Purple Tom

Try driving an 8V :lol: 20VT or S/C ABF here I come :norty:

Yeah I would think its OK, 'mayo' (or actually emulsified oil!) forms from condensation in the engine. Letting it get up to temperature on the gauge is actually probably doing it less good than just not starting at all in my opinion. If you're going to start it then you're far better off starting it and taking it for a good half hour drive in order to get everything properly warmed up (including the gearbox), if at all possible. I appreciate sometimes if a car is laid up then you can't do that. This is all in my opinion, I've just never liked the old 'start it and run it every now and then' approach. However in answer to your question I wouldn't worry, its just that the engine never gets properly warm, despite the gauge saying so. I bet if you warm it up that way the coolant temperature gauge might be reading 90ish degrees but the oil temperature on the MFA maybe won't be more than about 75/80 degrees.... Hope that helps a bit. Tom

I've just carried out this mod to my 8V and I can confirm that the expansion tank DOES NOT fit on 8V cars (and probably 16V/G60) without modification to either the tank itself or the steel bracket that bolts to the suspension turret. If you choose to modify the tank you will probably need to fabricate a small bracket as the spacing of the lugs on the Mk4 tank is slightly different to that of the original Corrado tanks. If you choose to modify the bracket then you may get away without another bracket as you may be able to run the coarse threaded original bolts in at a slight angle to compensate for the small difference in spacing of the lugs. However everything else is easy, I didn't need a T-piece to adapt the coolant return pipe as mine was plenty long enough, and the coolant feed pipe is the same diameter. The plug was easy to modify, I just dismantled the original plug as Pianowire said, and fitted the connectors into the new plug. Here's the part numbers and full retail prices, which unfortunately I had to pay as I forgot my Club GTi card and there was a new guy behind the counter :( These prices are from TPS in Derby. Expansion Tank - 1JO 121 403B - £9.32 ex VAT - £10.72 full retail Expansion Tank Cap - 1JO 121 321B - £5.83 ex VAT - £6.70 full retail Coolant Level Sender Plug - 1JO 973 202 - £4.08 ex VAT - £4.69 full retail Total Price = £22.11 full retail Hope that helps some of you, I reckon you'd get the whole lot for about £16-17 if you managed to get some discount. Tom

Not a bad tool, it is almost spot on with the figures for my Vauxhall-engined Mini :) It won't even calculate it for an 8V Rado though as the power-to-weight ratio isn't high enough! :lol: - edit - I tell a lie, it does work but the figures aren't worth posting up :brickwall:

It did occur to me to suggest adjusting the timing in the normal Digifant way to compensate, but to be honest this strikes me as a bit of a bodge and the OP has the time/inclination to do it properly then its better to do that. And yeah, by taking it all apart I meant removing the necessary pulleys, covers and slackening the tensioner enough to allow you to turn the intermediate shaft to its correct position.

Yes - the intermediate shaft needs to be timed correctly because it drives the distributor, and obviously the timing is a critical part of the engine running! You will need to take it apart again and time up the intermediate shaft correctly with the cam and crank I'm afraid. Tom

Just found this thread in a Google search for Seat Ibiza rack part numbers - it didn't come up in the normal forum search :lol: I've made this post so it comes up in my 'view your posts' list for future reference :)

Hey, I'm in need of a new rack for my Corrado, its done 164k and starting to get a bit sloppy now. I rang my local TPS and they quoted just over £700 (!!!) for a new genuine rack - this is way more than the price I've heard bandied around on this forum, can anyone confirm the price for me? The car is 1995 2.0 8V, RHD, but I presume the rack is similar for most cars, it just seems to be the steering arms/track-rods that vary depending on whether its widetrack or not. Also, if the VW price IS accurate, can anyone give me any advice as to where else to get one from? A friend who works in the trade has said he can get one for £125 exchange, but without sounding too fussy that sounds a bit cheap and I reckon its only likely to be have been lightly refurbed if its that cheap. Ideally I'd like something that will last more than a year or two. Thanks in advance for any help. Tom

Just looked on Vagcat and it appears to be: 1J0121403B Not sure if that includes the cap too, I think it does.

Would just like to say thank you for this thread, as I'm going to be stripping my spoiler mechanism down this weekend because its starting to stick occasionally and making a bit of a rumbling noise when raising/lowering, although you can only hear the noise when stationary. This thread helps a lot and I'm hopeful that I'll be able to get it to full working order again. Leonard, if you like, once I've tackled mine and familiarised myself with it, perhaps I could come and help you with yours?

