dr_mat

A longer rack shouldn't change anything, because you would take up the extra length by adjusting the track rods. It may, however, slightly change the toe-in that you get in extreme cornering though, but I'd have to do some sums to work out if it's a problem or not. Anyway, I would have absolutely no problem with my C if it was consistent. But it's not, that's the annoying thing. It's like night and day, and the external conditions make zero difference to it, same roads, same conditions, same fuel load, same cornering line .. and it feels totally different from one day to the next. It seems to have two distinct states. "good" (which is very very good, I have to say) and "bad"..

More likely means you've got a broken coil pack actually .. Look for splits in the casing. If you do have a lead problem then the dizzy leads are similar to the CP ones, just a little longer. There's very little price difference between the early and late lead sets, but the late ones apparently have stronger "ends", so you pays your money ..

I've heard of this before. It may be something to do with one of the gearbox's internal sensors. Try searching the forum a bit more. I am told it's expensive to fix... :(

Wow, Kev saying "put up with it". What's wrong with this picture..?!

Hey, I'm no spanner monkey! I do at least have a full set now (of spanners!), which is a start, but frankly I do very little myself.. At the time the car was in for a service anyway and I had them replace it out of convenience more than anything else... I get nervous about the coolant system in general though, cos I can't drive anywhere to pick up new bits if I break something .. !

No idea, mine got replaced at the garage... Just go for it. If you louse it up, fine, tow it to a garage!

i think people need to read oilmans post about the myths between fully/semi synthetic oils,15w40 fully/semi or whatever are all the same viscosity http://www.the-corrado.net/.archive/forum/viewto ... highlight= Yeah man, read that stuff before. But it says in the VR6 handbook "15w40" .. I, amongst many others have decided we like the semi-synth because it's less likely to be sludge in 10k miles time and it's not too expensive. VW on the other hand see a woman walk in asking for something and instead give her what they think she meant...

I think Haynes would call this a three-spanner repair... ;) (The whole plastics there are part of the pump. The hoses bolt onto the pump inlet/outlet itself.)

For the 12V VR6 engines they recommend 15w40 oils, which means the non-synthetic VW oil. It is an acceptable alternative to use the 10w40 synta silver semi-synth, however, which many people do. Better oil can't hurt, right?

It looks like the plastic housing around the pump that's leaking to me, don't you think? My old one was pretty knacked when it came off too, but it wasn't leaking much. Jubilee clips are fine, but the main reason VW used those spring clips is so it's not possible to over-tighten them.

Anyway, moving on. Let me tell you what I think is wrong with the steering/handling on my VR. See if it matches what you lot think about yours. Variability is the problem. Sometimes it feels tight, planted, confident. Sometimes it feels vague, torque steers like a loon, going round high speed bends feels like cornering-by-averages, it feels like the front end of the car is on tip-toes. Hard to describe... And then there's the occasional clunks.. You know what? If it weren't "impossible" (unlikely at least), I'd say the subframe was moving. This would explain all these symptoms; if it moves forwards, this will reduce the amount of castor angle - increasing torque steer and giving less stability at speed. It would also explain the (heavy) clunk.. Of course, there's other things could cause similar changes in the suspension geometry - bottom ball joints (replaced), wishbones/bushes (replaced), track rod ends could shift the tracking out (replaced - several times), even top mount movement could do it, but they've been replaced too ... So. Having ruled out the impossible, does anyone know *exactly* how the subframe attaches to the chassis?

The original hose clips are specially designed to maintain the right amount of pressure on the joint, iirc. You shouldn't need to swap them, despite all appearances they're reusable. Yeah - if it's steaming there I'd say that's your problem. Judging by the pic I'd be straight off to buy a new aux pump!! (Note that the aux pump will run on after the ignition goes off with the fans so that might explain why it's still steaming ten minutes later ..)

Is it wet there, or just crusty .. (ahem!)?

It "appears sound" - but the bit where it normally goes is right up under the plastic cable guides. Honestly, you can't see it without removing the cable guides (12 point spline key required!). The "metal cylinder" sounds like the aux water pump. This, too, is a possible cause. With the ignition on it should make a very subtle whirring noise.

Flexi engine mounts -> more strain on hoses. Gearbox mount seems to go first. It's oil filled, you'll see sticky black mess all over that part of the subframe if it's gone. "The" hose goes from the bulkhead wall (i.e. the back of the engine bay) to the *rear* of the cylinder head. There's only one hose that does that. It's directly on top of the exhaust manifold. Go have a shufty.

Think it's actually fifteen degrees, but yes.

Reihemotor .. "inline engine". It's a hybrid V/straight six. Narrow angle means they can use a single head, save stacks of space, and still make it short. A 2.9 straight six would be too long to fit under the bonnet, and a normal 90 degree V6 would be too wide. Use the search... :)

Note that the first point of failure, in 90% of VR6 engines, from my own evidence and from this forum is the hose that runs from the heater matrix to the rear of the cylinder head. It develops a split right near the head, under the plastic cable guides so you can't see it. Check this spot first. Then fork out another £40 at VW for a replacement. Then check your engine mounts ...

Mine did this. I'd bent a couple of pins when I was swapping the rear light clusters, which resulted in the brake light earthing through the indicator circuit. Unhook the multi plug on each side and check all the pins are straight.

Exactly - it's your choice. I get 14p a mile ... but then I get a car allowance which is supposed to cover the running costs of the car. Hah! With an ageing VR6? No chance!

The gulp is pretty normal. You should hear it when you fit an induction kit! The revs shouldn't drop though. Perhaps your MAF sensor is fubar? Does it get worse if you unplug it?

Perhaps it's time to say "screw this" and go buy a car where things actually work .. ? It keeps crossing my mind.. Partly cos: 1) high speed handling issues (maybe steering still, maybe suspension, maybe tyres - most of it's new!) 2) brakes keep sticking! despite new disks/pads/calipers all round and numerous cleaning/greasing attempts they STILL STICK. 3) clunks 4) rattles 5) every part you buy costs the earth 6) every part you buy is fecked and needs re-fixing straight afterwards I think I've kept the faith a long time, in the face of stupendous opposition .. but there's very little faith left, I can tell you! :(

Could be wheel bearing, could also be CV joint - particularly if the noise came on earlier when cornering.

I find it hard to believe that it's possible for lots of steering racks to be faulty, one after the other. I am beginning to wonder if many of the clunks/thumps and much of the vagueness on these old cars is not subframe movement or some fundamental structural weakness. The number of replacement parts that have been fitted and *haven't* fixed the problem isn't true.. Also I note that many many people say "it was better for two weeks" after it being in the garage. I noticed that too, and in fact I could simulate that effect just by jacking the front end up for half an hour.. Mine's not 100% either. But I got rid of the play in the steering by replacing the column. The rack replacement made no difference.

Oil pump...? Oil pressure can be very high when it is cold.