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kempj1

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Posts posted by kempj1

  1. HELP! Very Weird Electric Prob. Indicators are on permanently and doors keep locking...

    in I.C.E, Security an Electrical

    Posted

    Any ideas? Bust relay? faulty earth? short circuit? something come undone?

    I think it's relay 6 that controls the blinkers, but removing that makes no difference. So it may be a short that's providing power from elsewhere. Dunno.

    Ignition switch? (that was a recurring problem on my old GTi as the fusebox began to rust)

    Probably will have to get VW to look at most mechanics don't enjoy this sort of problem.

    Is this the sort of thing a VAG COM scan can help with?

  3. Rear Caliper Sticking - again

    in Wheels, Brakes, Suspension and Steering

    Posted

    Well done on the mot. Well I took mine for a spin late last night and the caliper had loosened itself off. It was a bit frosty in the night though so maybe this freeze/thaw thing has something to do with it. I will not be using the handbrake for a few months though. 39mpg on my way to work this morning, so I think it's fairly safe to say that nothing is binding.

    I put a road atlas over the handbrake lever :-)

  4. Rear Caliper Sticking - again

    in Wheels, Brakes, Suspension and Steering

    Posted

    Cheers for getting back Shail.

    Well it made it through winter (down to -15 now and again) but it started locking up when spring started. Maybe it is similar though. When the water's frozen it can't leak in but then it leaks in when the warmer weather comes. Maybe takes some dirt with it. Come to think of it, the underside of my car must be covered in $hit.

    I spoke to my mechanic. He reckons he can un lock it and if I don't use the handbrake it'll be fine. Until the mot. At which point is it feasible to only connect one rear brake to the handbrake? Anyone know if that would pass an mot? (I know you don't know about Sweden, but what about the uk?)

  5. Rear Caliper Sticking - again

    in Wheels, Brakes, Suspension and Steering

    Posted

    Morning team,

    My 1997 more or less standard Golf VR6 has the same problem 6 months ago. This OEM caliper is less than a year old and is sticking. It happened in exactly the same way as last time.

    First of all the handbrake seems to develop a bit of play in it - the lever becomes loose for an inch or so before it actually tightens up and applies properly. Even when it applies it feels spongy. The brakes still work fine at this point - no imbalance perceptable at all.

    Then I have to apply the handbrake hard on a hill and pull it on properly. And that's it. Rear caliper locked.

    Do you think I'm just unlucky with my calipers or could there be a problem with the handbrake?

    I know Mk4 calipers are more reliable, etc, bt I can't justify replacing everything on the back if this is avoidable.

    The calipepr should last more than a year right?

    My original lasted more than 10 years. But that's 8 years before I (& car) moved to Sweden. Here the winter is colder and I do a fair bit of handbrake turning on the snowy roads. Is that a problem?

    I feel like I should avoid using the handbrake if at all possible from now on...

    Any advice would be appreciated.

    James

  6. Norway - Tolls & Speeding Tickets

    in General Chat

    Posted

    Thanks

    My licence is UK though, so I hope that there may be some kind of get out. I think I'll have to pay though :-) They sent me photos. I was doing 109 in an 80.

    or 65 in a 50 in mph. bugger!

    One thing I can recommend though is following an HGV. These boys rip it though the twisty roads and know exactly where the cams are. We did this on the way back and it was quite useful. They don't go fast on the straights, but that's alright - good for the fuel consumption :-)

  8. Norway - Tolls & Speeding Tickets

    in General Chat

    Posted

    Hello folks,

    We moved to Sweden a year ago, and are currently back in the UK for a holiday. The VR6 has officially been exported, and is now wearing Swedish plates. Our journey back to the UK, travelling across Norway, has thrown up a couple of questions. Incidentally, I am still using a UK licence.

    I've noticed a few Scandinavians writing on this site, but these questions are definitely open to everyone.

    Do the road toll companies in Norway have international remit? Can they track people down in other countries and fine them? And similarly, Speed Cameras - can the Norwegians nail me for speeding tickets?

