corradostuff

I haven't tried fitting it yet. I think i've got the 4 pin one but not sure, will check tonight. I might have a go at fitting it this weekend. Thanks for your help :D

Thanks for responding deluk. I'm a bit confuesd about the dip dim thing now though! Sounds like we're ordering a Chinese! Seriously tho, at the moment when I put my lights on you can press the switch once for sidelights (is this the dipdim that I'll lose?), press it again for normal headlights (dipped I guess), and then pull the stalk back for full beams. Am I going to lose the sidelights so when I push the switch in once nothing will come on? Or is it something else? Does anyone know if you can get looms where you don't lose any of the lights at all?

Sorry for jumping on the thread, but seems silly to start another one about the same topic. I've just bought an uprated loom from Ebay (prob a mistake!). The first instruction is to disconnect the dipped beam feature plug (the yellow one in front of battery). Is this going to mean I'm going to lose my side lights which I've heard of before? Or is this replaced by the resistor that you guys are talking about? I don't know much about wiring but am a bit bothered now about cutting my orignal loom especially if I'll lose dipped beams!

Has anyone had a leaking power steering fluid pipe? There is a big metal pipe surronded by rubber hose that travels from one side of the engine compartment to the other, its at the front at the bottom and sits against the front subframe. I think it's power steering as it looks like one end goes into the power steering filler. Seems a bit of a stupid place for this as where it bends round the subframe under the battery its constantly rubbing against the metal frame. Mine has cracked or split in this area and is now leaking. I guess I need to replace the whole length of tube? Any ideas on fixing it or putting it in a better place so it doesn't happen again? Also does anyone know if the replacement part is just the big pipe or does it include the fixing at the drivers side where there is a thinner pipe and a few bolts etc?

Yep, I agree with that. Sod the little screw. When you see the size of the screw and its fixing you'll see that it's basically pointless as it won't hold under any sort of pressure. Cable ties are a better option and a lot easier to fix.

Yeah that's what happened with my one. It slowly got worse and worse but at one point it seemed to work when you pushed the key in hard but not if you didn't. Again that was because of the faulty ignition switch, but just because yours doesn't do that, it doesn't mean your problem is not the ignition switch. I think there can be a few symptoms but you might not have them all. The delay in starting thing sounds like my problem in the beginning. I think it gets worse from there. I'd change it anyway. £20 and an hour or 2 isn't much and at least you'll know you've got a new ignition switch which will need replacing sometime anyway.

Yeah I originally thought my problem was an immobiliser issue but the Forum put me straight and said about the ignition switch which is a common problem in Corrados. The VAG switch is only £20 so in my opininon its worth changing that before messing about with the immobiliser. Only problem is you'll need a couple of hours to change it!

I'm also thinking about doing this, have been thinking about it for a long time but not really confident to do it myself so will probably get a mechanic to do it for me. The only thing I'm bothered about now is any long term damage or effects from the change. I don't know much about engines so don't quite understand how the difference affects the engine. Does anyone know of any problems it can cause or is it basically fine as long as the timing is correct?

Hi David My 1992 2L 16v does this very same thing. It began just as you described, with a delay in ignition from when you turn the key. This developed into it failing to start completely on some occasions. I'd turn the key, and nothing, but then try again and it would work. It's completely temperamental and you'd never know if it would start first time or not. I got loads of advice on the FOrum and the unanimous decision was the ignition switch. I finally changed it and it did the trick. Now I've got no more reliability worries as there's nothing worse! Well not that I;ve had yet!! So yes, I'd advise to change the igniton switch (even though I don't know anything about cars). I think that will do it. There is a how to guide on the forum on how to change it. It's a right pain in the a*** though and is really fiddly. Also make sure you use a VAG replacement switch not a GSF or similar as I was told VAG are the only reliable ones to use.

