DriverVR6

By the sounds of it I would take a look at the servo as it may be getting stuck and not releasing it's pressure. I don't think it has anything to do with the ABS. Never a good idea to simply change stuff as most of what you change will be not the cause of the fault.

Neil, to be honest, they are generally bullet proof, but the one on my car was changed previously before I owned it. It may have had a perfectly good one taken off, and an older duff one put on as it has never run properly since the day I bought the car.

It's done now, so hopefully it will run trouble free, fingers crossed, but you'll have to forgive me if I don't hold my breath.....

Managed to get it running the basterd thing.

It wasn't the Lambda, Throttle Position Sensor, Coolant Temp Sensor, Fuel Pumps, Relays, Hall unit, ECU, air leak, etc. It was a faulty fuel distribution unit that was instantly flooding the engine.

Thank-you to everyone that came up with ideas, it did at least allow me to use a process of elimination to eventually fix it.

I know that people rave about some well known garages, but from some of the workmanship on this car that I have come across I would not trust any of them to do a competent job. So far I've had a lose powersteering pump due to the bracket never being done up, rear suspension damper top mounts put on the wrong way, ignition timing set at TDC.....

captainredeye - Glad you got it sorted. And yes the guy from yesterday did not appear to know what he was talking about. Like I said to you yesterday, tools and equipment is only as good as the person using them....

VR6Pete - I only trust myself and no one else regardless of what good reputation they may have. Every place I've ever gone to has always done it wrong and then they have had to do it again with me supervising them and telling them how to do it correctly!

Oh dear, bodykits on a Corrado, not good.

There are cars that you just don't do this kind of stuff to and the Corrado is one of them. I like mods that improve performance and which cannot be seen, and are easily and quickly reversible.

Each to their own I guess.....

Plenty of bends in that mookie, looks like someone at VW could not make their minds up which way they wanted to bend it.

As for your question, I'll take a photo of mine later if no one else comes up with an answer for you.

dumpty, yeah good idea, but will I be able to get a good second hand one?

I like this forum and there are some really legit people on here who are honourable and honest (not like our politicians), but when I read the bad saleperson thread it does make me think twice about buying second hand bits which you cannot easily test or physically examine before you part with cash...

lewvw is both right, and wrong. He is correct in using this method when the car is all to spec and brand new. However, as it ages and parts of the suspension get worn, then the better method is to measure the racks exposed arms on both sides to centralise the rack like davidwort says. If you then screw on the left track rod end by say 5 turns, then do the same to the right one, and the rack then always stays central.

VW used to have a similar method on the 8v Golf GTi's were on one side the track rod end was fixed and could not be adjusted. However, when the track rod end wore out you had to replace it with an adjustable track rod end, and the fixed method of tracking no longer applied. And you could never get the steering wheel to sit straight unless you went for adjustable track rod ends on both sides as the steering wheel rod was hexagonal and not finely splined.

The reason manufaturers used a fixed method for one side is simply due to costs and the time it takes on a production line to get the tracking set.

The problem of the rack becoming uncentral is because some garages keep adjusting the tracking from the same side, which is normally unseized as it has been undone before, then it gets done again and again everytime the tracking is done. Then one day you run out of adjustment and the rack is no longer central.

Yeah it's Euro's I'll be going to...£80 ish for an original equipment Bosch one

Your rear settings look ok. From the figures above it is only differs from left to right by 0.25, so I think that should be acceptable. Just check, or get them to check, the rear suspension to make sure that nothing is broken or obviously loose, and that you have the ride height set the same on both sides.

Have the front done, get the tracking and camber exactly the same LH & RH, and as close to the original spec. then it should drive and handle well.

And remember, tools and equipment is only as good as the person using it...

dubweiser, I used to know a chap that was ex VW dealer, and he kept all the diagnostics stuff and was brilliant. Unfortunately he's in Aberystwyth, and I'm in Birmingham lol.

Everyone local to me here is a to$$er, and they don't even know how to adjust the CO...seriously. I can't believe that people take their cars to them.

I'm gonna try the Lambda like you suggest, and an ECU if I can get hold of one. And finally the coil/module that David is bringing around on Saturday. If one of these works, great, if not, breaky break time for this 2.0 16v 9a.....I'll keep you (everyone) posted on how I get on.

captain, the place I use has a computerised Corghi system. Piece of cake to use and set up. All the data, (total toe, half toe, camber, castor, set back, thrust angle) is stored in the system and they simply put the car make, model, year, etc in and the correct settings come up. They then adjust the tracking and camber to get the correct settings. The various settings go from red to green once they have adjusted them correctly. Simple.

Thats the reason I said I would be caution about taking my car to somewhere that doesn't even know what the settings should be.

The rear should I believe be +1.50 +/-00.16 (but don't quote me on those figures as I'm not 100% sure)......but like I said, due to wear and tear and age you'll never get to this figure unless you replace every rear bush, bolt, wheel, tyre, damper, spring, axle beam, etc My rear is -1.58 LH & -1.63 RH. As long as left and right is the approx the same, then don't worry about it. Just check that your springs, dampers and bushes are ok.

