Charlie's Corrado VR6 Turbo

[chazrad 0]

Well, I've got it back...again!!

 

Having taken the car back to the Phirm for its first (post running-in) oil change, the car was mapped and dynoed on the rolling road. As a precautionary check to ensure all was well with the engine, before calling me to come and collect it, Tim did a compression test on the cylinders, only to discover a couple of the cylinders were approx 20psi down. Hmmm. So took a look inside with a borescope but could not see anything wrong: no score marks. Having slept on the issue, he decided that the only thing to do was to take the head off and find out the cause of the compression losses. This is where it got interesting...

 

He discovered on removing the pistons that they were all cracked between the rings. There was no damage to the crowns and no discolouration; just bits of metal that were in some cases coming away from the pistons between the rings. The pistons were new Mahle oversized (82.5mm) cast pistons that Vince put in when he rebuilt the engine to standard (bottom end) spec in 2006, although they apparently have shorter skirts than a standard OE VW piston. When Tim put the uprated conrods in, in preparation for the turbo earlier this year, there was obviously no visible signs of fatigue in the pistons, or they would have been replaced then and there (with uprated ones). It seems though, that the cracks that must have already been there at that stage were internal and might only have been spotted by ultrasound or x-raying them. It seems those pistons could only really have been up to standard NA cylinder pressures, as they damage must have started when the 'charger was on; even so they were only 7-8000 miles old. The amazing thing is that no other damage was done at all to any other component.

 

So, after a call to TSR Performance, (and a week's wait), a shiny set of Wossner low comp pistons appeared, and after rehoning the bores they're now in and running. I've obviously been able to ditch the Dubpower 8.5:1 spacer plate, and will see if it is in a serviceable condition once its been cleaned up, in which case I'll offer it up for sale, as it may be of use to someone else doing a VRT conversion. As it is, Tim and the team at the Phirm were working silly hours ( :salute: ) last week to get a host of cars ready for the Open Day they held at their new premises yesterday. Amongst them was mine, and I was delighted to be able to collect it on the day, and drive it home last night! :clap: The only issue now is another '1000 mile at max 3000rpm' running-in period before I can really open the old girl up; however, limited extensions of my right foot (for short periods) indicate it'll be worth the wait. By 3000rpm at 1.2 bar, its absolutely taking off! :cuckoo: Its loads smoother as well (as well as feeling alot quicker), which is clearly down to improvements in the refinement of the mapping, and perhaps the pistons as well? 900 miles to do and counting down!! :D

 

(At the risk of sounding sycophantic) I just want to say a public thank you to the Phirm for all the incredibly hard work, long hours (on occasion 5am starts and 1am finishes) and attention to detail that has been lavished on my car - among others - over the last year. It has been treated as if it were your own,and it truly is appreciated, fellas. The Open Day yesterday proved what a loyal following you have as a company and how widely your product is respected.

 

....and I don't even want to think about what might have happened to the engine, had Tim not followed up his concern about the compression drops and taken the head off. :notworthy:

 

...Oh, and the old pistons are currently still in the boot of the car; but they are going to be used as ashtrays around the house. However, I need to start smoking, so I can make use of them! :grin:

[ozowen 2]

Good on yer Charlie, another 1000 mile run in, jesus. Sorry couldn't make yesterday I just needed to chill and get prepped for another week in the office. Your statement on the Phirm should be cross reffered to their post aswell so people can see what you have wrote. Once my brakes are done I will post similar. Look forward to seeing it in the flesh for real. HAPPY DRIVING :grin:

[Danny B 0]

Big fat bumpty bump bump for the Phirm.....seen your c down there are few times and had a little look around it :wink: when it was up on the ramps - Very very nice 8)

 

Tim and Paul are legends and your car shows it, wish I had the time to get down there on Sunday !

[KADVR6 0]

if your busy Charlie and havent got the time to get the remaining 900 miles done mate, i have NOOOOO problem helping you achieve that, i cant promise i could/would stay under 3000rpm though :lol:

 

i will have to meet you soon, as this is exactly what i want mine to be when i do go turbo.

[Danny B 0]

Big fat bumpty bump bump for the Phirm.....seen your c down there are few times and had a little look around it :wink: when it was up on the ramps - Very very nice 8)

 

Tim and Paul are legends and your car shows it, wish I had the time to get down there on Sunday !

 

.........just realised I had posted something very similar on previous page :roll: :lol:

[Jim 1]

Good stuff Charley - looking forward to a passenger ride when it's all done :)

[pete_griff 0]

really pleased to hear you've got the car back and are happy with it pal - great news :clap:

 

roll on 999 miles! :grin:

[djmac56 0]

I'd be out every night for a hundred mile drive to get it run in asap. You could take up a pizza delivery boy job in the evenings! :)

[RaddoMan 0]

sounds mental :D

[ziderapple 0]

Update time please Charlie. :)

[chazrad 0]

Hello Chris, great to hear from you. I thought you'd fallen off the edge of the world, now you're in Dubai and no longer in Corrado ownership.

 

The 'Rado is still at the Phirm for the last few bits of titivation. Various little bits of detail have been readdressed, most of which will never be seen but which will all contribute to a quick and reliable car, we hope. I've been in no hurry to get it back given the time of year and the weather. Should be returning to the roads around the south east within the next 2-3 weeks though.

 

I must say that I cannot recommend The Phirm enough to anyone. The level of attention to detail and time that Tim has lavished on this build has been staggering. I am truly endebted to him and everyone on the team. :salute:

 

A proper update will follow when the car's back.

[dukest 0]

hope your're actually going to get some playtime soon though Charlie, i think its been quite long enough!

[Jim 1]

Ditto! It's great that they're doing the build properly mate, but it's taken them a heck of a long time to get it to the point where it's ready for you to actually enjoy it.

 

Looking forward to a passenger ride in the near future :)

[ozowen 2]

Hya Charlie

 

Just thought i'd add this.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Good stuff, another one nearly ready to tear up the streets!

 

How are you getting on with the DTA? Were you able to get the standard VR6 idle valve to work with it?

[chazrad 0]

Hi Kev,

The car is away having the last few bits done atm, but should be back with me very soon. As such, passing definitive judgment on the DTA is difficult but I've no reason to think - from my limited time with the car so far - that it is anything other than fine. The flexibility of it is great, but I have left the mapping and fettling to Tim at the Phirm to be honest. I have enquired about what he does and watched him do some adjustments to the mapping when I've been there, but I would need a lesson in all the various parameters and their effects on performance before feeling confident to alter settings myself.

 

Tim has said that he is not fitting / has not fitted the ISV. As far as I know, there have been no issues with idle stabilisation so far.

 

Not long now 'til the beast is on the streets....

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Cool, good stuff!

 

Yeah I would recommend watching and learning with the DTA, just in case you need to make any minor tweaks at home. I'm sure they'll get the mapping to a state you're happy with, but in every day life away from their workshop, you may find one or two things could do with a tweak, such as cold start and warm up fuelling etc etc. If you need a hand, give me a shout.

 

If you change your mind and want to fit an idle valve at a later date, let me know as I've pretty much nailed the idle quality on mine and it just uses a cheap Mondeo idle valve :D I don't think yours is a daily driver though? So you may find you can live without it.

[chazrad 0]

Thanks for your offer of help/advice with the ISV, Kev. You are right: its not a daily driver, so I am able to live with the odd foible!

 

However, I will make a point of learning more about the DTA. As you would expect, I have the manual and know that there is a pretty active online user community, so support - should it be required - is at hand. Tim did say he'd go out in the car with me one evening and do the final tweaks to the mapping, so its adjusted to my style of driving. I am now just looking forward to better weather then I can get the ol' girl out there and see how quick she really is... :D

[Kevin Bacon 5]

It'll be quick alright!

 

It's good to have a few standalone managed Corrados on here for knowledge sharing etc!

[big ben 10]

hey charlie, hows the VRT getting on in the dry weather?

[chazrad 0]

Hello Ben,

 

I popped into The Phirm the other day, and Tim said you'd been in touch re getting some work done. He's looking forward to seeing your VRT again. Last time he saw it was shortly before Marcus sold it, I think. They were going to be doing some work with C2 Motorsports over the last couple of days too.

 

Re my car, its up and running, and feels prety quick to me. So far, its only been mapped at the base boost setting (5-6psi I think). Its really smooth and very comfortable off-boost, then loud, raucous and fast on-boost, which is ace :lol: . I love the noise, and the popping on the overrun. The brakes are awesome too: My dad couldn't believe how quick the car was then how strong the brakes were when I gave him a run out in it recently. It has just developed a minor fuelling fault, due to a tired relay on the standard fuel pump, which has now been fixed; but its back with The Phirm at the moment to do a couple more things, before going off for another mapping session to sort it for higher boost levels.

 

Hope to catch up with you again soon.

[chazrad 0]

Well, its been a while since I've posted much on here. Part of that has been down to not having the car for the last few months whilst the engine was rebuilt...again. Some might know I had a problem and all was not well with the engine....which was a shame so soon after getting the VRT on the road.

 

Anyhow, its coming back and its better than ever.

The old overbored 2.9L block is history, and is now replaced with a 2.8L AAA block, primarily because a rebore or rehoning was likely to make the walls between cylinders too thin for FI. The replacement has been rebuilt from the ground up. Its been great in many ways because I've been able to get involved doing bits and pieces in the build down at the workshop, not that I'd recommend that as the grounds for going through a second engine rebuild in as many years!

 

Headlines include: The DTA is gone and OBD2 is in with a new loom and the electronic TB. Obviously all the standard sensors are back too, which it seems was a problem before. Its running a 4in MAF and a C2 chip. So are another set of Wossners with the IE rods from before. The head was fine so after cleaning it up, its gone back on with the 263 cams in. When the old block was all out of the 'bay, the guys had a subframe and lower arms - that I'd got with the engine and loom - powdercoated and swapped them over with the originals. All the other features from before are carried over: the turbo, downpipe, custom 3in exhaust and 'twintercooler' setup.

 

The beauty is that the car now starts on the button from cold which it never did easily with the DTA. I popped into the Phirm last night, to hear it running again for the first time since the end of August. It sounds better than ever and the install is such a neat clean job. I was persuaded - it didn't take much persuasion! - to take it outr for a quick drive, and have to say the drive is so smooth and effortless in any gear, and there is more torque than I remember even if off boost (clearly not using much of that at the moment). I get the car back at the weekend and now have to run the engine in again. Once that's done, it'll be time to tuuuuurrrrrnnnnn it up again! hehe ... :D

 

Got something else in the pipeline for a couple of months time. Anyway, for now, I hope I've time to run the engine in so that it'll be ready to run on the rollers at Stealth at the RR day in May.

 

The final thing is to say publicly how grateful I am to Tim and the guys (including Paul, Jelly, Kristian and Matt) at the Phirm for being such fantastic people and outstanding mechanics. The number of hours Tim has lavished on my car over the last 3 years is simply astonishing. He truly is a perfectionist and a gentleman; and to go with it, he has an encyclopaedic knowledge of all VWs. I've said it before but its not for nothing that the PVW team turn to the Phirm to help out with their Q & A column and are good friends. But the best thing about the Phirm is the great atmosphere that permeates the place. All customers are treated like friends and there is always time to stop and chat. Also, as is my experience, customers are encouraged to get involved with their builds if they wish.

 

So to the guys at the Phirm, all I have to say is: I salute you! :salute:

Rest assured, I'll take care of it.

[dukest 0]

glad things are looking up for the car and your enjoyment of it Charlie. hope you haven't had to pay for the whole three years worth though..

[vornwend 0]

Great stuff Charlie. You don't let problems stand in your way do you!

 

Look forward to seeing you both at Stonor.

[pete_griff 0]

hey Charlie, about time we heard from you!

 

glad to hear that the end is now in sight, even if it has taken a long time in coming.

 

really pleased that the car has turned out so well for you - can't wait to see both you and the car when i'm back, sounds like it's very much sorted now

:D

and what's this thing you've got in the pipeline you tease?!?