flyferrari

Thanks for the reply. Whenyou say silicon lube do you mean standard silicon spray or something more specialized? Also are there any traps that are to be avoided? I'd hate to end up doing more damage than good.......particularly when the part costs a few hundred pounds!!!! Regrads Kevin

Hi Guys, I have tried doing an advanced search on this but have got nowhere. If somebody would be kind enough to tell me how to do this on a VR6 engine or point me in the direction of instructions already written then I'd be most grateful. Regards Kevin

Hi, There should be a metal spring clip on the end opposite the fixed lugs....every time I remove mine the clip makes a bid for freedom. You may find it ratling around in the roof trim that surrounds the switch/light unit. Failing that VW may sell you just the spring clip by itself. Best of luck. Regards Kevin

Hi, Today didn't go well.......no parts from VW so couldn't do the job. The rest of the engine was given the once over and it appears that the hose was the only part to get damaged. I replaced the expansion tank cap as a matter of course when I changed the coolant hose. At £6 it wasn't worth messing around. I will post further when I get the jobs fixed. It has to be said, even though I know the oil temp is readig wrong it is very disconcerting seeing a reading of upto 146 oC just on a motorway cruise. Kevin

Hi Matt, If you stand in front of the car with the bonnet open and peer down the front of the engine, past the inlet manifold, then you will see a large cylindrical metal structure slighly to your left of the engine center line. It has two black probes in the top (pressure sensors) and a brass coloured sensor near them on the same surface. This is the offending temp sensor. Hope this helps. Kevin

Hi guys, Thanks for all the replies. Having splashed out on a couple of specialist tools, namely a spring hose-clip remover and a infrared thermometer, I have a new perspective on what was going on. I fitted the new coolant hose using the clip remover.....how much easier was that using the right tool rather than long nose pliers!!! The engine still runs at 100 oC all the time with the fans cutting in and out. The dash guage is accurate to the nearest 2 degrees and I still feel this is too hot. I'm getting the Phirm to change the 'stat on Monday to hopefully clobber that issue once and for all. The oil temp is a different issue. The oil temp displays 15-20oC hotter than the genuine oil temp during warm up and when it reads 130oC the temp at the sensor is about 98oC so I'm a little more relaxed about that. Once again, there will be a new sensor being fitted on Monday. I'd much rather know what the real oil temp was rather that having to do a combination of "guess and God" plus mental arithmetic. Having topped up the coolant system as per Bentley manual, the coolant level in the expansion tank is slowly dropping (still between the max and min marks). Is this normal as it completes its self bleeding? I also have a slightly damp carpet in the passenger footwell but with the blower on the car does not mist up and the moisture in question does not smell sweet. I have checked the sunroof drains and they are clear. I'm hoping this is just a hang on from the heavy rain we had the other day....I'm dreading that whatever caused the tiny pin-prick hole to appear in the hose has taken out my heater matrix. I think I'm becoming paranoid.........is this normal for Corrado ownership!!! Kevin

That IMHO sounds like a thermostat that is stuck fully open i.e. the coolant is running through the rad from start-up. This will cause increased wear on the engine over time due to the fluids taking a long time to get to operating temps at each start from cold. I'm going to have my thermostat changed by The Phirm soon. I have the opposite problem....mine doesn't open far enough. Tim said about 30 mins to change plus parts....not the end of the world. Regards Kevin

You could look into a coating by CamCoat. This is a ceramic style coating and keeps the heat in the exhaust gasses allegedly helping them to move faster and thus increase power. I had the headers on my TVR V8S done and the stuff is amazing and all my wiring hasn't melted!! Heat wrap works but has downsides, most notably corrosion.....and looking manky after a short period of time. Kevin

Looking in the Bentley manual it appears that the assembly that holds the thermostat itself is separate from the thermostat housing. Having had this lot apart yourself do you think it would be possible to change over a thermostat without removing the entire housing assemly first or am I dreaming!!! Regards Kevin

So you think that a steady 98-102 oC at cruise is too hot (it gets hotter the faster I go)? I've read the thread about the dodgy thermostats and, as mine was new from VW last year, I'm wondering if I'm afflicted by the same problem. The thing is I don't want a "cold" one because running cold is just as bad for an engine as running hot and will bugger the fuel consumption as well. If I could guarantee getting a correct rated new one then I'd change it as a precaution. What is the correct spec for a late VR (coilpack) coolant thermostat? Regards Kevin

No leaks at all......bloody well shouldn't be after VW took £6k for work done!!!! Everyone will be suprised that VW wanted to help me out with parts and labour......but couldn't bring themselves to open that fat chequebook of theirs!! Oh well. With the offending pipe being so new I was worried that the pressure cap hadn't done it's job and the weakest part had given way. The pipe then presumably would have been the least of my worries followed by replacing the heater matrix and anything else that would get damaged by an over-pressure situation. If it's just a weak point on a poorly manufactured rubber part then I'll just replace it and get on with "improving" and enjoying my car. Kevin

I was wondering if the MFA gauge was over-reading. I'm not sure how you would check that. I'm not sure what it reads first thing in the morning and I'm in the states at the moment so can't look. I thought about a dirty contact but someone posted that the temp reading increases as resistance drops so a dirty contact would make the indication under-read. From the posts so far do I gather that you think the two issues are unrelated? Kevin

I think it's all one piece (haven't had time to inverstigate further yet) but is T-shaped. It must be a pin prick from the spray pattern. The hole is on the leg that goes to the throttle body, just after the pipe leaves the big reinforced rubber block at the junction of the pipes. 2 hours at the side of a road waiting to have your new toy towed.....not my idea of fun. I now need to know wether to replace the pipe at home, where it currently is, or get other bits of the cooling system looked at while it's in pieces? I would have to get someone with more mechanical self confidence to do that....I would probably break more than I fixed. Kevin

Hi Guys, I'm still new to this forum having had this VR only 6 days (had one 10 years ago and sold it........idiot!!!). I have used the search facility but am still not happy that I have the answers I need. This VR6 has a 1year old engine with 4000 miles on it, fitted at VW Croydon with £6K bill to prove it. Everything was replaced from block to radiator and all hoses. Ever since I picked it up I have been concerned with the MFA oil temp reading. The coolant stays at an indicated 98-102 irrespective of motorway cruising or in traffic with the fans cutting in and out. The gauge was checked as accurate with a laser temp sensor. The oil however reads about 124 oC at in traffic but at a steady 75-80 MPH was reading 138 oC. Because of the handbook entry about 140 being OK I didn't worry about this too much. I had the car round to an independent on Wednesday for a general check and they said ,engine wise at least, the car was in excellent condition and all appeared well. VagCom seemed to check OK too. On the drive home, literally just as I was on the phone bragging to the G/F about how I'd picked a "good 'un" steam appeared from the engine bay and I quickly pulled over and shut down. There was a split in the pipe that runs from the heater matrix to the head/throttle body and coolant was spraying on the manifold. As I said the hose was only 1 year old and so shouldn't have failed. I'm now worried that there has been something really nasty going on within the cooling system. Or am I panicing over nothing and I've just been unlucky with a s***y VW hose and the oil temp is totally unrelated? Your views would be welcomed. Kevin

Hi Guys, Will these fit onto a VR6 Corrado without rubbing.....I have no intention of doing wheel arch rolling or anything else clever! I'm thinking of putting on 205/45/16 rubber.Is that a good size and what brands/types work the best with the car? The suspension is standard VR6. I'm sorry if this is basic but I'm new to the VR6 and would like to get it right first time. Regards Kevin