Thanks for your help Zacon. I know what I'm doing now and have found the right hose, think I just panicked a bit when I emptied the power steering fluid! I didn't empty all the power steering fluid, just some, but I am still not driving it just to be safe. I'm off to buy some proper VAG fluid this afternoon. Is it worth draining the whole lot out and changing it all while I'm at it? If so, is there a better way to drain the power steering fluid or shall I just take the hose apart again and let it drain from there? Cheers

Thanks for your help. I've just made a really stupid mistake tho and undone a powersteering pipe under the bottom of the rad, thinking it was the bottom rad hose. That's whjat you get for rushing!! I don't know nothing about cars and thought this would be an easy job but I'm still struggling to find the bottom rad hose to empty the rest of the coolant. I can't work out which pipe it is as there's quite a few and hardly any space to see. Can anyone describe where this bottom rad hose is or is there any other I can undo?

I'm in the middle of changing the coolant on my 2L 16v. I've done a load of searches and have been following that so I've taken off the rad bottom hose and top hose to drain the system. Then I've put the bottom hose back on and re-filled it through the top hose into the engine block except I only got 1 litre to go in until it was full. Then I carried on filling through the expansion cap but only got 2 more litres in until it was full. So I've only managed to get 3 litres in rather than 5 or 6 I was expecting. I'm thinking something must be wrong or I'm missing something??? Can anyone help at all please as I need to get it sorted as soon as poss. I'm thinking maybe it didn't all drain out so I tried again but same thing happens, is there another hose apart from the bottom rad hose that I should be taking off to drain it?

Thanks for the advice Henny. I was interested because I saw some VR6 callipers for sale on the Forum. Trouble is they are callipers only so I guess I'd need carriers as well and possibly new discs and then it will get a bit too expensive to do at this moment in time. I was hoping the callipers alone could be swapped, wishful thinking I guess!!

Are standard VR6 front brakes better than standard 16v brakes? I'm wondering if putting VR6 callipers on my 16v would be an upgrade or is it pointless?

How are you going to fix the seat? It feels like one of the springs has gone in the bottom of my seat as I'm now sitting lop-sided! Also the bolster for the back feels funny. I thought I'd have to buy a replacement seat but the trouble is finding a decent one. I'd appreciate any advice on ways to 'fix' the seats. Then I guess I better stop eating so many pies!!

Well done Dr Forinor. I hadn't forgotten about trying to organise this group buy but I wasn't having much luck. I hadn't managed to find anywhere cheaper than £175 so your deal with Stealth is much better. At least we know they're a good company too which was the other problem.

The fan on my 2L 16v seems to be coming on at higher temperatures than it used to. I'm sure it used to come on between 95 and 100C on the MFA. The temps seem to be getting a lot higher than I'm used to so I checked it over the weekend and the fan isn't coming on until it gets to 107 or 108 C. By that time it doesn't do enough to cool it down, especially in traffic. I've read on here that VR6s have up to 3 speed settings on the fan. Are 16vers the same or is there just one speed? I'm thinking maybe the lower speed which would come on first might not be working, if thats possible? Any help appreciated? Could it be the wiring for the fan or do I need a new one or could it be somtehing else?

Did you get anywhere with the rear light clusters? I've got a flash red C myself and am trying to figure out what style rear lights would look best. The orange looks too dated for me. I'm not normally a fan of the red/clear M3 style ones but am thinking they would prob be the best for a red Corrado. What do you reckon? Also I've heard that Inpro are better than FK as the FK ones don't fit properly, is that right?

Yeah, I tightened mine up in the end to get it through the MOT. To be honest it's probably best to replace the cables as they only cost about a tenner and it looks fairly easy to do. But I needed it through the MOT fast so cleaned up the rear callipers, put new disks and pads on and tightened the handbrake cable. If you take the cover off around the handbrake lever you can tighten the cable quite easily. One cable was ok but I think the other was stretched so needed tightening quite a lot. My lever goes up and right a bit now but it works well enough and went through the MOT. New cables are on the to do list though.

