ProdigalSon

Case in point: Working on the rear brakes yesterday, I managed to shear off the bleed nipple on the right caliper :mad: My beloved then says, "You'll have to buy a new set - I don't want them refurbed or reconditioned." :shock: :D Dang, I love that woman! :wink: 8)

Good work :D I'm going to do this myself, probably next weekend, I'm just waiting for replacement exhaust studs/nuts/gasket to come through, and I need a few more of those stainless steel snap straps. I read somewhere that it's a good idea to spray the insulation with high temp paint so that it doesn't get wet in the rain and then steam as the exhaust heats up... but I think that was for motorbikes! I'll be taking the manifold (a.k.a. header) off the car to do it though, because I want a nice tight fold without having the frustration of spending hours fumbling in the dark recesses of the engine bay! :mad2: :lol: And because I suspect that it could use a good stiff brushing before I start! Props though for sticking with it! :salute:

Good work fella! :wink: I like the homemade improvements as long as: a) they have a valid technical reason/chance of performance improvement, and b) they aren't too bodgy in the aesthetics department... Yours looks good on both counts (it helps that no-one is likely to look inside the wheel arch!) :) I plan on doing some work on my G60 this long weekend, and might just look for a suitable vent in the local DIY shop... Vive le barn! :D

That's an sackable offense! :lol: Can't blame the lass, she's got rally in her blood - makes my life a lot easier in persuading her that various car mods are necessary :wink: :)

Spooky, same happened to me yesterday... but mine was the pipe exiting the side of the head (and mine's a G60, not a VR6). On the basis that this is the third coolant hose of the original set (now 15 years old) to have sprung a minor but worrying leak, I have decided to replace all of them with silicon Samco versions - ordered today from G-Werks :) The only drag is the wait while they make them to order :( Not sure if your local GSF store http://www.gsfcarparts.com will have them as I don't see too many VR6 hoses there... Samco do a VR6 coolant hose kit, but it is about £250 I think :shock: Can't really help if you are looking for a low-cost, stop-gap solution, other than gaffer tape and tie wraps! :lol: Mine is bearing up well with its barn fix :wink: Good luck!

Had mine doing something very similar yesterday afternoon. To cut a long story short, was trying to get the engine temp up to check the coolant/thermostat and so was idling high while parked at the kerb. My wife got in when I got out to feel the pipes and she gave it some welly - suddenly there was a big sooty cloud wafting down the road... :shock: I tried to repeat it directly on the throttle but no luck - turns out she had floored it all the way to the limiter (oil temp was over 80C thankfully) :D Repeated 'leadfoot' attempts all produced the same black smoke right at the top end. Newly rebuilt 68mm G60 @ redline = >15psi, so the ECU would have been overfuelling hard. That combined with the sudden shock of all that gas going through the exhaust system probably shook off some soot and made a heck of a cloud. Having realised that the colour and context of the smoke were to be expected, my blood pressure subsided :wink: Anything part throttle/under 6k rpm didn't do it at all. Phew. :D

this will do the job: http://www.toolsnstuff.co.uk/product_in ... ts_id=6482 Great! Thanks :wink: I'm about to replace rear discs and pads and have done loads of Google searches for the "VW 3272" tool but only found US manufacturers who make an equivalent... :? 1 Sealey brake wind-back tool now on order :) Next thing is whether I need to replace the brake pad carrier bolts? Where can I get these (apart from the stealers)?

By the end of play tomorrow, 400 probationary miles will have been covered, and WOT will be achieved, oh yes. :)

No worries :wink: Yes, it is very hard work to keep it low - especially when having to manouevre around crazy (slow) drivers :D One consolation is that it is much more responsive at low revs/part throttle than before, so it does feel nice even when driving sensibly... My run back from G-Werks was only 120 miles :( Seriously considered going home via Birmingham! Hope to have it run in and dyno'd by the end of August - watch this space.

Hi Jay, I've got the receipts here: Charger rebuild £385 (that's for a couriered charger, it costs about £65 more to just drive up, get it removed, rebuilt and refitted to the car) Chip and pulley £190 (not sure if that includes the labour, at about £45/hour, I think it took an hour-ish) Both great value and definitely worth it, but watch this space for dyno plots after it's run-in and been on the rolling road - I still have 200 miles to do before then! :( Just got back from holiday and want to take it out for a blast, but should treat it carefully for a bit longer so that the new seals bed in properly... Then it's all go :D :evil:

PS. junkie - what chip do you have with your turbo? Have no idea what's available for those 1.8T setups :( :oops:

All in good time, flusted, all in good time :D Once my wife has been thoroughly seduced by the speed and torque of the new tuning, I shall introduce the prospect of even more :wink: :lol:

It's definitely a combined effect and hard to discount the smaller pulley, but with the stock chip, even if you floored it from 3k rpm (ie. sufficient boost) there was a slight hesitation - as if it was taking a deep breath - there's no such pause at all with the SNS chip, even on part throttle and at lower revs (1500+) :D The smaller pulley just enhances the final outcome, not necessarily the speed of its onset! :evil: 8) It'd be interesting to feel/see the throttle response of the SNS chip with a stock pulley - I defo think that you'd notice it being more responsive. Anyone else with the SNS chip have the same experience?

