AngusL 10 Posted July 3, 2015 Hi guys probably more of a rant that anything... My VR6 has been running great - I replaced the Fan control module today and replaced the spoiler control module too went out for a quick check to see if both modules have the desired effect - Spoiler only previously works on the switch but its smooth so no jams in the rear mechanism. The cooling Fan has been an item of fun and games and I decided to replace the sensors and rad switch too previously - no change so got a replacement FCU. As soon as it was up to temp and shutdown the fan came on for the 10 mins afterrun which it hasn't done for a while. Wasn't too bothered about the FCU as I wired up a stage 3 switch in the car (From the black sensor low voltage wiring only) and a few mins on that and everything is cool and happy. Anyway - Went to test it all again this afternoon - I got 3 mins from home and heard a sharp click as I moved away from a roundabout then no drive at all ! Right in the middle of the roundabout too !!! Hazzards on - engine fine gearbox seemed ok to select gears but no drive at all and no crunchy noises - turned it off and pushed it out of the way. Had a quick look at it and low and behold the drivers side inner driveshaft had come completely loose and separated from the gearbox drive flange. Got the wife to tow me back home had a quick look on ebay £49.99 complete including postage - sold. Not bad just a pain as I cant get it until Tuesday so a couple of days down... Oh Well. I was gearing up to change the front disks to 288mm and install the MK3 front calipers this weekend - Possibly a new sump and oil too. Finally got everything to do it all too - I had been struggling with the Stainless hoses as no one wants to sell a front separate to the rear - Already done them - Goodrich Stainless and new Golf mk 4 Calipers - new std rear discs and new bearings all on and happy :-) Yesterday I drove the car over 160 miles and it was fine except for 1 small click sound somewhere on the A1 - The morale of the storey is - If you know your car and anything strikes you as odd - what was that noise etc etc... Make sure you check it out and don't leave it to chance. The drive shaft must have been coming loose for a while and the odd click two or so times wasn't enough to set off alarm bells but I should have checked it out. Anyway it seems like no damage done 1 bolt snapped in half but the rest appear to be sitting in the driveshaft waiting to be retrieved when its cooled down enough to pull them out. I could have rebolted it all together but as I turned full lock to get it positioned on the drive the shaft bearings and bits were deposited on the drive for me to collect. Some nice big ball bearings in there. At least it wasn't the gearbox or clutch as I had first thought. Anyone for a game of marbles :-) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AngusL 10 Posted July 4, 2015 Ok - Got down to business stripping the bits down - I have a painted 288 mm front caliper / carrier brake setup to go on with Some nice Braided hoses - pads etc... I am currently fighting with the detached driver side drive shaft... The drive shaft nut through the hub is going to be fun and games to get off - Having jacked it all up and removed the braking bits I now have to put various bits back on to get the wheel on, to then drop it back onto its wheels to undo the drive shaft nut. I just got a bit peed off with the CV grease that was everywhere - it seems there was a split in the outer cv boot too... All being replaced with a complete drive shaft so no matter. Funny how things work out though.... Having jacked up the car and had a good look under it - it appears that the front engine mount lower bolt - the one that attaches the engine mount to the block has gone. Had the drive shaft not bitten me how long would this have lasted before something else reared its head ! Who knows perhaps the entire engine coming loose and jumping out of the car ! I was also looking at the brake pipes the inboard junction - I did read somewhere that they do not come apart cleanly so may well end up having to replace both of those pipes too. Off to at least try to undo the bits I need to get off then see what else I need to replace to put it all back together. PITA - I have a shiny new sump and a Mann oil filter to put on - Hopefully all of the additional parts will arrive this week and next week should be more Corrado fun ! :-) For the first time in a while it wont be used this week :-( Oh - Someone on here did mention that when their fans started misbehaving they found a single spade wire from the front oil (perhaps temp) sensor - guess what.. the very same wire was dangling loose - Wouldn't that be a burger if that was the problem all along... So far its had new rear brakes / MK 4 calipers. A set of 17inch wheels. New heater matrix. Temp sensors. Rad fan switch. Uprated headlamp wiring loom with uprated bulbs. Ignition switch. Engine HT leads holder and a painted VW VR6 engine top cover. Clutch master cylinder. Aux water pump. Bits of broken missing interior trim. Interior looks great now. I still have a crack pipe and thermostat to fit... Back to it now :-) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
easypops 8 Posted July 4, 2015 Finished yet? :lol: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dox 23 Posted July 4, 2015 I had to do the NSF wheel bearing on mine a few weeks ago, the CV was seized in the hub so I had to remove the shaft with the hub and shove it out with a 20T press, my cheap 3 legged hub puller bent! The grease in the joint had lost its moisture content, the remaining 20 year old moly grease was like thick mud. I've put stripping and regreasing the drivers side on my to do list Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AngusL 10 Posted July 4, 2015 Progress and its not so bad at all. I managed to get the drive shaft off easy once the wheel was back on and it was back on the ground. Drained the oil out of the sump and slackened off all of the sump nuts - oily as hell under there too so was cleaning the damp oil and cv grease off whilst access is good as the front end is a couple of feet high. Some of the sump bolts were way too tight and all need a good cleanup. I noticed that the old sump gasket is the thicker