Jonny_L

I know the feeling well, sorry to hear you're going through what I went through (even if it's a different cause, it's still a knackered engine!). I replaced my old VR engine with one with 47k on the clock. I paid £700 for it from a scrappy. I put a request into http://www.breakerlink.com, and had loads of scrappys calling me to offer engines. Just make sure you can get proof of the milage, if you're lucky they might have the service book too. As for VW, I did look into it, but the prices were as usual, laughable. I think it would've cost a good few grand from them IIRC.

I have to admit I quite like it. When I first read your post, it reminded me of when we put laminate flooring in my mates bay window camper. that with dark green and dark red fake leather door cards, it looked sweet 8) Though if you got in with wet shoes on you were guarenteed to slip and injure yourself!

Nice car. If I were you, i'd get rid of the nurburgring stickers, that's bound to put off someone who knows what they are. O/T, but did you take it round the 'ring yourself? I'm planning on going there on my bike next year as part of a trip round europe.

When i bought my Corrado, it had some horrible 17s on that rubbed the arches. I picked up some ratty speedlines dirt cheap and had them refurbed by Spit and Polish. They collect from most garages around the country. Cost me £50 a wheel (plus 4 new tyres :shock: ), though I think they pay the garages wedge to take the tyres off, meaning if you know a mate in the trade you might get them done cheaper. At first I wasn't sure if I should've just got some aftermarkets, but they came back looking like new, bloody lovely. They make the car handle much, much better too. Only trouble is, now I have to keep 'em really clean!

I'm 22, and i've had: VW 1200 Beetle, black, then blue, new colour TBA, 1972 (still have it, though it's in need of major work now) VW Mk2 Golf 1.3 4+e, Black, 1989 not vw, but VAG, Seat cordoba coupe 1.6 SX, blue, 1996 VW Camper, 1979 bay window, grey (R.I.P. :( ) VW Corrado VR6 auto, Blue, 1994 (Currently, though it's not working yet!) every one has needed a new engine too, except the Seat, and the camper, though that's gone to the scrappy so i'll never know. You'd of thought i'd of learnt my lesson by now :oops: !

I was hoping it might be something like that, but to open the bonnet it feels like there's too much heat coming off it still. That hose might be showing signs of stress maybe too, but I remember it was the one hose that I looked at and thought it'd need doing soon. Those sensors had been sitting around in the open stat housing for a couple of months so maybe they're dead too, since it didn't seem to make any difference at all. I didn't actually change the stat or housing, so perhaps that's my next port of call? The one on the old engine is actually only about 6 months old too, though I'll check it works properly still after being left standing. I will run it again tomorrow to see if the fan comes on at all with the different sensors, and otherwise fork out the dosh for some VAG ones. The bitch about cooling is that every time I drain the system, it costs me money in coolant! still, it's a small price to pay, and at least the system's getting a good flushing. To top it all off, I can hear a very faint rattling coming from the timing chains now, but that's another story alltogether!

Ok, i've just about had it with this :mad: I put all 3 sensors from the old engine's stat housing in the new one. Just took it for a spin, and it's exactly the same. the oil tended to stick at 116, went to 118 when i gave it some welly, though didn't seem to climb any more. Water stuck around 110. To top it off, I think I just heard a little whistle coming from a hose at the back of the block. Also, the fan wasn't on when the water hit 110, and didn't run on after switching off, but it was on when it was reading about 100 degrees earlier. I'm still thinking fan controller module, but I don't know why it should need anything more than 2nd stage in this weather anyway. Unless the old sensors have had it too by now of course. One thing that keeps niggling at my mind... I put a light coat of high temp paint on some parts of the block. Thinking about it, maybe that couldn't of helped the temperatures. Otherwise i'll have to get an oil cooler maybe. Any other ideas

I just went for a drive, and it turns out my fan is coming on after all. The water temp was a bit on the high side, around 110, and oil temp was at one point 116 degrees again! Oh dear. Anyway, I went straight back to the garage (the guy working there's an old mate of mine). The fan wasn't working before, but is now so he did half of the work, but he said that I should try swapping all the sensors over from my old engine. I figure it'll cost me nothing to try, so I'll do that soon. It's so nice to actually drive the corrado again! This is the first day i've taken it more than 10 miles in about 3 months, and i've been driving a crappy rover 25 all that time. I know it doesn't work properly yet, but i'm still smiling anyway :)

No worries! it's good to know that i'm not the only one. so water temp for me is about fine too. Hmmm... the plot thickens. I'm gonna run it at standstill tomorrow with vagcom plugged in to make sure that the fan comes on at the right time (if at all!) Is it possible that the cooling system's not to blame after all if the water temps ok? This car's had cooling problems since the day I bought it! first a blown hose, then the stat went, for a while it was fine, but now with the new engine it's giving me jip again. Maybe I should've stuck to aircooled VWs!

Ah the world of cooling headaches. Fingers crossed, mines sorted now. I've had a lot on my plate at the moment so haven't got round to doing it. I booked it into the garage today and they replaced the rad fan switch. now, touching wood here, it was running ok this morning, water temp was between 90 and 110 all the time, but the oil temp was still up around 112 degrees. this is about 10 degrees hotter than my old engine, but does that still qualify as "normal" running temp, or is that too hot?