I'm guessing that with the readings you have at the moment you have zero understeer, and the steering is a little on the heavy side?

dubweiser, the only problem about the diagnostics is that it won't start so I could not take it to a garage to get it diagnosed even if I wanted to. I'd have to get it on a tow truck and it's just not cost effective to do that. To be honest mate, I've been in the car business one way or another for over twenty years, and there aren't many places these days that know the difference between a spanner and hammer. So unless I take it to a specialist (or the stealers, no way) I can't see them sorting it. Most places just change parts until they fix it, and you pay for it all even though some of the parts they change were okay.

Neil, no I've not tested the Lambda. I'm old school, carbs and mechanicals make sense, electronics are completely alien and I hate like a passion lol.

captainredeye, just a word of warning, I'd be very cautious about having your suspension adjusted by an outfit that doesn't even know what the settings should be.

And to be honest, as long as you get both sides the same at about -1 then you should be okay. What equipment are they using to set it?

As for the rear, as you say it is fixed. However, due to wear and tear and age, it will never be exactly to original spec. As long as you rear tyres are wearing evenly, and the camber left and right is approximately the same, and the car tracks straight, then do not worry about it. Do you have the readings of how much it is out by?

dubweiser, ok, I'll have a think about buying a new Lambda sensor. Just don't want to throw money at something which was mean't to be a cheap run around. Once again, thanks for the info/advice.

dubweiser, I don't think a faulty or completely knackered Lambda would stop it from starting. I would expect it to run badly, but it should still start wouldn't it??

David, yeah if you could bring the coil and module down on Saturday it would be appreciated.

fla, this is a problem I can help you with. You need to do as per this post...

http://the-corrado.net/showthread.php?41192-For-those-with-hot-start-problems-lil-update&highlight=hot+start+problems+relay

Well bridging the wires for the coolant temp sensor did nothing.

David, yeah it's a strange one, as on every other car I have worked on and fixed if you get fuel and a good spark then the car should at least fire up. It may not run very well, but should still at least fire up or show signs of firing up. This thing is just spinning over! I'll check each injector to see if it is injecting fuel properly, but after that, if I can't get hold of an ECU to try, then I'll break/scrap the ruddy thing.

VW's used to be bullet proof, but every single one has been ruined with too many sensors, gadgets, blah blah blah and thieving stealers......I would never buy another one again. Stick to Japanese VTECS, they're faster, brake better, corner better and are more reliable. Rant over.

Thanks for all your help Neil. I have the one labelled as the "16v Coolant Temperature Sensor for 16v ECU #3" on mine so will try joining those wires together.

Once again, thanks for all your help.

Neil, I try that, but when I disconnect that wire it just stops the temp gauge working, so I'm not sure that the one I'm pointing to is the ECU temp sensor.....The one I'm pointing to has just the single wire going to it, is that the one you mean?

---------- Post added at 1:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 1:56 PM ----------

OK Neil, thanks for your help. I'll see if anyone else can shed any light on this...

Neil, sorry, but which one do you mean? Is it the one that I am pointing to with a screwdriver?

Jim, I think that cheesy stripping bits has been the real problem as I think he did something wrong with it. He could not get it started on the day I went to buy it. I had to really tinker with it to get it started and tinker with it even more to get it through the MOT!

dumptyboy, thanks for the info matey. but my question was if anyone knows how to test it, getting it out is not a problem and I know how to do that.

easypops, once again thanks for the info, however surely the throttle position sensor/potentiometer would not prevent it from starting. I understand that if it was faulty then it would not run properly, but would it prevent it from starting???

---------- Post added at 1:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 1:14 PM ----------

Right, here's the update. Still won't start.

I'm getting fuel pressure okay, and fuel is getting into the combustion chambers. When I remove the spark plugs they are soaked in petrol, so something is obviously wrong.

I'm also getting a good spark, from coil to distributor and at each of the spark plugs.

As for all the rest of the stuff, Lambda, Temp Sensors, ISV, Throttle position sensor/potentiometer.....surely if any of this was faulty then it would not stop it from starting. It may run badly, but I would still expect it to start????

The one thing I am suspicious about is the ECU. Does anyone have one of these that I could try? Picture to follow...

---------- Post added at 1:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 1:21 PM ----------

Just wanted to thank Dave (dghodges) for the Speedlines he sold me last week. Got a cracking deal, and the 5 wheels I puchased were in great condition. Nice genuine bloke to deal with.

Trev16v, thanks for that info. The main problem at the moment is that I can't get it to start. However, I'm going to have a good look at it tomorrow as I didn't get to spend much time on it today. I suspect that it is the fuel pump, the one inside the tank. Any thoughts on the best way to test it if I get it out?

rumlad, looks like a decent set of wheels/tyres. If I had not already purchased a set last week I would have had these off you.