markrtw

Mine clutch action has been exactly the same since I replaced my clutch and I know nothing could of been strained. I figured I would just live with it for 20,000 miles and see what happens.

I think I recognise that dashboard and amazingly I have seen one of them inside a Corrado before. :notworthy:

I had the popping when my valve guides & guide seals were very worn. When the revs die, it starts injecting fuel again from 1500 rpm to stop the engine stalling and this is when I would get the popping due to the lack of sealing and vacuum created on the over-run. A couple of weekends and a reconditioned head, some timing chains/tensioners, clutch etc later (epic 140,000 mile service :shock: ) and it's great again! I found the popping is much more obvious with the Miltec exhaust - never noticed it with the std one.

The sensors are in the back of the hubs, so wheels off. To find out what is at fault either VAGCOM the car or put a multimeter on the contacts of each sensor and check the resistance. It should be aprox 1.1 amps (or 0.11 - depends on the setting on the multimeter), but it's obvious if one is out compared to the rest. The connection to get at the contacts are on the back of the sensor on the front hubs and under the back seat for the rear sensors.

I don't think you will find the reversing light switch in the end of the inlet manifold, though knowing these cars they often do defy logic.

I'm going to change mine this weekend. I take it that it's a straightforward job? I am guessing that you just drop the sump and then undo a bolt or 2, pull out the old, insert the new one and then do it up again? Anything I should be aware of? Thanks.

A wire drops down from the injector part of the loom and plugs into this on mine.

I think this car used to (about 6 years ago or so) belong to my neighbour in Thame. Does it have black leather?

I would suggest these people then who are near the M25 and I have used them with good results. www.wheelrefurbishing.com I don't know if he still has, but a chap there had a blackberry VR6 with leather and aircon just like mine!

A new std VR6 engine will cost a lot - you could redo the head, chains & clutch for about 800 (I just did) or if you want a whole new engine then you can have one for £2000 for Vege (I think thats their name) who do excellent quality reconditioned engines (1 of the forum's users members mentioned it in one of the active topics today). If you are doing rings etc then I guess you will be reboring it etc (oversize rings/pistons?) and the cost will be vast (over the £2000 and all your labour on top). Or will you get a 2.8 and rebore it to 2.9? Things like the whole head gasket set (Victor Reinze) and head bolt set and the actual chains can be bought far more cost effectively from GSF. Tensioners from VW and remember to user the mk4 golf top tensioner! Food for thought?

No, not repairable - too big. I'll just try a live with it for a month or 2 through the summer and then replace the thing for when the evenings start coming in so it nice & clear at night rather than seeing thousends of tiny lights coming at me. I'm just worried about the screen fitting process and if it's watertight.

Last night topped up the air con - very cool! Today on the way to work had windscreen smashed by a stone thrown up by a lorry :bad-words: Just when everything was looking good.

Finally, fitted head, new chains, tensioners, clutch etc, full 20,000 mile service, started first time, runs like a beauty, took it to yorkshire & back (600 miles) and all is good until this morning on the way to work when the outside temp display went. I am hoping I didn't connect the sensor correctly... :confused4: Still, if thats all that goes wrong, life is not that bad! :cheers:

Go to the Lotus website - book a test drive... Got to be over 25 or 28 - can't remember.

I fitted the wonderfully reworked head (thanks Allstage), new chains, tensioners, clutch & gearbox. Now just the rest of it to do ready for going on holiday at the weekend...

A friend invited me to the launch of the new Lotus Evora at their Silverstone dealership on Sunday and being the sort not to overlook a free lunch and it being only 4 miles down the road I decided to forsake the rebuilding of my VR6 engine and went along. :D I had seen the pictures in Evo and thought it looked OK, but in the flesh it looked a lot better and (the remarkable bit) even though it has a similar profile to the Elise, it's a brand new bigger chassis (their mid size platform) so all 6 foot 5 of me could get quite comfortable behind the wheel and its not difficult to get into. It's been designed as a more comfortable Lotus, quiet and refined enough to live with every day and as it's a 2+2 you can even bring some (small) friends along too, but retaining Lotus driving values. Obviously I had to find out if this was all true and took it for a drive along the country lanes around the Silverstone area. The one I was in was launch spec (fully loaded) with reversing camera, leather everywhere, Alpine multimedia Sat Nav (which can also display engine/car info) and forged lightweight wheels. Wow is the word. A torquey V6 (3.5 direct inj Lexus, custom Lotus mapping - only 205 g of CO2) gives plenty of thrust and sounds great, AP brakes stop it quickly, it rides beautifully and corners flat and the steering can only be described as telepathic. You can feel everything, it’s perfectly weighted, extremely direct and loads up well. Loved it. Loved it even more as it was a free ride and unexpected. I think the only problem with it is the price: £48k - £55k. Dangerous territory with Cayman S, 911, M3 & GTRs all around. I think it would feel right at 40 to 45k. Anyone else bagged a good free ride? :cheers:

A thousand thankyous.

Harder to kerb the wheels - agreed. The difference in contact area works out to be negliable (certainly less 1cm) as they are attached to the same width rim which either helps spread the 195 out or holds the 205 in, depending on your point of view. Working for a sports car manufacturer gives access to staff deals from suppliers and the promotion when I was buying was on 195/50/15s which worked out at £18.50 each inc VAT. Not bad for a major brand! Against £78 for the 205 of the same tyre (205s not on promotion), no contest. P.S. TBH - what on earth does that mean? I dont do shorthand texting, so I have no idea. A quick ask around the office gave me no answers. :brickwall:

Call me mad, but I run 195/50/15s as I could get 2 or 3 fitted for the price of 1 205/50/15. I have never noticed any real difference in grip from it. As they are on the same width rim the actual contact area with the road should not really be any different. Cue heated discussion...

Love the outside, don't change it - a good artist knows when to stop. Inside, love the seats and late dash, not sure about the steering wheel (but thats a very personal thing) and hate the US seat belts. Good work!

My sole reason for owning the beast is out...

If the 2.9 VR6 will go in, why not go for an R32? With a pair of cams you should have 300bhp!

Yep, undo the rear mounting bolt and jack the engine up a few inches - I did that and it only took a couple of mins. Now - how dare you open the bushes debate once more! It's a personal choice thing. Some swear blind by them and others say it's terrible and stresses other things. Straight poly bushes will be harsh, but the powerflex ones seem OK and they advertise that they are of a blend that are not harsh and the std rubber ones are, well, std. Personally I have used powerflex bushes on a couple of Golf GTIs and my VR6 and rate them highly. The only thing to remember is that the VR6 has the same wishbones as the Golf VR6 and needs the bushes for that and not the ones that powerflex list for the corrado as they are for the narrower track 8/16v engine models (though the front bushes are the same). You pays your money and takes your choice...

Over the weekend I removed front end, gearbox, timing chains, head etc. Head now with the machine shop being made as good as new for collection on Friday and then the dreaded rebuild begins! :shock:

A friend of mine once walked into the Iffly Road Oxford VW garage and asked the parts person for some parts for his Corrado. It was suggested to my friend that he went to the Toyota garage! He took a few minutes trying to explain that it was not a Corolla and that VW had made a coupe other than the Sirocco... He gave up in the end and went elsewhere. Personally I use the VW TPS centre in Milton Keynes. They can be a little slow, but often have the part and and good to work with. They sell the std 10w40 synta (or whatever its called) for £11 something which is half the recommended price! :)