scarsofcarma

Thanks I appreciate the welcome! Corrado's should be preserved I completely agree. What all has been done to yours? Cool I will look into that. Hopefully international shipping isn't too much of a pain, but these E-Code lights are great I want to have em hooked up correctly.

Hello again Corrado.net! I found another Corrado worth buying after all the drama with my last VR6 a couple years ago (http://the-corrado.net/showthread.php?85546-Nars-VR6-Corrado). This one is a G60 with approximately 170k on the chassis and 100k on a swapped engine. The car was originally Nugget yellow, but it's been repainted (badly) in some brighter shade. It has the following mods: Rebuilt Supercharger w/ Bahn Brenner parts Bahn Brenner RSR G60 Supercharger Outlet Kit SNS Performance Chip SNS Supercharger Pulley EuroSport Intercooler Piping Neuspeed intake Ground Control adjustable perches with ERS (Eibach Racing) Springs Eibach Front Strut Brace Tokico Illumina Adjustable Struts Front Suspension/Subframe polyurethane bushing kit Passat Moon Roof 16" BBS Replicas (I want to sell/trade these) Momo Steering Wheel E-Code Headlights This G60 had terrible wiring issues when I bought it due to a very poor stereo & H.I.D. kit install by the previous owner. We're talking issues like power feeds through the firewall without grommets or fuses! Lots of wiring was melted... much more was intermittently shorting or going 'open' with butt-connectors instead of a proper solder-and-splice. I am highly tempted to remove all the wiring from this car and start from scratch given how many late nights I've already spent repairing electrical issues. Here's a couple examples... (there were many more I did not photograph). Besides that it runs pretty good... I've had to tighten intercooler clamps from time to time given how much it boosts. I already bought a boost gauge, oil temp and real-time oil pressure gauges that I plan to install next week. I'm also planning on getting a wide-band AFR gauge before I'm ready to upgrade to a Megasquirt standalone ECU. The reason for the standalone is I'm pretty certain the AFR is wacky the way this car runs. It accelerates better at 70-80% throttle compared to W.O.T., and the plugs were pretty burnt when I changed em recently... take a look. I also have a spare supercharger housing that I sent off to get Stage 3 Ported... the standalone will likely be necessary to use that, in addition to a hotter cam and a few other things I have planned for the motor. I want to attend some track days and auto-x events with this G60 in addition to the usual runs through the canyons. Brake and suspension upgrades (along with a proper racing seat & rollbar) are on my list also. Some Questions I Have for the Forum Anyone know where I can get the square 4-pin connector that plugs in the back of the E-Code headlight housings? Does the speedo need a speedometer cable and a speed sensor? (My speedo stopped working the same time my rear wing stopped moving automatically) What is the best swaybar sizing front & rear for the most neutral handling balance? Where do I get seat rails for racing seats? Glad to be back in a Corrado! Cheers everyone! :cheers:

So after some deliberation I've decided to sell this Corrado ($1450 as is seems fair), or trade it (for a MK2 GTI, or a Scirocco). There's a craigslist add up for it now. I'd appreciate it if you'd spread the word to anyone who might be interested. Thanks! http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/4404256672.html

Ok so it's been a little while since I made any posts regarding the Corrado. This was from a couple weeks ago... finally clicked over 200,000 miles... My engine really is DONE at this point. It burns a whole quart of oil in about 30 miles of driving. Smokes A LOT. I have to pull the spark plugs every couple days and clean them after they start to foul or it'll starts misfiring. As soon as I gather up more funds I'm gonna look for another motor. My new Powerstop brake rotors finally came in. I took it into the shop at school yesterday to try and work on the brakes some more. I did more research about the ABS, and took the time to pull out the ABS computer to check for any kinda wiring problems. I did notice the main grounding wire was chafing through its insulation against one of the mounting bolts rather badly. Only way that could happen is if someone unbolted it and repositioned the wire at some point in the past. That was an easy fix, but it didn't make any difference towards my problems. I bled the front brakes again but realized they are fine... there's no air in em at all. I couldn't get ahold of an adapter to connect a scanner to the OBD1 connector to clear any codes... so at this point I'm giving up trying to repair the ABS. I'm just gonna toss it all and convert to a traditional brake system with a vacuum booster. All my other cars were non-ABS anyway so it's what I'm used too. Random question: Does anyone know why a timing chain would break on a VR6? Is that a common problem? Is there any serious damage done to the engine when that happens?

