Kevin Bacon

Hmmm....what is the fascination with lowering the car to that extent? 120mm is just plain silly. If the driveshafts run lower than parallel all the while you can kiss goodbye to decent handling beyond 8/10ths. A car with a decent amount of suspension travel will handle better than one dropped to the floor with bugger all suspension travel. And by handling I don't mean no body roll, I mean traction, feel and stability. I don't disagree with lowering, don't get me wrong, it just pains me to see a car that has a good setup from the factory have it's ride ruined by Nova boy suspension drops. A set of Konis with some eibach or H&R -30mm springs is plenty good enough to turn a great handling car into a better handling one. -80+ is just asking for all sorts of problems. Kev 94 VR6

Correct, the 24V head/block has a completely different headbolt pattern to the 12V. Only option would be to fit the complete 4 motion engine but you can get a lot more than 204bhp out of a 12V, so little point doing it really. Kev 94 VR6

Yeah I was getting a little cheesed off with the old beast but I've had VWs all my life, so expect a few faults from time to time! It's frantically fast now and really smooth :lol: I just hope it stays that way now! I'm still disgusted by VW's pricing policy on Corrado parts though. Cheers Kev 94 VR6

Black smoke indicates over fuelling, blue smoke comes from burnt oil and it stinks too. If you can smell burnt fuel, i.e. exhaust fumes in the car, get the exhaust checked as breathing in carbon monoxide is lethal. 16Vs and VR6s use a fair amount of oil, up to 1 litre per 1000 miles but most engines use far less than that. That's just the max VW quote to cover their backs. You can change the stem seals and lifters with the head in situ but if the valve guides are worn, their is little point and you'll have to lift the head to replace those. Kev 94 VR6

Yeah count me in, I can stand looking at the brain and wiper motor evertime I life the bonnet. Kev 94 VR6

Well changing out the sensor has cured my problems. My advice to anyone with a VR6 that gets the G28 error is to replace the sensor. The engine is much smoother and torquier and goes ballistic at 4000rpm, as a good VR should. Cheers Kev 94 VR6

It's just a bad design from VW. Most decent rear disc brake setups have a drum brake inside the rear discs, which do not contract and cause slipping. I can't leave my car in gear because I keep forgetting the next morning, so I just yank up the brake an extra couple of notches when on a hill. Kev 94 VR6

Are you sure this wasn't caused by the absolute classic MK2 Golf rear disc problem? What happens is, when you yank up the handbrake after a run, the pads cool down and contract, allowing the car to roll forwards, or backwards. I've sat in my VR6 on a slight incline and after a few seconds, I could hear the rear brakes groaning as the car edges forward. All it takes is to not pull the brake hard enough and it will creep off your drive until enough momentum is gathered until it meets a, err, tree. Not saying that is what happened, merely a possibility as it's not unheard of. Kev 94 VR6

If a VR6 idles too high, OBD might log an engine speed sensor (G28) error since it is the combined signals of the cam position, engine speed and throttle potentiometer sensors that govern the idle valve (N71). If the idle valve sees implausible signals, the control circuits lock it fully open to enable engine starting (engine wouldn't start if valve was locked shut) and is part of the 'get you home' program. When the isv is fully open, idle is not stabilised and therefore the engine could hunt and idle too quickly. If not that, then your throttle stop may have been tampered with. 900 is too high as 6 cyl engines don't need as many revs as a 4 cyl engine to maintain a good idle (extra pistons equal more inertia and better balance). I would plug your engine into a diagnostics machine first to ensure all the senders are OK. Kev 94 VR6

Yep it is because it has longer wishbones. ET is 46 (on the speedlines) as Brian quite rightly pointed out, although interesingly the handbook states an ET of 43! Kev 94 VR6

VR6 clutches are known for juddering when changed. My new one does but only at idle speed (650rpm). It won't bed in, that's arse. If it judders, it judders, it won't go away. It's probably because the flywheel is dirty or warped slightly as it's the only part not changed when doing a clutch. Strictly speaking it should be removed and resurfaced/replaced but very few people ever do that because it's expensive. Kev 94 VR6

