Jim's Corrado - ciao to the Fiat! Hello to.. (P64)

[KIPVW 0]

Kev, yes it is definately linked to your position and how you are postured on the bike, ideally it'd be good to see you sat on it for a better idea but you could be sat too upright.

 

slide the saddle back a little and see how that goes, and reach to the bars could be wrong too so maybe a different length stem.

 

Really hard to sort over the net though!

 

 

 

I know what you mean Jim about motivation i really have to have something to aim at and ths week its monsal hill climb on the 9th oct :/

 

I'd like to own a new car oneday though as it'd be nice to not have to worry about much for a while....

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Cheers Kip, I'll try those suggestions! The bike felt spot on when I tested it in the shop carpark, but long rides are a different matter!

At least I know if it's posture related I can do something about that :D

 

Already got one of those Boost Monkey, but it's in for a new turbo at the minute!

[Jim 2]

My car seems to enjoy eating coilpacks. I was already onto my second coilpack (which Kev very kindly fitted for me) but came to take the car for a bit of a spin this evening when I noticed a clicking coming from the engine bay. I also noticed that the car sounded like it was misfiring slightly so I popped the bonnet and could hear the clicking coming from around the coilpack.. however I didn't expect to actually see SPARKS - I was so impressed I captured a quick video clip:

 

 

By sheer good luck, I'd been offered a new old stock VR coilpack by my local VW dealer for about £25 about 3 months ago. I don't normally buy and stockpile parts but this seemed like such a good deal, I thought I should bag it. 15 minutes later, new coilpack on and the car was back to normal again :)

 

Haven't been using the VR much now that I have a new, comfortable daily.. but I took it out this evening and opened it up a bit on the quiet roads and remembered just why I enjoyed it so much. So low compared to the Fiat, so reassuring and of course unbelievably fast compared to the piddling 69BHP in the Fiat! Love it. Absolutely love it :)

Edited October 30, 2011 by Jim

[boost monkey 0]

Great to know you can fix the car with the bits at hand! :D well done Captain Sideburns.

[Supercharged 2]

Nice one dude - see I said you should fit it - also kind of handy of the Corrado to do that just before the weather gets cold!

 

That's the issue with second hand parts and we see it all the time with people on here, that one Kev sold you obviously worked for a bit but was probably still over 10 years old... hopefully you won't have anything to worry about for a while now.

[RW1 0]

Measure all the plug leads and make sure they are 5Kohm from cap connection to coil pack connection. Whilst it may look like coil packs, maybe the lead that the arc is near is higher resistance and so the spark is taking an easier path to earth.

 

.

[CazzaVR 0]

£25! Blimey 8) Glad it was sorted easily- nice when you have the correct spare just sitting on the shelf :)

[Rams 0]

Hi there

 

I like the approach on the daily car, I keep having the same battles in my head as to what daily will cut it. Like anything you use daily, theres a habbit of getting board of it and i imagine you feel some relief knowing the rado is tucked up out of harms way. I just hope you have good security as I think crime level is going to increase, especially around xmas time. Keep up the good work!

[Jim 2]

I don't want to tempt fate but I think the Corrado is fairly secure... it's in a lockup which is in an alleyway which backs onto a load of houses near where I used to live - but the benefit is that the alley way is secured by big gates, that only people who live in the houses have keys to. So massively unlikely that the car will ever get stolen in it's entirety but possible the garage could get broken into and bits robbed.. but in the event someone does break in to the garage, it can really only be people who live there - not randomers / passers by. Certainly in all the years I lived there, we never had any problems - and that was even before the big gates were put up about 10+ years ago...

 

You're right about the daily getting boring - though I tend to get that with anything I drive. I'm really crap at "routine" and just sticking to anything - be it cars, or anything else. But I keep telling myself that 50MPG, cheap insurance, a warranty and cheap tax are a good thing and at least the common sense side of things is fighting through!

[Rams 0]

We are a like on the getting board front! My longest relationship is 3 years, what does that tell u.

I didn't want to make you paranoid about the c, more to remind that we should be more vigilant when the ecomony is facing hard times and the lead up to xmas.

Your sounds to be in a safer place that most but I mentioned this because I manage property for a living and one of the block of garages I look after had all 6 locks broken off, this is next to a busy road, lots of students around and very open. The good news was, they havent managed to get anything away.

Out of interest, when you are travelling along in the Fiat, do you wish that you had some more power over something more modern? Especially as you liked the thought of the 5 series. Its what I have been looking at for sometime but cant make up my mind. You also mention in one of your replies that a Volvo was an idea. I often thought about a T5 Touring.... Where did your thinking go with that. Did you test drive many cars before deciding on the Fiat?

[Jim 2]

I do wish I had more power but have found it's just changed my driving style to an extent. I just accept that the car doesn't have performance, so there's no point in getting into little races with people or trying to prove a point..

 

Don't get me wrong, I love the performance in the Corrado and when I get back in that I do enjoy stretching it's legs - but just with petrol prices like they are and stuff, got fed up of lining the governments pockets just to try and one-up people in quick cars. And no matter what you spend, someone always has something quicker than you!

 

I much prefer big, wafting German barges (as you say, like the 5 series) but again thought for what I wanted to spend, I wanted (nearly) new and warrantied. In a few years though when the Fiat is out of warranty, it's very likely I'll sell it and get something silly again :)

 

And no - I didn't test drive anything else. I decided in my mind I liked the 500, and frankly there was no other small car I was remotely interested in.. and after a test drive of the Fiat I was happy it was comfortable, and not a dangerously slow on the motorway as I'd been lead to believe - so decided to go for one.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

I'm a firm believer in moving away from crime. I've lived in busy towns and cities before and when the local scum start acting like they own the place, I move out and leave them to it. You're never completely away from crime obviously, but living in the suburbs reduces your chances of theft and vandalism quite considerably.

 

Right now seems a good time to do it. Lots of people in the country from my parents generation are downsizing as the kids have moved on and their houses aren't selling fast, so there's good scope for bartering. It was the best thing I ever did. In my old terraced house, my car was constantly getting blocked in by the drug dealing w@nkers opposite. I'd be woken up at 4 in the morning by Polish gangs arguing and fighting in the street. My car was pelted with eggs. My drive and garder were constantly littered by passers by and I was just sick of the general arrogant attitude of many town and city dwellers.

 

I know it's difficult finding the money to upsticks to the rural areas but if you can do it, then do it is my advice!!

 

Anyway.... good news on the coilpack Jim! Cars always start acting up when it's cold and damp and I'm pleased you were able to fix it swiftly.

 

As for the Volvos, I was also in the market for a T5 or V70 etc but with the turbo models and under a grand, there are some right ropey old heaps out there and most are auto. The manual is way better (and faster) but rare. I had to spend more than I wanted to get the spec and condition I wanted. Then the £800 E34 touring turned up and the rest as they say is history. It's met with the same enthusiasm and respect in the car trade as the Corrado is, which is nice :D

[Critical_Mass 10]

Funny you say cars start acting up when it gets cold and damp. My coilpack is throwing a hissy fit now. Starts fine, but i came to a junction and slipepd the car into second as soon as applied more throttle, the car learched violently and started to misfire a bit then cleared up once id got going a bit. So goign to go buy some spray water repellant to use on the HT leads. Im probably goign to have to replace the coilpack soon though.

 

How much are they new? (assuming they're not obsolete)

[Kevin Bacon 5]

A lot! £180 or something last time I got one.

[CazzaVR 0]

You could try a Beru one: http://www.vwspares.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=647

[Album56 0]

These coilpacks do seem to be a source of trouble which can leave you stranded, give me the reliable old hall sensor/standard coil/dizzy set up, so reliable its bullet proof.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

And the 1.8T/R32 coils are the least reliable of all sparking methods :lol:

 

Looking at it from a manufacturer's / dealer's point of view, dizzy setups have 5 points of failure:-

 

1 - Dizzy itself, mechanical wear

2 - Hall sensor failure

3 - HT Lead failure

4 - Coil failure

5 - Rotor arm / dizzy cap wear, cracking etc.

 

That all increases the chance of misfire, which = Unhappy Brussels and tree huggers. It also increases labour and time lost in fault finding.

 

A coilpack has 2 points of failure:-

 

1) Dead coilpack

2) HT lead failure.

 

A coil-per-plug has 1 point of failure:-

 

1) A dead coil :-)

 

 

So although we all like old engineering because it's solid and reliable (too damn right it is), look at those lists from VW's angle. Which is the more attractive solution? Coil per plug is by far the cheapest method for them, but has absolutely no spark advantage over a dizzy or coilpack. It *always* boils down to cost. Good for us too cause replacing 1 £35 coil is better than £180 coilpack :D

[Pat_McCrotch 0]

I'm a firm believer in moving away from crime. I've lived in busy towns and cities before and when the local scum start acting like they own the place, I move out and leave them to it.

 

So your house will be on the market if I get that place down the road from you then? :lol:

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Ha ha, I'm often seen stood at my door like your Avatar :D I'll have to install the robot sentries when you move into the area!

[Jim 2]

I do sort of see you as Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino, Kev... scowling at youths as they walk past your house... ;)

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Yeah I'm a right Victor Eastwoodmeldrew :lol:

[Jim 2]

Well I think finally the mystery of noisy belts / pulleys has finally been put to rest. It's been going on for months now.

 

It all started with a properly faulty PAS pump - making an awful noise and when removed it was clear it was toast. Fitted a new one, and after a few weeks starting to get squealing belt when the car was cold. Replaced the belt with a continental belt from ECP - problem still there. Fitted a genuine VAG continental belt.. noise still there. Fitted a replacement PAS pump pulley from VAG.. noise still there!

 

Ran out of ideas so took the car into Stealth today. A bit of poking around and head scratching and Vince noticed that the PAS pulley seemed to be out of alignment with the rest of the bolts. Upon closer inspection it seemed to be fitted the wrong way round. Cue much **** taking from the guys about my lack of technical skills, but my only defence being that I refitted the pulley the same way the old one was fitted.. meaning the nearly new PAS pump I'd fitted, had the pulley fitted on incorrectly as well!

 

So with that fitted, they also kindly fitted their prototype BMC mounting kit / bracket - will try and get a picture tomorrow but a nice bracket that secures against the aux belt tensioner, and then clamps around the BMC holding it fairly securly, with the aid of a rubber mount to help dampen any vibration, etc.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

I didn't know it was possible to fit the pulley the wrong way round! I've never given it a second though! Glad it's sorted now :D

[CazzaVR 0]

Must be a relief to finally get it sorted 8) Making mistakes is all part of the learning process mate + it was fitted incorrectly in the first place so you have a good excuse ;)

 

Interested to see the BMC mount...

[Jim 2]

Just a quick update - this Saturday the interior is being swapped over from black cloth to black leather :)

 

Pictures to follow!