Having a total nightmare with this car!

[Akinesis 0]

Since I've owned this car (about six weeks) I've not stopped chasing problems. Yes, I appreciate it's all part and parcel of owning a 'Rado - and I wouldn't swap it for the world. But it is starting to get me down :(

 

As it stands, my car is stuck on a ramp at my mechanics club after I tried to fit a second hand exhaust. Firstly, the mid-boxes are different fitments, but this doesn't bother me too much because the old one is still good enough to use (this system is only temporary anyway). I also bought a decat pipe, too. When I offered the decat up it was about 9 inches too long, but with some modifications to the mid-box I thought that I could get around this. I believe the exhaust system is original, as the clamps where well an truly rusted up. I had great fun angle-grinding the old clamps off. It also turned out that I had to grind off the bolts between the cat and the manifold. When I went to take on my next challenge of removing the lambda sensor from the cat, I noticed the nut that holds the sensor on had been tack-welded. Again, the angle grinder came out and I carefully wore down the tacks. Then I discovered that there was one final tack that was inaccessible for the grinder. I looked outside and it was getting dark, plus the garage closes at around 9.30pm. I admitted defeat and decided to live with the cat for a while longer and revisit the fitting of the decat another day.

 

I had about 30 mins work ahead of me fitting up the new exhaust... until I went to refit the cat. My intention was to use the new bolts that came with the decat pipe (hence why I was happy to grind the old ones off), but - guess what - they were far too big for both the cat and manifold flanges. With Halfords closed and no spare bolts to hand, I've had to leave the car stuck on the ramp. The problem is that I'm supposed to be travelling to Reading tomorrow for my girlfriends birthday (I'm meeting her at her mums where we're spending the whole weekend) :brickwall:

 

My dilemma - my lift leaves at 4, the garage doesn't open until 4.30, and it's a bit too cheeky for me to leave the 'Rado sat on a ramp that a few other people are probably waiting to use. So I have to fix the car and drive up myself. The second part of this dilemma is that I don't even know if anyone will show up to open the garage - there is no-one pencilled in to manage it over the weekend :bad-words:

 

OK, maybe the moral of the story here is nothing other than better preparation. But I have a Scirocco and a Mk2 Golf that, so far, have been very forgiving to work on. I've never seemed to have a problem. But the Corrado is forever giving me grief every time I work on it. I still turn around and see the big flashing lights which spell out 'YOU WENT INTO THIS KNOWING THE 'RADO IS A MONEY PIT', but it's getting me down that I just seem to be having no luck at all. Here is a list of my current 'major' problems:

 

1. Suspension needs replacing - she's currently sat on coilovers that sit so low I'v had to take the front splitter off as it was scraping and damaging it. I've had one coilover out but the collars are seized and can't raise it. The rear passenger one is squeaking badly.

 

2. Engine is lumpy - the revs are all over the place. I've changed the plugs, leads, dizzy cap and arm. I've cleaned the idle control valve, which helped slightly, but the tick-over is still all over the place. And after coming off the accelerator when warm the revs dip to almost cutting-out before picking up again. Sometimes it's at a steady 800rpm, or a very lumpy 500rpm. In traffic the engine can cut out completely.

 

3. The exhaust - you all now about that.

 

4. Under-chassis - rust, rust and more rust. I have taken loads of pictures because I want to start a build thread. I need to drop the front subframe and rear beam to get the rust off and paint them. I need to replaced the wishbones and all the bushes. Plus the fuel filter is just one big cylinder of rust.

 

5. Brakes - the brakes have been replaced recently, but not very well. I need to drop the callipers, but the bolts are truly seized. The front drivers ins't fitted well and only scrubs half the disc. Plus the pads are loose (I've not know this before!). Moly grease has been used all the brakes - not copper! I also have the ABS light on, and need to start investigating that. Plus the rear pipes could do with replacing. On the rear brakes the heat shields are rotten. One has fallen off and has ruptured the boot to the rear cylinder - not good either!!

 

6. Squealing from the engine. There is another post on here about that, so I won't go into it too much.

 

I won't drone on any longer, as I'm sure you get the picture. I enjoy working on the car, and I know they are getting old, but have I picked up a rather nasty one here or is this really what owning a 'Rado is all about?? What made me buy the car is that the interior and exterior are almost mint.

 

Others' thought would be appreciated :wave:

 

Dan :salute:

[daleyboy 0]

Oh mate that is one long post......... :shock:

 

Lots of work ahead, or just stop for a moment, and think to yourself is this the car for you?

 

If the answer is no ( it would be a no for me from what you've written, rust is a car killer ) then tart up sell on, good luck with that.

 

If the answer is yes then strip down everything especially from underneath and do an aggressive rust removal/treatment etc etc.

 

From what you've written sell on and move on, but you only know the answer to your own question about what to do.

Where is the rust the chassis? the rear beam? sub-frame?