You don't need that strap, all it is does is earth out the bonnet to neutral so that engine electrical interference is contained within the bonnet as part of the UK electrical noise emission regulations. In other words, that strap stops people's TVs and radios going fuzzy when you drive past. Pull the strap off, it servers no other purpose (ECU has many grounds) and is not an MOT requirement. Cheers Kev 94 VR6

You can source the Garrett T25 and pipework etc from most turbo suppliers but it's the manifold that's the important part. Only Turbo technics make a decent high nickel content one.

My mistake, the engine speed sensor is actually £121 plus VAT, which is absolutely scandalous for a magnet and a bit of wire. The one the dealer got in for me (thinking it was G28) actually turned out to be the cam position sensor, which I don't need. Due to the cock up, they've knocked 20% off a G28 for me, which will arrive tomorrow. I had a lengthy chat with Vince today about G28 and the general consensus is, if it keeps reappearing in the VAG-COM fault code list (engine running) then change it. There is a coil inside the sensor which can malfunction intermittently, hence VAG-COM not always registering it. A faulty engine speed sensor also throws out the idle valve and cam position sensor. We shall see what happens tomorrow! Cheers Kev 94 VR6

OK, G28 - speed sensor - "implausible signal" can be the result of a few things and after some investigation, if it comes up, it's a good idea to replace the sensor. The sensor costs £22 from VW and is located on the front of the block just to the left of the bell housing. It's secured with a 5mm allen bolt. It's just a magnetic impulse sensor that registers gaps in the flywheel for timing purposes. The sensors tend to lose resolution with age (heat eventually destroys magnetism) or there could be some metallic crud on the flywheel ring. Cheers Kev

Erm, you could have done all those jobs yourself with some help if you're not mechanically minded. There's no way I'd pay nearly £800 for little jobs like those on what is essentially a MK2 Golf! Kev 94 VR6

All contact details on http://www.stealthracing.co.uk or call Vince on 01926 812259 I'll tell you what he'll say now, you can't get the Turbo Technics kits anymore because Turbo technics will only sell the parts in batches of 10. I used to have a 16V Turbo kit, let me know if you need any more info but you're looking at around £4000 to do the job properly. Kev 94 VR6

The advantage is you can precisely tune the cam timing to your needs. The factory setting is a compromise between drivability and economy. I've seen an Audi 2.0 16V engine give an extra 10lb/ft torque using a vernier pulley with no adverse effects. Kev 94 VR6

When I had my dash apart today repairing the heater cables, it looked like you could change the matrix without taking the entire dash out. There's a lot of cables and brackets behind there......would NOT fancy doing that job. Kev 94 VR6

Cheers fella, kind words :D I know what a pain Cs can be, so it's only fair to share the info! The girlfriend has come round to my way of thinking now as I've installed a second computer so that she can browse for handbags and shoes etc! Kev 94 VR6

Stealth Racing liberated 7bhp from a Golf VR6 with one of those BMC filters. Got a standard paper one in mine :lol: Kev 94 VR6

More Than (part of Royal & SunAlliance) are normally really expensive as they traditionally prefer 50 plusers on their books. The online quote will be the cheapest since they don't have to pay anyone to haggle with you over the phone. I paid £650 online for my VR6 through Axa direct. It's cool, just bung your details in, enter CC number and 2 days later your Certificate of Motor insurance drops on the mat :lol: Kev 94 VR6

Mine have been running since Febuary and are lasting really well. No signs of wear. They have been superb in all this rain we've been having recently :lol: Cheers Kev 94 VR6

The car is OK now. I cleaned out the idle valve and put a new coilpack on. She's purring :lol: Mate, tell me about it RE girlfriends. I get moaned at for being on this forum, let alone tinkering with the Corrado!! Kev 94 VR6

Yep, just the one though. The inlet cam drives the exhaust cam via the small chain. This is why the engine is so compact. Kev 94 VR6