Help!

[Katy_m28 10]

Hi guys. Ok, so I'm not a mechanic.I just bought a '91 16v. I know what I'm getting into buying old cars like this, but as I work away a lot I don't have much time to do much on the cars and usually for anything major it goes to my uncles garage. I have been away on holiday and just put the car in to get some things done. When I cam back today I was told there is a major problem with the engine. Firstly the coolant was leaking, that was fixed but after running, the whole system was pressurising. They don't reckon it's a head gasket as none of the telltale signs are there. The engine has been over heating and the fan is actually on a manual switch on the dash. I've been told they might not be able to fix this problem at all and the alarm bells are going because of this manual switch.

 

I bought the car from a guy who had claimed to be running it every day. The only major problems he advertised the car with was a rear wheel bearing which I could hear when test driving. No biggie right? My uncle has checked the car over and on top of the major mechanical problem with the engine etc he gave me a list of other things.

 

Rear brake pads corroded

OSR shock absorbers leaking

petrol tank broker

Power steering system leaking

Gearbox oil leaking.

 

Basically he said to me this engine problem isn't an easy one and there's not much hope of them fixing it and personally he doesn't think it is worth it.

All the other problems I can deal with but this engine one has just shattered my hopes of keeping the car running.

Does anyone have any advice? I was thinking on selling but who is gona buy it with all these problems? I'm losing money either way and I'm seriously gutted I can't save the car. Any help, thoughts and opinions are very welcome.

 

*seriously gutted new Corrado owner*

[g0ldf1ng3r 13]

Hi Katy

 

Really sorry to hear of your woes :(

 

No offence intended but it seems rather negative of the garage to say they might not be able to fix the engine issue when they dont seem to have done enough investigation to clearly define what is causing the issue. (or so reads the case from the info in your post) Did they give you any more info? such as an idea of where the coolant is being lost etc

 

on what basis is the advice of 'its not worth it' being made? how & on what info are they judging this on?

 

IIRC from when my VR was at stealth, there are a couple of easy checks they could perform to check out the possible cause of the problem & its health. I think they were a compression test & a leak down test.....

 

I quote......'A leak-down tester is a measuring instrument used to determine the condition of internal combustion engines by introducing compressed air into the cylinder and measuring the rate at which it leaks out.

Compression testing is a crude form of leak-down testing which also includes effects due to compression ratio, valve timing, cranking speed, and other factors. Compression tests should normally be done with all spark plugs removed to maximize cranking speed. Cranking compression is a dynamic test of the actual low-speed pumping action, where peak cylinder pressure is measured and stored.

Leak-down testing is a static test. Leak-down tests cylinder leakage paths. Leak-down primarily tests pistons and rings, seated valve sealing, and the head gasket.

Leak-down will not show valve timing and movement problems, or piston movement related sealing problems. Any test should include both compression and leak-down.'

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leak-down_tester

 

The other issues dont sound too bad & are more of a maintenance issue. It is common for the original suspension to be replaced due to leaks. I put KW V1's on my VR. brake pads is an easy fix as may be the petrol tank & maybe the gearbox & power steering leaks are an aging seal & hose

 

i feel for you in a not nice situation but it may not be as bad as it seems

[Katy_m28 10]

I think what's going on is that my uncle doesn't want to see me out of pocket. I have some money to spend on it but I think he is just being a little over protective. I really want to see it running again so am desperate for help. I can definitely deal with the other issues but I'm just looking for advice on the engine. They have stopped the coolant leaking but thats when they discovered the system was pressurising. I thought it might have been gasket but they said there aren't any telltale signs and plus it was replaced 3 years ago or so. It's difficult because I want to be able to loo at these problems myself but I'm not that well read in mechanics. More boat mechanics. I was trying to get all the info from two of the mechanics there but I hate to admit a lot of it was jargon :( I don't know whether to put it into a vw specialist or what! GAHH!

[Wullie 1]

I had a similar problem with my 16v. System pressurising, overheating and a slow loss of coolant. It turned out to be corrosion on the head gasket which was allowing cylinder pressure to seep into the water galleries. There was no sign of oil in the coolant or mayonnaise on the oil filler cap. A light skim of the head and new gasket sorted it out. While the head was off I replaced the stem seals, hydraulic lifters etc, not that they particularly needed done but seemed a good idea at the time. Most of the work was carried out on the dining room table which slightly annoyed she who thinks she is obeyed.

 

Not sure where you are based in Glasgow but I used JR Volkswagen, Fulbar Road Paisley when I needed work done on mine. He has a few regular Corrado's that use him.

Edited November 6, 2014 by Wullie

[mic_VR 3]

No offence intended but it seems rather negative of the garage to say they might not be able to fix the engine issue when they dont seem to have done enough investigation to clearly define what is causing the issue.

