Not a VR but still a mk3 Hopefully somone can help

[Phat VR6 3]

Right Ive got a mk3 1.8 driver now (VR6 is going back into it within the year :-d )

Anyway ive changed the water pump (noisy), Thermostat (stuck open) and timing belt and tentioners.. Also rad (leaking) and some oil seals.

Ive put it all back together and even tho the timing marks are all spot on (cams 1mm off but if i move it on or off a tooth it would be 4 mm out) Its not driving as well as it was before.

It hesitates up to about 3-4000 revs.. Almost like abit of a missfire and then seems to pull ok after that upto redline but still alittle flat.. It seems like its lost torque..

Now ive done a compression test.. 12 bar 1+4 and 12.5 bar 2+3

Also it ran out of petrol when i went to start it due to the angle it was at.. Do you think i could have blocked the fuel filter?

It seems to be driving like the ignition timings out (but timing lines up sound) And you cannot adjust the ignition timing off the dizzy (im told it has to be set on VAG.com.. its OBD1)

Anyone know how much vag.com from VW will cost or has anyone got anythink else i can try. HT leads are 150,000 miles old. Pehaps i should change them but it ran fine the day before

Somone please suggest somthink before i rip it out and stick the VR in

Cheers Tom

[Phat VR6 3]

Oh also fegot to say it wouldn't move past 70 degrees before.. Now it stays at 100... 90 if i redline it.. I think it could be an air lock but ive tryed everythink make sure there isn't one.. Heater on hot..Filled it up realy slowly while running it. sqweeked all the pipes and if i take the cap off the coolant sytem emptys it self

The reason i say this is could the two be related. igntion timing out making it run hot? Or headgauket? Altho it never used to empty the the coolant system before

I feel like crying lol. Ive fixed 4 problems and gained 2

[mike 6]

this may seem really obvious but what are theplugs like? cus i had simlar with my 1.4 and was jsut the spark plugs...

[Phat VR6 3]

lol yer it probaly is somthink obvious like that that im missing.. Think im going to change them anyway as part of a service..

Its just the fact that the day before it was running well (atho sounding like a bag of nails) now it sounds smooth but doesn't drive aswell. which made me think its somthink ive done while doing the timing

Think im going to change spark plugs, HT leads and fuel filter as they could do with been doing anyway. If that doen't sort it fuck knows..ill take it to VW to get the ignition timing checked (don't realy want to take it to VW tho as will probaly cost £££££ :-(

Knocked the geeza down £100 when i brought it..Got the car for £700 state with no rust. Cost me £160 parts so far so its not to bad. Just didn't exsect this to start happening and don't want to spend to much more on it

[cabrioman 6]

yes mate i have sounds like u have the timin out on the drive for the dizzy ... i done the same thing to my 1.3 golf and ran like a bag of runny poo ... cant remember it havin any timing marks thou .... try timin the belt up again and then trun the drive for the dizzy untill its a firin on number 1 .... that should do the trick .... shouldnt need vag.com to check timing should be able to do it with a timin light .... we used the vas at vw but that cos we didnt have a timin lamp ... hope this helps

tony

[Phat VR6 3]

Thanks Tony..

I have reset it a number of times now. Theres a timing mark on the dizzy rotor arm to the body of the dizzy cap...

Its the type that half way down the block on the opersite side to timing belt. Can that dizzy be adjusted by hand. as in slack that 13mm off and give it a tweek left of right

Thanks for your help

[Devildub_06 0]

Hiya, I am a mechanic, and I did notice this post but didn't have time to answer last night. Ok from the top and in noticing what you've done I would have a crack at the following.

1. If you are pretty sure it had run all the way out of fuel, have a ganders at the fuel filter or change it to be on the safe side.

2. If it's not too much bother to do, just make doubly sure that the thermostat is the correct rating.

3. I notice you've obviously had to change the coolant due to replacing the water pump and thermostat, but I notice that you've bled it as best you can and it "empties itself", do you just mean back into the system or all over the floor? What i'd be tempted to do is take the coolant hose off at the highest point and refill your cooling system until it reaches the top hose that you've taken off, then put it back on and repeat the bleeding procedure that you had originally done (Run the engine up with heater on), though this time run it and top it up and wait for the cooling fan on the rad to kick in, this will signify that the thermostat has opened and the system cannot take any more coolant. If the top most hose is higher that the top up point, make yourself a header tank to sit in the expansion tank and raise the level of the top up point (pretty sure you won't need to, you do on Peugeots grr!!

4. After you've done this, put the lid back on, run the engine up and see if you get any white smoke, or if the cooling pipes go rock hard, this would tend to suggest the headgasket has gone.

5. If you suspect that you're dizzy is in the wrong place, run the engine, slacken the adjuster, turn the dizzy assembly very slowly one way or another and listen for changes in engine note, if you do, turn in the direction that makes the engine run very slightly faster, when it's at it's fastest stop, this is a good place to start. I'm pretty sure if it has to be set up on VAG com then it physically has to be miles out to run poo.

See how you get on!!

[Phat VR6 3]

Cheers mate theres some things I can try.. Yep the hole coolant system emptys on the floor.. I did feel one of my coolant pipes and it is rock hard... but theres nothink else to indicate headgasket.

Also the coolant system only emptys if left on tick over.. If you rev it abit then the coolant doesn't overflow.

