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Stonejag

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Everything posted by Stonejag

  1. It's not on the service schedule so I'm impressed it's been done! Check the dipstick with the engine running and ATF temperature at approximately 70 degrees (ask Vagcom, it's in measuring block 3 of the auto ECU if memory serves). If you see nothing on the dipstick then it definitely needs doing - mine was almost empty when i bought it. It should be slightly gloopy (thicker than engine oil) and a transparent red colour - mine was more like chocolate milk when I did it, looked awful! Any colour not reminiscent of Tizer, change it! If there's none on the dipstick, check with the engine off - the fluid level will rise as some of the torque converter contents drain back into the sump. Over time you'll lose a little - but much more quickly if something is close to failure and overheating it. The stock gearbox cooler is frankly **** (manufacturers recommend it should ever really go above 85, so who decided to warm it up with 110-degree coolant?!) so I've replaced mine with a small Mocal in front of the radiator - as a side benefit you can then use hose kits designed for a manual... There's a pictorial guide here: http://www.deylan.co.uk/golf/096%20Fluid%20Change/index.htm Basically the procedure is, massive heavy sump guard off (4 bolts), plate of wood on a jack supporting the sump, remove the four sump bolts and drop the jack. Let it sit and drain for five minutes (you can loosen the 2 pan filter bolts to get another couple of litres out) then safely dispose of the fluid. Clean the pan of sludge and metal shavings, then refit it and top up. Run the engine and immediately check the level, topping up if required. Work the shifter through all the positions a few times while idling, then go for a drive for 5-10 minutes to warm up the fluid you just poured in. When you're back, do it all again but this time replacing the filter element and pan gasket as well. Then refill and it'll be castle improved :) The reason for doing it twice is to flush out the fluid in the torque converter as it holds a couple of litres where it can't drain into the pan. If you have time it'd be an excellent idea to drill and tap a hole in the sump to accept a standard drain plug - just make sure it'll fit under the sump guard plate. Also note your pan may not have a magnet in it - mine didn't and if you'd seen the size of the tiny channels in the valve body you'd realise why it's such a good isea to add one :) Don't do it on a windy day and stay in a garage if possible (to avoid dust etc getting into your valve body which would be very bad). You should notice a huge difference, especially if the level was low - no more feeling like you're revving in neutral at junctions any more! I check mine whenever I'm doing the engine oil, it's a good habit to get into. Given how little ATF costs compared to a gearbox rebuild I'd just do it anyway. Stone ---------- Post added at 3:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 3:14 PM ---------- Also I think the 'adjusts to your driving style' thing is a marketing myth - the Bentley has a table of shifting speeds and mine's spot on. I'd love 3-4 to have been 29 instead of 32, it can't make its mind up if you get stuck behind someone driving a bit less confidently...;)
  2. There used to be an orange Lotus I would see driving around Orpington which was ORG 45M, it was probably worth more than the car :D
  3. Fingers crossed for you mate. Hopefully he'll get what's coming to him...
  4. Don't start :lol: Luckily for me, Schimmel are being slow and I managed to sneak in on the end of the order :D If anyone's worried about spreading the cost you can pay £370 now and fitted costs after they're finished, or change your mind, give Stealth an extra tenner and get them shipped out for you to DIY :)
  5. Bollocks, been trying to sort out buying half my house off the ex and didn't spot this until today :( Have I missed out, or is there room for a little one? :shrug:
  6. Can't make Sunday but will be there on Saturday, if my gearbox holds out :)
  7. I've just seen them in person and will definitely take them. Pretty much mint OEM leather door cards on mine (a VR) so quite happy to nip up to Stu's and swap them, I'm over often enough anyway...(btw did you notice there's a small rip in the leather on the top of the right-hand pod?) PM me your number and we can chat prices. Nick
  8. I'm pretty sure I have an extra one but my car's being fixed atm and it's in the boot...not sure which side it is. Once I find it you can have it for nowt if it's the right one :) Stone
  9. Just to doublecheck, does it chug a little when you come off the throttle? Mine behaved similarly to how you describe when one of the MAF wires snapped, it felt like a gearbox problem but actually the engine was just down on power... I'm not a million miles from you and also have Vagcom if you need a second look. I've never had an electrical problem with the gearbox (touch wood) - mine have all been related to low fluid, so check that first. Flushing it makes a huge difference if it's a bit tired and well worth it for 30 quid's worth of ATF and a couple of hours! Stone
  10. The alarm will be running off the central locking wire - pretty sure this runs the motor in the direction of 'closed' until it's closed hard enough that the over-current protection on the motor switches it off. I'd be willing to bet that a bare motor (not attached to a window mech) would run forever since it will never have enough resistance to its rotation to trip it. Same thing with the sunroof - this is why you can 'nudge' a sticky one open or closed by pressing the button many times, you have to give it a second or two for the overcurrent device to reset, but they take a short while to act so the motor moves a small increment each time you hit the button. It's a pain to slide it this way but mine lasted almost a year before dying completely :D Stone