type and the replacement is a thin type that needs the gasket sealant. I didnt take the sump bolts out but will have to check the bolt lengths to see if i will have a clearance issue with the thinner gasket and bolt lengths. I more or less have the bits off and need to wait until next weekend to get the new bits back on as parts ordered online and wont be turning up until next week. I think I will get a thicker rubber sump gasket as the paper thin one i have can only lead to sealing problems and i have time to order parts. Not got the brake pipe separated yet but have given it a helping of wd40 - May well be buying a pipe flaring kit too this week as im not sure that will separate. The old discs were Tarox std size - they needed replacing as they were old and rusty in the grooves and thin and I know about spirited braking leading them to shatter on some cars. This was the driving motivation to get the 288mm setup on. I have trial fitted the new setup and all looks good. Having previously done the rears its strange how the brakes felt spongy at first then they got noticeably better over a week or so. A little more optimistic now that its almost ready to go back together. My car has a decat - cat back stainless steel big bore and a cone inlet filter. I dont know for certain but feel it must have a remapped chip it shouts fairly loudly but it goes like stink and still gets around 28 to 35 mpg per tank. What a fantastic car Im going to miss it this week. I am already anticipating how good its going to run when its all back together. I have also fitted the gear lever bush kit and it turns out it had the short shifter and the mod had been done so I could get the lever out from the inside of the car. Almost there.... Next weekend - hoping for more good weather. Its funny how most of you guys on here know exactly what I am saying having probably done all of this stuff already. Keep posting guys the info is invaluable when you are tackling the issues for yourself. Hey Dox get it done whilst the weather is in your favour, I did my heater matrix with snow on the car over xmas week that was no fun at all. Have a great week guys. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AngusL 10 Posted July 14, 2015 Who said CV grease yummy ! A week later and I got to work on the car on Sat - I finally figured out separate the shocker to get enough movement in the hub to be able to swing it out and get the drive shaft into place. Took some doing though. I managed to get the driveshaft in - bolted up with the use of about 6 1/2 inch extension pieces so that I could wind them in from the front wheel thats off. Thats done now so the new drive shaft is on and in place - plenty of grease on the splines to keep it moving freeley for a long time to come. Got around to fitting a new oil sump too and filter. I dont like the thin paper type gasket but it seems to have sealed itself ok. and the bolts were torqued up - not too much to deform the sump and lead to leaks we will see. Now for the good bit ! The new disc is on 288mm and the MK3 caliper/carriers all painted red I even managed to separate the brake pipe union and put the braided hose on but warning - the braided hose inner connector is wider and does not fit the same way as the old pipe... It has still gone back into the bracket but the 10mm pipe connector from the ABS pipe has all but dissappeared I hope its tight enough not to leak in future. Left it at that and was left looking like I had been bathing in CV grease ! Passenger side to go but thats only a brakes off an new pads/caliper/carrier and braided brake line to go back on so much easier. Then the brake bleeding fun starts ! Two weeks off the road and missing it like hell ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
robrado974 1 Posted July 14, 2015 Good job well done then . I know what you mean about the Grease , all black and gunky , nasty ! . I will be doing mine soon . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AngusL 10 Posted July 14, 2015 I bought a new drive shaft. I got 2 packets of grease with the new drive shaft and packed it all into the bearing carriers in the cv joints.. eyuch....but it's in.. After fitting the shaft I thought two packs of grease.... Oh **** is one supposed to be in the outer cv joint?..... Email to seller no quick response so I took the big sealing ring off and yes it did have grease in it. What a relief but it was a bugger to get that sealing ring back on.... Bend the three locking tabs straight up and use a long nose pliers and you can line it all back up and snick it into place. Then bend the three tabs back over so it's all nice and tight. Fiddly to put back. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
robrado974 1 Posted July 14, 2015 Thanks for the info , im replacing my whole underside . Where did you purchase the shaft from ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AngusL 10 Posted July 15, 2015 I got it on ebay 49.99 free quick delivery. It's cheaper to buy the whole drive shaft than the bits individually. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
robrado974 1 Posted July 15, 2015 Nice one , thanks . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AngusL 10 Posted July 25, 2015 Fast approaching 3 weeks later and still not usable. All done new brakes are a million times better than std I took it for a gentle test drive. My problem is the front engine mount lower bracket bolt that fell out before the drive shaft popped due to the stresses. When I saw it the bracket hole was about 4 cm away from the hole that it should have lined up with. That Translates to a big swing at the top of the engine hence the drive shaft giving up. Anyway that bolt I have bought 4 different sizes based on what has been suggested here and on vwvortex. I have come to the conclusion that I must have a broken bolt left in the hole because I am not really biting threads when I wind in the new bolts. Obviously I can't see into the hole to see what's going on. I have bought a stud extractor just in case but I don't know where to start. I measure approx 45mm into the hole before I hit metal. Anyone got any suggestions so all my waffling it's the VR6 front engine lower bracket bolt what size should it be? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