    The details..... I don't know if you're familiar with the Toll system in Norway, but they have a number of private firms - and each road seems to have it's own payment system. A couple of the smaller roads we took would not take card payments, and just give us a ticket that can be paid at a local petrol station, which we didn't pass, and now we're out of Norway and can't pay before the deadline. One of the tickets does not even have a contact telephone number, it just says they they have my reg number and will fine us! The only other way to pay is by bank transfer to an IBAN number - which costs a tenner per transaction :-(

    But can I just forget about it all? :-)

  9. Instrument Panel illumination - replace ?

    in I.C.E, Security an Electrical

    Posted

    Thanks for the advice lads. I think I might just go for the VW bulbs. I'm in Sweden and VW dealers are easier to find than LEDs.

    Found a good guide to fitting the dash bulbs on this VR6OC. Lost the link now but here's a bit of the content:

    Clocks are easy to remove as there are no drive cables Remove the ABS/Airbag light unit - prize out with blade

    Push plunger on side of lighting switch to release and expose screw

    Remove trim on left of clocks to expose second screw

    Remove both screws securing binnacle surround

    Drop steering wheel column on adjuster to allow withdrawal of binnacle surround

    Remove both screws securing clocks

    Tilt clocks and remove loom connector on top-left side

    Un-click hinge pins holding lower edge of clocks

    Withdraw clocks

    Un-clip light box on top of clocks

    Remove green light filter film

    Replace with film colour of your choice

    Re-assemble reversing the order of above steps.

  11. Instrument Panel illumination - replace ?

    in I.C.E, Security an Electrical

    Posted

    Hello folks, so for 2 years I have been driving around with the rev counter lit perfectly and the speedo lit dimly - only one of the 2 lights in the dash were working. Last night the remaining lamp blew.

    How are these replaced? Has anyone had a similar problem and put in their own DIY solution?

    Any tips would be well received.

    BTW my VR is now on Sweden and has been running faultlessly other than this. Starts 1st time at -15 ;-)

  12. Sorting out the ride!

    in Wheels, Brakes, Suspension and Steering

    Posted

    Phil, I have a 97 5dr too. I went for koni top adjustables on the front and oem sachs/boge on the back. I thik it's made a good difference, especially when you can stiffen the front end when you feel like it. I'm living in Sweden now and in the winter it's on soft setting most of the time. When I get my summer tyres on though, it'll be set to 1/4 turn from max stiffness. I didn't go for a stiffer rear ARB yet, just sorted the camber settings on the front to make the nose grip more. -1degree40sec makes a big difference.

    BTW I am running original springs because I did not want to loose any ride quality and ground clearance (which has recently become vital, with shit loads of snow around).

    I think you may find powerflex bushes can harm ride quality. I have no experience of this though...

    Good luck!

    James K

  17. oil additives and petrol cleaners??

    in Engine Maintenance and Problems

    Posted

    It's not the octane that helps it's the additives in the fuel itself.

    Optimax has quite a few additives, and some of them help boost the octane level. The combination of higher octane and additives helps the fuel burn a bit cleaner, and may improve efficiancy slightly.

    All petrols have additives which are there to help keep the engine clean and the fuel burning cleanly.

    General advice is to run predominantly on one fuel for a few thousnad miles and then switch to a different brand. The use of one particular fuel will maximise the benefits of the additives in that fuel.

    By switching to a different brand you will switch additives and help to gradually clean out 'varnish' from your previous fuel. The varnish builds up becasue no blend of additives is perfect.

    Don't use oil additive. Oil contains additives anyway. Just get decent oil in the first place. If it's smoking get the engine fixed!

    I once used Redex on an old Fiesta I had and that seemed to help, but that was the full Redex 'plugs out, pour it in the carb' treatment. Not something I would ever consider doing to a nice smooth V6.

    Higher octane fuel is worth the extra £££, simply becasue that's what the manual says you should use. If you put lower octane fuel in it you may see less mpg, but the ECU should have enough brains to retard the timing slightly and avoid any pinking (which could lead to internal overheating & damage)

  18. better pads

    in Wheels, Brakes, Suspension and Steering

    Posted

    Howdee, if you're going to the trouble of replacing pads, you should definitely replace the discs too. It's best to do this becasue the new pad will be nice and flat faced, but the old disc will be slightly grooved and the two will not mate properly. May even lead to imbalance from left to right - there's no way of knowing. If you have new pads AND discs you will have nice even braking from the start.

