dan_storm's Storm

[Dan_Storm 0]

I got the 2 new oil cooler hoses, so drained the coolant, removed the radiator for better access and swapped them over. The old ones weren't too bad, but there were a couple of tiny splits that must have been the cause of the leak when the system got some pressure in it.

 

 

I set about putting the front end back on. My bonnet release trumpet with the bolt had sheared, meaning I had to drill it out:

 

 

 

So, to hold the cable in place I improvised with a cable stop, which works really well:

 

 

 

Once the front end was on I started up and let the temperature build. Thankfully there were no more leaks :)

 

I got stuck in a traffic jam last night for 20 minutes and temperatures didn't go over 100. Overall, the running temperature seems to be lower than it was before, it now sits at or below 90 on the motorway now.

[seanl82 23]

Nothing is ever straightforward is it!

 

Good work mate!

[Dan_Storm 0]

I've been getting a but of a rattle from the auxiliary belt area. I suspected the tensioner pulley, so slackened off the belt and found the pulley was pretty scratchy and stiff when turning by hand.

 

Rather than buy a complete tensioner unit I followed the bearing replacement guide (originally by PhatVR6 I think).

 

So, I managed to cut the plastic round the old pulley and press out the bearing with a vice and socket. Then press the new bearing in.

 

Pic below shows the old dry bearing on the left and the new one installed in the pulley.

 

I got the tensioner back on and the engine is now running nice and quiet.

 

Gave it a wash and took it for a drive today :)

 

[Dan_Storm 0]

Well, the dreaded water leak appeared again. It wasn't too bad, but seemed to be getting worse, so front end off again :)

 

It looks like the leak is coming from where the crackpipe enters the block. I'm going to give it a proper clean to remove all the rust, use a new o-ring and some high temperature sealant this time.

 

 

 

While the front end is apart I have got a bit carried away, it's turned into a mini front end reurb. Here's what has been done or will be done:

 

New Roose Coolant hoses (started fitting them today)

 

New OEM style hose clips

 

I dropped off the front crossmember, radiator support and fan cowling for powder coating today

 

New thermostat housing

 

New sump gasket and oil cooler seals

 

The aircon hasn't worked for years, so I'm getting a mobile guy round on Fri to see if there is any gas in the system (doubtful) and presure test it. I will replace the condenser and dryer while I have access.

 

The slam panel is starting to rust at the bottom, so I've got a can of Classic Green to try and resore it. The re-painted section won't be visible, so I'm not too bothered what the finish looks like, but should be good practice :)

 

I've got loads of new nuts and bolts for the front end to replace the old ones.

 

 

I'm sure I've missed some bits, but that's all for now.

 

[Dan_Storm 0]

I got a mobile AC guy round to check for any gas in the system - there was none. He then put pressure in the system, it held the pressure so there are no big leaks. I suspect a slow leak from a duff o-ring caused the loss of gas.

 

So, old condenser and dryer are now off. I am looking for new replacements and will fit with new o-rings all round.

 

 

My oil cooler wasn't looking too healthy, so I have ordered a new one.

 

I have the Roose Motorsport hoses on, they fit very nicely. I still have a few bits to sort out, but hope to start putting the rest of the car back together next weekend. Looking forward to getting it running again :)

[Dan_Storm 0]

I got the parts back from the powder coaters. I am pretty pleased with the results, here is the radiator support before:

 

 

and after:

 

 

I've now fitted the following:

New sump gasket

New oil cooler

Oil pressure senders

RooseMotorSport hoses and new clips all round

New thermostat housing and new black/green sensor (the rest were new last year)

New condenser and dryer. I also repalced all o-rings for the AC system I could access.

New plastic fan guides on the fan support

Loads more I can't remember and loads of new screws, bolts and nuts.

 

I also rubbed down the rusty spots on the slam panel and re-sprayed. It's not a perfect finish, but not a problem as it's not visible.

I did the same to the bonnet stay, again it isn't a perfect finish, but better than the rust that was there before.

 

I managed to source the exact same condenser part number from ReaderAir, so fitting was nice and easy. I couldn't find a dryer with the same part number, but got one with the same dimensions and fittings. It looks identical to the old dryer.

 

New AC Dryer:

 

I ran out of time today, but nearly have it back together. I am hoping to have it running again tomorrow.

 

[fla 9]

good progress there. The rad support looks excellent. Did you use the same frame for the aircon condenser - with the rivets onto the rad? I've replaced the rivets with two shim plates and bolts as there was some galvanic corrosion on the rad, but as yours is all fresh i would be keen to see how you have fixed it on.

[Dan_Storm 0]

Hasan, Sounds like your's is fixed a bit differently to mine (guess it depends on which dealer fitted it). Mine has a strip of metal that screws into the bottom of the condenser. The strip of metal has 2 lugs that sit into the holes on the radiator support. The only thing holding it at the top is a p-clip, so I am going to try and make up a bracket for a bit of extra support.

 

I can get some more photos if it helps.

 

The metal was pretty badly corroded, so I rubbed it down, treated it to some Kurust and coverd it in stonechip.

[fla 9]

thanks Dan, that would be great. Mine also has the lugs at the bottom but the top is/was rivetted into the radiator.

[Billzeebub 1]

some excellent work there, very jealous of you guys with AirCon in the last few days!

[Dan_Storm 0]

Hasan, On one side of the condenser I have a P-clip that holds the condenser in place. Looks a bit flimsey, but it held it in place on its own:

 

 

 

I made a bracket for the other side for a bit of extra support and to stop the condenser/radiator vibrating against each other. Doesn't look too pretty, but works fine. Obviously, I have the lugs at the bottom of the condenser that sit in the radiator support panel (sorry the photo's are blurry).

 

 

 

I've got everthing back together and been using the Corrado for the last couple of days. All seems good, temperatures are good and no water leaks. I still have a bit of an oil leak though :( I need to take a proper look, but think it is coming from the oil filer to block housing. Annoyingly that was one of the few seals I didn't replace.

 

The leak isn't too bad, so it can probably wait until the next oil change.

 

Next step is to get the aircon gassed to see if it works. I'm enjoying having it on the road again :)

[Dan_Storm 0]

It's been well over 6 months since I last had the front end off......so I started stripping it down today. The two main reasons for doing this are to try and finally fix the oil leak and because the starter motor has started making a grinding sound. I'm pretty sure the bush on the starter motor is worn, but it is slow to turn over too, so I am replacing the whole unit.

 

While I have it apart I will be doing a few other jobs, the current list is below, although I suspect the list will grow over the next few days!

 

*Replace starter motor

*Replace oil filter housing seal and dipstick seal to try to fix the oil leak (I'm hoping it isn't the crank seal)

*Replace the aftermarket rad temp sensor with a VW part. The current one doesn't have a 'deadzone' so the fan kicks on and off repeatedly when the engine is turned off and cooling down

*Get injectors refurbished

*Replace hose to fuel rail

 

I became a dad last week, so will be relying on the Corrado more as a daily driver. I am hoping I can use this reason to justify a set of Bilstein B12's :)

[Dan_Storm 0]

Progress has been slow, but I now have the new starter motor and radiator sensor fitted.

 

As the project was dragging on and because I had easy access I decided to get the alternator refurbished. The alternator came off looking like this:

 

 

 

And came back from being refurbished looking like new:

 

The injectors also came back looking great:

 

It appears that the throttle body to intake manifold gasket is no longer available, so I made up a new one from gasket paper:

 

 

I went to fit the new fuel hoses, but found out I had been sent 7.5mm hose not 8mm as I had ordered :(

Demon Tweeks wouldn't replace the hose because I ordered it back in November. I have since ordered 8mm elsewhere, I am just waiting for it to be delivered.

 

I hope to make more progress this weekend if the weather improves.

[Hairyarse 10]

Alternator refurb looks good! How much if you don't mind me asking? The reason I ask is when I looked at refurbing the one on my old MK2 Golf 16v last year, it was cheaper to buy a new one!

[Dan_Storm 0]

Just a quick update...I've been using the Corrado lots recently. It has probably done more mileage in the last 3 months than it did all of last year!

 

I had it apart again recently to replace the slave fan bearings which were getting very noisy! A satisfying job and the fan is nice and quiet now. I also replaced the fuel pressure regulator. I had the fuel pressure regulator sitting in the garage from previous running issues but never got round to swapping it. The battery was also on it's last legs so I swapped it with a Bosch S5.

 

The rear tyre valves were perishing, so I had them replaced today ahead of the MOT tomorrow! Finger's crossed :)

[Jon_vr6 1]

How easy was it to replace the fuel pressure reg?

[Dan_Storm 0]

How easy was it to replace the fuel pressure reg?

 

Nice and easy! Remove the fuel pump fuse and let the car run till it stops, releave the pressure and drain the fuel from the fuel rail using the drain plug (small allen key) on the opposite end of the fuel rail, then remove clip and pull out the old FPR.

[Jon_vr6 1]

See i had a spare fuel rail undid the clip and couldnt for the life of me pull the fpr out.

[Dan_Storm 0]

See i had a spare fuel rail undid the clip and couldnt for the life of me pull the fpr out.

 

It was quite a tight seal and took some persuasion. I managed to pull it out a little using the vacuum pipe connector. Once pulled out a few mm, there was clearance to get a screwdriver down the back to lever the rest of it out. My old one had a bit of dirt on the back, it's probably placebo effect but the engine seems to pull better after replacing it.

[Jon_vr6 1]

Cheers buddy

[Dan_Storm 0]

Been a while since I updated my progress on here! I'm pretty pleased with how the Corrado is looking now following a front end respray and a repair to the small rust spot on the rear window.

 

I also stripped out the interior and gave all the leather and carpet a good clean. I re-dyed the passenger seat using a kit from furniture clinic. It's not perfect, but looks almost like new. I need to re-dye/refurbish the drivers seat in the near future as it is looking very tired. I'm hoping to see if I can find a solution for the bolsters at the same time.

 

I completed lots of small jobs while the interior was out including replacing the blown front speakers and fitting a small Pioneer under seat sub from a previous car (I installed it in the boot). It is sounding a lot better but the rear speakers are blown and need replacing too.

 

I still have a long to-do list, but the Corrado is looking pretty tidy now. I've had quite a few compliments including the body shop and MOT test centre.

 

 

[easypops 8]

Looks great from here 8)

[odub 0]

Looks like a very clean example. Interior is nice

[Billzeebub 1]

Looking sensational. Can only imagine how cool it would be owning a sorted Storm with air-con!

[JoeHurley 10]

Thats clean :)