dr_mat

Well there's a Golf GTi so far...

Funny that, so was I ...

Hi all, I was wondering if there's any adjustment possible in the steering rack for the VR6? I'm not seeing any noticeable side-to-side movement through the rack, but I have a feeling it's not right, might be clunking, and I have weird feel through the wheel sometimes. I was told there may be an adjuster bolt that will tighten up a worn rack? Can anyone shed any light on this? Where might it be, if it exists? Ta, Matt.

It was made in 1991, that's what's wrong! There could be a million different things wrong with it. Check the rear axle bushes no. 1, rear shocks, front shocks, tracking, cast/camber, steering rack play, front wishbone bushes. Also make sure that the brakes aren't over-biasing towards the rear, a seized brake load proportioning valve, or even a badly adjusted one (particularly after lowering) can make the car feel really weird...

When do you need 4x4 the most? When you're on full throttle... How then is it realistic to say that because the clutch is "disengaged when not required" it won't cause such a large drop in power? Surely it's when you are using all the power that the diff will stay engaged, and therefore you'll lose more of your peak power... If that makes *any* sense at all!!

I've spoken to several people on the yahoo group who've said they had the same problem and had hydraulic mounts on the rear of the engine. My garage and the local VW place confirmed this. Mine *definitely* had a hydraulic gearbox mount, cos that's the one that splurged every damn where...

Ok, very late VR6s had hydraulic rear engine mounts... :)

Bushes - long story, but high mileage VR6s I can summarise quite easily: if it's smoking, or using oil, it's gonna need at least a top end rebuild. If it's not, everything's fine. It's pretty much entirely dependant on how well the car has been treated.. But the dreaded timing chains will need doing at some point between 80k and 140k miles. Big job, gearbox/clutch off too.. Maybe the tappets at around the same time. Bushes - rear axle bushes are usually the first to go. Replace 'em with VW ones cos they are the only ones that retain the OE passive rear wheel steering qualities. Front bushes - there's two sets on the lower wishbones, the front of these doesn't wear out, the rear sometimes splits and requires replacing. The rear wishbone bush can be repaced with another OE one for not much cash or for an improvement in steering response try a Vibratechnics mount. I've heard mixed reports about the poly ones.. Engine bushes (mounts) - VR6s had hydraulic rear engine mounts, and these will eventually split and deposit dark sludgy oil over the bottom of the engine cradle. As soon as you spot this, get it replaced, as excess engine movement can result in breaking all kinds of other anciliaries. The front engine mount is solid rubber, but has been known to break, so keep an eye on it. As for replacements, I can tell you that you WILL notice more cabin noise, particularly from the gearbox if you don't replace with OE. Whether you can put up with it only you can say, but personally I wish I'd got an OE fitted.. I don't think you get much in the way of additional noise from the engine when you uprate the front mount, however. HTH.

When was the change-over Kev? I presume it was post-corrado.. (BTW - I'm planning on just not worrying about the brown stuff in my water bottle!!) As an aside, did you know that the Corrado VR6 pricing when it was released in 1992 was equivalent to around £26,500 in today's money? I.e. a whole big bundle of dosh! No great surprise they didn't sell well.

.. not to mention the power-sapping 4x4 in the first place - it'll get off the line and out of slow corners MUCH easier (read quicker) than the Corrado..

I'd love to know what causes it, tbh.. Don't know what type of coolant my lovely local VW specialist puts in, can tell you that it's never been pink though.. Might have to have another word with him.. (ffs) How much G12+ should you use for a complete flush?

The corrosion is unlikely to eat away at anything. It's the water eating away at something metal in there. Most likely it's the rad/heater matrix/oil cooler. Could even be a tiny bit of rust coming off the block's waterways, but unless it starts blocking things up it's unlikely to be an issue. It's a symptom, not a problem. If I ever find out what the problem is with mine that causes it I'll be sure to let you know, but to be honest, it's been like this for years, and I've had the coolant flushed several times - it just comes back. I'll likely replace the oil cooler this summer (120k miles is enough for the oil cooler), maybe that'll fix it, but likely it won't.

