dr_mat

If your ABS light comes on for the two-second self-test at ignition-on and then goes off, and stays off until you turn the engine off, it is working fine. You *only* have an ABS problem if the light *never* comes on or if it stays on or comes on while you're driving.

Actually, what I'm feeling on the road is a much more driveable engine. Smoother, more responsive. It always felt a little coarse at high revs, now it's back to being turbine-smooth under power (or off power, come to that).

Cali 91 Octane does not compare to UK 98 Octane. There's a lot of complicated reasons why the US octane rating is FAR more rigorous than the EU Octane rating. You can't compare the two. Secondly, the UK has 2.9 litre ABVs, the GIAC isn't setup for that (ok it's relatively subtle, but that 2% multiplied up by the air flow rates from a supercharger meants a bigger difference than you'd expect).. But I know naathing.. :) Anyway, just got back from Stealth for a remap on the VR. The previous map was being seriously held up by the dodgy MAF sensor, so it posted 199 lbft and 199.9 bhp in 2004. Now, with a properly working MAF, it's producing 208 lbft and 203.3 bhp ...! And you *can* tell on the road, honestly .. !

That sounds like the bunny. You other possibility is the ABS power relay being a little sticky - it needs a second shove to get it going?

You yanks have smaller gallons (you never got anything right.. ;) )..

Unplug the MAF. The lambda should still fluctuate between 0.8 and 1.2 at idle. If it's outside these values you either have a significant air leak or a faulty lambda. -- edit, true it can be faulty injectors too (i.e. the ECU can't control the fuelling properly). and therefore it can also be a faulty ECU .. I suppose it could even be a fuel supply problem. If the fuel pressure is low, you're not going to get sufficient fuel charge per injector opening ..

Dunno mate, I've not looked at them (I'm sure you'd have to remove the roof lining though). I just know they exist ..

According to that info, it's running the stock pulley, so I doubt it will scare your VR6..

OBD II is the protocol spoken on the wire. Didn't know it was anything to do with the position of the lambda.

How much did Stealth charge for doing the whole deal on the charger, if you don't mind me asking? The concept of fitting it myself is lunacy, but if somewhere with Stealth's reputation offered a fitting service it becomes more reasonable ..

Why? If the drains are blocked it'll overflow inside the car.

Should be a plastic tool attached to the bonnet stay .. or in the kit with the jack .. or something. It's not very good, but it's better than nothing.

The roof has drain gutters that run down to the rear wheel arches, iirc (all this is "inside" the roof).

Sunroof.

Why? Or do you mean in the worzel gummage style .. ? :)

The power steering is under an immense amount of pressure when you're turning the wheel and the car is standing still. At least try it on a slippery surface before you decide there's something wrong ..

That's for the run-on circuit. (The bit that runs the fans and the aux water pump and fuel pump after the ignition has been switched off.) Not sure which fuse is which. I thought there were three fuses though?

I'd buy the real thing if I were you. The genuine gaskets aren't that much more expensive, and if the original lasted this long .. well the quality speaks for itself. IIRC engine internals have a 2 year warranty from VW, too.

It's aliens. Check for anal probes.

Definitely sounds like the head gasket to me. The heat exchanger would dump water in the oil or oil in the water, I wouldn't expect it to dump water in the cylinder .. And if you're not happy with a spanner, it's probably not worth doing yourself. I don't think it's a very expensive job on the 16v .. (could be wrong though .. )

Good idea. I'm sure that will fix it. ;)

Could also be the clutch release mechanism. They tend to get very heavy with age. Bleed the clutch reservoir through. Fresh fluid can help there. If it is the clutch itself, there's not much you can do there but replace it ..

From what you've said I don't know if there IS anything wrong with your chains. If it's the chains clattering, it doesn't "go away" after a few seconds or a few minutes. It clatters all the time .. Meanwhile, it's quite possible for them to be badly worn without hearing anything much. After that kind of mileage, with no evidence of them having been already replaced, it would be wise to inspect the top tensioner before judging. But if you inspect it, and they look ok, then it ain't broke so don't fix it ... ! As for the gearbox overhaul, you certainly don't have to buy a whole new box, but tbh it might work out cheaper than the labour required to recondition one .. !

I would say there's probably nothing much wrong with your car. The chains clatter in a very distinctive way, and it gets worse at 1200rpm. At 176k it's an unusual car that doesn't have chain clatter, but yours may be one of the exceptions. As for a little bit of notchiness on 1st gear, well yeah, they get like that. But I don't think that sounds too bad, to be honest. That £1k isn't going to go very far on overhauling a VR6, so best to make certain you need it done before you commit ...

You didn't hit it hard enough. Look, if the light goes out the ABS is working, trust it. It self tests every time you turn the ignition on, it self tests when you go over 7mph (10kph) for the first time. If something wasn't working right the LIGHT WOULD BE ON.. :)