Ant's VR6

[fla 9]

Here is the panel in the dash... the ashtray looks wonky because it is - one of the clips has broken

 

 

Excellent work Tony ;), i have the same panel for mine too. Just need to get started now...

[tony_ack 0]

The control unit fits like a glove - wish the same could be said for the ducting! I'm not sure if they're all the same, but mine came without the u-clips to secure it to the centre console (maybe they fix differently on the MK4?). Either way, use the u-clips from your old controls if needed, and attach the control unit in exactly the same way as the old controls (i.e. from 'behind' the centre console). Even the surround fits with no messing! The original surround has a rubbery coating on it but looks more in place than a walnut or brushed steel effort on a standard car

[tonedef 9]

I like that, it fits the dash much better than mine does, the Passat centre console is wider so the panel had to be cut down to fit which shows in the moulding plus it's a couple of mm proud of being fully flush on the front.....don't think I'll be changing it though, can't imagine the pain of doing it a third time!!!

[tony_ack 0]

My replacement ducting unit arrived today and it is almost identical to the unit I already have. It came with all the motors, sensors and loom.

 

In case anyone is looking to get some of the parts, the guy selling had 3 available for £40 each (posted)

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250765060815&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_1326wt_905

 

You'll need a control unit, but there are some available on e-bay for less than £15 posted..

 

Alternatively, this is the guy I got the 1st unit off - it came with the ducting (all motors) loom, control unit and sunlight sensor - he has one unit left at £75 plus postage.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-Golf-MK4-Bora-Climatronic-Upgrade-Kit-IV-R32-V6-GTI-/320735044407?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item4aad4c6337#ht_500wt_922

 

I wouldn't usually give people free advertising, but just wanted to let people know that there are bargains about!

[fla 9]

thats useful, i dont think i have the sunlight sensor on mine - do you have a pic by any chance Tony?

[VRwood 0]

The second link is the same guy I got mine from, he did it all for £90 outside of ebay and gave me everything I need, I'd recomend him!

 

I had the same rubbery coating on my surround as well, I rubbed it off mine using some gunk and a cloth and it reveals a textured finish underneath that matchs the dash perfectly!

[fla 9]

is it running as an aircon unit or just fans? What is the fan speed and noise level like? Good flow rate compared to the normal one? Plus where would you advise using felt to avoid rattles and squeeks?

[1xshaunx1 27]

well done Tony, that looks pretty good, but I think I'll leave mine alone

[tonedef 9]

Here's a few photos of the passenger side shelf, it's not the prettiest thing but I think that by the time I got to this I'd probably had enough of the climatronic install!

 

Hassan, you asked about the fans, noise and flow, can't speak for the other Tony's but my fan is really quiet, certainly no louder than the original until the flow is wound up that is.

 

The flow rate is the biggest improvement from the install, even better than getting A/C in a previously non A/C car! As everyone has found at some time the fan in Corrado struggles to clear the windows, get in the car with wet clothes, put the fan on 4 and see a patch the size of your hand gradually clear on the screen.....The climatronic fan just blows it all away, screen and side windows too!

 

I can only show my sunlight sensor from the outside as it's buried in the top of the dash, I put mine through the grill in the centre of the dash that's not a speaker with a small lens over it that I robbed from an old TV remote control!

[tony_ack 0]

For the sunlight sensor, I don't have a pic of the whole thing I don't think... The one from the MK4 already has a lens, and I installed it in exactly the same place as (other) Tony. You need to try and get the 'pigtail', so you get the plug and a snippet of loom as well.

 

A MK4 loom does make things a lot easier if you have access to one. It will give you the dash plugs for the climatronic, the wiring for all the sensors, and with a bit of luck, the outside temp sender.

 

I get the impression that the fan is more powerful, though because I still need to replace the broken ducting, it's probably not as good as it could be in mine. I will say though that despite air escaping before it hits the vents, the air flow as it stands is at least as powerful as the standard Corrado, and probably more so. Noise level is fine - turn it up to full and it will make quite a bit of noise, but again not really any more than the old Corrado blower.

