Low compression on #2

[LJ 0]

With a baby due imminently (tomorrow!)

Good luck.

That makes two us then!

[emax 0]

Due tomorrow too??! Best of luck!

[LJ 0]

Due tomorrow too??! Best of luck!

Yup :D

Mad times ahead. Mini-Me will be taught in the ways of the Corrado!

[Skimask 0]

Emax,

All the very best with the new arrival.

You should know Star are probably the best in Scotland for VW repairs. You know Jim Curley well enough, he doesn't BS you. Getting a second opinion is pointless. Its like asking the guys down south to get a second opinion after Vince at stealth has diagnosed a problem!

Hope its not too painfull on the pocket!!

Good luck with the wee one!!

[emax 0]

Just a quick update. I've decided to postpone any work on this car based on the advice some of you have given. The car is still driveable and as it is pretty much a second car just now, I'll nurse it home and use it as little as possible and drive it gently too.

 

I'd like to have time to think over the options first rather than just dive in. Besides, with a house move, a baby arriving and having just fitted a new exhaust to both cars plus getting the injectors fitted, I've had less expensive months!!!

 

Thanks for all your advice so far.

[dr_mat 0]

Probably the best bet for now, Emax. I wouldn't even nurse it around either, drive it like normal (just avoiding the pinking if you get some more), and if the head gasket goes, well that's how it was fated to be, and at least then you'll know for sure that's what it is!

Just don't let it start overheating or stuff like that! :(

[Kevin Bacon 5]

They found at this point that VW had fitted the cam bearing caps the wrong way round and the rear cam one gear tooth over-adjusted!!! No damage done though.

 

And Vince at Stealth also showed me a VR engine with it's conrods in the wrong way round, also done by VW :?

 

Dunno what's worse, a Friday afternoon engine built by VW or some YTS mechanic getting his hands on it at a dealer.....

[Jim 1]

LOL - nice advert for Listers in Coventry, and justification (if I ever needed it) not to take my car in there for work!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

[emax 0]

Yes, the owner booked it into AmD to get the mess sorted. It made only 158bhp before they sorted it and that's on AmD's not exactly pessimistic rollers! Afterwards it was up to 198bhp though (158 at the wheels). He got a full refund from VW for the initial mess though.

[emax 0]

As I said before, I didn't get the head taken off right away because if it is the worst-case scenario, piston rings, I'd probably be more cost-effective getting another engine. I need to do as much diagnosis as possible without removing the head which means another compression test and probably a leak down test.

 

I didn't get the figures from Star so I'm not sure how low #2 was but one thing occurred to me; compression tests should ideally be carried out when the engine is warm. On a VGI'd engine, you can't get access to 3 of the plugs until you remove the Schrick so you'd have to let the engine cool first so that you don't burn yourself when removing the VGI. So it is probably best to temporarily re-fit the OEM manifold so that I can carry out accurate compression and leak down tests first before going taking the head off.

 

I am not very experienced under the bonnet but was keen to try switching the manifolds over myself. Would I be able to leave the wiring and vacuum pumps in situ when I refit the OEM manifold?

 

I'm really praying it isn't the rings. I had the car out for a run tonight and it is running really well. Not down on power and revs smoothly all the way to the red.

 

Just keeping an eye on the fluids and temps in the meantime.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Yeah you can leave all the schrick plumbing in situ, just plug the hose that goes on the flap.

 

Low compression on one cylinder normally shows up as a rough idle and slight coarsness at high rpm. Youv'e got 5 other cylinders with good compression, so it's hard to detect when driving when 1 cylinder is a bit down.

[emax 0]

Bit of an update here, 2.5 yrs on!

 

I never did let them take the head off and continued to run the car as I couldn't really afford it at the time.

 

Now showing 125k. Oil consumption remains much the same.

 

I am about to fork out on a full, glass-out respray and wanted to get the car checked over before spending that kind of money on the car.

 

I had Star repeat the compression test (as well as check underneath to ensure that the car is sound before the respray):

 

This time I asked for the figures:

 

#1 175PSI

#2 185PSI

#3 175PSI

#4 190PSI

#5 190PSI

#6 190PSI

 

To me, these are good figures no? I'm not sure so any feedback would be appreciated.

 

As #2's value doesn't exactly stand out, it certainly re-inforces my view that the original results were distorted, possibly due to waiting for things to cool prior to removing the Schrick manifold in order to carry out the test?

 

On a side note, the car goes into the body shop in June. It's currently Flash Red (well.... pink). Any other shade of red that suits the C but is less prone to fade?? Suggestions ;-)

[Toad 0]

A new more modern red paint shouldn't suffer from the UV degradation that the old paints did. It was all down to the titanium dioxide in the paint reacting with UV light apparently.

[Rob Heath 0]

Result on your engine mate