Si B

The pedal travel is definately excessive. I am pretty sure that I have not introduced any air into the master cylinder as I am always careful to keep the level well above the min mark when bleeding.... but you never know! I think I will start from scratch and drain and reflush the system at the weekend. It can't do any harm and if it doesn't sort the problem at least it eliminates something from the equation.

No, I'm not clamping the bias valve when I'm bleeding, does this make a difference? I assume you mean clamping the bias valve shut when bleeding the fronts, and fully open for the rears, is this correct.

The brakes on my G60 have been getting worse for a few months now (probably something to do with a few too many track days :D ) and I have therefore just rebuilt the calipers, put some new pads on and bled the system... however the is something odd going on with the pedal: With the engine off the pedal feels nice and firm with very little play or travel and exactly as I would expect it to. However, as soon as I start the engine it goes very soft and there is lots of travel before any real braking happens. I am pretty sure that there is no air in the system having bled the brakes a couple of times just to be sure, plus the pedal is good and firm with the engine off. The brakes also work very well and stop the car as I would expect albeit after miles of pedal travel. I'm guessing that the problem has something to do with the servo as this is the only part of the braking system that is linked to the engine but was hoping someone could suggest what might be wrong with it or even just confirm my diagnosis. In hidsight, the problem probably existed before I overhauled the brakes but with threadbare pads and tired fluid I never really noticed it as a specific problem. Any suggestions??????

When I put a de cat on mine it seemed to breathe a bit better toward the top end but the difference was not massive. The exhaust note changed thought..... for the better! I think it is one of those mods that is worth doing (assuming your car is pre Aug 92) as it certainly complements an air filter, stainless system and more boost from a smaller pulley even if on it's own the gains aren't great.

Yes the 16v dizzy is completely different, and if you get one from a MkII GTi then it needs to be from a post 88 spec digifant engined car. Not sure what the deal is in the US but I just put a new dizzy on my G60 and found that the VW stealership was cheapest...... and it even came with a new rotor arm and cap

It is pretty labour intensive as the head needs to come off to do it so as a very rough estimate £3-400. If the head is off the car then you may as well get the thing fully reconditioned with all new guides and tappets and although it is not really worth gas flowing a 16v head on it's own it is worth considering if the head is off the car. You are probably looking at about £500 for a recon unit excluding the labour to swap them over.

If the engine is burning oil then look towards the valve stem oil seals as the culprits. If not then oil can often (read as nearly always!) pass through the rocker cover gaskets and down the front (8v) or middle (16v) of the head before accumulating where the plugs screw into the head. As you remove the plugs the oil works its way down the thread giving the impression that you have oil in the combustion chamber. Basically if you get smoke from the exhaust when you boot it then oil is getting into the combustion chambers and the valve stem seams are likely to be shot.

It is usually ok to jack the engine from below but make sure you have a decent bit of wood between the jack and sump and pay regualr and close attention to all the wiring and pipework to make sure you don't put any strain on anything. Most stuff has enough play to move the engine far enough to change the front mount although last time I did this I found it usefull to trim some of the spare thread off the threaded protrusion on the mount. This meant that I did not have to move the engine so far. I doubt whether any of this is the "recommended technique" but I have never had any problems changing the front mount this way. Obviously if you have access to an engine hoist you are better off lifting the engine but in the absence of a hoist.......

Chain reinforced rubber hangers from C&R in Nottingham on 0115 978 5740 or http://www.candrenterprises.co.uk

This has happened on almost every VW I have owned and I have found that (assuming the exhaust is fitted properly and not sitting too far back from the engine) it can be sorted by bending the back box hangers up slightly and then fitting chain insert rubbers (From C&R) to the back box hangers and new oe rubber hangers to the centre section You will often get a lot of clattering on start up from a stainless zorst but stainless heats up very quickly causing the joints to tighten up and the clattering to go away

Stevemac we must have been typing responses at the same time!

Firstly, check that all the pipes and vacuum hoses in the engine bay have been properly reconnected and that there are no air leaks. Pay particular attention the the cam cover breather outlet (under the square plastic bit on top of the rocker cover) as these often split causing similar symptoms. Look very closely at the plumbing to the idle valve as well as any pipes that lead to the inlet manifold on. If all appears well then the idle stabalisation valve (ISV) may be at fault. These are prone to getting gummed up and sticking. Remove the ISV and either clean with liberal amounts of carb cleaner or soak in petrol overnight before draining and refitting. It is unlikely that your isv has started playing up overnight and bearing in mind you have had all the pipework off an air leak is the most likely culprit but isv problems are so common that this is worth a look as well.