 

I didn't use any felt for damping this time when rebuilding the dash... it's really a case of seeing where the rattles are first, then attempting to damp them. One thing I did do was wrap most of the dash loom that was exposed in black cloth loom tape - not only does it tidy it up and make it easier to route the wiring (which on it's own will cut down on rattles), but it also means the wires won't be clattering anything. Another thing I tried to do was to ensure that I had all the correct screws, and replaced as much broken trim as I could (which included the dash itself as I had a vgc spare)

 

I had in the past already used felt and lubricant on the glovebox as that tends to squeak a lot. Another issue I had was the ignition cowling (which tbh you don't need to remove for the install) - the problem here was that the rubber block in the cowling had come loose and was no longer damping/holding it in place.

 

I've also done the lower shelf now as well, it's cut a bit differently to Tony's, but that may be because I have been more/less clumsy than him in different places! I ended up cutting a piece of the shelf floor that I'd already removed to make the backing, and plastic welded it on. It's a bit messy at the back, but that's the bit no one ever sees! I've lined it with some black felt to smarten it up, and it looks okay now. I still need to do a bit more tidying, but it's not bad at all.

 

Of course it all has to come out again at some point to put in a new ducting...

 

One thing I'm not happy with at the moment is that the evaporator gasket isn't pressed against the bulkhead, and there's a 1-2cm gap at the moment.... it's no disaster, as the pipes do poke through, but I'd like to try to get it a bit closer (without breaking the new ducting...)

 

Aircon still isn't in there yet, and I still haven't sourced the parts. To be honest I've run out of money for this at the moment, and I've worked out it will cost me a few hundred pounds to get it all working (regas and custom pipework will push up the price). I'm still looking at different condensers - does anyone have dimensions for the original diavia condenser (LxHxW)? I've got some dimensions for other condensers (including the Polo one), and for the VR6 rad itself, so I'm working out what might be best. Golf VR6 may yet be an option, but I've heard that the bottom pipe sits too close to the cross member unless you move the condenser.

 

Other parts to consider:

Compresser (Golf VR6 -made by Sanden - same one as on the Passat and poss Corrado)

Aux belt for aircon

Pressure switch (got the loom plugs for this now

Custom pipework

Regas (well, just 'gas' I guess!)

 

I've already got the brown temp sender.

 

---------- Post added at 07:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:55 PM ----------

 

On non-Climatronic news...!

 

I went across to Harewood House today... I wasn't planning to go, but my missus wanted to take the Golf, so she dragged me along!

 

Saw some nice Corrados on the CCGB stand - it looks like BBS RCs are a wheel of choice at the moment!

 

I also got a new key... £35 from one of the trade stands seemed like a decent price for a transponder key! As with most new keys, it didn't work at first, but with a bit of Dremel work to smooth the edges, it is working now, transponder as well! My fear of losing my only set of keys (or even worse, the stupid alarm locking them in the car when I didn't ask it to) is now gone!

[tony_ack 0]

Seriously contemplating taking the whole dash out again this weekend to fit the replacement ducting

 

Do I need a slap?

[tonedef 9]

Seriously contemplating taking the whole dash out again this weekend to fit the replacement ducting

 

Do I need a slap?

 

Just crack on with it, it's only a handful of screws........................and then a couple of lacerated hands getting at the two nuts under the scuttle!!!!!

[tony_ack 0]

I was driving home today and noticed our local Pirtek dealer on a small industrial estate while waiting at some traffic lights. I thought why not drop in and see what they thought about making up some aircon pipes for the Corrado once I had all the bits I needed. I just wanted to know whether it would be possible or not.

 

The guy had a look under the bonnet, and said yeah, it should be possible and asked what parts I was using (I said MK3/MK3 mixed). He then went away and came back with some pipes and a drier. I thought he was going to see whether they were about the right size, but no, he put them in my boot! He said they'd had them for years, so I could have them for free - to see how far I got with those, and to come back if I needed anything else to finish it off, and they'd sort it out.