I've got a 72' bug, The number 1 thing, as quicky1980 said, make sure the heater channels are good. Other things that can get costly are floorpans, and rust around the roof guttering. I assume this is a project car? At £750, I wouldn't expect an immaculate paint job, and if it wants respraying don't worry too much about dents in the wings, new ones from GSF are about £20 each, or £10 for decent second hand ones. (those were the days, try getting corrado wings for that price!) Usually with engines, as long as they sound right, they should be ok, but don't take that as gospel, most are on at least the 2nd engine by now, and second hand blocks can be had for around £200. Don't worry about milage at all. Mines on 42k, but it's probably been round the clock a few times. Get a 72' or earlier to be tax exempt :wink: . the early (pre 67') ones are more desirable but also more expensive to buy. http://www.volkszone.com is the best forum to look on. I bought mine for £500, had a crappy paint job, and rusty wings, but it flew through an MOT (wouldn't now, mind 8) ). Though i think they're going for more money these days. They're great little cars, and so simple to work on. you're mate will be hooked in no time. Hope that helps. I'll have a think if there's anything i've missed. Jonny

Which sensor is that? On the stat housing? If it's any extra help, the fan doesn't run on after the engine's turned off, and i've got a funny feeling the old engine used to be the same (with a different stat, housing and sensors). I remember the last time i actually heard the fan at all was when it ran on in the winter after a short drive, and i thought "why should that be on now". Course, the old engine didn't get that hot or i'd of noticed it. I'm wondering if it's the temp sensor on the rad maybe? Also, since the new block was sitting around for a couple of months, could the thermostat be at fault? Any other checks i can do to test the fan speed controller too, since they're bloody pricey! Cheers, Jonny

Hello again. I've just finished searching about this, but i'm completely confused! As the title suggests, my new engine is running hot. Water temp was at 110, and oil temp was at 116 at one point. The fan's not coming on at all, so that'll be the problem i should think. I've done the fan wiring test, with bridging the wires on the rad sensor and also on the stat housing, and it only works on the first fan speed for a start, not the second or third. Does this mean that the fan speed controller's officially mullered? From what i've read, the 1st speed isn't on the controller, so I assume something else isn't right? I can't hear the electric water pump when the ignition's on if that's supposed to be on too. Only other thing i can think is that i forgot to plug something back in somewhere, or plugged it in the wrong place, tho i'm about 99.9% certain that i did it right! Cheers, Jonny

Some interesting points being made. I used to always service my own cars for the amount of money you save. Also it gives me a chance to make sure nothing else is wrong (same as giving it a good wax to see if there's any new scratches :mad: ). So i suppose it depends on who's buying it really. I'm not 100% sure that i've kept all my reciepts, but then I tend to do a mini service on my cars every 5k or so coz I don't go very far usually, so I'll have to save them next time otherwise. On the other hand, I know of a few people who do they're own servicing that I wouldn't trust to do it right!

Hi guys, I've been trying to work this one out. My Corrado's due for a service, but since i've just swapped the engine and done a full service, brakes included, I figured i'd just write down what I've done, the date, sign it and stick it with my service book. Now, if i ever come to sell the car (heaven forbid), could I still say it's got full service history? And do you think that it would put buyers off, since there's no stamp in the book and they only have my word it's been done properly? Just wondering...

Just to let you all know, it's working fine now. I'm not sure what the ticking was, but I went away, came back, and it's gone now! I realised it needed about an extra litre of water in, so maybe that was the problem. Anyway, i've just been out for a drive in it, for the first time in just under 3 months :shock: And i'm happy as a pig in the proverbial. It's running so perfectly it's scary! So I'd like to say a HUUUGE thank you to all of you for your help. This forum is absolutely priceless, and i'm gonna go and become a subscriber right now. Cheers folks. Jonny

Nice car. I like the colour, and i've always had a soft spot for those wheels. How much hassle must it of been to stick the petrol cap under the light! Cool little mod tho, and probably makes filling up from the left side of the pump easier too.

I've only run it in the garage for now, It's running proper rough, but i figured that my best bet is to put everything back on and drive it to the local garage. they're good with vws, so they should be able to tell me if anything's wrong. Cheers, Jonny

Right, i ended up having to get a new vag-com lead, since mine's vanished (don't you hate it when things just dissappear). I hooked it up earlier, and all it said was that there was something up with the charcoal canister, i probably forgot to plug it in, but i don't think that's my problem. I worked out that there was a loose plug in the ignition, so i sorted that, and put a load of WD40 in all of the sockets, which stopped it sounding like a tractor, a bit, anyway. It's still making a ticking/tapping sound, which appears to be coming from the top right (right of car) of the engine. So, it's idling at around 720rpm, timing at 7 BTDC, but i think the accelerator needs a bit of adjusting, so otherwise, that seems about right, doesn't it? Any ideas? The place i bought the engine from said it could be a stuck valve, but then they probably know less than you guys! Jonny

Just found this in the high bidders feedback. Wonder if that's where he got the money! I always thought those ebook things are a con, but now i'm not so sure. might have to give that a go 8)

I got hooked on those things about a year ago, there was a really detailed yamaha R1 that i spent about 2 weeks building. Sad, i know, but it looked bloody awesome in the end. they're great though, like airfix for cheapskates!

Just spotted this on ebay click here I'd love to have a browse at the rest of that garage too. Sorry if it's a repost.

I don't think he was being that sarcy, check the that the shaking lead is connected properly at both ends. That's the first port of call. Quick word of advice, I'm sure someone will correct me if i'm wrong, but I heard something about not touching HT leads while the engine's running coz you can get electricuted. might just be an old wives tale tho!

Did the nitromors work ok? I've gotta strip my bumper too and have been puzzled over this one too! I was just gonna go over it with an orbital sander, but like you i'm worried about pitting it.

The leads are new "drivemaster" leads, and the coilpack is off my old engine. Do you reckon i aught to get a new coilpack on there? The only other thing i can think of is that my mate labelled up the coilpack and took it off, so perhaps i've got some leads mixed up. though i wouldn't of thought it'd start like that. Could someone give me a quick description of which leads go to which sockets on the coilpack? just in case it's something that simple!