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wardycatt

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Everything posted by wardycatt

  1. wardycatt
    ok, cheers for that. I think I need to whip the starter out, put some power through it and see what happens. I'm ordering an ignition switch as well, just in case. Luckily I stay on a hill, so as long as no-one parks in front of me, I can get going. I should have a disabled sign painted outside my house... for the car. :-)
  2. wardycatt
    The official testing tool at one garage near me was a crowbar. The guy could have put a hole through armour plating the way he attacked it. Needless to say, I've not been back there. I was surprised at just how bad (and common) this issue is on the Golf Mk3. I've had many cars of the same 'vintage' and the Golf has rotted worse than anything... including my old Rover, which shows how disgraceful the situation is (it was made out of tin foil). I can handle panels getting rusty, but my Golf was the worst structural welding I've required. I was horrified at how bad it was for the age of the ca
  3. wardycatt
    I'll take a calendar for sure. But I'm too ashamed of my little rot box to send a picture. I wouldn't want to lower the tone of your quality publication.
  4. wardycatt
    Cheers for the feedback. I'll start with the ignition switch and hope that it's nothing more expensive. However, knowing my luck...
  5. wardycatt
    My car needs a bump-start to get it going. When you turn the key in the ignition, all it does is make a single 'click' - there's no attempt by the engine to turn over. It bump starts first time, and it's absolutely fine once the engine's going. It doesn't appear to be the battery draining away - I've got power at the pre-ignition stage (alarm / lights etc). I replaced the battery about 6 weeks ago, so it's unlikely to be a battery fault. There's not been any battery warning light, so I assume the alternator is OK. The leads were replaced <6 months ago and the coil pack was changed last w
  6. wardycatt
    Yeah, it happens elsewhere too. It's just a pain. I wasn't meaning to sound critical of the site or anything - I'm on here all the time and there's a reason why I keep coming back. And, like I said, when you're dealing with the right people it's a good source of parts. But I've not got that much time to spend on my car so I hate when it's being wasted, trying to sort out deals that are never going to happen.
  7. wardycatt
    I believe that 268s are popular (and that Schimmel is a quality brand mentioned quite a lot on here), but that people recommend 263/4s for cars that use forced induction. It depends on the results you are looking for, in terms of increased mid range punch. I suppose it depends on your definition of mid-range etc. I personally don't have ANY experience regarding cams, I'm just chucking in my opinion because no-one else has got back to you. There appeared to be a decent set of 268s in the 'market place' section of the forum last week (hollowed out, making them lightweight and therefore better f
  8. wardycatt
    This is just a general rant about the number of people on here who waste your time. I was under the impression that this was a 'club', and therefore that people would generally relate to each other and be helpful to their fellow VR6ers. I have to say that this hasn't been my experience over the past 12 months or so. People post parts for sale, I reply to their message on the forum... then nothing. So I tried PM'ing people instead... nothing. So I tried contacting the mobile numbers on listings.... ignored. Texts, phone calls, you name it - no reply. Alternatively I'm offered some BS abou
  9. wardycatt
    d'oh!
  10. wardycatt
    I had a 'drag race' against an R-type ('05, old shape) in my VR6 (191bhp) the other week, and was surprised that the VR held its own right up to about the 110-120 mark, before the R-type started pulling away. However, whilst I'm willing to at least annoy (the oh so very many) R Type owners out there, every time I've came up against an ST or an Astra VXR, I get thoroughly humped. That's why I feel the need for forced induction. It's a game changer - suddenly you're 300cc and 1 cylinder up on a standard ST. And a good deal lighter - I don't know where the 1100kg+ figure came from earlier - I
  11. wardycatt
    Can I ask why, considering the £££ per bhp, you want to stay N/A? Cams, chip, head work, pistons etc. etc. etc. are all good in themselves, but in total you're going to get 220bhp max. That's a lot of work and a lot of money for not a lot more power, all things considered. A slum-dog turbo conversion might set you back as little as £1000-1500, and offers far greater performance gains, with the option of further power gains which can be done incrementally as your budget / time allows. Once you start talking about pistons etc. you may as well whack a massive turbo in and aim for 500bhp+. (
  12. wardycatt
    If your car is entirely standard, I'd suggest getting a decent exhaust (e.g. Milltek or similar), an air intake and a re-map. You should be able to get it from 174bhp up to about 190bhp with that. This yields an 8% power increase for about £400-£500, or approx. £33 per horse :-) You can keep the air intake and exhaust after your rebuild / new engine, so they won't go to waste, and are an investment for the long-term. They're also sellable, should the need arise. However, this depends on what you mean by cheap and simple. You could get the bits second-hand quite cheaply, but will need someon
  13. wardycatt
    Ok cheers for the info.
