I can only get my hand about 6" down the belt, not even half way) it twists about 45 degrees. I imagine if I tried half way down the belt it would twist 90 degrees.

Okay! I'll go and have another look now. Would it effect the idle and stalling?

Thumb test?

Is the cam belt on a 16v self tensioning? It looks a bit slack on my car. Would a loose belt cause my car to stall when I drop the clutch/idle badly? Not very technically minded, but curious!

Spoke to Grant today and expressed my concern regarding the grinding noise when accelerating. (Possibly the new exhaust knocking). Also, I originally asked to have Mild cams fitted, but was disappointed to find the power delivery very high up in the rev range! Hopefully I will get new mild cams fitted and the exhaust adjusted, let's just hope it dosn't take three weeks like before. Fingers crossed all will be sorted quickly.

Can't find anyone selling 'Clay Magic' I have found an other brand called 'Maguiars Quik Clay Detailing' http://www.meguiars.co.uk - Anyone used this?

Yes, I won't use any fairy liquid on the paint work.....but its good on glass! I think I'll try and get some 'Clay Magic' tomorrow. Anyone used it? http://www.clay-magic.com/default.htm

Do you mean use petrol and cloth on the paint work? Not sure about trying that! I've just had a browse on tinternet and read about clay blocks and Quik Detailer, sounds easy to use, with good results! (I'd never heard of a clay block before) The windows have come up sparkling! Might use a bit of petrol when cleaning them next time! -washed it thoroughly off with fairy liquid, totally squeaky clean.

What the fuck is clay clock?

Sunday morning car wash and polish time. As I was washing it I noticed the paint felt really dry and gritty. I first thought it was tree sap and dust, but after the car had dried I had a closer inspection, the whole car is covered in tiny specks of white paint! I would guess that while it was in the garage for three weeks, someone has not covered the car and proceeded to undercoat somebody elses!!! I've started cleaning it off my windows using a rag, petrol and loads of elbow grease. But what can I do about the paint work? I've tried using polish, no effect. I tried using T-Cut on the wing mirrors and it seemed to clean them up nicely, but I had to rub really hard, I don't fancy doing this on large areas like the bonnet! Any suggestions? Any products that might help? Really not impressed :mad:

Cheers Phil, Just fitted a new water pump pulley, it was worn and because it is a slave to the other pulleys it was making a bit of noise. Still got a loud knocking sound on acceleration, can't see until its jacked up! Hopefully will have it fixed next week. Also looks like I need to adjust the throttle body micro switch. But thats enough for today, need beer and female company.......going down the pub now!

Now I've got my car back from Grants, I'm having a good look under the bonnet. Can anyone tell me where the warm air return hose normally goes to? Normally it runs from the rear bottom end of the air box to? Do I need it?-Does it normally fit to the manifold, maybe my new manifold has no place for it? While I'm here I might as well have a rant!!! None of the airbox clips where locked closed! The earth wire from the coil to the head is hanging loose! And to top it all there is a nasty grinding/knocking noise when pulling away, probably the new manifold or exhaust hitting something.....it was not like this before!

Filled the old girl up with a tank Optimax (Not sure what the mechanic who delivered it had used?) and took it for a decent run. Anyway it's not as bad as my previous post suggested. I think a change in my driving style is needed to make the most of the car. With a little practice if I can keep it 'on the cam' above 4000rpm she delivers quite nicely. Sweet sound with a fair amount of torque! If she drops below 4000rpm there seems to be slightly more lag reaching the power. Probably more lag than when she was standard?- This could be a slight flat spot. The idle stabilisation Valve might need cleaning, or maybe the injectors? I'll give it a couple of days and reassess my thoughts on the car. Might if Im not too busy get down to the Ace Cafe this month....last Tuesday of the month? Oh yeah- My new job means using public transport :( I can't drive to London Bridge everyday. The idea of having a Lotus is only for use at the weekend...if I get one It's gotta be a turbotechnics model. + I'll probaby keep the Corrado...me and her go way back!

Well, just driven home from meeting one of Grants mechanics, who drove it up from Bristol. To be honest I don't know what I was expecting? I67bhp! It feels the same to me! It's making more noise, quite a nice sound, but is that what I've paid for? It does deliver a bit more punch at about 4000rpm, but didn't it do that before? It's certainly not breath taking. Perhaps I've been spoilt by driving a few fast cars in the past! Maybe the Corrado is too heavy? Oh well, I was warned that trying to get more power from a KR engine can be expensive and long winded. Was it worth it? Sadly probably not. The good news is while writing this I've just received a call offering me a new job...result, more money and in a few months I'll buy that Lotus Elise. Anyone wanna buy a 16V Corrado?.......Live and learn!

Thanks for your comments. I do have Grants mobile number and when I do speak to him he is a genuinely a nice bloke. I don't think there's anything he doesn't know about engines. Like I said, there have been a few problems with the car, but he is 'sorting them'. (I do trust the work will be top notch when completed...just a matter of when?) The timing prob (glowing manifold) was put down to the cam he was supplied being 4 degrees out! It was manifactured badly and sent back. Fingers crossed I might get it back this week!

I dropped my car off at Grant Motor Sport 3 weeks ago. From my house it was 140miles to Bristol. I was originally told the work (Gas flowed head, new cams, follows and manifold) would take 2-3 days. I took a few days off work and stayed with friends in Birmingham, waiting for my car. On the understanding Grant would call me when the car was finished and ready for me to pick up. No call. I called Grant and asked if all was ok and was he ready for me to pick it up. I understand they had some problems with a porous head (Water vapour was present in the exhaust gases) fair enough, shit happens. I did not phone for a few days giving them time to rectify the problem. When I did finally get through (No one at Grants answers the phone!) I was told the car was only putting out 150BHP, and the manifold was glowing red hot. I was told they were going to investigate, probably a fuel delivery problem...? A couple of days later, after I had tried calling Grant, time after time, I was told, after examining the car one of the cams was of the wrong profile?? He was waiting for a replacement cam. I had heard good things about Grant Motor Sport and trusted them to do the work. I’m starting to get really worried now! Will I ever see my car again? Can I put trust in Grant that the car will be ok? What should I do? Does anyone live near Bristol, maybe see if my car is even there?

randal_24- Yes mate I was on the M25 stuck in traffic. Good see fellow Corrado owners acknowledging each other. I was on my way to Grant Motorsport in Bristol. I won't get my car back until Tuesday. Looking forward to see what a real gas flowed and ported head can do! Oh, and new cams! The work should see my 16v put out about 170Bhp.

itrip. No cables! http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/itrip/

New distributer is always a must. Then the usual stuff, leads, plugs, oil change...... Then, top up the tank with good fuel (Optimax) and pour in a good splash of injector cleaner....drive carefully for a few miles and then thrash her! You'll be suprised!