Does anyone know where to get them things you put in the exspansion tank to test for exhaust gases

[Devildub_06 0]

Ok, coolant pipes should never get rock hard, that would tend to suggest that there is excess pressure being created, most likely be combustion pressure entering the cooling system. Which would also be enough to throw the coolant out.

As far as I know, a "sniffer" test can only be performed with proper and 'ucking expensive equipment, so it would be a trip to the garage.

Having said that, there are a few other things you can do. Check your dipstick for mayo, check your plugs to see if they're black or unusually clean, and when you rev the engine see if you are getting quite a few bubbles coming through the coolant.

[Devildub_06 0]

Failing that, fit the VR6 (Which I should have encouraged being's as we're on VR6OC lol!

[Phat VR6 3]

Failing that' date=' fit the VR6 (Which I should have encouraged being's as we're on VR6OC lol!

[/quote']

lol i no i no and im so tempted.. Saving so much money while its off the road tho.. Think im going to keep this for a year and build the **** out of the VR and put it in as a turbo :-d

Ummmm no bubbles come from the coolant. No mayo. no smoke... Oh and good compresson.. If the headgausket was gone (into the coolant) then wouldn't the compression drop off slowly?

[Devildub_06 0]

Well you wouldn't notice that on a compression gauge, it would literally take your highest compression and stay there so you can record it. When a head gasket "goes", the loss of the compression across the headgasket is marginal to the amount or compression that can be produced. A headgasket would have to be properly mullered to notice big drops.

What you could do if you know someone who has the equipment is do a "cylinder leakage" test. Don't know if you know about this at all but in basic speak you take your spark plugs out, put the cylinder you want testing at TDC on the compression stroke, engage 5th gear, handbrake and chock the car. Take your oil cap and coolant cap off too.

Using a hollowed out spark plug welded to an air fitting, screw it into the spark plug hole you want testing, attach a differential gauge and airline (though if you don't have a gauge just an airline will do) to the modded "plug" and turn the air supply on. If you have a differential gauge it will tell you how much you're losing, if you don't, just have a listen for any hissing. If it's out of the oil cap then you either have blowby past the rings, and if you get hissing out the coolant cap you have a break between the cylinder and cooling system via headgasket. Or you may hear a hiss from the exhaust or inlet manifole which will mean a break in the headgasket between 2 cylinders or valve seat wear (but would be a lot less).

Oh go on, just chuck the VR6 in lol!!

[Phat VR6 3]

oi you shhhhhhh... Dont tempt me. Nope tbf ive never hurd of the leakage test your on about. I was more talking about the little strip of paper you up in your coolant and it changes colour if it detects exhaust gases..

Now you mention it i did hear alittle hissing at the inlet mainfold

Oh and after a drive the oil filler cap had the tinyest amount of mayo on it. left it about 20min standing still turned off had a mooch again and it was gone.

Also............... think my car feels better when cold. once upto temp loose power..

As i think what im going to do it give this engine loads of shit and see how long it lasts lol. Eat :-d her the headgaskit proplem will get worse so its blantent and engine gives up then ill put the VR in lol

Cheers for the help anyway ill see how it goes

[Devildub_06 0]

Have you killed it yet?? Go on, the VR6 is waiting (6)

[Phat VR6 3]

ha ha nope ive fixed it lol. The igntion timings was out. now it runs realy well even tho the timing marks are out on the dizzy :S.. Oh well

Right somthink ive notest. Thermostat is the same rating 87 degrees buttttttt..If i drive it around at 3-4000rpm it will stay at 100 degrees even krusing down the motor way in 5th 80mph 100 degrees.

But if im redlining the bollucks out of it around the contry it says at 90 degrees even tho im never going over 70mph. The total oppersite to what you would exspect.

Does that tell you anythink?

[Devildub_06 0]

I'm still concerned about the hard cooling pipe and throwing all it's coolant out. It almost seems in this case that the thermostat is out of play (Due to pressure build up, which then cause bed circulation), and so the faster you go, essentially the more air your radiator sees and thermostat gauge feeds back accordingly.

Is it still mucking about when you fill the coolant up, it really shouldn't be, and headgaskets on these aren't incredibly bad to do.

[Phat VR6 3]

Umm havn't filled it up again.. Ive just left it alone for now .. I checked the coolant hoses again and it wasn't hard like it was the other day. And that was after driving it around for a few hours..

Im guessing that if the exhaust gases are going into the coolant system then that would cause the rise in heat? Then when you boot it pushs all the coolant around cooling it in the rad... Then when i chill out and the exhaust gases fill the system again making the heat rise.. or somthink like that

Don't feget it ain't a VR so head gauket should be easy?

Anyway so were pritty much saying that my head gauket is more than lighty the cause of my problems

[Devildub_06 0]

Pretty much like that yes. As the pressure created in a cooling system is purely created by heating coolant so that it expands in a sealed system, then any introduction of combustion pressure is going to easily force the coolant away from the engine, last point being the rad.

I should think that the coolant pipes aren't hard because it's spat a load out again? (Read as before your last drive of the car).

And yes assuming it's a 1.8 8 valve, from memory is quite a nice one to do (just make sure you're head's flat).

But why go to all that bother when you have.....a VR6 lump lmao!!

[Devildub_06 0]

This wouldn't be the car you're sacrificing your VR fuel pump for would it??? And there was me thinking you must have blown it up by now lol!!!