 

Good luck mate............... :salute:

[easypops 8]

2. Engine is lumpy - the revs are all over the place. I've changed the plugs, leads, dizzy cap and arm. I've cleaned the idle control valve, which helped slightly, but the tick-over is still all over the place. And after coming off the accelerator when warm the revs dip to almost cutting-out before picking up again. Sometimes it's at a steady 800rpm, or a very lumpy 500rpm. In traffic the engine can cut out completely.

 

The erratic idle on the 2.0 16v seems to be a very common fault.........been the source of many many threads on here, with quite a few potential problems........my old valver was exactly the same.........have a read of these and i'm sure it'll help maybe a little :D

 

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=84757&hilit=2.0+16v+idle

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=84789&p=981315&hilit=2.0+16v+idle#p981315

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=79327&hilit=2.0+16v+idle

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=72285&hilit=2.0+16v+idle

http://www.the-corrado.net/.archive/forum/viewto ... =1&t=62564

 

etc etc

[vw domo 0]

Dont worry Dan, im sure everyones been there at some point.

 

Iv had the nabours telling me to stop swearing at 11pm when iv been struggeling in the dark with things going from bad to worse.

 

Iv learnt to give myself alot of extra time to get jobs done and preporise to the max!

 

It does pay off for a while till another problem crops up, but it all in good fun right :nuts:

 

I had the same idle problem with my idle and after all the usual checks still no joy, i noticed that the rubber pipe going to the bottom of the isv wasnt rigid enough and collapsed when temps got high, choking the air flow. All i did was put a steel fastening round the pipe to stop it collapsing.....no more bad idle :D

 

As said tho if there is alot of body rust it might be worth stripping out onto a fresher chassis, all depends on how bad it really is and if it can be repaired properly.

[dukest 0]

1. Suspension needs replacing - low, poorly protected (possibly cheap?) coilovers are often an issue and generally you get what you pay for. Once you sort this out you wont have any other problems.

 

2. Engine is lumpy - cant help there but get as much advice as you can on here and you'll get there in the end, perhaps with help from well chosen garages.

 

3. The exhaust - again, like the suspension, you'll get there, but using 2nd-hand non-original parts will always throw up a few more issues.

 

4. Under-chassis - is the rust on the bodywork or the subframes? you say the exterior is mint. If its only the subframes then as you say these can be cleaned and painted, none will be in good nick after 15 years!

 

5. Brakes - poor fitting is easily sorted. ABS can be an issue but can also be got rid of if it comes to it, its not that good anyway!

 

6. Squealing from the engine - I'm sure you'll sort this along the way of looking into the running.

 

I dont think you've bought a lemon, but it does sound like its been worked on by some monkeys and only maintained cosmetically and not mechanically. Its going to take a while to sort out, and more money than you'd intended when you bought it, but seeing as you're able to do stuff yourself it wont be nearly as bad as if you couldnt!

[Supercharged 2]

I agree with Dukest above although it's hard to tell how bad the rust is without seeing it but if it's mostly on the metal work, that's expected on an 'original' 15-20 year old car - you just need to find a good local sandblasters.

 

The exhaust issue is annoying and I know what it's like when you have the car in bits and things don't fit but to be honest it's not the cars fault - must be the wrong de-cat pipe.

 

Suspension - I'd just go for a complete overhaul / replacement - do everything and you won't have to revisit.

 

Brakes / engine - just sounds like a complete lack of servicing, if it makes you feel any better me and a mate did discs and pads on a MK4 the other day that took twice as long as usual becuase some monkey had been at it last time - both disc retaining screws snapped, red grease used instead of copper(!!) and found other stuff like a broken undertray with several missing screws.

 

Stick with it dude, get some of the major stuff out the way and you'll be a lot happier about it! If you have ramp access you can save so much cash and Corrado's honestly do drive fantastically on decent suspension - I'm saying this as you are a former Golf / Scirocco owner and the Corrado is simply in a different league.

[DanVW 0]

As above mate, at the end of the day you have picked up a car that has maybe not been treated as well as it could have been, mine was the same in the first six weeks of ownership I had to fix a stupid number of problems that hadn't shown up on the test drive :-( but stick with it and once sorted she wont let you down again as long as you stay on top of the regular maintenance.

 

Best of luck!

 

Dan

[A5 VRX 0]

Dont let it get to you, i've always been the same wanting everything sorted right away and gets me down when i cant, so now i just look into it as something long term. Find the most important thing and start there first once thats done, its done! Then move onto the next one, long process but eveything cant be done all at once. Hope this helps, there great cars once running spot on

 

Adam

[Akinesis 0]

Thanks for all your replies, guys! It's been a good read.

 

I managed to get the exhaust on. It wasn't a great fit, so don't think it was meant for my model, but it's on and it works. There's no blowing or rattle now, and it's a lot deeper sound than the other one! Need to get some short exhaust mounts, though, as it seems to want to sit higher than the old one?! :cuckoo:

 

The rust is all on the subframes. The chassis seems to be alight. I have taken pictures of the underneath, which I will post sometime this week. At some point I will take the rear beam, wishbones and engine subframe off and clean and repaint/replace them.