Hey thanks for your contributions to my project log. It's been a big help. I wasn't aware I had to wait 10 mins before every run of the ABS pump. I read in the manual that you only have to let it cool for 10 mins if you let it run for more then 2 minutes? So yes I ran the pump repeatedly for about a minute bleeding the rear brakes, with short intermissions while I topped off the brake reservoir. But I can guarantee that there's no air in the rear brakes at all. I flushed all the old fluid out. The front brakes don't bleed too well manually though, I've noticed that when someone pushes on the pedal, the fluid starts to come out of the caliper, but doesn't keep going. It actually wants to go back in like there's a suction effect going on? I was going to try the front brakes again with that pressure bleeder someone posted a link for. My brake-warning light has always been dimly 'on' ever since I got the car. It was only after I had the car on a lift and did a brake inspection that the brakes felt this bad. And as I said, I didn't even crack into the hydraulics. All I did was remove the pads, measure and inspect the rotors and then re-install the pads. And to reiterate my symptoms, with key off the brake pedal t's nice and stiff. When I press it with key on, there's a little bit of resistance, but it keeps sinking, and I can feel the ABS pump whirring and trying to resist the pressure of my foot... but it fails to keep it off the floorboards. And the brake warning light comes on full bright when I touch the brakes now. Mateok, when you say check the codes, does that mean the ABS computer can enter a sort of 'limp' mode if its been overheated? Is there a way to restore the pump to full functionality by clearing the codes with a diagnostic scanner?

Ok so even with the proper bleeding procedure and using a gallons worth of fresh brake fluid.... my brake pedal still feels like garbage as soon as I switch the car to the 'on' position. If this were a normal hydraulic system this feels exactly like a failed brake booster. Why is the ABS letting me push the pedal to the floor? I feel it pulsing and whirring like it wants to hold me back but fails miserably. Is this a bad accumulator or pump perhaps?

K so this is what I did wrong... there is a procedure it just isn't clearly stated in the manual. Rear axle: - Ignition off. - Press brake pedal approximately 20 times (to empty high-pressure accumulator) until there is a noticeable increase in pedal force. - Attach bleeder bottle, rear left and loosen bleeder screw by one turn. - Fully depress brake pedal and hold it down with pedal locking device. - Ignition on, high-pressure pump running (pay attention to running time max. 2 min !). - Close bleeder screw when brake fluid emerges with no bubbles. - Check brake fluid level. - Release brake pedal. - Wait until high-pressure accumulator is full (high-pressure pump switches off). - Ignition off. - Attach bleeder bottle, rear right and loosen bleeder screw by one turn. - Press brake pedal slightly. - Close bleeder screw when brake fluid emerges without bubbles. - Release brake pedal. - Ignition on. - Wait until high-pressure accumulator is full (high-pressure pump switches off). - Check brake fluid level.

Too bad that neighbor is a mean old man and not a car guy lol. But yeah I agree CRX's are sweet. I wouldn't mind picking one up.

So after I performed that brake inspection the other day up on the lift... I noticed my pedal was really soft and low as I was driving away. I didn't even crack into the hydraulic system... all I did was remove the calipers off the brackets and remove the pads before reassembling them cleaned and properly lubricated. I tried to vacuum bleed the brakes just now, flushing all the old fluid out with new DOT 4, but literally no fluid would come out of the rear brake circuit. I removed the bleeders assuming they were clogged... but that's not the case they are fine. It's as if there was no fluid in the rear calipers at all! I disconnected the brake line from the calipers to confirm that... then I tried to pump fluid through the hard lines to the calipers with the pedal and still nothing! I played with the rear load-proportioning device also and no difference. So then I turned the car to the 'On' position and pumped on the brakes and fluid finally started to come out of the rear brake circuit. So I continued to try and bleed them alternating between ignition 'On' and off so I could at least get fluid into the calipers. But now that I managed to do that, the pedal is still very low and unresponsive. And the brake warning light that used to dimly come on intermittently when I hit the pedal is now full-bright whenever I touch the pedal. This is my first ABS equipped vehicle, and I was told you should still be able to bleed it manually. What I'm afraid of at this point, is some kinda failure with the ABS controller... or perhaps a pressure differential valve, sometimes referred to as a "brake failure valve", which performs two functions: it equalizes pressure between the two systems, and it provides a warning if one system loses pressure. The pressure differential valve has two chambers (to which the hydraulic lines attach) with a piston between them. When the pressure in either line is balanced, the piston does not move. If the pressure on one side is lost, the pressure from the other side moves the piston. When the piston makes contact with a simple electrical probe in the center of the unit, a circuit is completed, and the operator is warned of a failure in the brake system. Any ideas about this would be appreciated... cause the car is literally scary to drive at this point! I need to dig into the manual and examine this cars brake systems more thoroughly... I'm aware that in some cases, you can accidentally force the pressure differential valve stuck if you bleed it manually with the pedal too forcefully. And also, there is sometimes a proportioning valve with a tab that you have to hold in the 'open' position so you can bleed the brakes properly. But when I glanced at the bleeding instructions in the manual I don't remember seeing any special tools or procedures?

