dr_mat

Doesn't seem likely to me. Idle isn't controlled by the throttle damper. If it doesn't idle when cold the most likely solution is a temp sensor. And considering you had to remove the temp sensors to do the timing chains... I suppose you may have a vacuum leak somewhere causing problems, but I would suspect the temp sensors first.

Local independant garage? It's actually hard to program the key to the car. It's easier to do it the other way around. There was a post very recently detailing the procedures.

It certainly Croaks. And since when was the Corrado "pretty"? Muscular. Purposeful. Subtle. All those things, but pretty? No way..

Not a bad price for a 12 inch long piece of rubber that provides so much enjoyment, don't you think? And don't forget, it's a 12 inch long piece of rubber with a joint in it. There's where the extra £30 goes. And haha, you think you're joking. Yes, the heater control box is around £200 + VAT. :roll:

Sounds pretty good to me, depending on the quality of work.

Didn't we already do this thread?

Uh oh.... £40+VAT, iirc... But better than the problems you're currently experiencing..

Later cars have very slightly wider arches than earlier, I believe, so make sure you're not comparing two different models...

Make sure you very carefully check that hose that goes from the bulkhead to the back of the cylinder head, right down by the join to the cylinder head, for cracks and splits. That's usually the first hose that goes on a VR due to engine movement, and that would explain why you're losing water and would explain why air is getting into that part of the system, too.

1) oil on plugs - almost certainly this is the cam cover gasket. It's quite common for this to seep down onto the plug threads. 2) oil on the plug CONTACTS is more likely to be oil leaks internal to the cylinders - primary concern would be the valve stem seals, less likely suspect is bore/ring problems. 3) water pump can't take out the cam chain, cos it's not connected to it 4) the great price for the new/recon engine wasn't real. Forget about it, it's £4k+. 5) whether it's worth getting the head recon-ed again is up to you. It's not much labour to pull the head off and inspect the bores, and leak down and/or compression tests can give hints as to the condition of these parts of the engine. Was there anything I missed...?? :)

Well the chains/tensioners are at the gearbox end...

Congratulations, you appear to have bought a perfectly normal Corrado. How does it drive? If there's nothing wrong with it and it drives perfectly fine then stop worrying. If you have a reason to be paranoid then please tell us and someone may be able to help..

Is it worse when you rev the engine slightly (1200 rpm ish)? Is it coming from a particular part of the engine? There's hundreds of posts on this very subject describing symptoms in painful detail..

If nothing else, our making you desire a VR6 Corrado makes the price of all our cars go up, so hell yeah, tell all your mates to get one aswell!

"... and if she weighs the same as a duck ... ?" "burn her!!!" Ah, the judicial system in feudal Essex..

I think it happened when you paid off your loan..

Spot the computer-based support person. Fingers unable to type "custom" without adding the "er"??? ;) Steal an aerial off a Vauxhall. They're the same.

I think Kev has been abducted by aliens. Quick, someone start a group buy on VT engine mounts. It's funny. No one EVER said a Golf 3, even one with tricked out suspension, can come close to a well setup Corrado in the steering feel and handling stakes. Now all of a sudden kev is proclaiming that "at least it's reliable". I have an old cavalier I can sell ya, kev, if you're interested... ;)

The "audi look" is just "lardy" IMHO. This isn't the Audi look.

I suggest you change the oil... But without the services of a crystal ball it's hard to know what else might be wrong on a ten year old car.

As for the torque vs turbo comparison, you may find that the standard VR doesn't feel much more responsive, maybe not as responsive as you imagine. At least, below 3500rpm it might be a little disappointing. Sure, it's a 2.9, so even off-cam it's producing 130-140lbft, which your 2.0 won't come near without turbo assist at low revs, but when it comes on-cam the throttle response will take your head off your shoulders...

Corrados aren't that unreliable. It's just that they're getting on in years now, so things inevitably wear out. Try running a 10 year old Paxo VTR and see how many bits no longer work and how often you have to replace suspension components.. The only drawback with something like the VR is it's a complex engine so if you start having engine issues it's going to cost big time to put it all right. But then, that's only going to get worse with newer cars. Wait till your Crocus RS gets to 10 years old. How many sensors and engine actuators are there to go wrong? And isn't the under-bonnet wiring completely lacking in the "looking well made" department too??

What? The guide book says oil change service every 10k miles/1 year. Plus annual inspection service and extras on the 12 monthly/24 monthly boundaries. It's quite detailed..

Try not to be paranoid about this stuff. There's only a handful of cars have actually had failures as a result of timing chain issues.

I hope you don't mean "one ohm".. one k ohm would be nearer normal.. If it's dropping to 120 Ohms then it's obviously buggered, swap the sensor.