 

So Pirtek in Tinsley, Sheffield is highly recommended now! He did call it a Scirocco, but it's funny how it can be easily forgiven sometimes :-)

[fla 9]

What about the fan control unit? This i believe replaces the Corrado unit and features gradual control rather than a direct off/on. Tony (Tonedef) I assume you've done the same, or did you use the existing Corrado fan controller? How did this wire in?

[tony_ack 0]

I am guessing you mean the cabin fan controller?

 

It's all part of the unit. The resistor is actually the big red thing on the top of the evaporator housing.

 

You need to completely cut out the Corrado controller and wiring from that to the Corrado fan, and solder/connect the ign live feed to the controller (think it is a thick yellow/black wire) to the blower motor feed (black blue in pin 17/1). If you're being frugal you could reuse the earth wire from the old controller loom and connect it to the earth on the CC unit on 17/6 (not the fan earth as this already has its own wire)

[fla 9]

sorry i wasnt clear - i'm referring to the one that controls the engine bay fans and also the aircon compressor

[tonedef 9]

sorry i wasnt clear - i'm referring to the one that controls the engine bay fans and also the aircon compressor

 

The cooling fan stays the same as original, three speeds controlled by the existing fan controller, assuming that is you have the later fan controller. The relay for the a/c compressor clutch is in there but not used even if you have Diavia a/c system as that has it's own relay, the fans run exactly the same as before except that if CC is on the fans are never stopped and will run at minimum of speed 1 to keep the condenser cool.

[fla 9]

OK thats good to know. I've swopped out my original fans for some slimlines, hence there is only one fan speed. How would that need to be adapted?

[tony_ack 0]

You have aircon at the moment, so if you're happy with one fan speed, there's no reason to change things. The only reason the fan controller is integrated into the system is so that the correct rad fan cooling stage can be applied depending on the A/C conditions.

 

On the standard clima setup, stage 1 is on whenever the aircon is activated, stage 2 is on when pressure is high in the AC system, and on stage 3 the aircon isn't on anyway as it gets a thermal cutout signal from the brown temp sender.

 

I would suspect that you could if you wanted just send an on signal from the CC to the Diavia relays, as long as you send return signals to the CC from the AC pressure switch and temp sender.

 

The best thing to do is check out the last wiring pinouts I posted, and work out what wires activate the aircon, and which wires return pressure/temp signals back to the CC.

Edited August 20, 2011 by tony_ack

[tonedef 9]

^^^^^^^^^^^^Tony beat me to it but I was going to say the same thing!^^^^^^^^^^

[tony_ack 0]

I decided to go ahead and do the swap for the new ducting today. Took longer than I'd have liked, and still not 100% but I think progress is the name of the day.

 

Points to note...

1. I'm good a stripping the dash now. 30 minutes from loosening the first screw to having the heater matrix in my hands.

2. I raided the old unit I was replacing for insulation foam. Very little air is escaping now

3. The bottom motor arm still catches on the footwell vent slightly. I think this is because of the evaporator drain pipe hole being a little too low and forcing the unit down a little. I might try shaving a bit of plastic off the arm and the top of the footwell vent

4. The under-bonnet dash nuts are still a nightmare, but it's slightly easier when you know exactly where they are

5. The recirculation unit on the new ducting was faulty... turns out the motor on the old one was too. I ended up taking a motor apart, and found that one of the plastic gears snaps, so that the gear no longer grips the spline adequately (causing the 'clicking' noise as the gear skips over the spline). Bostick to the rescue, result: working motor. It's very fiddly trying to change it in situ...

6. The windscreen vent is a little off the mark, duck tape is a very effective solution.

7. The reason the driver side windscreen clears faster than the passenger side is because the Corrado windscreen duct is biased to the driver's side. Definitely a deliberate design.

8. Make sure all your wires are routed correctly before the ducting is all in place (whoops)

9. Building the dash takes a lot longer than stripping it down

10. Why are there always a couple of screws left over?

 

I'm in London next week so I've left the car at the lockup, but everything seems fine, and it should be ready to drive away when I get back.