I've sorted my spoiler out over the weekend and it's now working exactly as it should. The red wire went on the really hard to reach connector (after ages!), the black went on the visible connector. I sprayed the spoiler pillars with silicone lubricating spray stuff to make it easier on the motor and I've uprated the fuse and all is cool. Gaz1000, your problem sounds similar but it could be a bit different. When you say it works manually, do you mean using the switch in the dash? Or does it only work by pulling the override button out at the spoiler motor end and raising it that way? If it only works manually with the oveerride knob it could be the wiring or the fuse. I'd try changing the fuse to a 20 amp. Someone on the forum advised me to do this as the old Corrados use 15amp fuses for the spoiler but VW uprated this to 20amp on more recent cars cos of this problem. It's worked with mine. The fuse for the spoiler is the 16th one along from the left. If it only works with the override knob then it'll also be worth checking the wiring is all plugged in properly at the spoiler motor end. If you've raised it manually, just check in there that the wires are plugged in to the motor, mine weren't. If you can raise it with the switch on the dash then it could be the mechanism that tells the spoiler to lift at the right speed that's the problem. (Mine goes up at 45mph). I haven't checked this on mine as its ok, but I've read on here before that there is an electrical component of some sort that does this. This is located inside the dash just above the spoiler switch on the dash so you'd have to take the fuse box cover off and try and get to it from behind. Otherwise there could be a problem with the motor itself. There is a good link on here on how to dismantle and clean the motor mechanism bits which might help. First of all though I'd check the fuse and wiring etc as thats an easy fix. Let us know how you get on and I'll try and help if I can as I've had a smile on my face since getting it sorted!! :D

How easy is it to fit a KR cam? Sounds like it's worthwhile but without sounding too stupid is it something DIY or more tricky?

Sorry for bringing this up again but its been giving me lots of grief. 2 problems - I don't know which way round the wires go into the motor mechanism and I can't get one of them in cos its so hard to reach. I've got a red and a black with female connectors and two male connectors on the bottom of the motor to attach them to. Anyone know which way round they go? Also one is really hidden away behind the tranny, how on earth do you get the wire on it!! 2nd problem is the manual override switch on the tranny. It won't pull out. The plastic part just comes off the metal switch bit and the metal part won't come out at all. So I can't raise the spoiler manually to get the mechanism out to look at it! Please Help!!!

I've been trying to find a BMC CDA from a number of places. Nowehere seems to sell them specifically for the Corrado, apparently they don't make them yet (not sure if it's just for 2L 16v or for all Corrados in general). I've had a couple of places such as VW Gwent offer to make a custom fitting version if I give them some measurements on inlet pipes etc. Has anyone who's already got a BMC CDA bought a version for the C that wasn't custom made? If so where did you get it from as I'd rather get a Corrado specific product from BMC than one thats been adapted to fit? Also as there seems to be quite a few people interested in getting one of these, it might be worth setting up a group buy... I'll ask some of the places where I've been enquiring if they'll do a discount if we order more than one. If anyone knows any other places to get these for a reasonable price, please let me know.

Umm, I've been a bit slack on this actually! It seemed to sort of cure itself. Once i figured out that I needed to push the key in a bit harder to move the lock cylinder back and make the ignition switch work, well since doing that its started first time every time. I'm 99% sure that its the ignition switch that needs replacing. But as its been working again, I've been trying to sort out my rear brakes for the MOT along with some other stuff so haven't got round to changing the ignition switch yet. It's on the to do list though along with 100s of other things!! Thanks to everyone who offered advice on this. I'll be back on the road within the next few days, and I can't wait!!

I was planning to put a K&N panel filter in my original airbox. I've changed my mind now and am liking the sounds of this BMC CDA instead since everyone seems to rate it. I noticed everyone who has the BMC CDA seems to have a VR6. Sadly mine's just a 2L 16v, will it make much difference to performance on mine or is it only really worth it on VR6's? Also can anyone recomend where to get one from and how much it should cost? I've had a quick internet search and can find them for other VWs but not for Corrados.