On a 15 gallon tank of Super, I reckon on getting 450-480 miles if I'm doing my normal 12 mile commute, or the high 300s if I'm giving it a squirt now and again :wink:

To all those lately arriving on this thread - some observations (probably way too late to be of help to g-dub though! :wink:) Totally agree with all the posts above :) , plus I have recent experience: Charger rebuilt 5 days ago at G-Werks (it had done 85k since previous rebuild but has been very well treated!) Still have 250 miles of my 400 mile probationary 'charger bedding in' period left :( 68mm pulley and SNS/G-Werks chip fitted :D Observations: 1 - Always look after your charger - if you stress it, get it maintained often (even every 30k miles if on a 65mm pulley with a heavy right foot :wink:) 2 - The SNS/G-Werks chip is stunning, the anti Digi-lag code makes even part-throttle response awesome 3 - 68mm pulley gives you 25% more boost in theory than the 78mm stock pulley (although it leeches a higher horsepower to spin that much faster) - this also means it develops the same amount of boost as the stock pulley at 25% lower revs :D 4 - With a newly refurbed and bedded-in charger, 68mm and chip, you could reasonably expect a 15% increase in power and torque - I will dyno mine soon and expect 185+ bhp (everything else is stock) 5 - It's really, really difficult not to go for a blast before the bedding in period is up :( You can feel the change that the pulley and chip have made and they just beg you to floor it. All. The. Time. :D :evil: :thumb right:

I'm no engine expert, but I think that running lean can heat up or harm the engine because petrol vapour cools the chamber and reduces the chance of knock - some deliberately overfuel to avoid detonation. Likewise, running rich can cause major problems in the cat - especially if it's nice and hot - as the unburnt fuel can burn inside the convertor and degrade it (or even outright melt it)! Both are extremes of poor fuelling, and you'd know about either pretty quickly :shock: I've heard that some of the tuning chips have a tendency to overfuel rather than intelligently deal with the engine's requirements - no names mentioned :wink: Not a big deal, but a pain in the wallet :lol:

Quick testimonial for the SNS (G-Werks) chip and a 68mm pulley: I just got these (and a charger rebuild) from G-Werks and even though I have to be sensible about bedding the charger in, I notice a huge difference already :D Even on part throttle and under 4k rpm (as the doctor ordered :( ) the car has way more grunt than before, the anti Digi-lag code gives amazing throttle response (no more 'ready, set, go' it's just 'go!') and any fast upchange in gears over 2k rpm produces that lovely "kettle's boiled" whistle from the dump valve :) I can only imagine what it will be like with an 'as new' charger after my 400 mile probationary period is up :shock: I am currently using the stock airbox, filter, charger, pipework, intercooler inlet, heads and exhaust, but it feels like a different car as far as engine response is concerned. I'll be taking it to a local tuner who will give me a couple of dyno runs for £30... I expect upwards of 185bhp and almost 190lbft torque 8) Great value for a couple of hundred quid! A 68mm pulley will get you the same boost as a 70mm pulley about 5% lower in the rev range and a redline increase in boost of the same percentage - in theory.

Is that even possible? Would you need to squeeze all of the cogs closer to each other? :wink: :lol:

Good point boost monkey, and the G60 is at peak torque at 100mph in 5th (theoretically :wink: ) Just nudge that accelerator a little bit more :D My Audi 80 (RIP) did 20mph/1000rpm in 5th - didn't want to exceed 80mph for long periods simply due to the noise! Would be interesting to have an even longer 5th gear though, almost like gears 1, 2, 3, 4 and Cruise 8)

Speaking of G60 gearboxes, I was talking to Daz at G-Werks on Monday about upgrades for mine. The standard G60 1st gear is almost useless as it is just too short on that box (possibly designed for the caravan crew? or for pulling tree stumps?), and 2nd isn't much better :? 5th is also a bit low-ratio for motorway cruising, so he recommended a combined rebuild using VR6 1st, 2nd and final drive cogs, and a refurb while the box is in bits. Apparently there's a couple of old boys at Silverstone who will do that for a very decent price, and if you let them keep the leftovers it saves you on courier costs as you only pay for one box on the way back :wink: That would give much better feel through the low gears on a torquey engine, you could get 65mph in second (as opposed to ~55mph) and motorway cruising would drop from 3500rpm to 2500rpm, so better economy (but still on boost in a G60 :D ). However, for a 16V engine perhaps the relatively short 1st and 2nd would be good, to get on-cam sooner? That's my tuppence.

