Bruno

My idle sort of burbles and sometimes it sounds like its missing a beat, is this normal... nothing shows up on vagcom

Mine did that until one day I saw a 2.8 Golf idling next to mine and it was rock steady. We then checked the compression and found that no6 had a small ring problem and no 1 had a valve leaking. Once sorted she really went silent....Checking around it seems as tho those two cylinders are the most prone to probs, and compression problems do not really show up on the vagcom, especially the valve problem.

Get the a compression check by someone who really knows what they are doing. Mine purrs now and simply doesnt complain at all.

I noticed today that there was a small amount of water leaking from somewhere round the left hanside of the engine bay (only when running) and that my coolant level had dropped alot.

It may be the mechanical water pump, I dont remember clearly but I seem to remember it being at that end. If you are using VWs antifreeze, you may be in luck because it produces a trace, when it hits dry air at steam temperatures, that looks much like lines of snow. These should lead u back to the source.

If you cant tell, blast the engine bay absolutely clean, wait for a day and look again. In any case, if you've followed the steps given previously, you should be pretty close.

Remember that a flashing light is not produced by a simple switch, its kicked off by the ECU, as an indication that other sensors are saying you should be looking more closely at the risks to the engine.

Nothing to worry yet, but be meticulous. These engines really dont like being dry!

If you're still in trouble, I suggest you checkout the connections of the wiring to the O2 sensor on the cat. I live on a bumpy road and mine was jiggled on the cat. I simply removed it, wiped it clean and put it back (and sprayed switch cleaner on the plug that goes to the terminal by the firewall). That cleared the problem.

Looking at the vortex site, it seems that the 02 sensor is the number one culprit on silly idle, followed by the coil pack.....

I know these were installed in the US/Canada spec cars, ie a three speed fan system. I have no idea what their role was, however given I have aircon on my VR6 (Diavia aftermarket) it does beg a question as to whether the 3rd speed was meant to accommodate the aircon, or maybe for another reason altogether.

I'm sure all VR6 drivers are aware that our engines run hot, and just within oil heat management tolerance, when pushed. Has anyone got a genuine explanation for the three fan modes?

 

Not strictly true. The final generation of VR6s had an EDL ABS brain, particularly the storms, but they werent standard issue in 1993/4 on the VR6s. I obtained the EDL brain for mine and that seemed to make all of the difference. The loom section and hydraulic elements were common to both versions- only the brain was unique in the RHD version.

 

It seems to work, however it is definately true that it does not engage on full throttle. There are some published ATE articles on this, which refer to the need not to stress the diff too much on high throttle depression. I've heard that the later GOLF 4 version of the system included a loopback to the Engine ECU and that it was much better.

 

Anybody shed light on retrofitting the ESP system into a C? :roll:

All,

I spotted a Corrado repair manual on CDROM on Ebay today

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... gory=32094

There are problems. I recently bought one from Ebay and found that if it is the kludged version of the Bentley CD (I suspect yours is), then there are problems with Win 2000 and Win XP. I had all kinds of problems from having to change my PC firewall, to installing a new version of the Java virtual machine, to fiddling with IE6's security parameters. In the end it was a pain in the behind.

The only Bentley versions that are known work are the ones that Bentley sells direct, especially if they know what you are running as and O/S on your PC. If you are luck enough to have access to a recent, upto date working version, thats compatible with your O/S then you are doing well. Its worth it then.

I have heard of original VW garage update versions. However I've never seen one. Anybody shed some light on this alternative?

It depends upon what kind of driving you like doing. The C's chassis has a longer, more controllable understeer and much more torque. The G is more boxy, not as taut, but oddly it always delivers. So I'd say the C is better at feedback.

The engines. Well there lies the difference. I was on a fast road on the border of France and Switzerland many moons ago and was doing around the ton when a mad G VR6 turned up and stayed on my tail. It didnt matter until he woke up my wife and child with his headlights. So I hit the floor, as did he. In 30 seconds with a full car I had pulled to past 145 and he ran out of bottle first. From what I could see he was being buffeted much harder than the C at high speed. So the extra power of a 2.9 and also shape perhaps made a difference. Even the ladies were pleased .....

I chose to fit my air con by waiting for some of the bits to turn up on ebay, and finding the rest from the US vortex forums. It was worth it. And believe me it makes almost no difference to the available torque from the engine. It depends on whether you wanna get your hands dirty.

I believe that somone tried and managed to retrofit an G4 version of the aircon into a C. If anybody remembers that link perhaps you could investigate it.

There's a 30A (?) feed into the boot area to allow fitment of a towbar. Why not use that?

Have fun...

Mike, I know this is in the wrong thread but I have the detachable (expensive) version of the VW towbar, and although it takes off the lamp pod sockets in the rear it didnt seem to provide a switched 30amp take off. Where did you find the lead/socket ?

ok, so if the temp gauge is not reading to high i dont need to panic right ? i should just check my coolant level ?

Not always true. It depends upon the engine management system and dashboard pod version you have. Wierd. So the warning lamp may flash when one of the active (not passive) systems has raised an alarm. An ordinary switch like the coolant level should not be enough to make it flash, ie it should just turn it on without flashing.

If this is a post 93 VR6 there are a number of problems you need to check out.

1. Make sure the 3 temp sensors at the front right hand side of the engine are working (helps if you have a multimeter because you can watch their resistence change)

2. Make sure that the fan comes on, at a decent water temp. There is a failsafe where if the relay does not kick in when the temp trigger is on, the light flashes on the dash. So check that.

3. Make sure that the thermostat allows water thru. If it stays closed then the engine is still cooking and you are only running a secondary cooling system. Check that the car heating works, and that you can blow really hot air thru into the cockpit when that lamp starts flashing. If its lukewarm or cold, you have to check the thermostat. Also check the hoses.

4. Make sure that you dont have a leak around your electric water pump. Its a common problem and this often throws one of the above three sensors (I think its the middle one).

5. Make sure that the fan relays work, ie the slow and fast mode are triggered. Fast mode is operated with the engine running. Slow mode usually kicks in when the ignition is off and the engine is still hot and needs basic cooling.

Make sure you have the right VW antifreeze when you are topping up coolant. There are two types and they dont mix.

Just go thru the steps slowly and methodically and you should get there.

:roll: