fendervg

All Corrado VR6s had the plus suspension with wider wheelbase - known as the "Plus-achsel" to VW. Also found on VR6 Golf MkIIIs as far as I know.

Just had a really interesting quick chat with Vince at Stealth about this. According to him, 3.5 bar at idle and 4 bar with the vac hose off is perfectly normal, so it looks like there is absolutely nothing wrong with my pump. He suggested I monitor the ECU voltage in VCDS over time when the car is idling to see if there is any variation - could be pointing at our old friend relay 109 again, or the wiring to it. Will work on this tonight or over the weekend and report back.

Bumping this up in case there are new eyes looking at it - and if anyone has a VR6 and a fuel pressure gauge to hand it would be real favour if they could test their pressure with the engine running and let me know the results. Many thanks. I even asked Pierburg in German about this and they say all their pumps for the VR6 are 3 bar, that's all they ever sold and in 10 years they haven't had any negative feedback on them! Why then a 4 bar fuel pressure regulator?

If you know the car is mechanically sound I would go for the respray and carry on. If it looks as if it needs lots of other stuff doing as well it's a more difficult decision. After having owned a MkII GTI, Audi Quattro and now the Corrado I would now say buy the best condition bodywork and chassis you can get - as all the mechanicals and even engine transplants can be sorted relatively easily but rust and paint are the killer in terms of money and can break your heart.

I've just bought the following - Bremi are OEM quality and are red. http://www.ottocarparts.com/shop/parts/101454-bremi-ignition-cable-kit-997.html I'll let you know how I get on. VW Classic parts can do the coil pack leads, but the distributor version ones are NLA apparently.

You'll get them off a breakers or direct from VW. You can also get the pins out with a special terminal tool and swap them over to another connector.

From the US: http://www.ecstuning.com/ES273188/ - not cheap though.

You can get them new, but without the badge, from VW Classic Parts or VW Heritage if you want a spanking brand new one - that's where I got mine http://shop.volkswagen-classic-parts.de/vwcp/scirocco-corrado/corrado/body/exterior/radiator-grille-satin-black-535853653a-01c.html Most second hand grilles are likely to have broken tabs at this stage.

It was a direct fit on my 93 VR6 - as far as I know they are all the same. To be honest, if it's a 20+ year old radiator in the car I would just replace it and the plastic radiator neck to be sure, it's not especially expensive compared to the cost of other parts on the Corrado. The VW one would still be made by Hella, Behr or Valeo, just stamped with a VAG part number and maybe an extra quality check.

Still worth pulling fault codes from the ECU. That's what it's there for and it will pick up on any faulty senders or wiring issues.

All old brakes will squeal - sometimes even new ones. Overheating would be different. The squealing can usually be sorted with copper grease on the backs of the pads, fresh grease on the calliper sliders (new rear pads should come with some in the kit) and a chamfer ground on to the pad edges - but eventually they will start again. It's bit like banging your head against a wall so your mileage will vary. Believe me I've tried.

Your first issue could be one of many things - do a search on here and eliminate them one by one. A faulty crank position sensor will mean the car won't start at all. I'd say get someone to read the fault codes from your ECU first. Your brakes will get hot anyway after a drive - but if it's excessive the callipers could be seized - is it the front or the rears (the rears are notorious for it - especially the handbrake cable mechanism). You can clean and refurb them or replace. Many put on 288mm fronts and Golf MkIV rears - also plenty of information on that on here. To be honest, if it was me I'd bin the drilled discs and pads and replace with good quality OEM or after market (ATE or Pagid) parts. If you want to pay a premium, pads and discs are still available through Volkswagen dealers.

The original VAG or Pierburg parts number for the whole assembly should be on the round white lid that sits under the plastic flange on top of the tank. There may or may not be a part number on the damned pump itself. Thanks for looking - I'll let you know how I get on. My parts contact has asked Pierburg the 3 or 4 bar question and apparently they are pretty good at coming back to him. Best of luck with yours.

That's what I thought. I just have to pay the extra postage to and from Ireland.

In that case I'd recommend the Hella one - got mine here - http://www.adrad.co.uk - part reference VW328 - shipped to Ireland for £115. Dealt with a guy called Kevin. You'll also need to replace the radiator neck and seal as a precaution if not done recently and if I were you I'd check out the radiator temperature sender as well.

He'll have two now.

Fair enough - you'll need to do a flow test with a measuring jug and check the spray pattern as well after you clean them. Don't smoke!

Have you checked out Mr Injector? They do a full refurb and test service - that's where I'm planning to send my second set when it arrives.

Do you want to pay the p+p and I'll send it over to you?

I bought a new Hella one for my VR - good quality and no issues with it. Valeo are a good brand too. The aircon cars have a different radiator thought as far as I know - maybe someone can confirm - I don't have the family album with me at the moment in work.

@dox - what part# is your pump btw?

Would be great if you could check your pressure to have something to compare against. Hmmm - I'll check the wiring to the relays as well to be on the safe side - although both my alarm and immobiliser were installed very neatly the last time I looked. And when it cuts out, neither are engaged. But it's worth a try - cheers.

It's a VR6? You shouldn't hear it with the engine running, and without, only in the tank area. If it's another Corrado with a two pump system, one of them could have failed, making the other one work harder. Either way a noisy pump is not a good sign. Replace your fuel filter first if you haven't had it done recently - it could be as simple as that.

Have you tried VW and VW Classic Parts? Always worth a try first.

ARZ Tuning have some screws on their site as well - I never had a problem getting individual ones from the dealer, and I used to order direct off a VAG dealer in Germany - sadly they don't have an on-line shop any more, as there used to be parts available in Germany on the dealer network that showed as long obsolete in the UK and Ireland.