 

The coilovers don't look like they were too pricey! Replcaing the suspension is the next thing I will do because when I go over the small nasty speed-bumps the car bottoms out. The engine sump and brake-line at the back are taking a beating - not good!! :pale:

 

I think it has been serviced by monkeys! And it's been looked after externally, but not mechanically. But, like AJ said, I can't fix everything at once! I've already spent about £600 on bits and pieces for it. I'm not complaining about that because I happy to shell-out on parts to get it running right.

 

I will be sticking with it - I won't let it beat me! :wink:

 

Thanks for all your advice, guys :grin:

[mr lobitos 0]

my motto"a corrado is for life no just for christmas",it will come good in the end

[Akinesis 0]

Ok, here is some picks of the underneath of the car:

 

This is looking behind the front bumper:

 

Drivers Wishbone:

 

Rear passenger-side wheel

 

Rear driver-side with heat-shield rusted through (it has fallen off and was knocking around the caliper). It has actually split the piston-boot on the caliper, so these will need changing soon :(

 

Fuel filter:

 

Fuel pump unit:

 

So, is this normal for this age car??

[dukest 0]

i would think so, all maintenance items at the end of the day..

[coullstar 0]

i would think so, all maintenance items at the end of the day..

 

Yep, nothing to majorly worry about there that cant be easily replaced.

[Toad 0]

Pretty sure the rusty canister is the fuel filter.

 

I think I'd change that next.

[mrbeige 0]

Mine 'looks' worse than that, but it looks as superficial as Katy Price! Nothing to worry about, really, but as Toad says get the fuel filter changed next.

[davidwort 0]

looks like it's been driven a lot on winter salted roads or perhaps a sea-side car for some of it's life, either way it does seem to have a fair bit of corrosion for a 2L 16v, I'd expect to see more of that stuff on an earlier 1.8 but then all these cars are getting on a bit now.

Those front wishbones are probably perfectly serviceable, but your front radiator support panel is pretty bad, it is a weak spot on Corrados and really needs checking thoroughly and re-coating with protective wax every couple of years at least.

the rear fuel pump, pressure accumulator and fuel filter, together with all the unions do get bad on these cars too, they may well last a long time even when they look aweful, but again, they really suffer from road spray in the winter.

If you haven't done already, I'd have the rear bumper off, given the condition of other bits on this car, that and the area behind it suffer from the salt spray too.

There's nothing really better or worse than a mk2 golf on these bodies really, it's all down to individual cars and what sort of driving they've had, lots of miles on winter roads, especially shorter journeys on more minor roads that get salted but don't dry out as much from traffic are the worst I reckon. My first mile to work is on smaller local roads that are always damp in the winter, but as soon as I'm out on the dual carriageway/motorway the roads are salted but the traffic flow dries them out and the spray level is much lower, even though I rack up more miles on them.

waffle over...

[Akinesis 0]

Yeah, the fuel filter is next :wink: Got a price for just over £100 from GSF. It'll get done along with new suspension next month. I'm glad this is relatively 'normal' :roll:

 

I plan to spend a couple of weeks dropping the wishbones, subframe, rear-beam, etc down and getting them sorted. But will probably be a winter thing :norty:

 

Thanks for making me feel better about the car, guys :wink:

[Toad 0]

£100 for a fuel filter????

[Akinesis 0]

Yup :(

[Toad 0]

Someone is trying to bend you right over. Unless they are pricing up replacing all of the pipes as well.

 

From the GSF site.

 

121VG0070 FUEL FILTER-BQ CO 2.0 16v 9A Engine 91>95 8.40

[__Andy__ 0]

Yeah, the fuel filter is next :wink: Got a price for just over £100 from GSF. It'll get done along with new suspension next month. I'm glad this is relatively 'normal' :roll:

 

I plan to spend a couple of weeks dropping the wishbones, subframe, rear-beam, etc down and getting them sorted. But will probably be a winter thing :norty:

 

Thanks for making me feel better about the car, guys :wink:

 

that would of been a price for an oe fuel pump dude, deffinately not a fuel filter as they are pennies!

[davidwort 0]

or the pressure accumulator, filters are about 7quid

[Supercharged 2]

Jesus - yeah that's pretty bad but hopefullt the rust is mostly on the suspension components and the underseal on the chassis is doing it's job??

 

Clearly a complete lack of servicing though - I've never seen a fuel filter in that condition before, ever!

[steveo29 0]

doesnt look that awefull

 

its an old car afterall , remember alot you see on forums have been tinkered with alot having had those kind off bits painted or replaced earlier in thier life , or the cars have been babied and not used in the winter

 

my golfs that get used aint much differant , ive repainted all the running gear , those disc covers do tend to get scabby anyway

 

you wana worry about the bits that dont bolt on , like the sills /floor etc , thats 10x more expense to make right

[Akinesis 0]

Wow - I have been seen off with the fuel filter!! £8 sounds much better! Will do that this month then!