  11. You can pick them without much bother. I didn't have the key for one of mine, it's really easy when you have access to both sides! Remove the circlip and the V-shaped metal part that engages with the door lock, then stick two hairpins or similar down the outside of the barrel from the back, one from each side and in line with the key slot. Once you have all the wafers pushed from the outer section into the keyway you just push from the back and the barrel will fall out. Simples :) Stone
  12. Scratch that, I now have two of them :lol: They look identical to Stu's pic but with AUTOMAT stamped into the front. I'll compare and contrast when I'm next over...
  13. Apparently it sits at a different angle to the manual box (brings the engine slightly further forward to accommodate the bigger box) so it would need some bending... Got a couple of feelers out but it's not looking very promising :(
  14. Right, so Vagcat came back up and I had another chat with the garage to confirm - it's the frontmost motor mount that sits on the crossmember and bolts onto the gearbox. The part that failed is the metal bracket structure on top that sits between mount and gearbox (which, annoyingly, is different between auto and manual) and after failing it's bounced up and down on the mount and smashed it. So if you have one of the front mounts I will take you up on it, Stu... The part number is 357 199 273C ('Console front / automatic') - also used on Golf/Jetta? Any ideas most welcome... Stone
  15. The good thing about the BBT ones is that the ends are reusable - they have a brass self-tapping thread inside the boot and you can just twist them on and off. I'm running a set right now and they work perfectly with the new cable I bought; cost was approx £3/metre so the full set including connectors owes me under £30. In my opinion the vast majority of 'performance' leads are just overpriced snake-oil - try building your own, you may be surprised! Stone
  16. Hi all, Got a thread in Wanted already but just thought I'd double up to better my chances and also add to the forum knowledge store... So, my gearbox mount has disintegrated. I've got an auto. Can I replace it with a manual one, or are they different? Someone posted way back about solid rubber ones from other VWs (Mk2 Golf?), would one of those fit mine? Any part numbers? Thank you! :) Stone
  17. Hey all, Sent the C in for slam panel replacement plus a few bonus bits late last week. The garage have just rung up to tell me that the knocking noise that I thought was coming from the nearside suspension was actually because the metal part of my gearbox mount has disintegrated and the engine's been bouncing up and down :( The inserts are still available but the surrounding metal bracket is on 14-day backorder from Germany... Since the bumper etc have already been removed I'm not dead keen on either paying for labour twice to have it all taken apart again or driving it around with it failed! Vagcat is down at the moment so I can't confirm the part number - I'm also not sure if it'll be different to the regular VR6 one because mine's an auto. If anybody has one in their garage stash I'd be eternally grateful - likewise if anybody knows if the manual one will do as an alternative, or any source that'd be faster than VW then any pointers would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance! Stone
  18. Go on then - anyone owned mine? N824 AOB. Been up and down the country from Watford to Birmingham to Bournemouth to Cannock...not going anywhere now though ;)
  19. I have some nice clear shots of his (lack of) damage and numberplate so it should be pretty easy to pick up the registered keeper and get the thumbscrews out. My money's on an 'unofficial' hire scheme which would result in him having no insurance, if he even has a licence at all! That would be very nice as I believe the uninsured driver is automatically at fault so my at-fault marker would disappear :D Stone
  20. Reported to insurance, was pleasantly surprised that I incur no excess for not claiming my damage so did that. They rang me up today to say they couldn't trace him because all his details were false and would I mind filing a police report :lol: No real surprise there, hopefully they give him a nice big fine when they catch up with him...
  21. While you're there it's worth blasting out your PCV and vacuum feed (top-left of the engine, black rubber pipe coming off the rocker cover into the inlet elbow) as they tend to get filled up with oily crud. You may well find a split in the plastic bellows at the same time which won't help your idling either! I have a spare one of the plastic elbows if you need it... Stone
  22. Stonejag

    VR6 orange needles

    Doesn't the needle come off the base? I would spray them with some vinyl dye (not paint) - great finish and it melts itself into the surface of the plastic so it won't chip or flake. Even if they're one-piece you could still do it with some careful masking... Stone
  23. Please use an M8 trisquare / spline bit to undo the two nuts holding that cover on and not an allen key - the heavens will smile on you later when you need to remove it in the rain and it's not stripped ;)
  24. If it's not a bad earth this would be my bet. Steering wheel off (gently pop the front cover away, undo 24mm nut underneath and pull) and give the whole slip ring a good clean with some meths or similar - also the brass ring on the back of the wheel. You can also GENTLY fold the small metal tab up slightly to contact the wheel a bit more firmly. While the wheel's off, short the pointy contact plate to the centre mounting nut with a bit of wire - if the horn sounds then the fault's in the wheel or slip rings, if not then probably earth. Small smear of vaseline / silicon grease and it should be good to go :) Stone
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