Well yeah, its not exactly a feat of outstanding proportions, but compared to some other makes of cars, (like the other one in my signature, before I fitted a modern engine!), its quite an achievement :D

:lol: Its a Corrado! Say no more.... Although I did average 39 mpg on the weeks holiday in Scotland, covering 1214 miles throughout the week, without so much as lifting the bonnet and without any faults whatsoever :norty: I'm sure it'll make up for it in the weeks to come though! :nuts:

Had exactly the same problem with my 2.0 8V about a fortnight ago, the coil packed in 100 yards from home just after setting off for a week-long driving holiday around Scotland! Luckily I had a spare coil in the garage so it wasn't too much of an inconvenience. Glad you got it sorted anyway :clap:

I've just done the wheel bearings on my C using my hydraulic press. Its a very easy job using the right tools, making the mandrels is probably the most tricky job, but now I've got the ones I need, handily they're also going to be useful when pressing the wheel bearing inner races into the hubs on my Mini :) Not at all a difficult job, and once you've got the bearing carriers off it probably takes around 15 minutes to do each side. I don't use a three legged puller to pull the inner race from the hub either, I've got a special puller which clamps across the shoulder of the race, but a three legged puller would achieve the same thing. In fact, if anyone in the Midlands area ever wants some wheel bearings replacing far cheaper than the price a garage would charge then I'm happy to do it for you :) Tom

Without meaning to jump on the bandwagon, this is the exact same question I have wanting to ask for a while too! I've read the suspension thread from start to finish but the difference of opinion is amazing, although I guess it could well be the same on this thread too. Like Rich, I want a subtle drop (nothing more than about 30-35mm), and I want to retain as much of the ride quality as possible. I also owned a Polo previously (Mk2F), and I fitted a H&R 60/40 kit. If I'm honest it destroyed the ride comfort, was soooo harsh! I'd like something a little more in keeping with the general comfort of the Corrado. Hope you don't mind me jumping on the thread Rich :lol: Tom

Awesome, I actually had exactly the same problem with my Corrado last sunday which turned out to be the coil, I was glad because the hall sender in the dizzy is actually defunct on the ADY engine because it has a crank position sensor instead :) Glad its sorted anyway :clap:

1a is purely an amplifier for use with a seperate coil - the likes of which you'd find on the earlier Polo's (mk1 and mk2). The Mk2F (Mk3) uses a combined coil and amplifier (number 1) which is the one you'll need. They're standard throughout the range, so one from a 1043cc AAU engine right up to the 1272cc PY supercharged engine from the G40 will fit. Let us know how you get on, if you need the dizzy just give me a shout :) Oh, and I'm glad you like the FAQ, took me a while :lol: Tom

Sounds like the hall sender to me. I've had several Mk3's and I built the last one from the ground up with lots of suspension modifications etc so I've learned a thing or two about them over the years! I did on FAQ over on Club Polo on how to change the hall sender if you're interested - http://www.clubpolo.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=91373 If you do need another dizzy and you want to eliminate the hall sender then I have a proper SPi distributor from a mk3 that has the correct trigger wheel for your nephews car. I don't want much for it as I obviously no longer have a Polo, if you're interested then let me know.

They are very definitely the same as I've just converted my C to 280mm brakes from the normal 256mm setup, and I used the sliders from both sets to get a decent set of 4 without corrosion. Hope that helps :) Tom

Well, recently I've been pretty busy with the car, sorting things out. I've managed to find the time to recondition my recently-acquired calipers and carriers which have allowed me to fit 280mm discs. I've also fitted braided hoses, new fluid and renewed almost all of the suspension components with 'just' the top mounts and steering rack left to replace to sort out a handling issue. As well as that I've fully serviced the engine, with new consumables (oil, filter, plugs, leads, cap, rotor arm) and also changed the cambelt and tensioner just to be on the safe side. Here's a few pics: Reconditioned bearing housing/hub with new wheel bearing: New front calipers etc: -------------- I've also ordered three new engine mounts from AVS as the original ones are getting very tired now, especially the front one. While having a look at the work that I'd need to do to replace the mounts, I noticed a damaged wire leading to some sort of sensor at the front of the block, behind the oil filter. Further investigation revealed that its the crank position sensor, pretty crucial in keeping the engine running. I contemplated trying to repair the wire in-situ, but then decided I best take the sensor off and have a look at the job in hand. To get to the 5mm cap-head bolt securing the sensor to the block I had to remove the radiator fan and its cowling, as well as the front engine mount and its bracket. I then was able to get the bolt and sensor out easily, and found it looking like this: Bit of a mess really :( The wires are twisted around each other during manufacture for some reason, but 13 years exposure to heat (running near the block) has damaged the insulation and made it very brittle, meaning I'm unable to strip the wires back to fresh insulation and re-solder new sections in. I got as far back as the sensor itself but there's no chance of repairing it. The insulation is fine up near where it plugs into the engine loom as its well away from any heat source, but it doesn't help at the sensor end unfortunately. So its new sensor time, and for part number 037906433A I think I'm looking at around £150 from VW. Replacement sensors are listed on eBay but they're non-genuine and with crucial engine sensors I prefer to stick to genuine OE. Oh well! At least the front engine mount is off now :lol: I've managed to borrow a car from work for the couple of days it'll take for VW to get the sensor in, and then I'll fit it this week. Its a good job really, as the missus and I are heading up to Scotland next sunday for a week away driving in the C, and it would have been a bugger if the sensor had failed when I was up there. Plenty more to come as I replace the steering rack, rear axle bushes, fit the Mk4 calipers, do the rear wheel bearings and new discs/pads etc - all good fun :)