I've found that my speed/style of driving can vary the mpg by a factor of 4 or more! My old G60 managed 50mpg on a 60 mile run from Oxford to Southampton, on regular 95 RON fuel - but I did have to cruise at 55mph all the way (including roundabouts/corners/junctions/etc! :shock: ) The guy I sold it to got even better economy than that... Likewise I have had as little as 10-12 mpg from a serious (and short term) blast :D My daily commute is currently 12 miles, 6 on motorway and 6 semi-urban - I reliably get 32mpg according to the G60's MFA. I now have more power leeched from the engine by a smaller supercharger pulley, and a G-Werks chip that I suspect has not been designed for frugality :wink: but sensible driving still gets me economies in the 30s without having to treat the accelerator like it's made of eggshell! I guess the 8V has more pull at lower revs (and the G60 especially), so I don't have to rev the engine high to pull off or climb through the gears... I've driven a Golf 16V but not a Corrado, so I can't make an ideal comparison - hope it helps though :wink:

Cheeky monkey! I think Daz saves the chromed axle stands for sweeter cars than mine... :wink:

And the charger is back in place, putting the rest of the engine bay to shame :wink: Oh, and what's that shiny silver pulley? It looks like a 68mm - how did that get there? :) Corrado92.pdf_DSC4664.jpg[/attachment:2fb8d] And I thought that they were specially designed red blanking caps for the charger inlets... :oops: Anyway, in the meantime, Steve from Pitstop Developments had been measuring up for a stand-alone oil supply system - tricky part was where to fit the sump! However, he managed to fab a bracket to hold it between the relays and battery (this pic taken before it was bolted into position): passat climatronic wiring diags.pdf_DSC4636.jpg[/attachment:2fb8d] Immediately below the sump he fitted an inline gauze filter (the red and blue bit!) to stop particles from being pumped back though the charger climatronic wiring-Golf from May 01.pdf_DSC4637.jpg[/attachment:2fb8d] From there the oil line leads to the 8psi pump mounted on the inside of the bumper (warning - this photo shows explicit rusting :shock: ) 2.8l 24v Climatronic system.pdf_DSC4660.jpg[/attachment:2fb8d] And then to the charger oil inlet, with the outlet (pictured) returning to the sump _DSC4665.jpg[/attachment:2fb8d] Armed with a set of braided oil cables and threaded connectors, Steve connected the supply full-circle, and primed it with 0W30 grade oil. Clean, cool oil for the newly refurbed charger :D The pump is on the switched 12V and makes a quiet 'tic-tic-tic' noise when you turn the electrics on. The charger still gets hotter than I'd like it to (maybe heat soak from the engine via mounting bracket), so perhaps I'll just have to bite the bullet and get that chargecooler fitted! 8) Once this was all done, Daz and I took a ride to check that the fueling was OK with the new setup, and back at G-Werks he checked that blue sensor thing in the side of the boost pipe... He gave the all clear and warned me to go easy for the first 400 miles (only 250 to go now :D) Once it's bedded in I'll be taking her to the local rolling road to get some dynos done - watch this space... Anyway, it was a really great day, mainly due to Daz letting me peer over his shoulder and take photos of everything, answering all my questions (from gearboxes to suspension to airflow) and generally being a very easygoing and down to earth guy :D Thanks also to Rob for sorting me out with a few more bits which I'll get in the post soon, and thanks to Steve from Pitstop for working around the charger rebuild as much as possible and getting it all fab'd and fitted before 5pm. Next up on the wishlist - FK coilovers, barrel chargecooler, and refurbed rims (matt black centres/silver lips?)

OK, here's the write-up of the trip to G-Werks yesterday... WARNING - THIS POST CONTAINS PHOTOS OF A CORRADO ENGINE BAY IN ADVANCED STATE OF DECAY INCLUDING EXPLICIT RUSTING You have been warned! :wink: OK, so as soon as I arrive, Daz starts to remove the charger for its rebuild, but has to drill out a screw - not a good sign :( Corrado conversion V2 (3).pdf_DSC4609.jpg[/attachment:08b2b] Apart from that and a stiff headlight screw, the bits come off easily, and an initial view of the charger state looks promising... Book1.pdf_DSC4615.jpg[/attachment:08b2b] Once he's cracked it open it doesn't look bad, considering it's done 170k on a single rebuild - 85k ago! stromlaufplan_gamma4.pdf_DSC4620.jpg[/attachment:08b2b] Closer inspection showed that the seals were quite worn and beginning to lift, and one of the oils seals was raised, possibly about to blow... ETKA Corrado.pdf_DSC4621.jpg[/attachment:08b2b] So looks like I caught it in time :) stromlaufplan_gamma4.pdf_DSC4623.jpg[/attachment:08b2b] As the front end was up I removed a wheel to check what I thought was brake pad squeal - Daz disassembled it and filed/copper greased the bits - job done Corrado92.pdf_DSC4626.jpg[/attachment:08b2b] While the charger was soaking in degreaser, Daz removed the ECU and removed the stock chip passat climatronic wiring diags.pdf_DSC4628.jpg[/attachment:08b2b] And all of a sudden there's a G-Werks special sitting there :wink: climatronic wiring-Golf from May 01.pdf_DSC4632.jpg[/attachment:08b2b] The cleaned up charger has new grease in its bearings, and new apex seals fitted 2.8l 24v Climatronic system.pdf_DSC4633.jpg[/attachment:08b2b] Then put back together with a generous squirt of lube :lol: _DSC4643.jpg[/attachment:08b2b] Continued below...

Thanks guys :) Details of yesterday's G-Werks trip to go up tonight, including pics :wink: