Farewell N194 DTP Classic Green VR6 - (sold)

[MikLSP 0]

Hello all, I finally took the plunge and bought my very first Corrado; a Classic Green VR6 with 118,000 miles on the clock. I've had to start out on a budget but I'm pretty happy with what I've got so far and things are starting to come together now with a decent amount of cash thrown at it since. I've updated a list of jobs done below to keep a track of my progress.

 

So what have we got...

 

The Good:

Classic Green VR6 now with 121,000 miles

Full black leather interior

Full closure Cat 1 alarm

Sunroof tilts & slides

Spoiler fully working

Schrick 268 cams

Big bore throttle body

Upper and lower front anti-roll bars

Lower rear anti-roll bar

17" ABT A11 alloy wheels

Leather ABT Nardi steering wheel

Aluminium ABT gear knob

ABT engine cover badge

H&R Coilovers

 

The Bad:

Previous accident damage but repaired and been on the road for 9 years

Bodywork has several areas which need respraying to be right but nothing terrible

Intermittent ABS fault light - seems to be dodgy connection

OSF CV joint knocks occasionally on full lock

Throttle cable stiff

 

The Ugly:

Disastrous noise from the top of the engine - Tensioner bolt caused rebuild! [more info here]

Noisy rattle through first gear! [more info on symptoms]

 

Jobs Done:

Reconditioned cylinder head, 8 new valves

New timing chains & tensioners

Cylinders re-honed

New piston rings

Bottom end rebuild

Crank shaft polished

Oil pump rebuild

Gearbox rebuild

New clutch

 

New plugs & leads

Fuel leak found & fixed

ISV cleaned out

Throttle body cleaned

 

2x front ABS sensors

New discs & pads all round

Replaced corroded rear brake lines

New rear bearings

Brake fluid changed

 

Oil & filter change

Oil cooler seal

Power Steering fluid changed

 

Replaced (badly) cracked thermostat housing

New blue temp. sensor

Replaced leaking top hose

 

 

After some terrible luck with this car, I think I have sorted out pretty much every major problem you could foresee and (touchwood) am out of the woods now...but alas, I think it is time to sell!

 

Mik

Edited October 28, 2013 by MikLSP

[VAG-hag 0]

they look soooooo nice in Classic Green. Nice one

 

also: looks nice round yours mate 8)

[dukest 0]

thought it was goldies for a moment from the number plate! only 3 away!

 

anyway, have a look in here and hopefully there'll be some inspiration as to a level of awesomeness to aim for! :)

[MikLSP 0]

@ VAG-hag

 

Thanks, I live here near Lancaster University. It's only rented though.

Definitely agree on the colour, I love it. Pictures never seem to do it justice.

 

@ dukest

 

I had a double take myself when I came across his car on the forum the other day! They must have been registered in the same batch. I wish it was that car I'd bought as I think there'd be nothing in need of attention...but then again it wouldn't have been 1600 quid either :lol:

 

Mik

[barrowfordred 0]

Had a quick drive when we got back on Saturday.

VR6 - the only non turbo car I know with turbo lag lol.

Seriously though, it drives well apart from the accelerator cable issue. Easily resolved. The gearbox noise is a bit more worrying.

The interior will come up very nice once I worked my magic. :tongue:

[MikLSP 0]

The lack of low down power is surprising but I think it's just a case of knowing how to get the best out of the engine.

Also would the 268 cams shift the power band and make it even worse below 3000rpm?

[barrowfordred 0]

Could do,

I didn't notice, does the car has the Schrick intake manifold too?

[dukest 0]

The lack of low down power is surprising but I think it's just a case of knowing how to get the best out of the engine.

Also would the 268 cams shift the power band and make it even worse below 3000rpm?

 

it probably does a bit, and if not, the better top end they give kind of accentuates the weaker low-end that the car has. that said though, if you like revs then they are still a positive benefit to the car imo (had them on their own for about 2 weeks before getting my schrick put on). and again, like you said, if it had had a schrick it wouldn't have been £1600 either! I got mine for £600 - if you can get the one thats for sale on here for somewhere between that and its asking price that would be cool too :)

[MikLSP 0]

I don't have a Schrick manifold no, that would have been a big swing in favour if it did just because they're worth so much.

Would I see benefit from adding the Schrick manifold with the cams and big bore throttle body? I read that they can cause a big drop in power over 4000rpm? :confused4:

[dukest 0]

no, thats why they are a good combination with the cams - you're already getting a power boost in that range from them and the schrick gives you more low end torque which gives the overall impression of more surge from 3/3.5k onwards.

 

i'm not saying you should do it by any means - plenty of people will tell you to supercharge for an extra £1k, or save for a turbo etc. but if you're after a more driveable car without any engine/gearbox work or complexity for less than 1k you will defintely notice the difference.

 

am sure you'll want to do all the other little obvious bits that there always are on a "new" 2nd hand car first though - all depends on your budget/enthusiasm for work!

[MikLSP 0]

Thanks, so the Schrick manifold gives lower down power while the cams give it at the high end and one is a bit imbalanced without the other. It's something to consider for the future and the manifold will always retain it's value but I won't be shelling out that just now. As you said the other stuff will be sorted first and right now my budget isn't very big, hence me starting of with a car in this price range :)

 

Anyone have any ideas/experience on the first gear noise, that's what's dragging the whole thing down for me at the moment :(

[barrowfordred 0]

Cluth release bearing?

I can't remember now if it only does it when the car's moving.

First gear bearings?

Idler shaft bearings?

It sounded more of a tinny rattle to me. Maybe worth just having a look at the exhaust heat shields.

[MikLSP 0]

It only happens when the car is moving in first gear and stops immediately when depressing the clutch. There's no similar noise in other gears regardless of the revs. Yes it does sound like a tinny rattle and certainly isn't a grinding.

[VR6 South 0]

That registration nearly looked familiar...

 

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=46820&hilit=goldie

[Jim 2]

Ahhh.... yes... thought the registration was familiar but couldn't think why!

[MikLSP 0]

Seems everyone is being reminded of Goldie's car...it's even the same colour :lol:

Anyway, there's a new N19x DTP on the block and it's eager to benefit from some shared knowledge and experience :salute:

[SIMONG 0]

looks like the outside of my house! i also a green rado and a mk4 silver golf!

[Leonard 0]

The lack of low down power is surprising but I think it's just a case of knowing how to get the best out of the engine.

Also would the 268 cams shift the power band and make it even worse below 3000rpm?

 

Do you mean lack of torque?

 

VR6 certainly doesnt have a lack of power. It just has shit gearing! Drop it down a cog and pedal the thing :grin:

 

Schrick is worthwhile for the extra torque makes car much more driveable as a daily. But it is an expensive option for 20ft lb of torque and a couple of horses!

[MikLSP 0]

@ SIMONG

 

My Golf is a 1.6 8v too though it will be up for sale soon and back to one car.

 

@ Leonard

 

Yes, the torque rather than power. Basically it just has nothing to offer at low revs. I don't mind working the gears to get the best out of it though.

 

Mik

[Portent 0]

Lovely car. I enquired about that one but then things went quiet when it was found to be a cat c, not cat d. That's a great price too. I absolutely love the colour. You've done well there.

[MikLSP 0]

Thanks, good to hear it's not just me telling myself it's a decent deal ;)

I was happy to consider it even as a Cat C because resale value wasn't my concern, especially at this sort of price. Of course there are some imperfections with the bodywork repair but again I'm realistic about the standard of car I was going to get for my money.

 

I just hope it doesn't end up costing me too much to sort a few things out....fingers crossed :wink:

[MikLSP 0]

I wish I knew more about these cars....I've had a bit more of a delve into things today and seem to be finding more problems than solutions :(

 

I got a VAG-COM cable and freeware software for basic diagnosis and ran an ABS diagnostic only to receive the message:

Too many communication errors to continue

 

I then tested the ABS sensors for resistivity with a multi-meter and found the following:

OSR - 1060 ohms

NSR - 1050 ohms

OSF - 1200000 ohms

NSF - >2000000 ohms

I take it this clearly shows that both front sensors are knackered (at least that's progress) but I'm guessing there's more than just those two faults going by the VAG-COM error :(

 

========================================================================================================

 

While on the VAG-COM I also checked the engine:

VAG-COM Version: Release 409.1-US

 

Control Module Part Number: 021 906 258 CP

Component and/or Version: MOTOR 2,8L 6-Zyl.

Software Coding: PMC 1 HS

Work Shop Code: 0261203565

4 Faults Found:

00533 - Idle Speed Regulation

09-10 - Adaptation Limit Surpassed - Intermittent

00543 - Shareware Version. To Decode all DTCs

35-10 - Please Register/Activate - Intermittent

17978 - Shareware Version. To Decode all DTCs

P1570 - 35-10 - Please Register/Activate - Intermittent

00513 - Engine Speed Sensor (G28)

03-00 - No Signal

 

After clearing the faults and running the engine I got this:

1 Fault Found:

00513 - Engine Speed Sensor (G28)

03-00 - No Signal

 

The 513 code relates to low idle RPM I believe and my car doesn't idle when cold.....could this still be due to a faulty blue temp sensor or does it indicate something else?

 

========================================================================================================

 

The next problem I've found is a small oil leak coming from somewhere at the front of the engine. I've taken a picture upwards towards the engine to show the area, any idea what's the likely source?

climatronic wiring-Golf from May 01.pdfDSC00068.JPG[/attachment:3m3i4xij]

 

A little further to the right there is also this rather weary looking hose.

2.8l 24v Climatronic system.pdfDSC00069.JPG[/attachment:3m3i4xij]

 

========================================================================================================

 

Finally I've found a couple of broken and disconnected earth leads; one under the rear seat and one quite large strap type connection to the bonnet which has broken near the NS hinge...anyone know what this is this for?

 

A last thing for today is a pretty sizeable resistor which I've found to be floating around near the ABS pump. It's connected but I don't know what it's for or where it should be mounted.

DSC00066.JPG[/attachment:3m3i4xij]

 

Thanks and sorry for the huge moany post ;)

 

Mik

[barrowfordred 0]

The "weary looking hose" looks like the Power steering hose to me.

The readings on the ABS sensors could mean the rears area at fault. I can't remember now if a high reading is good or bad.

Re the oil leak, clean it all up then you'll have a better idea of where it is coming from.

The resistor thingy looks like a dim dip resistor!

 

All in all, apart from the gearbox noise and the ABS woes, there's not a lot to worry about.

 

Come down tomorrow if you like and we'll have a good look over it.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Yeah that's a ballast resistor and clips into the ABS pump.

 

The oil leak is more than like a weeping rocker gover gasket.

 

Is the NSF rear ABS sensor even connected?

 

Crank error - ignore it. All OBD1 ECUs register a fault with the crank sensor when the engine isn't turning.

 

Idle adapation - Yeah, as it says, it ran out of options to maintain idle speed and threw a fault code. Give the idle valve a good clean out and lube and replace that blue temp sensor and it should recover itself.

 

Yep that's a PAS hose. Peel back the rubber bit and if it's not obviously split or leaking, clean it up and ignore it.

 

1st gear - If the noise isn't there in reverse or 2nd or any other gear, I'd arm yoursefl with a s/hand box, they're only like £100 or so, because if it has to come out to investigate this noise and it's found to be knackered, you will at least have a spare to hand. I've never heard a tinny rattle from just 1st gear before, so it's a new one on me :D As I mentioned before, I'd look at loose springs in the clutch plate first, but you never know with these things. Noises from other sources have a habit of travelling around a car like a blotting paper....

 

Other than that, seems like a OK to me. Get yourself a proper VAG-COM setup though and it will help you a lot of with the diagnosis.

[MikLSP 0]

Re: ABS sensors

I read that they should give a resistance of 800-1400 ohms so that would suggest that the rears are in range and the fronts are breaking the circuit. Both front sensors ordered from the good man at Volksworld in Preston.

The NSF sensor was definitely connected, I also tested it directly at the sensor terminals and got the same result.

 

Re: Oil leak

I will clean it up and try to find the source. It didn't seem to be coming from as high as the rocker cover though, the oil isn't visible when looking from the top of the engine but it could be somewhere obscured from view by the manifold?

 

Re: PAS hose

ok thanks, I did ensure that it was still well attached and thought that it was just the outer sheath that was knackered but wasn't sure if it would be ok without that. I'll give it a clean up and see how it goes.

 

Re: Idle speed

BTS also on it's way, will see what happens once that's installed and also give the idle stabilisation valve and throttle body a clean.

 

Re: Gearbox

I attached a recording here which should give a better description than any words ;)

 

Re: VAG-COM

I'd like to have a proper one but unfortunately my £200 would be better spent on the actual repairs at the moment :?

 

Thanks for the replies, things should start looking up once a few bits get sorted rather than just adding to the faults list.