    If your rears don't need replacing just leave them as is. I have fast road pads on the front and regular pads on the rear. The rear pads never get as hot as the front ones, so it's not so important to have FRP's on there. I got new discs from gsf. They are Brembo OEM type - and combined with the FRP's (Pagid) the car stops noticably better. The brakes have never faded either, and I have got them really boody hot.

    Last thing - if you're concerned that having FRP's on the front and regular pads on the back will affect your brake balance - yes this is probably the case. However I have found it is beneficial to shift the balance slightly forwards. The car is certainly more stable - less tail happy - under very hard braking. I think the brake balance on the VR6 was designed for less grippy tires than those we use today - which under heavy braking really put a load on the front tyres, hence using the extra brakes on the front properly. Mine stops like a goodun.

    All the best, JK

  21. CAMBER & TOE

    in Wheels, Brakes, Suspension and Steering

    Posted

    Front wheel alignment.

    What'll give me a grippy front end without shredding my tyres?

    Anyon't thoughts or experiences with messing about with this / messing this up would be greatly appreciated.

    I was thinking -1.5 degrees Camber, zero toe.

    What would a little toe-in do handling wise? I think it'll even the tyre wear out a bit while running -ve camber.

    I don't want toe out - sure it'll feel more lively, but it's really asking for some regular tyre replacement.

    (m)

  23. Moved to Sweden

    in Wheels, Brakes, Suspension and Steering

    Posted

    I haven't been on this site for a while - glad to see the banter flying as usual!

    Got the car tested, just needed a new tie rod. They test the cars hard here - they have a suspension rig that shakes them about, a braking rig that compares stopping power from one side to the other, front to rear, etc. Got my new registration, and now preparing for the harsh winter.

    Trust me the weather here is *awesome* right now. However, I need a secon set of wheels & studded tyres for the winter.

    I don't care if the rolling radius changes / gearing changes, etc. If I know what will fit then I can snap up a bargain if I spot one.

    It's a late VR6 with 288mm discs on the front. It's not lowered, so truck tyres would fit!

    Would the wheels off a volvo 240 fit, for example? I suppose the radius of the actual wheel needs to be large enough to accomodate the discs. So are we talking 15 inch minimum?

    What does offset mean and what range of offsets are suitable for the VR?

    Any advice would be hugely appreciated.

    James

  24. 10.6 mpg

    in General Chat

    Posted

    Spindat-Dub - don't worry about it hitting 110 on the motorway. If you are concerned about the temp while cruising (or flooting it) at very high speeds then a good bet for you is a low-temp thermostat.

    I have one of these (Neuspeed 160degF) and now the temp never hits 110, even when cruising at a consistant 130mph+

    At about 100mph the temp never goes above 100degC.

    The only reason that mine got so hot so quickly is becasue I was driving it very hard up a twisty fellside pass mainly using 2nd & 3rd gears. This is where an oil cooler would come in very handy I reckon. And on the 'ring too.

    Earwig-Vr6 - yes I was redlining it and hit the limiter several times on this 5 mile, 1300ft ascent. I'm not usually so harsh, but sometimes I need to see what it's really capable of ;)

    As far as I can tell, it'll go bl'dy quick, and it can do it reliably. Just what the doctor ordered.

  25. 10.6 mpg

    in General Chat

    Posted

    Glad to hear the 'ringers' had fun in Germany over Easter - I was up in Cumbria.

    It's the first time I've had a chance to rag my VR6 properly up the Hartside pass in warm dry conditions. Now I understand why VR6 people bang on about aftermarket oil coolers.

    I've been up there in winter and in the wet, and the oil temperature hasn't risen to 110 degrees on those runs. Cruising between 120-130mph the oil temp is about 106. But 5 miles of mainly 2nd and 3rd gear red line cainage (I averaged 10.6 mpg!) and the oil temp went from 96 at the start to 118 at the top.

    Not that I'm worried about the oil getting this hot, but I know that if this car goes to the 'ring the oil temp could get fairly serious. Hopefully the higher average speed will mean that there's sufficiently more air rushing through the engine to keep it cool.

    Went down it a couple of times too - and I have to say that pagid fast road pads are awesome. They don't seem to fade - and I was actually trying to get them to. You can get them seriously hot and smelly, but they keep braking firmly. I didn't find the limit - which is very good, I suppose, even though I like to know where the limit is...

    Bikes are slow on corners, but great at blasting up hills ;)

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