I've been told it will "minimise" the flat spot. You can't remove it altogether: there's a finite amount of time that it takes for the hydraulics to switch air-flow paths, and for the new air flow to stabilise. Even the new cars with variable inlet geometries (the Passat V6 for example) have noticeable switchover points. I am led to believe they use three separate inlet lengths now.

(For a 2nd hand one, in fact, there's not even any indication that they have stock, so I'd give them a call if you're thinking about it. Good price tho, but don't forget import duty and VAT..)

Eddie, sorry, but you just don't get it - the Schrick doesn't give you much more at the top of the rev range - it won't make the 0-60 any different, or the 1/4 mile times. If you're driving the car to the redline before every gear change, yeah, you are WASTING your money buying a Schrick. But if you also drive the car normally, using the torque of the big engine at low revs, the schrick will change your life. The VR6 only develops 70% of peak torque at the 3000 rpm mark. That's a LOT of difference in a heavy car. With the schrick it will develop 105% of peak torque at the 3000rpm mark, which is a huge change in the way the engine feels... In fact, even if you normally redline the car, you may well find that you no longer have to do that, because the engine pulls so hard from comparatively low revs, you can change up early, and still get the same 0-60...

Could be either, yep..

It'll mean you get a phenomenal surge at 2800 rpm instead, and it'll keep going to the redline... (Apart from the switchover deadspot at 4k rpm.)

Mine's been like it since I got it, and the coolant has been flushed several times.. No other signs of problems, so I live with it..

Do you need to replace both sections of the rear top mount btw? I notice you've all the parts there in the first pic. I have the lower mounting bush (the larger one) - I'd assumed this was the one that carries the weight of the car, so just to replace this one.

The 205/50/15 Goodyear Eagle F1 is only available in the GS-D2 pattern: http://www.goodyear.co.uk/services/tyre ... _gsd3.html

Welcome to the world of VW build quality..!!

Sorry, but my 2p is that the 20VT is a completely soulless engine. It's a 1.8, it's a four-cylinder, it's got a whirring thing attached. Great. Just like the other 200,000 cars VAG sold with the same engine this year. I'm not questioning that it's a good engine - it's a great engine from a tuning point of view, and I'm not questioning the £/bhp part of the equation. They're also strong and reliable. But a VR6 it isn't. The VR6 just has soo much character. Can you imagine people lusting after TVRs if they all came with 4-pot turboed engines? No, neither can I.. *THAT* is why I'm prepared to pay the thick end of £1100 for more mid-range grunt. So I can do it and KEEP the gorgeous smoothness and soundtrack that I get from my classy 6-pot engine. (That's probably more than 2p worth. Still - it's all my opinion, so.. :) )

Interestingly, I was talking to a guy recently who was looking to go back to standard VW exhaust on his 16v due to the milltek being subtlely too loud.. My personal opinion is I'd rather have the OE for less pennies than the aftermarket, given that it'll last for ten years or so and it'll be as quiet as the original. I think the performance angle is open to argument too... My 2p, anyway.

Does sound like you might have bad injectors or a fuel supply problem. Have you checked all the fuel lines for leaks? I hear that a common problem on G60s is a leaky fuel line to the injector rail under the bonnet.

The 2.0 8v is the most economical to run. Bulletproof reliable, "nippy" enough, rather than fast by anyone's description the engine is quite torquey and makes for relaxed driving. It's also cheap as chips to insure, particularly compared to the G60/VR6. If you want the looks and a comfortable cruiser on a tight budget, but don't want to be racing Imprezzas then the 8v is not that bad a buy. Also less likely to have been hammered in their lifetimes, so more chance of finding a good one, so don't automatically dismiss it - it depends on your needs. Fuel economy elsewhere in the Corrado range is pretty hard to find. Strangely, a lot of people reckon that a VR is equal or even better fuel economy wise than a G60, and the 16Vs are known to suck the gogo juice pretty hard if they're driving hard too. (And the 16v engine being a bit peaky it tends to encourage revving..)