 

 

 

 

[tony_ack 0]

I've found a cheap second-hand condenser off a MK3 VR6. It looks like I may be able to adjust where the mounting brackets for it attach to the rad, so with a bit of luck I may be able to squeeze it in...

 

I still want the MK3 drier. Once I have that, it's just the compresser and aux belt to go before I can start on the pipework!

 

I've also made a bit more progress on my brake upgrade.... I bought a full 288mm setup (for £30!) a few months back, which have just been sat in the shed. I've cleaned them up now, and started painting the calipers yellow (to match the Konis). The existing discs/pads don't look too bad, but I will probably get new pads anyway.

 

I also want to get some MK4 rear calipers and some goodridge hoses, but it may all come down to money again. The rear calipers are more important as I'm sure one of mine is sticking a little.

 

I don't really fancy doing all the bleeding afterwards though!

[tonedef 9]

Although I've not started looking seriously at what size item I can squeeze under the slam panel I've been looking at the condenser driers that Autokool list on ebay for the various VAG models, something like this:

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SEAT-ALTEA-LEON-TOLEDO-MK3-A-C-CONDENSER-NEW-/400038988237?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item5d242e89cd#ht_4155wt_1139

 

Which to me looks like it would kill two birds with one stone? My drier is currently squeezed under the right side arch liner where the carbon canister used to be and needs a hose to connect it to the condenser and then another hose back to the evaporator. Autokool are only up the road from me so I plan to visit with a tape measure one day and see what they can kit me out with!

 

There seem to be loads of horror stories when it comes to brake bleeding and I've yet to have any problems with it....Get the car in the air but ensure the rear bias valve is fully loaded and then with an easi-bleed work rear left, rear right, front left, front right, ABS pump and finally the master cylinder and it's done. Half a dozen pumps on each one before topping up the brake fluid each time works a treat......or maybe I'm missing out the step that makes it difficult???

[tony_ack 0]

Here's a very useful resource I found about Climatronic. It's part of the Bentley manual for an Octavia, but it includes some pretty basic info about the system - probably at a lot higher level than the wiring diagrams and the like we've posted previously, so very easy to make sense of!

 

http://seliak-grup.ro/octavia/workshop_manual_heating__air_conditionning.pdf

 

The reason I was going for the MK3 drier is that it allows you to plug in the a/c pressure switch, which saves having to have a pipe made up to accommodate the switch.

 

I'm not sure on the condenser now at all - I had a look under the grille yesterday, and I can't see anywhere for the MK3 condenser brackets to mount the rad. My rad doesn't appear to have any mounting holes at the side (it's a new genuine VW rad). I think my best bet may be to take it to an a/c specialist and get them to install something that fits.

 

Another bit of good news is that I plugged in Vagcom (using VCDS lite) and it read the Climatronic correctly - the bad news is that I couldn't do the basic settings with an unregistered version. I also have an error for the vehicle stationary signal (it tells the CC how long the car has been stood for). I don't think the Corrado outputs such a signal (though the value is clearly held in the MFA as it is used to decide when to reset the MFA setting 1 values). I wonder if there is any way to stop the CC from looking for this signal?

 

All this talk of A/C is secondary though to the brakes - I could do with getting them sorted before winter. One of the rear calipers is sticking a little (it does free itself as soon as you start moving, but it will only get worse). The pedal is very spongey too. Ideally I would do the 288mm upgrade (I have discs, calipers, carriers and pads already, just need the flexis), the rear caliper and the brake fluid at the same time, but that would mean looking for new calipers (pref MK4 items), which then means new flexis... it all starts to add up cost-wise.

[tony_ack 0]

288mm calipers, cleaned and painted....check

Pads....check

288mm discs (used).... check

288mm carriers.... check

New flexis for 288mm brakes.... check

Rear caliper seal kit.... check

Brake fluid.... check

Eazibleed.... check

Brake pipe spanner.... check

Enthusiasm.... ummm

 

Busy weekend ahead!