dr_mat

If there's an aftermarket system, it's likely that original transponder setup has been removed. Which kinda points back to the ignition switch, from what I've heard.

Was talking about the threaded hole that you use to release the tension on the belt. It's supposed to be an 8mm thread that holds the tensioner off so you can safely take the belt off the pulley. The bolt holding the tensioner onto the engine may well be 13mm, I'm not sure.

BTW - I got an 8mm bolt from B+Q and it wouldn't fit!? It seemed to be very slightly too wide? I was confused, to say the least!

Yes! PhatVR6 has a box of replacement bearings and is looking for a tensioner assembly with a good pulley to use so he can swap these on an exchange basis.

There's a transponder in the steering column that reads a code off the key, if it's a factory fit (actually dealer fit) system. That can go wrong. Is it more reliable with a different key?

immobiliser?

Which is why I won't be buying one...

I can rarely find anything worth listening to on the radio, so I listen to the engine instead... :)

Wow that sounds like something the reliable boys at Karman should have dealt with at the factory!! Shock horror! :)

Quite - the ECU *will not open the injectors OR fire the spark plugs* if it's receiving no signal from the engine speed sensor. Phat's spot on there...

No worries.. :)

Ha, gifted? Me? No chance... :) Mine has work done on it by a number of different garages, depending on the type of job. I just had timing chains and a few other bits done by Stealth Racing in Warwickshire, regular servicing (and more VW-specific stuff) I've tended to get done at a VW specialist in Reading (though I'm not sure I'll be using them any more), and spanner-monkey stuff I've been getting done at small local places (also in reading). It's been a long haul! I can definitely recommend using independant specialists in preference to VW dealers tho - the dealers just aren't that skilled when it comes to older cars like this, and they're just not interested in working on them (in the majority of cases). There are exceptions, but most people on here agree the dealers are not the best. Still, the one thing you *can* say about using the dealers is the warranty on the work will be bullet-proof! If *anything* isn't right they'll do it again.

Sounds like you're gonna have to get it towed. Do you have RAC/AA membership? They'll do random towings for you if you want. They might even be able to offer remedial advice too. Ring 'em up and join, then call 'em again a day later to get them to come to the car....

Sorry, no, I've not spoken to Rye Mill, don't know them at all. I was just going to suggest you avoid Ridgeway like the plague, that's all. If I was asked to, I'd guess that they've fitted the parts, taken it for a quick test drive, and found that the problem still remains... So they're frantically trying to figure out what's *really* going on. Honestly, swapping the coil pack and the fuel pump (neither are cheap parts) shouldn't take more than 2 hours for one person at the absolute most. I mean, maybe they're just really busy, but if they didn't have time to do it, perhaps they should have suggested you take the car in a day later!

Can you get a slightly shorter, but still standard aerial for the C? My original one is broken a bit, and the length of it makes the car look a lot like it should take 4AA batteries and have a switch on the bottom marked "on/off"...

Just reset the ECU every so often. Make the engine run rich and reliable... :)

I doubt you'll notice the difference, no matter how much redex or STP treatments you put through. Most good petrols include most of these cleaning ingredients anyway, so engines don't get anything like as munged up as they used to. The only thing that'll really make a big difference is pulling the injectors off the car and doing the proper ultrasonic treatment, or replacing them altogether.

The more I think about this now, the more the injectors seems to me to be a nice idea - anyone out there who's gone down the cleaning/replacement route care to comment? I know I've heard that cleaning or replacing the injectors can help the car on cold starts - where it would take a few cranks to fire it now fires almost instantly.. Maybe there's a similar effect on overrun, going from shut injectors to normal operation? Still, kinda expensive to just do "for fun" when there's six of the little b*ggers.. :| Oh, and I really like the idea of just never stopping. It'll make my brakes last longer too, and improve my MPG. Might make parking hard though.. :)

(god I can write some waffle when I want to)

The thing is Phat, we're talking about times when the throttle damper will have completed it's damping some time ago - we're on overrun coming to a halt, so we've not touched the throttle for a good few seconds. It's *one* cause, but IMHO it's unlikely to help in these cases. The "fuel boost" you're talking about when it tries to catch the idle when you've dipped the clutch is nothing more than the ECU actually opening the injectors for a change. They open/close once every other RPM anyway, so they're unlikely to stick or be an issue.. UNLESS old, leaky injectors causing a problem by overfuelling during the overrun cycle and causing the lambda to read higher than the ECU expects, in turn causing the ECU to lean out the mixture even more than normal? That's all pure speculation, of course. I've heard from a few people that ultrasonic cleaning or replacement of injectors can help with running of the car in other aspects, so why not this? I don't know if the ECU turns the fuel pump off on long downhill runs at zero throttle - I doubt it, cos the fuel pumps round in a loop back to the tank - the pump running keeps the pressure up at the appropriate 4 bar, that's all. I doubt if the ECU is reacting slowly due to lowere voltages. It's reading the crank position sensor to work out the engine rpm constantly, and it manages to figure out when to spark each cylinder to within a few microseconds, so a stall situation is unlikely to come about as a result of anything other than bad data coming into the ECU, or a slow physical actuator somewhere on the engine.

benson, not really. AFAIK if the throttle valve is shut, the idle valve should open to allow air into the engine, but if the engine is on the over-run program (i.e. zero throttle and engine coasting in gear above idle speed) then it will put little or even NO fuel into the engine, so the ECU has to spot that the revs are dropping when you dip the clutch and catch it by pushing some fuel in. I think it's worse if you drop the revs to around the fast-idle speed before dipping the clutch. It has always seemed to me that it's more predictable if you dip the clutch earlier, so letting the engine drop from e.g. 2000rpm+ , instead of 1300rpm. That's just my observations of the occasional hiccup from mine - but mine hasn't really ever stalled, just the odd close call.

Dunno, but you can get those pipes from Ford - much cheaper than from VW. Galaxy VR6 has the same components.

Before taking it apart, to release the fluid pressure. Not sure about the bleeding process (if there is one).

I used to find that with the old cavalier actually. People would deliberately avoid it (on the roads too). It could have been the wonky headlights and the big dent up the side.. It was a little battle scarred.. :) :)

Couldn't tell you if it's a bosch, but the ABS *does* preserve higher pressures than a standard braking system. As long as he sits there and pumps the pedal a good few times he'll probably be fine, but I think the Bentley manual always says to pump the pedal fully THIRTY times for ABS-equipped cars. Probably overkill, but they have to cover all possibilities.