The last one I got from gsf set me back about £3.50 and was spot on.

You should be running much lower pressures with the 17s anyway as the smaller sidewalls are much stiffer than standard size tyres.

I got a couple of set of mats done by just matz with a matey-matey (my web site) logo on and I cant fault them. They are excellent quality and fit a treat. Nice bunch of guys as well. How about getting a batch of Corrado Forum mats made up?

Check out our website at http://www.matey-matey.com for the full low down on one of Darren's excellent G Lader rebuilds. I was most impressed.

For any of you G60 owners who have tried to get hold of a G60 power steering pump only to find that they are unique to the G60 and VAG only at £220+ VAT on an exchange basis :( , help is at hand. :D Mine recently developed a leak which although minor is not something I wanted to take a risk on, especially with a track day coming up in a few weeks. After lots of unsuccessful phone calls I found a place called Power Steering Services in Grenwich who could sell me a new unit (well reconditioned actualy) for £110 + VAT. It arrived 48hrs after posting them the old one and despite my fears it was the right part. They do PAS pums and racks etc for other cars as well and claim to be able to recondition your existing unit if an off the shelf item is not available. Their website is http://www.power-steering.co.uk and their phone numebr is 020 8853 3343

The supplied rubber gasket should be fine but a little bit of gasket goo never goes a miss, just don't use so much that is oozes out into the coolant when you tigthen the bolts down.

There does not appear to be anything special about the pulley except that mine has siezed itself onto the shaft. The stealership has volunteered to swap them over for me if I pop down early Saturday with the old unit...... I think this is the first time that the old "give it some heat" trick has failed to budge a siezed part. It is also the first time that the stealers have been overly helpful AND knocked money off without much asking! I think that it is the mounting points that make the unit unique to the G60. By the time I have poured the contents of my living room back into the engine bay the car will be as good as new, which sounds like a good excuse for a track day :lol:

Thanks for your help all. Sthe stealership have come up trumps and even did me a discount making it about £100 inc VAT. I just hope it is the right part, and that it comes with the pulley as I cant get the old pulley off the current unit....... despite generous applications of the hot spanner (blow torch!).

The alternator on my G60 is not charging as enthusiasticaly as it should but sourcing a replacement seems to be tricky. GSF don't list them for the G60 and the one my wife picked up from ECP today (despite giving them the part number) is most definately not from a G60!? Halford wanted about £180 for a replacement made by someone I had never heard of and a 55amp one at that when the std one is 90amp. Any ideas where I can get one (at a decent price ideally) or how I can get the parts to fix the current one? i.e. some new brushes and a voltage regulator.

Thanks :?: very funny, it sounded like cobblers but I'm obviously too trusting :cry: not that I have ever heard what an offset bias voltage diode is and I thought I was pretty up to speed on the contents of my engine bay. The knock sensor was just a sensor with a shielded cable and a plug on the end of it. Would you like to buy a couple of genuine VAG yellow wires from me... never used... and allegedly for a G60, I'll do you a favour and sell them to you for a tenner :D Don't worry I will get you back next time I am doing pissed forum posting.

Ditto to Kevhaywires post, £12.50 is exactly what I paid, each, for a couple of links for my G60. You will need to jack both front wheels up to fully unload the anti roll bar before you remove the link.

Yes the camber is adjustable. The bottom ball joint that joins the hub carrier to the wishbone can be adjusted. The camber can also be adjusted where the bottom of the strut joins the hub carrier as there is a lot of play until you tighten the bolts up. Basically, every time you remove the struts (unless you are really really careful about marking up their original position) you should reset the camber. Unfortunately there are very few places that can adjust camber so a lot of garages just set the tracking after doing work on the car and then leave the camber uneven which leads to all sorts of bizarre handling traits and uneven tyre wear. It is worth getting set up properly as it makes a massive difference to the handling. :lol: Edit - Sorry for the repeat Andycowuk must have been typing his response in unison with mine!

Kevhaywire, thanks for explaining what those yellow wires do. I did have that niggling feeling you get when you put somtheing back together and have bits left over :roll: They are now filed along with hundreds of other car spares that my wife wishes I would get rid of.