In the past I have used a multi-hex socket to remove stubborn cap head bolts. You need to find a socket that is slightly smaller than the head of the bolt and effectively hammer it on to the head of the the bolt. The multi-hex socket should be made of a harder material than the bolt and will 'cut' itself a spline into the head of the bolt. You can then try to undo it that way. However, if the bolt has been previously butchered using mole-grips then that method may not work as it generally requires the head of the bolt to still be round, not distorted from the moleys. Hope that helps a bit.

There isn't any noticeable play in the steering when the engine is running (and the power steering pump operational), however with the engine off there is the slightest of clunks from somewhere around the lower column area which could either be the rack or UJ I suppose. I read the Wiki guide on how to convert to the Polo 6N rack just before the server change. Its something I want to do because with the adjustable column its either slightly too low or slightly too high for my ideal driving position, so I think that would be an ideal opportunity to get that sorted too! dr_mat - the UJ adjustment, is it a case of taking them apart and reshimming the UJ or something else? I've got some Mk4 calipers to fit soon, so on my shopping list from VW I think I'll be getting: - New rear axle bushes - New front top mounts - Rear discs, pads and bearings The springs definitely aren't broken and apart from the straight-ahead issues the car handles and rides very nicely, no clunks or bangs from any part of the suspension.

Kip - the springs and dampers are actually relatively new, I have a receipt for their replacement with standard OE components back in 2003. The car has a full VW service history right up until the end of 2007. Lindsay, as I said in the first post, I've fully set-up the wheel alignment, as well as the castor and camber. The wheels are all 100% in balance.

Hey, I've had the C for nearly 5 months now, and I've done quite a bit of work already. When I bought it it drove really well, no pulling or tugging on the steering or any other symptoms of its 160k mileage. Almost all of its previous mileage was done on motorways, but my commute is mostly country lanes and this sort of driving has taken its toll on the (mostly original!) suspension components already. Currently the car isn't particularly nice to drive. It seems to tramline very easily, suffers from fairly bad bump-steer, and also the steering seems to 'shimmy' from side to side under braking, to the extent that I need to keep a very tight hold of the wheel when braking to simply prevent the car wandering from side to side as it finds low spots in the road. I've done a lot of reading of this forum and so far I have replaced, with genuine VW parts (cost a small fortune!): - Front wheel bearings - Front lower ball-joints - Front steering tie rods - Front trackrod ends - Front wishbones - Front ARB bushes and drop-links - Front calipers/carriers/discs/pads (replaced with fully rebuilt 280mm set-up) - Front brake hoses (Goodridge) - All associated nuts, bolts and fixings - Castor, camber and tracking then fully set-up correctly using the proper tools. So far, I haven't touched the upper suspension mountings, or the rear suspension. The back end feels a bit wobbly so the rear axle bushes are becoming a priority, however I don't think the axle bushes will be having much of an effect on the horrible steering at the front. Obviously I haven't touched the rack or the column, and since replacing all of the above didn't make one iota of difference to the way the car drove, it has led me to the conclusion that it must the one of the two, or maybe both. I guess that the rack must be worn, and possibly the lower U/J on the column is also worn (it appears to be at quite an acute angle?). Could worn top mounts contribute to the problem? I can't see it somehow.... Does my logic seem reasonable, or can anyone think of anything else it could be? Or does anyone have any general advice/similar experiences of this problem? Sorry for the essay, I'm just trying to get everything sorted in my head before I go and spend a load more money on components. Thanks for any advice! :thumbleft: Tom

Does the 16V have a lower crank sensor or flywheel sensor or something similar thats reasonably low down on the engine? It certainly sounds to me like there's a minor problem with a critical sensor (something like those I listed above!) thats causing the running issues. Possibly water in the connector or some freak of water pressure has pushed the connector off. Have you checked the lambda sensor connections? It doesn't sound terminal and doesn't sound particularly major - do you have a code reader you could plug in, or vag-com?