borarob

well I managed to change the heater matrix bypass valve on my mk2 golf so I should be ok :( i can't find anything called 3pin radiator fan switch on GSF online - are they just referring to it as the thermostat?

so is it just a case of unscrewing old one and screwing in new? is it really necessary to drain coolant or can you do it without - i realise this may be messy! I take it that is the VW part number rather than the GSF?

ok, might be worth a go then. I certainly do need to clear out the scuttle tray as it is no doubt full of leaves as I park under a tree everyday. thing is I still think my fan switch is ropey as it doesn't seem to kick in speed 2 just speed 1. so anyone got that part number?

really? I do get hot air in the car though, while coolant temp is not too high anyway. and when it does stop blowing hot once the engine has cooled it starts blowing hot air again.... my old mk2 golf had a blocked bypass valve and that was just cold air all the time, never got hot. btw when I replaced that my dealer had it on the shelf ( i imagine its the same part?)

update time. right still have issues with the rado getting hotter than I would like. i've let the engine idle and have established that after about 10-15mins it gets to just above 90 and the fan comes on at speed 1 (fan makes a racket - need a new one). the temp on the gauge goes down a bit at first then continues to rise. it appears that fan speed 2 never comes on as it gets to just below 110 and stays there, no change in fan noise. Does this in traffic - at normal driving it moves between 70 and 90. As previously noted when it gets as hot as about 105 i lose heating in the car, fans just blow cold. i think this is the bypass valve stopping the hot coolant going to the matrix, as it should? or is this something else? is the water pump giving up? how can I easily see if the pump is working? so I think I need, a new radiator fan and motor (i know mine is knackered, bearing has gone and it wobbles alot) and a new fan speed switch. can someone help me out with a part number for this switch (GSF or VAG). also for 1.8 16v it looks like there are only two different types of motor/fan assemblies - one being a 2 pin and the other being 3pin. is that correct? and possibly a new pump.... cheers all

no not all bad but seems that way at the moment - have had lots of bad luck with this car over the last month and this today really annoyed me. was sat at work this morning thinking of cutting my losses and getting rid before it costs me any more! then after I had fiddled with it at lunch I went for a little drive which involved going past some glass shop fronts - glimpsed the reflection and remembered how gorgeous the rado is and all thoughts of selling have gone! :D

just to update this had a play around in my lunch break and have heating back. blower now goes cold and hot as it should. I took the lower part of dash off on the passenger side to check that the slider control for heater control was moving the cable - it was. while I was there I also replaced the missing cog that was stopping my blower directional control working. so at the mo I have working blower, heater and directional control (oh long that will be for who knows!) I also opened up the expansion tank with the engine running and squeezed all pipes and got some air out - which was satisfying. I also noticed that I hadn't put the expansion cap back on properly from the last time I took it off, it was on at an angle and not sitting flush. Did it up correctly and left the engine running - took a nice long while for it to get up to temp and then through to fan cutting in. will see what happens on the way home as no doubt there will be traffic. not all good news though - found my passenger footwell to be damp - now of course given the current situation I would be think heater matrix but all seems well with that. I think it is either leaves in the foliage tray (i park under trees everyday) or that my door skin is not reattached properly (door has recently been off) - I cleaned the car last night so was exposed to lots of water. this corrado lark is fun isn't it!

if thats the case, what do you think my problem is?

sounds like its stretched - when I got my C the guy before me said, its great can get 40mpg out of it. after driving it home I released why. throttle pedal was about half the way up it should of been, not only that but he had the thickest bit of carpet ever under it two so was never getting anywhere near full throttle! i'm replacing my cable at the weekend - will let you know how it goes (also doing tyres, cooling system, coilovers and paint correction!)

hi guys, need some wisdom from somebody! what does the heater matrix bypass valve actualy do! I know its function is to stop your heater matrix popping and dumping boiling coolant on you but how exactly does it achieve that? reason I ask is that I currently have cooling problems with my 1.8 valver. I have currently put this down to a knackered fan and motor - it comes on when it should but doesn't do a lot (just makes a racket). anyway today on the way to work car gets very hot in traffic - up to 110. So i thought right use the old trick I used to do in other cars of whacking the heating and blower on full. now this worked for roughly five seconds, after that no heat just cold air. what I'm hoping is that this was just a symptom of the bypass valve actually doing its job, i.e. things are getting too hot, risk of exploding matrix so it closes and diverts hot coolant away from it. Hence my original question... so am i right or do I need a new bypass, valve, matrix, etc etc. p.s. did a search on over heating and a few peeps say replacing expansion cap may help - mine does seem a pants as I have had to tighten it up on more than one occassion - do you think this may help? ta muchly!

