CrazyDave

Been a while since last update.

Busy sorting out last few bits and bobs. Fans are all wired up, wow is the fan system complicated on a Corrado, 4 switches, after run cooling etc etc.

Anyway I wired the new SPAL fan to come on with the lowest and medium setting so it will run with the after run electric pump. The SPAL fan is really efficient and quiet.

I also had the charge cooler pump and fan wired up properly. The pump is nice and quiet, the fan is pretty loud. Don't want that on all the while so I'll need to do something with controlling it, or just stick it on a switch in the car for now!

I fitted new plug leads and sleeved them all up. And finished all the heat lagging on the CC. Might even wrap the cooler up, which would be a shame as it's very pretty (not that I'm into that sort of thing..)

Can't do much this weekend, need all the welding stuff sorted.....Its being started on Monday.

Things left to do:

Fit downpipe and O2 sensors

Fit Inlet and boost pipework

Fit fuel rail to short manifold.

Sort throttle linkage and dipstick bracket to manifold.

Fit short manifold and sort the plumbing of the ISV, fuel reg, vacuum hoses etc.

Sort some mapping out for the MegaSquirt on boost!

So it'll be a big push easter weekend to get it all finished.

Good stuff Stu.

Have you checked out the current Alpha release of the extra code for MSII?

Thinking of giving it a go on the VR when it's all running again. Which should be very soon!

How are you going to fit the trigger wheel?

Ah the old chestnut! Chargecool or intercool.

Guess it does come down to budget and how much you want to chop yer C around.

For me minimal hacking about of the front of my C was the only option. But keep the costs down by making a short runner and going for an in-between chargecooler.

Oh and a strong desire to try something different from everybody else!

Chargecooler pros:

compact and easy to fit

small pipework to front rad

minimal or no cutting of car

very efficient and low pressure loss

short pipework when used with short runner mani

Chargecooler cons:

Cost

Weight (maybe). But I did compare my CC kit with a Rallye intercooler and not much in it really.

Intercooler Pros:

Low cost by comparison

Works well if sized properly

Intercooler cons:

Difficult pipework on a C without some chopping

Ideally needs a shortrunner manifold

Lots of pipework to fill with boost

Pressure losses if you don't have a huge IC

Nice fleet Andy! Must be quite a marathon cleaning them all!

Itching to get back on the road now... been 2 months at least!

Tell me about it! Feeling the same with mine at the mo...... so close now 8)

Most of the work is now done, still waiting on welding TBD.

All the front is back on and I've had the chargecooler pump and fan running, small amount of air in the top hose but soon got that out by cracking the top hose and filling directly into the hose.

The water is now clear and air free and the cooler is very cold to touch.

Going to make speed sensing control board for the fan. So if you go above 20 mph the fan switches off and back on again at 10mph. Just like the rear spoiler but lower speeds! Also going to add a temperature sensor so if it's really cold the fan stays off completly.

I'll post some more pics ASAP.

Well done Chris!

Guess the chains are nice and quite then? or you can't hear them over the charger :)

Good work.

PS Bristol meet sounds good. Only down the road for me, if I ever get my car finished!

Pretty much remove most of it, seems to be a mix of opinions on if you should pipe the tank vent to the airbox or not? I'm going to give it a go as I don't like petrol smells.

Leave the solenoid valve that's fitted to the inner wing. The ECU may throw a fault if you unplug it? But mine will be running a standalone ECU so I've removed it.

Yes, carbon canister is below the airbox so ideal for cold air feed.

Have fun!

PS looks like you're missing the upper heat shield from the back of the engine bay?

Good work ziderapple!

Gearbox is real fun on the drive with no ramp isn't it :( . The last time I did a gbox on the drive I said 'not again'. A few years later and I was doing it again, will I ever learn. Still it's a good feeling when it all goes back together. If you can get some help to put it back in, that's even worse. You can drop the front cross member to make access much better, only a couple of bolts, helped loads on mine.

Fylwheel locking tool... yeh I did something similar with a long bar. Does the job OK. Just don't slip! Ouch.

Good luck with the chains 8)

I blame the forum! It was a nice standard VR6 until I came on here :lol:

Check out the VAG-COM list and find somebody local. Best way to find sensor faults.

mic_VR,

The broken part leaking oil / vapour is the engine breather hose and fuel vapour recovery system. It allows the fuel tank vapour to be burnt off when the engine is warm rather than just venting it to the air.

Do a search for 'carbon AND canister' it can be removed easily and the vent piped either into the inner wing or the lower half of the air box so the vapour still gets burnt off.

I've just removed all this stuff from my car and piped the engine breather from the rocker cover into the inlet hose, but I plan to add a catch tank to get rid of the oil before putting the vapour back into the inlet. Depends how much you get really.

Hope this helps.

Dave

Cheers James, it all fits really nice. I may move the battery still, will see how heavy it all feels on the road.

chargecooler, I was going to ask you about that. I had planned to angle the pipes up as much as space will allow. the header tank will go as high up as bonnet clearance allows, next to the main header tank, which should be just enough. I want to add a bleed screw to the top hose to get all the air out. When the manifold is in place it will all sit pretty level and I need to fab a support bracket to keep it all in place.

Been a few weeks since my last updated, so here goes.