  14. wardycatt
    As I was parking my car last night, both the ABS light and the Brake warning (handbrake) light came on at the same time. Nothing happened to cause this. There were no noises, squeaks etc. Nothing. I tried taking the car for a wee spin and there was nothing obviously wrong (apart from the warning lights). I then checked my brake fluid and pads etc - again, nothing is obviously wrong. I left the car overnight, and when I got up this morning the lights were out. I've been out a few times today and the lights have stayed off. Has anyone had a similar issue, and does anyone have some random sugge
  15. wardycatt
    The folk that make Gun Gum have a kit which features a flexible metal joining sleeve and sealing compound. Would one (or more than one) of these kits not do the trick? Or are they too small / puny for the task at hand? 260623403922 - ebay
  16. wardycatt
    This might be a good time to mention the excellent VR6 engine manual from Peter Russek. I think it costs about £10-12 and it's a worthwhile companion if you're setting about your engine. It's got all the torque settings for things like this. I ordered direct form the site and it arrived after 3 days. It's the single most useful thing I've bought for my VR6. ...and no, I don't work for them!
  17. wardycatt
    Could it be the coil pack? On my car, you could see the spark jumping from the coil pack casing to one of the bolts used to mount it. It was only by chance that I was under the bonnet at night, which meant I could see the spark. That would give you a fair old shock, and it's a fairly common issue I believe.
  18. wardycatt
    The coil pack is a bit of a liability (IMO) - I've read a few threads on here where people have had problems. On mine, you could see the electricity arcing / sparking to one of the bolts used to mount the coil pack. Never a good sign. You can repair this yourself quite easily. I used some 2-part epoxy glue (<£5 from any B&Q / Halfrauds / eBay etc.). Take the coil pack apart and liberally apply epoxy around any gaps. Basically pour it in there, as much as you can get in - totally seal it up. Then, I used tape (like electrician's tape, only made of rubber) on any external gaps in the c
  19. wardycatt
    The infamous belt tensioner! 220959954947 on eBay today. There's a good sticky thread on the maintenace forum regarding replacement. It's simple. :-)
  20. wardycatt
    I had to buy one off eBay about 2 months ago. Here's the number of the part on eBay now (16/05/12). It arrived within 2 days and has been fine since. 220959954947 I'd recommend that company for various auxilliary parts - they're generally quick and they know the differences between parts / years / models etc. (p.s. I'm not affiliated with them!) p.s. There's a good (sticky) thread on the maintenance forum dealing with tensioner pulley replacement.
  21. wardycatt
    I've found that VTEC engines drink more oil than your average motor. 1l for 3,000 miles sounds about right for the VR6, but I wouldn't be surprised if that was 1l for 1,000 miles on a Honda (of a similar age). Depends how often you engage your VTEC I suppose.
  22. wardycatt
    I think the plain old VR6 does well for what it is. 32.5mpg (on the motroway) from a 15 y.o. car with a 2.8l engine isn't bad at all. It's never going to beat an Aygo in terms of MPG, but has the Toyota not only got 3 cylinders and a 1.0l engine or something like that? The VR6 is 426% more fun (approximately) :-D
  23. wardycatt
    Thanks guys. I'll try and get a picture tonight if I get a chance. Calico - that's exactly what I've done at the moment, two lives going to the red and yellow, and the black going back to the negative on the battery. I also tried the negative going to ground through the chassis. Looks like the (two) stereos are busted. I did remove one of the stereos just after I crashed my old car. Check all limbs are attached, check for bleeding, check for broken bones, kick your way out of the mangled wreckage and then pull your stereo through the window with you! Like Indiana Jones' hat. :-) Then i went
  24. wardycatt
    At least it was an easy fix. Those mods should be banned!
  25. wardycatt
    If it is the coil pack, it's very easy to fix yourself. You need an allen key to remove the coil pack, a torx screwdriver to open the coil pack and some glue (epoxy is recommended, but superglue works fine). Then put loads of glue around the three coils. It could be fixed as quick as 30 mins (depends on the glue used), and costs about a quid. Alternatively, new ones are about £30 on eBay. You can actually buy them pre-modified with the glue fix so they should last longer than the car. Checking the coil when it's dark makes spotting arcing very easy. From what I've read on here, the coil fail
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