so would be easier to just get the 1.8 type then as I will be able to use all the other bits I already have (and that shouldn;t have worn out)?

hi all, going to be fitting coilovers at the weekend and understand it is a good idea to replace the rubber doughnut top mount jobbies at the same time. I've sussed out and bought the ones for the rear but I'm not sure what I need at the front as there seems to be two different ones 16v and G60 or 2.0 16v and VR6. My rado is a 1.8 16v. would these be ok for the front: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... :IT&ih=017 and is there anything else worth me buying and replacing while its in bits ...

have a look on ebay. i've seen brand new pairs of them for sale on there for 7.99 and yes I think they are specific to the corrado and maybe mk1 golf?

i had this problem - cured it by stripping back the shielding from the aerial cable so just the centre core was connected. went from rubbish reception to more than adequate and damn site easier.

i used autoglym metal polish on a set of mk2 golf rear clusters that had gone dull with fine scratches - brought them up a treat, was well impressed

that is very useful - ta muchly. looks like i need to book myself a free sunday afternoon and get busy :roll:

hello people - i have searched this on the forum and have found references to it but as yet no fix. i have the issue of the spoiler going up and down in stages - both when activated automatically and manually. so far, touch wood, its not blowing fuses. Also the motor doesn't sound like its straining. also the stages seem very repeatable - i.e it always goes up to the same point - stops then carries on to full extension (same on the way back down though the point it stops is different from on the way up). At the point it stops there is an audible click of a switch. Sometimes the spoiler will work perfectly normally - and when it does there are no under load type noises. i'm guessing there must be switches in the mech in the bootlid that tells the motor to stop and start based on the position of the spoiler. i think these may be the problem - either getting jammed or have become loose. is my theory right and if so does any know (better yet have a picture of) where those switches are. many thanks in advance.

good bunch on tidy - i'm on there too (i'm based in Poole). in fact the tidy meet is this Sunday, 3pm onwards at wessex gate retail park - this will be my first meet with the corrado so would love to see lots of other local rado owners who I can pick the brains of!

hello :wave: , very TIDY 8)

well I connected up the aerial amp and that made no diff so it must be fubar. anyway as a temp fix I have disconnected the shielding from the aerial connector. so just the core is connected. Radio reception is now way better - not perfect but its now a quality I can live with. So I think the knackered aerial amps are causing a short to ground at that end- thus disconnecting the ground at radio end removes the short.

I've only just got into the world of Corrado's - I've had mine less than 2 weeks! I bought a well looked after 1990 valver with fsh and 86k on the clock for £1400. To me that seemed like a bargain - having been looking for a valver for the 3 weeks prior, and having seen many a shed for around the 2k mark, I was chuffed. Comments regarding mk2 golfs are true and their value is going up. The car I sold to buy the rado was a pretty near mint mk2 8v 1990 with 96k on the clock, I bought it for 1500, drove it for two years and sold it for £2k. I fully expect that when I sell the rado I will make money on it, or at the very least not loose any, it will be enthusiast owned and maintained to a high standard. And as was the situation when I sold my golf - if I didn't get the asking price I didn't sell it, I had no need to sell - just a desire that a change of car might be nice. I've only seen one person mention the new Scirocco. I think this will inevitably rekindle interest in sporty VWs and the Corrado is going to benefit from that, how popular would the mk1 and mk2 golfs of this world be if VW had discontinued the Golf name after 1995. apologies for bringing the thread back on topic :lol:

have you tried using a ground loop isolator on the RCA's going to the amp. whenever I do an amp install i stick those on as a matter of course. I always run the power and RCA's together (cos I'm lazy) and have never had interference (apart from the first time I installed a multi-amp system which was what caused me start using the isolators in the first place) IIRC they are a few quid from maplins.

having read the link above I think I need to try getting power to the aerial amp before I try anything drastic. There is a black wire lurking in the dash that has no current purpose - I am assuming this prob the power feed for the amp. where should I connect this to? does it just need 12v? My ALpine HU has a remote turn on or power antenna connections I could connect the black wire to - which one should I go for (i'm guessing power antenna).

HI guys, I need new calipers on the rear of my C. I understand that fitting those from a mk4 golf is an alternative. Does anyone have part numbers of everything i'd need? approx cost for the bits would also be useful. ta muchly

when you say change the aerial which bit do you mean, or the whole lot including wiring? not sure how the bonnet strap will make any difference? the strap on my old mk2 goof wasn't connected and the reception was fine....