Cars been sat for ages so I WD40'd the plugs/leads but its only firing on 5 cylinders. Idle seems fine, maybe a bit lumpy. Whats the first thing to do? Take the plugs out to see which one isn't firing? Will it be the cleanest? Anything else to do? I have no diagnostic port (yet).
I'm assuming its on 5 at idle and not only when you start driving? I would actually start with pulling plugs (carefully) off of the coil pack. When the engine doesn't run worse, you have found the cylinder you have the issue with. Then its an easy way to diagnose if it is a lead thats gone down - change leads round, adn see if teh misfiring moves to a different cylinder. If it persists on the same cylinder, examine plug/move the plugs around. Again, see if the misfire moves or stays on the same cylinder.
OK, I just took the plugs out and No.5 (back right) looked a little wetter than the others. No. 4 (front centre) is cracked on the ceramic bit. No.6 (front right) was the only one to have a P after the part number, all are NGK R. The plug lead for No.6 (front right) was not pushed into the 'head' of the lead, after a bit of tinkering it seemed like the lead screws down onto the 'head'. I screwed them all down and fired the car up and it revs freely and constantly whilst not moving. Unfortunately lack of MOT means I cant go for a drive in it till I do the back brakes and re test. Am I right about the plug leads screwing together or have I just made myself look like a tit by suggesting it? Here we are:
Yep, its definately broken. I pulled the head off an old lead and mines missing a few clamps from inside. New leads needed. Who's a good supplier?
I replaceed the plugs and leads and still its not firing on all cylinders. I'm goinf to borrow the coilpack of petevr6's vento and see if that cures it.
It actually is firing on all cylinders now, I taxed it so gave it a road test. Its a bit sluggish though, any ideas?
http://www.vwspares.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=646 lead set from avs, made by beru. not sure if thats a good price or not.
I just went out and it does fly when I get my foot down. Your right about the diagnostic port, I'm desperate for one so I can get it vag commed. The gearbox seems a little noisy and the stick itself is a little stiff. Can I lube the cables?
yes the cables can be lubed, undo cables off box and hold vertical- wd40 does work as a quick fix but ATF or lithium grease is my prefered choice
What about the oil in the box? Can I check the level? It sounds a bit like a noisy wheel bearing but i think its the box.
It has two plugs; one for draining and one for level. Remove the drain plug (the lower of the two. Nearest the baxk of the box). Remove the speedo drive. Not the official filling point, but a million times easier, and it`ll help the box drain quicker. Once it`s empty, replace the drain plug, remove the level plug, and start filling. When the oil flows out of the level plug hole, stick the plug back in, and put in another quarter of a litre or so. Replace speedo drive, and as Gordon Ramsay would say; One gearbox oil change...done...
Yes it has its own sump plug, drop the lot and fill it so it comes out the filling hole on the front of the box
I've done a few miles today and the car is flat as a fart. Its smooth and sounds great but just doesn't GO as it should. I'm going to go and get a diagnostic port and try and wire it in over the weekend.
You disconnected the battery at all? I found mine ran like a Dog when i picked it up, but cleaning the MAF with electrical cleaner and letting the ECU reset seems to have helped.