In other news, I finally got a chance to do a complete brake inspection today. The front rotors and pads are badly scoured and basically junk. The rear rotors are even worse. They are cracked in four or five places like pizza slices. I already ordered some new Powerstop drilled/slotted rotors... and I am gonna browse for pads and fluid. I need to research what brands are really decent for german cars?

So unfortunately even though the tailpipe emissions are fine... the Corrado failed smog today because there's too much 'visible smoke' during the snap-test (quickly revving from idle to 3k). There's no way to fix that without rebuilding the engine.

Ok so after installing NGK plugs, a new WIX air filter (and the other stuff I mentioned in the previous post) driveability has much improved. The misfire is gone and there isn't any of that partial-throttle sluggishness I complained about before. Still feels like there's room for improvement though, but given the internal oil leaks and smoke at wide-open-throttle any other fixes would be band-aids at this point. Also, I can feel the clutch slipping a bit so I might as well rebuild the motor if I'm gonna put in another clutch.

So today was a rather productive day for the Corrado. I did an alignment on it. Can anyone tell me what good aftermarket alignment kits are for the rear end? Since it's non-adjustable from the factory back there... But it started to misfire really bad today, like obviously only running on 5 cylinders. So I brought it back home and started diagnosing things... First thing I realized is that after I changed the plugs the other day I forgot to plug the hall-effect back in on the distributor! :bonk: I also diagnosed that it was cylinder #6 that wasn't sparking and pulled all the new Bosch plugs back out. Cylinder 6 was totally fouled again. But after searching about it, apparently these cars don't like the Bosch plugs they foul too easy. I read the NGK copper's are more reliable so I'll swap a set of those in tomorrow. But there's no doubt this engine leaks a bit of oil into cylinder #6. I should start thinking about a swap or a rebuild... :shrug: I also changed the engine-speed sensor down on the block cause the wiring looked pretty old and cracked on it. I wanted to swap the 02 sensor also... just because it's the only other sensor I have spares for... but it's mounted at a pretty awkward angle on the exhaust mid-pipe before the cat. There's no easy way to get it out without removing the mid-pipe from the down-pipe. I'll wait on the 02 sensor until I'm ready to do new exhaust gaskets, cause I think I have a leak at the manifold, but I couldn't see any cracks thank god. Last thing I diagnosed was that the K&N air filter the PO installed fits like garbage. Gonna put in a regular air filter that seals properly tomorrow as well.

What about this GIAC performance chip that's supposedly in my car? What's the story on those? Is it something that could be causing some of the drive-ability issues? ...namely running too rich or screwing with the timing? Is it removable?

Ok so first of all I decided to do a pre-test at my school today.(Smog technician training is one of my auto courses). This is the results of today's pretests on top of the results from last year. (Which is the only prior smog record I have.) After that I thought it'd be a good idea to do some maintenance, so I removed the distributor for inspection. I realized the rotor wasn't solidy affixed to its shaft. It was just wobbling on it, which concerned me cause that could cause weird spark timing. I checked the manual and it said you're supposed to glue it unto the shaft, so I did that. I also noticed the hall-effect sensor was covered in grime, so I cleaned that as well before I reinstalled it. Then I started pulling spark plugs. (These were Denso's.) Three of them were badly badly gunked up, so I replaced the whole set with some new Bosch plugs. After I changed the oil I went for a test drive. The car starts easier and idles smoothly now. But it still feels a little sluggish and unresponsive at cruising speeds under slight throttle. Wide-open-throttle however is another story. It really comes alive and zips through the rev's with no hesitation whatsoever.