dr_mat

Might be an idea to get a key that works while you're trying to get the thing sorted!!! Can't count how many times I've had a flat battery and needed to unlock the door with the key!

That all depends how badly they're seized, really.. !!

Problem is (well at least in my case) the rear box was perfectly ok, it was the big centre box that had holes in it. Interesting to know that they *do* offer this though.

When I say "same as" I mean "actually IS the same"..

btw - http://www.gsfcarparts.com has the original rear and centre boxes, same as the VW item, for only £155 + VAT. Look for the previous threads! :)

I'd question the definition of "consumable" on a part that lasts around 8-10 years... !! If the exhaust is consumable on a VR6, then so are the rear brake calipers, fuel pumps, door handles, headlight switches, engine mounts, coil packs ... the list goes on!! I believe there is a VW exhaust for the VR that comes in two sections for the rear, but it's even more expensive. VW recommend you buy the single-piece part and cut it, then weld it shut again over the axle.

One thing to not forget - Corrados (all VWs actually) have rear brake calipers prone to seizing. That will cost you around 3-5 mpg, particularly at motorway speeds. Mine is a VR and pre-calipers (i.e. with seized ones) I'd get 27/28mpg on the motorway, with new calipers I regularly see 31-33 mpg. Worth checking.

Presumably you're talking about a VR6?? If so you have two options. 1) remove rear axle to remove the old exhaust 2) cut old exhaust through over the axle I went for the former, as I was having a new piece fitted at the same time (identical).

So how much would a "hot film" MAF cost then!? Agreed though, the hot wire ones are fragile.

I'm well aware Haynes don't do a manual for the Corrado. And I'm not trying to start an argument, I'm just saying that I suspect that the vast majority of posters on the forum would never agree that removing the gearbox is "dead easy". Partly because most of them don't have the tools, the space, the time, the inclination even. You're right, I'm sure it's not brain surgery, but nor is it as simple as changing a light bulb, is it?

The latest VW engines all suffer from MAF failures too. The TDs are particularly noticeable cos they lose significant power when the MAF goes. It seems the VR6 engine masks the failure pretty well.. Now all we need to do is find a magic fix for the MAF failure epidemic!!

Point is the 4 motion has 4 motion, and a VSR-type inlet manifold. So it's gonna be pushing 190 lbft from tickover through all 4 wheels.. Ok, it'll lose 20lbft to the 4x4 setup, but that still puts it even with the VR6, and since it develops it's torque over a wider band, and has more grip, the weight disadvantage won't kill it so much. That said, it's gonna be very close. AFAIK the book puts the V6 4 motion golf slightly slower than the VR6, but off-the-line traction was always a VR6's weak point.. The R32 on the other hand...

I'd say the chain replacement doesn't come under the heading of "dead easy" if you have to take the box, clutch and flywheels off to do it!! :shock: You think Haynes would rate it a "two spanner" job??? I doubt it. ;)

I have a spreadsheet showing what I've spent in the 18 months of ownership so far. It's frightening.. Really.. One door handle, one headlight switch, both rear quarters resprayed (one before my ownership, one after), one pair of tyres (soon to be two), one starter motor, one battery, one engine hose, one exhaust, one ABS sensor, one full set of rear disks/pads/calipers/bearings, one engine mount, one fuel pump, one aux water pump ... I'm looking forward to one day having the newest corrado on the road! :)

OEM engine mounts don't usually allow the engine to move far enough to foul other bits of the engine bay... You might just need NEW mounts, whatever type they may be.

Sounds like mine is dead too then... I'll check it again someday...

The traction control uses the *same* sensors as the ABS, but it will have a different control valve in the ABS control unit. The ABS brain watches the activity of the sensors (basically it constantly measure wheel speeds). ABS and EDL are both aspects of the same system. If it detects that one front wheel is going faster than another, and the brakes are NOT being applied then it will APPLY the brakes to the faster wheel on the assumption that it's probably spinning. If it detects that one front wheel is going faster than another while the brakes ARE being applied, then it will REDUCE braking force to the SLOWER wheel on the assumption that that wheel is about to lock. So the ABS control unit has various valves to allow it to do the ABS function (i.e. reduce the braking force to a particular wheel), and various valves to allow it to do the EDL function (i.e. apply the brakes to a particular wheel). These valves are all controlled by the ABS computer, and all the phsyical valves will be in the main ABS control pump unit (the expensive bit). It seems that as your ABS light is coming on, and the differential lock valve is the one that is being found to be faulty, the ABS controller decides that *any* failure in ANY of these valves is enough to disable the ABS function, aswell as the EDL function. So no, not different sensors, just different control valves in the ABS pump unit. (Is the short answer.)

Just like all good performers, a Corrado knows how to put on a performance *just* when it's needed!! :)

Actually I've seen a fair few Corrado VR6 ABS pumps kicking around (on ebay). There's a lot of Corrados out there that have been written off, and since the majority of VR6s *don't* have failed ABS pumps they're not *that* tricky to come by. Not like door handles, fog lights and headlight switches!!!

Note that the cost of listing the auction depends on the "minimum selling price", so for example if you set a starting price of £10 and no reserve, you pay the £10 listing fee, but if you set a starting price of £10 and reserve of £1000 you pay the £1000 listing fee, plus the 75p for it being a reserve auction. Oh, plus the final price fees too. (How could I forget that?!) It's no wonder ebay are turning over HUGE profits every single day is it?! They do nothing, you pay. You sell your stuff, you pay. You don't sell your stuff, you pay. And we don't wanna get into ebay's privacy regulations (something along the lines of "you have none"). If anyone official sounding rings them up they will happily fax your entire buying/selling history to *anyone*. That said, I use ebay a lot. Just helps to be aware of the facts surrounding it all, I think.

If the ABS light is on, then the ABS isn't working, jedi-knight83. But I don't see why a fault in the EDL system would cause the ABS light to come on - since it's not directly required for ABS functionality...

"misnomer" - means it's a bad name for it. "Differential Lock" is rubbish, it doesn't lock the diff... It's the traction control system, it's part of the same valve set as the ABS setup. My guess is the "EDL" valve is stuck or leaking. Either way, the ABS circuit will have disabled that function, though I'd guess it doesn't stick the light on on the dash cos it's not a safety feature. I would guess that it's likely to require a whole new ABS pump/valve set assembly, and those don't come cheap. For the sake of the pathetic traction control offered by this system, it's not worth investing time and money to fix it, is my opinion. But the only people that would know for sure are those with Bentley...?

Well diff lock is the VR6's simple traction control system. It applies the brakes to the spinning wheel. I'd guess this means one of the valves controlling that. EDL - electronic differential lock Very much a misnomer!!

Not that I'm an expert, but be careful what you're jacking up against, the sump pan in particular is way too weak to support the engine!

Is there any way of getting a LED hooked up to the ECU that will report "an error has occurred" sorta thing? In the absence of a local VAG-COM (and regular checks) it would be so nice if the engine would just TELL YOU when something went wrong, so you could go get it checked out. I mean, it has the ability, why on earth does it keep it to itself all the time? It can do it for the ABS, so why not the rest of the sensors? Or is it because these sensors bug out all the time, on and off, from new, and VW found that people would be bringing the cars back every other week?!