dr_mat

Pinking only usually occurs in mid-range, under load. High revs doesn't *usually* see pinking. But if you think it *might* be pinking, it's worth trying some different fuel. Most people swear by Optimax. Stick a tankfull in and see if you're still getting a problem. Can't hurt...

stormseeker: don't clean your engine bay! You have the authentic "I bought a VW and all I got was this lousy burst water hose" look about it, just like mine. ;) Buyers are suspicious when the engine bay is too clean. It looks like you've been Mr Muscle-ing away head gasket leaks... :)

Ah, that explains it. The valve itself is underneath the cable tidy. I checked all the hoses around there and they (including "el solido") look fine. I'm beginning to wonder if the (subtle) hole in the middle exhaust box is making the engine run a bit lumpy. It seems unlikely to me, but ... It could also be that it just hasn't had a good run for a few weeks, and I need to reset the ECU or something, but... I wish my engine bay was as clean and tidy as yours... :( Thanks to the top hose, the whole engine is covered in fine rusty residues. What is the purpose of the purge tank? Why does it always hiss violently? So many questions, god aren't I nosy!!

Hmm. I didn't realise the ISV made a noise.. Does anyone have idiot-proof pictures of the ISV on a VR6? I have a noise that comes from under the bonnet on startup (before the engine is turning) which I'd put down to a dodgy aux water pump. Could also be the ABS or ISV, if it's faulty I suppose. Does anyone in the reading area have VAG-COM and would be willing to plug into mine and tell me why it's feeling lumpy of late?

I know. Mine was replaced two years ago as part of one monumental service for the previous owner. £1335... No wonder he sold it!!

Or have an 8v engine and tall, tall gearing. 95mph in top was 2800 rpm... Cruise at a more law-abiding 75 (ok, the traffic demanded that) and you can easily see 40mpg+ out of these engines. Trust me, I did it. A lot.

I think it's got to either be the dark metallic green or the blackberry metallic for me.... Which is *obviously* why I'm driving a L041 solid black VR6!!!???

Perhaps the inclusion of a VSR...??? Now *that* would make them worthwhile searching out. And taking the extra insurance group hit.

Ah, no, I took the FORD part number with me, courtesy of the mailing list folks. (I forget who dug the original numbers out.) I can understand your confusion, however, I wasn't very clear... :)

Bright lads. I got the valve from ford, but I took the part number with me.. I did tell him that it was for a Corrado. He looked at me like I was a nutter, but he sold it to me anyway...

What makes them think the pistons are gone? That's very unusual! The parts will be pricey. No question. Piston rings are less rare, but still it's unusual. How many miles has the engine done? Which engine is it? 2.9?

My late VR6 appears to have a breather hose with a bellows on it - is this the solid type? I did have to replace the valve (with the one from a Ford Galaxy, of course!), and it was a lot of "fun" getting the bloody clips back on... :? Can't see any problems with the remainder of the hoses though.

Jeez, I used to get 500 miles out of a 12-gallon tank in my 2.0 cavalier. It's scary how much petrol even the 2.0 Corrados chew..!

Funny alloys for a "real" storm. The original solitudes are surely part of the credentials. You don't wanna lose those.

I think the car would have to be absolutely immaculate to demand 5.5k at 124k miles.. IMHO. maybe 5k is more realistic, if it's in *that* good condition.

On a related subject. Rear screen washer... I get no water on the rear screen, but I *did* hear water being squirted... somewhere... I can see no evidence of it being inside the back of the car... Is this the standard "little pipe thing that breaks on all Corrados" problem or is it likely to be elsewhere? Cheers, M.

They did it again. The new ones are worse. The 1.8T debacle and it's individual coil packs that are mounted actually directly above the spark plug? 100% failure rate. Now *that's* impressive. Well done VW.

Sorry, that's beyond my knowledge at this point... :? I'll leave the discussion of that stuff to someone more familiar with car electrics than I. I'd be pretty confident your battery was duff if the voltage dropped to 8V even when the load was removed. However, it could be that the alternator has simply never pushed enough charge into the battery to keep it up there. To test the battery is simple: get a charger, charge it overnight and then keep checking it for the next few days. Even if the alternator is completely screwed, you should get a few minutes starter use out of the battery (not all in one go, you'll melt something!!!), and certainly the battery's voltage shouldn't drop significantly when you're not using any of the electrics.

The alternator on my VR6 puts 14.2v out. That's what you should see across the battery with the engine running. Dunno if mine is unusual or something (maybe someone fitted a heavy duty 'nator), but it's a 90A 14.2V Bosch. Looks like it's been replaced (I have a receipt for it somewhere) since the car left the factory, but don't have reason to believe it's any different from the default model. Fully checking the alternator really means checking that it can continue to deliver 14.2V under extreme current conditions, so maybe stick all the lights on and the screen heaters and everything (and get the engine cooling fan to come on - that's a huge load), and see if it can still keep the output steady at the rated voltage.

Yeah, don't ask me what was going on there. VW being cheapskates no doubt. What happens on 4-door VWs with leccy windows all round? It'll take about an hour to wind all the windows down in series... My '92 Cavalier had 4 leccy windows, and you could wind all 4 at the same time. All 4 had full-automatic in both directions too. Damn, I wish Vauxhall had built the trim for the Corrado...!!! ;) I note that the car can wind both windows UP at the same time when you're using the central locking system though..... !?

By the way. If you transfer money off your credit card to paypal *without it being associated with a purchase* it will be considered to be a cash advance - so expect immediate fees and interest charged from day one. You can use a debit card instead, and this is obviously not true then. M.

The arcing sounds like the coil-pack. Do the above-mentioned searches. Oil temp - forget it. Nothing unusual. The sun was shining today. :) Cheers.

The ISV - how "smart" is it. I mean, what does it do? I've heard that it's always a problem on other cars too, but never really known what it does, exactly, at the "this bit responds to that thing which triggers this..." level... ??

I find that my (non-stalling) VR6 holds the engine revs up while the car is still moving (when I say "up" I mean 1200rpm or so). It seems to have a hook into the road speed sensors. Presumably this is to maintain brake vacuum assistance while the car is moving, or something like that. It only allows the engine to drop to proper idle speed once the car is stationary. I mention this because it may help to shed some light on why some cars *don't* do this. :)

Yay, 100 posts!!! :) Clearly I have too much time on my hands.. 100 posts since July. And I was on holiday for 3 weeks in August!! If you work for my employer, SHUSH! Ok!?? ;)