aclwalker

A VR6 Corrado has a traction control system? This is news to me! :eek: Jings you learn something new every day. From what I can gather, it's not like modern electronic traction control though, but just some mechnical 'feature', if you like, of the gearbox? Is that correct? Anyway, my tracking (and probably camber too is miles off and I can feel it. I can actually see the wheels toeing out. The right tyre has a wear 'gouge' (sounds scary) on the inner corner which I think is rubbing off the rear of the front arch on full lock. I believe that you are only supposed to adjust the right tie-rod, having set the left one to a precise length (or if still original it should be a fixed length rod). Is that correct? Once I get that howling wheel bearing out of there I'm going to get the tracking sorted. Strangely enough, apart from the gouging, my tyres are not getting ruined with this setup. I find my VR6 is remarkably kind to tyres, even though I can see that it toes out just by looking at it.

Yes, I think it actually is a Halfords one. It's bright yellow, as is the box. Perhaps it has leaked some fluid and we've not noticed. I know you can buy jack fluid from Halfords (£3.99 a bottle I think) so presumably these jacks are refillable. Perhaps they are bleedable too. I'm not sure how much fluid is in the typical jack. If it's a very small amount then even the slightest leak could have an effect I suppose. Something else for me to investigate while the economy implodes and I burn through my savings.

Yeah, it's unfortunately the way of the world these days, i.e. bin everything after a couple of years.

My dad has a substantial hydraulic jack which gradually sinks over time. It's reasonably new (maybe 5 years or so) and not had much use, but it no longer maintains its height. It's fine for jacking a car up but over a period of, say, 10-15 minutes it will have sagged substantially, requiring extra pumps to re-lift it. Any idea how to fix? I was thinking that there's maybe a bit of grit in the valve that you turn to 'lock' it, or perhaps a seal is leaking. There is no evidence of external oil leakage, but perhaps the oil is leaking from one part to the other. I have no idea where to get new seals. I'm not sure of the make. It might be Halfords own but I'm not sure. He might have got it from Costco. It's quite annoying because it was an excellent jack and as I say, has had light use. Also, I wonder if maybe we weren't storing it right, as it was generally stored standing vertically in its original box (simply because of space issues)but I wonder if it should have been stored flat and maybe a seal has 'dried out'? Any ideas? Thanks. Edit: BTW, I realise new jacks are quite cheap these days, but still, if it's an easy repair with a new o-ring or something then it's still worth it. The jack basically still works, but can't be trusted to hold anything up for any length of time (not that I ever trust a jack on its own anyway).

Well, there's my dad's car too that we work on, plus I always expect to have (old) cars! The quality of work is important to me, also the cost. I remember when I owned a MkII Golf I got the dealer to do a wheel bearing at the front but they had to do 2 because the first one made no difference. It was about £100 each side. I wish I'd done it myself then! My dad reckons he's needing new suspension bushes too, so it should get some use with that.

I'm a very DIY kind of person and prefer doing everything on my own car really. I'm still investigating doing my own front wheel bearings and was revisiting this because my wheel bearing noise is getting worryingly loud. I came across this thread on another forum, about doing this job on MkII Golf: http://www.clubgti.com/forum/showthread.php?t=97954 I was amazed to read that hydraulic presses were available for as cheap as £75 on Ebay. I thought they would be hundreds/thousands of £s and maybe require some sort of industrial electricity or air supply. I didn't realise that they are essentially an upside-down bottle jack attached to a metal frame. :oops: The guy mentioned on the post is still on Ebay and is currently selling a 20 ton version (rather than 12 ton as in the post) for almost £150 including postage: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/20-TON-HYDRAULIC-WORKSHOP-GARAGE-SHOP-PRESS-100040_W0QQitemZ370160523971QQihZ024QQcategoryZ30928QQcmdZViewItem However, I've found other 12 ton presses for much cheaper: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/12-Ton-Industrial-Hydraulic-Workshop-Garage-Shop-Press_W0QQitemZ120374455751QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_3?hash=item120374455751&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1683|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318 This one can be bought cheaper direct from their own website as, unless I'm mistaken, the direct price includes postage: https://www.kmsdirect.co.uk/index.php?m ... cfe937ad23 I really fancy getting one of these now, as it would allow other jobs to be done, like pressing in bushes and destroying baked bean cans. The other things you'd need to get are arbours (you can use suitably sized sockets) and a 3 leg puller to get the inner race off the hub (unless you have a new hub, in which case it doesn't matter). Also, Sealey seem to be having a sale right now and the following bench version of a press is now [strike:34tvx2ck]£200[/strike:34tvx2ck] (£184.53 at http://www.justoffbase.co.uk/Hydraulic-Press-10ton-Bench-Type-Sealey-YK10B), which includes delivery I think: http://www.sealey.co.uk/PLPageBuilder.asp?gotonode=ViewProduct&method=mViewProduct&PromotionID=52071&productid=8982 Am I mad, or should I just go for it and buy one and be able to do my wheel bearings when I like? EDIT: I was originally considering one of these tool sets that allow you to do it without removing the bearing housing from the car but I think a press might be better because: 1 It seems it's cheaper that these 'in-situ' tools. 2 These 'in-situ' tools still require you to remove the balljoint connection or else you can't get the outer CV joint out of the hub, so you'd be as well just going that bit further and removing it from the strut and the tie-rod and doing it properly.

I can unlock my car at either side fine, and both doors and boot will unlock correctly. However, I can only lock at the passenger side. The driver's side doesn't seem to detect my key turn. It used to intermittently work, but now never works and so I have to lock the car at the passenger side. It also used to work only after holding the key in the lock position for a few seconds, but not any more. What could be the problem here? I've just bought the handle repair kits and, even though the handles haven't broken yet, I would like to solve this central locking problem at the same time as I fit them. Any ideas? I couldn't find anything much with the search. Thanks.

I doubt any mechanic would ever adjust a balljoint position to set alignment or camber. They would just assume that it was correct. They would only maybe investigate (if they can be bothered) if they can't get enough adjustment and then suspect the balljoint is in the wrong position. However, if like me you either know or strongly suspect that the balljoint is in the wrong position, an alignment and camber setting is not going to correct it for you, because they will simply assume its correct and adjust the strut to compensate for any incorrect balljoint setting. I just wish I could find out the criteria for positioning the balljoint with all new components so that I can eliminate a variable.

Well, exactly, they shouldn't be used to adjust camber, but if you can't position them correctly through them being wrong already, or due to fitting a new control arm then camber adjustment is what you will achieve whether you like it or not! I have checked Bentley and it, rather unhelpfully, simply says to mark and refit!

Suppose you have a VR6 Corrado, and you have no confidence that one of the ball joints at the front is positioned correctly on the control arm. Imagine you've had problems with a mechanic in the past and your inspection is pointing you to this! Or imagine you have a totally new control arm which obviously has no prior markings. How do you position the ball joint correctly on the control arm with the 3 bolts and welded nut plate? Everywhere just says "mark the position before removing and refit to marks", but clearly this doesn't work if you think its wrong in the first place or if you are fitting a new control arm. Why is the position variable in the first place, if you are supposed to always put it back in the same position? Why is it not designed such that it is not possible to fit it too far out or in? Incorrect positioning of the ball joint has implications for the camber setting and could also potentially make the wheel too close to the body possibly resulting in rubbing when turning at full lock. Any advice anyone?

I've had to replace the same one twice on mine and both times I had to totally destroy the sensor to get it out. The first one was metal and was totally bonded on, but the second one was plastic and was stuck too. I think it had bitten very hard into the plastic. My second sensor got destroyed prematurely because the ABS ring was slightly warped just enough that the rust on the ring had swelled enough to lightly touch on the sensor, hence destroying it eventually. Try to 'enlarge' the hole slightly once you get it out by maybe lightly filing it or giving a touch of a Dremel.

Is 14.1V too low then? Like I say this was at idle, with no electrical consumers on. I couldn't test what it goes to when revving because I was alone.

I meant to say. Perhaps I need to just connect up the spare instrument cluster I have and see if I still have the slow clock problems. It's getting dark now though, so I'll need to try that another time. If the spare cluster has the same problem then I guess the problem must be somewhere else.

Ha ha. Sorry. I wanted get attention! Maybe somebody could move this post to one of the technical forums now that it has morphed into another quest for help. I meant to just post the picture for a laugh at first but then got annoyed again at this old problem of mine.

Hmmm, this is weird. I just went out and took the cluster out and checked the regulator on it and it doesn't look burned out or anything. You can see the regulator from the back without totally dismantling it. However, I tested the timing with a stopwatch there and it is running in perfect time when the electrics are off and when they are on but engine not running. As soon as I turn the engine on, it runs at quarter speed, i.e. it takes 4 minutes to tick over 1 minute. I turned the engine off and it went back to working perfectly again, whether the electrics were on or off. Turn engine on and it's quarter speed again, and so on. Could this be a problem with the voltage regulator on the alternator? I measured the voltage at the battery with the engine running and it was 14.10V and quite steady. I couldn't test what it does when I hit the throttle as I was there myself. With the engine off the battery is 12.68V. Is 14.10V too high coming out of the alternator? Could this be screwing up the instrument cluster clock?

Right, I've taken apart the spare dash clocks I've got and located the voltage regulator. It was quite easy to do. I should write up the dismantling procedure. There's an crystal oscillator with the following written on it: 6.2914 NDK 23: The voltage regulator says: 23BY LM2940T -10 I496 The voltage regulator seems to be on some sort of heatsink. Now, I remember a while back noticing on vagparts.com that they sold a voltage regulator and I remember emailing the guy about it. It was described on the website as "Voltage regulator chip for the dash clock and gauge supply.". I emailed him about it and he replied saying that "this item is normally used to drop the supply voltage for the dash to nine volts". The only fault with my dash display is the speed of the clock. 30 minute journeys appear to have taken only 5 minutes, for example. Everything else works fine, including the speedo, rev counter, and all the function of the MFA except for those that are time-based, e.g. length of time running and average speed. I've checked VAG-COM and the voltage regulator is listed as a separate part with number 357 919 803. vagparts.com said it was about £6. I've googled for that part number and came up with this link: http://altrom.com/partdetails.jsp?id=18655 The pictures looks very like the regulator but with straight legs. So, could anyone with a bit of electronics knowledge answer these questions? 1 Is it likely that this voltage regulator is for all the instruments, or just the clock, given the comments I got from vagparts.com some time ago (above)? Also, remember everything in the cluster works fine, except for the time-based functions. 2 What's more likely to have failed here? The voltage regulator or the crystal? 3 Is there any obvious evidence to look for to diagnose a failed crystal or a failed regulator (bear in mind I've only dismantled a spare working cluster so far)? Any help greatly appreciated.

Thanks. I'll have a look on the spare clocks I've got and see if I can locate it.

Here's a genuine photo of my dash display showing my average speed on the MFA at 228mph. Sorry it's a bit grainy but it was taken on my old phone.Image000.jpg[/attachment:h5w8rjgz] Before I stopped to take the picture it was at 240mph! I don't have a rocket attachment on my Corrado. This is due to a fault in my dials which makes the clock run less than 20% of the speed that it should (it varies). [strike:h5w8rjgz]It used to only run slow when the ignition was off, making the clock go out of sync. But now it's slow all the time. I think it almost stops when the ignition is off, however, because my MFA1 sometimes doesn't reset at all, even if not driving the car for a week. It's supposed to wipe MFA1 after 2 hours or something is it not![/strike:h5w8rjgz] Scrub all that. I just went out and tested it again. It is working perfectly when the ignition is off, and when the ignition is on but engine off. When I run the engine the clock runs at quarter speed (i.e. it takes 4 minutes to tick over 1 minute). I'm sure it has sometimes run slow when the ignition is off too, as it hasn't cleared the MFA1 over a long period of time, but it doesn't seem to be doing this now. See the post further down for more info. MPG calculations are obviously fine but the time-based calculations are totally wrong! :lol: Anybody got any ideas what's causing this? Is it something I could replace in the clocks? I bought a spare clock on Ebay ages ago. Perhaps I could swap the duff component out of that into my clocks? I'd prefer to keep mine in it for the accurate mileage (high) which I'm quite proud of. Note the coolant temp at about 85C since I fixed all my cooling issues in the summer. The cold weather is helping out too just now, though! BTW, posted in "General Car Chat" because it's an interesting photo, hopefully!

Hi, Sorry, I enquired about these in the past but never got round to actually ordering them. The door handle is feeling a bit dodgier these days, especially with it being frozen shut with the recent weather! Could you please quote me the current price for a repair kit for each side and for the headlight switch repair kit too please? I think it was £33 the last time for all this. Thanks.

Hi KUR2Y, I could have sworn I put myself on the list, but it seems I haven't. Have you still got these spares? I would be interested in a 3 relay loom. As a perfectionist I'd prefer the OEM plugs, but as a realist (an unemployed one at that!), I should probably just go for the standard 3 relay one without the OEM plugs! Would it be possible for me to connect the OEM plugs on at some point in the future, if I choose to? I'm assuming that the OEM plugs come with the terminals and all I'd need to do is snip the spades off and reattach? The only reason why I think OEM plugs would be better is because of the water seal built in to them. I note that you use fully insulated spades, but do you have any other suggestions for sealing the spaces between the spades at the back of the headlight? Silicone sealant maybe? Anyway, let me know what spare looms you have please. If none, then are you making up any more? Cheers.

I've just found out that http://www.vagparts.com has gone bust. I was going to order an extra gauges kit (centre console VDO thing for the voltage and oil pressure) but held off because I've been unemployed for most of last year (and still am) thanks to Gordon Brown. Where can this kit be bought now? I've been reading on other forums that the guy at vagparts actually ordered his parts direct from VW in Germany. This suggests that the RHD versions of these extra gauges must still be available at VW in Germany too. Anyone know if that's the case? Also, my sunroof has broken recently. I think it's the common failure that everyone gets, i.e. on tilt it goes up but only comes back down on one side because the metal runner thing has sheared off and the remaining bit needs slid along manually with a knife! I think vagparts sold a sunroof repair kit too. Any idea of where to get these now at reasonable prices? I'm sure there were other things of interest on vagparts.com but the website has now gone so I can't check any more. What a sad time right now. The world is going crazy. I should have bought these items when I had the chance but I've been trying to watch my money cos I've not got a job.

Anyone seen this? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1120109/Father-returns-home-locks-changed-wrong-house-repossessed-address-mix-up.html Looks like a Corrado in the driveway. Anyone on the forum?

Yeah, I had to remove the CAT heat shield because the welds actually broke and it was vibrating. I'm sure I've seen some people say to just remove the other heat shields too, but it doesn't really matter, that IS a bad idea anyway, as we all agree! Glad to hear it's a metal rather than ceramic catalyst. Is this the case for all catalysed Corrados?

Check your engine code on the block - you need to remove the airbox to see it and may need to clean it up with sandpaper to read. It could be that you have a replacement late AAA 2.8 bottom end. Not uncommon as the 2.9 suffers from bore wear due to poor cooling on the outer cylinders and the easiest fix is to whack a common 2.8 one on. If this is the case it won't be down on power much at all as its not the capacity that makes the biggest difference its the throttle body and intake configuration IIRC - AAA is 2792cc and ABV 2861cc. A good AAA will prob make more power than the old smoky ABV anyway! If it says ABV then its the 2.9 original but someone may have cracked the filter housing and used a replacement off a late AAA engine. Hmmm, interesting. I'll check that engine code when I get a minute. I knew the 2.8 was AAA and 2.9 ABV, but I didn't know where the code was stamped on the block, so thanks for that. I reckon it's not a new engine actually. It is probably just a new filter housing. IIRC, the dipstick is part of that, or at least attached to it. I've had the car since 2002 and it was made in 1994. But it had 172,000 miles on it when I bought it. I suppose it's possible it's a new engine or block, but I would be surprised if this was the case.

Here's some more noise-busting advice for those like me who can't stand rattles and clunks:http://the-corrado.net/.archive/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=74364