 

My first thought as well. If they don't believe its a head gasket what do they think it is? The great thing about the 1.8 16v engine is that 99% of the parts are still available from VW or Audi because it was so widely used. I'd be looking at a sticking thermostat first, then work your way through the system, Only so many things it can be.

 

Don't give up just yet!

Edited November 6, 2014 by mic_VR

[Katy_m28 10]

Wullie! sounds great, I'm based in Gourock so that's not too far. I need to get the brakes fixed before I drive it anywhere but maybe I'll take it up there! I really want to keep her on the road!

They're not sure what it is but I'm just getting the feeling he doesn't really want to go down that road and has good intentions at heart.

[g0ldf1ng3r 13]

Good advice guys - katy, im sure you will get there as you want to drive it! :)

 

you are likely to be correct in that your uncle is being over protective & thinking of your money first rather than your desire to fix the issue if possible.

 

plus, as you mention in your posts it could also be a mix of your uncle not really wanting to get into an involved process of testing & fault finding. sometimes with our beloved rado's its a case of chasing ailing parts round until you fix the overall issue

 

i would imagine that the specialist wullie mentions could possibly give you an idea of potential cost to test & fix based on his experience.

 

After all you know that you need a compression & leak down test running & can then ask for an idea of what head gasket replacement work would cost

 

good luck & keep us all updated on here

 

oh & PS - please let me know your findings on the power steering leak as my 1.8 16v is also loosing fluid

[Katy_m28 10]

Ok no problem I'll keep you all updated with the goings on :D

[Jim 1]

Even the youngest Corrado's are going to be nearly 20 years old and most will have 150,000+ miles on them now so it's no surprise that you've got a few jobs to tackle. The only way you'll avoid that is buying some of the very best available and even that's no guarantee you won't run into problems.

 

None of these problems will be especially hard to rectify, even the engine woes - you need some patience, and some help doing a bit of fault finding and process of elimination. I'm willing to bet that something to do with the fan / cooling system has failed and not been identified and fixed (e.g. a sensor, or the fan control module) and the over-heating (if it's not the head gasket) will again just be down to a blockage, thermostat stuck shut or something or perhaps the waterpump being toast or similar.

 

Again none of this especially expensive nor time consuming to fix but it's going to depend on your patience and whether you expected to buy the car and just drive it with no real maintenance required, or whether you're in for the long haul to get this stuff sorted.

 

Honestly though, it doesn't sound like a Corrado is the car for you. They're getting old now, they need looking after!

[Dox 22]

If its pressurising then my advice is to bypass the heater matrix as they're fragile at best and if it bursts passengers may get scalded feet. Its also a dash out job to replace it, time consuming and expensive if done professionally.

 

How much did you pay for the car? Have you contacted the seller to ask why the fans are working off a switch? Has this set up been checked over to see if its been done safely?

[Katy_m28 10]

Dox, owner didn't say why it was bypassed to manual fan switch, he said it was done by previous owner but he never had any trouble with it. That's why I put it in the garage to check it out and see if it was ok but I'll say what the VW specialist garage says.

[Katy_m28 10]

Hey Everyone! So an update on the problem. I took it to a recommended VW garage JR Volkswagen in Paisley. The guy was totally awesome and I told him the problem and all the thoughts and opinions you guys shared and my suspicion of a head gasket. Turns out that was the problem so its been skimmed and fitted and everything seems ok. I haven't got the Corrado back yet as I'm getting the manual fan with on the dash changed back to automatic but hopefully she will be home safe and sound next week! Can't thank you all enough for the thoughts and opinions and I'm so glad she is still running. Next up is getting the alloys sorted. Unsure what to do. I have a set of black BBS ones I can put on but I think it would suit silver better and I think thats what I would prefer. Another option is to the get the original alloys that are on it refurbished and just keep running on them. Then I'll sort out the paintwork and get all the dings and scratches out and she will be looking awesome!

Any thoughts on the alloy situation. Theres another Corrado close to home running on original 5 spoke vw alloys which I actually really like too.

 

Thanks again everyone! Totally loving the Corrado community!

Good vibes people, good vibes :)

[cbgti 10]

What wheels to fit? Never has a more controversial question been asked.....personally I go with what I like not what anyone else thinks and even if they don't like them I don't care. I like anything with a bit of dish and cross spokes/multi spoke but that is just my opinion. Nothing that looks like you got them from Halfords and were meant for a corsa/saxo etc. but I like something that no one else has. As for the paint work my pal has an excellent painter working for him and restores classic/American cars and is very reasonably priced but is in Kilmarnock so don't know if that is too far away for you, but I can vouch for his work and he has a great reputation.

[clumpy1 11]

I can also vouch for his work I had a Fabia VRS which are renowned for lacquer peel on the rear roof spoiler I had mine done by Sandy before I sold it and match/finish was top notch :thumbleft: Just look at Colin's Mk2 it was painted there.