I've now finished the pipework, phew! It's all going off to be welded up now.

A few changes to the boost pipework to get the chargecooler to fit nicely, no big deal just a bit of hacksawing and filing :) .

Well I decided to go for the PWR in the end, nicely made kit it is too. It's the 4 x 10" unit, with the alloy rad, cooling fan, header tank and pump.

Kev, I'll just have to see how it goes. I fitted some pre / post cooler measurement points to the pipework, to see how it performs. Don't think boost loss is going to be a problem for me, this turbo is capable of way to much for me anyway :lol: .

PWR chargecooler from chargecooler.co.uk

Nice thin fins inside the chargecooler, should get the heat away.

I had planned to put the CC just above the gearbox, but it was much nicer up top.

Pipes swing just past the battery and into the TB. I ditched the airbox in the end, just couldn't get the pipework clearance good enough. So now I've gone for a cone in the wheel arch.

Loads of clearance! Should get a set of MSD coilpacks in here as well, cheers for the info Kev!

Front panel fitted to check CC rad clearance. It's tight, might have to trim a bit off.....

First bits of the inlet manifold.

Fits in the gap OK. Main radiator cooling is now with an 11" SPAL fan. Should be more than enough. And the weight saving is amazing, the standard fans must weigh about 5Kg, SPAL one is about a 1/5th of that. Pipe is for the CC water return, it's now routed underneath out of the way.

I put some nice curves on the inlet runner plate and matched the ports with some careful grinding. All this lot now needs welding up.

Awesome stuff James, looks mad in second gear.... and third.... and fourth.

Oh I can't wait now! Last weekend on pipework for me I reckon, chargecooler and manifold. Maybe next weekend for starting up! 8)

The parts guy at my local dealer couldn't believe what I was up to with my VR. I said I'd give him a ride in it when it's done, maybe I'll get a bit more discount!

Not a lot in the current VAG lineup that'll match a VR6T, even with only a bar of boost. Dont think the Passat R36 is more that 300hp? Although if it's wet.......no chance :lol:

Just great eh! Just beginning to have fun with your time off and somebody gives you a job. Only kidding James :lol:

Nice one!

Shit James, bad luck about the job. Like a few have already said, a man with your skills should find work.

I know a guy who went self-employed after loosing his job. Bought a van and setup as a mobile mechanic. He's never looked back. Just an idea?

It's a long time ago now (me being old and all :lol: ) but when the missus and I bought our first place, the mortgage was a big struggle at first. Vivid memories of raiding the penny jar to buy some food. We gave up pretty much everything that wasn't critical to living. But it gets easier after a few years, then you can start playing again.

Don't you even think about giving up on the forum though :)

Cheers all!

Shouldn't be that long now, I have one big task to finish, the inlet manifold. I need to draw the short manifold in AutoCAD and design the plenum chamber. Then send the files to the laser cutting man. This will all need welding up with the rest of my bits of pipework. Should be ready for a tootle up the road then! :lol:

mic_VR I'm a control systems engineer (electronics) and I design engine test cells during the week. The pipework is the worst bit, as knowbody does a turbo kit for a RHD Corrado. But if you can weld or like me know somebody who does, then it's all nuts and bolts really. Oh and a big old dollop of help from the guys and gals on the Corrado Forum!

Great news! :)

+++ Highly Recommended +++ Lion Garage Hinckley. I used to live in Hinckley and always took my cars to Jason, and still do even though it's now a huge trek from Worcester.

The turbine cover is from ATP, thought I'd give it a go (about $60 if I remember rightly), not going to be as good as a full jacket but in addition to that I'm going to try and create a heat shielded tunnel to try and encourage the heat down and out underneath the car. Don't know if it'll work but everything will be insulated as much a pos anyway.

Real bad luck on the engine. Set me thinking about how you could have detected it. But I guess the only way is to run EGT on all cylinders. Which isn't that difficult, drill and tap the manifold. Fit 8 thermocouples and some signal conditioning to monitor the difference between the temperatures, any more than a few hundred degrees puts a hugh red light on.

I still might need to move the battery to get the charge cooler in, again not much of a problem but just more work. Note to self : "Don't start cutting corners now Dave".

I had a closer look and the V6 Turbo today, and it has something strange with a breather hose from the rocker covers that must be appying crank case pressure to some kind of venturi?? Most strange?

I'm pleased with the pipework so far, still got a fair bit to do though. Thanks for the info on the sump, that sounds like a very good idea.

Did you get your injector problem sorted??

They are an 'O' shape that you crimp with a tool on either side to form a fully round clip. Great for fuel, vac / boost pipes etc.

Ideal for things that you don't want to leak and never come off without a pair of cutters.

No surprises really, the fuel rail is from SP.

The bit of manifold you can just see it a standard VR lower section cut down and machined flat. The plenum chamber will be made up of laser cut ally welded together with some profiling around the port runners to give smooth flow and sized to give about 0.8 of the engine capacity for the chamber.

TB on right hand of the engine to pick up the air from the charge cooler. 8)

Glad to hear it's quiet. The Jetex I had fitted before starting all this work was about the limit of the noise I like, just fussy I guess.

Just noticed my turbo manifold is going rusty, be grass growing on the car next it's been in the same place for so long :lol: