The suspension has arrived! Most of the fittings have also arrived! Note the 11 circular indents in the rear shock mounts. I believe this indicates OEM Heavy Duty? All of the aftermarket ones I have looked at have oblong slots. I believe this means OEM Std. Duty?
Anni's hold their price better that most mk4 golfs and still command a good price just getting something that will hopefully last as long as the rest of the car looks a good bit of kit
Justin. Take no notice to Mike it's very valid pay-back for my remarks about his cars! It's a keeper Mike. The owner, and bread-winner, deserves the very best! When the clutch gets changed it will be a SACHS SRE unit with single mass flywheel and SRE release mechanism. The suspension is fully adjustable for bump and rebound via the red knobs on the bottom of each unit. 20 clicks!
Improved working conditions! Well, that's one tonne of gravel down! Another couple of tonnes tomorrow! The yards all around the barn used to be cobbled, as did all of the lower floors. Some idiot bought the place about 30 years ago and dug up 99% of the cobbles to sell on. This is all than is left. A runnel flows water down to the square hole in the wall.
had a fiddly with my climate panel, looks like if its turned OFF pressing the demist button wont turn on the demisters, just bring the unit back to life. so you got to press it a 2nd time to get the demisters active, then go back to auto/econ mode when you're finished
Well me luverley sSon you must have a problem with yours! This morning I went out early to collect the last few parts from the dealers to fit Lainey's coil-overs. I got there only to find that an idiot at VW Germany had sent two different bolts for the suspension, none in the UK or Eire, so I can't fit them. One was correct - M12X75X48 the other was M12X60! Now I set off at 2 deg C and within 20 metres down the road the windscreen was misting so I hit the de-mist button, I actually found it without looking, and the system came on with de-mist in AUTO and fan speed at 3 or 4 I am not sure which. Mind you I had to look down to warm up my feet! Why is there not an off switch. I think it is crap to have to repeatedly press the fan speed down button to switch the system off. More time not in full control of the car!
I'll have to have another look there were a few different variations of the climate panels, it may be down to that? the other thing is I wasn't moving at the time so this could affect how the system reacts... I never switch mine off so I've not had the opportunity to see what it does. might be worth trying a 'press and hold' of the fan down button see if it switches off quicker?
Idiot previous owner - again Ta so sSons. As you can see I have greatly improved my working environment. The sun was shining so I thought I'd fit the ball joint retainer and new bolts. Do the job proper like. 20Nm + 90 deg part turn! Missing bolt. Top mount 25Nm by Lainey with me holding the shocker tube in my hands. When I went to put the wheels bolts back I found one uber tight before I screwed it very far. So took them out again and tested that thread. Only one of the 5 bolts would screw in by hand, the others jammed after a couple of turns. This bolt screws into the other 4 holes uber easy and wiggles about. Turns out the thread on the odd bolt was slightly smaller. Probably had a die up and down a few times with the die tightened every now and again. So when the idiot clobbered that front wheel besides damaging the wheel, wishbone, liners and ball joint, he somehow damaged that one thread? HOW? Now, the odd bolt has white paint inside the head and there is a white paint mark on the hub. Obviously so you put the odd bolt back in the odd hole. That's the third time I have had that wheel off and by pure chance I put the odd bolt back in the correct place. What are the odds on that? 5 to 1 X 2 = 10 to 1? So next year when the weather is reasonable it will have to be a new hub and wheel bearing! At least I don't have to worry about the broken disc retaining screw any more. So I really need to get the data for the distance between front top mounts, and check if the chassis has been compromised. I'll do that when the new shocks are fitted as the old one might be bent, so not sit properly!
Lainey collected the missing parts today. I found out on Wednesday that the parts manager, at the dealers, had not ordered the front strut bearing nut nor the rear spring top mounts. I instructed him to get them on the 18th by e-mail. Nuts easy = 354 in the UK. Top Mounts not so easy = Back order to Germany. So I had a few words and said they must be ordered VOR for delivery today. Flipping heck it worked. So. After modifying the rear spring seat retainer bolt (separate thread) I was ready to go. I started at 15.00 hrs on the right rear. I did not use the VW Workshop Manual method, using just one trolley jack, but my own method using two trolley jacks. One to lift the car. One under the spring seat to compress the spring. Pretty straight forward except for removing the rearmost shock top mount bolt. The edge of the head sits behind the arch liner, so getting the socket on straight is difficult. Because they are washered bolts there is not much land on the nut flanks to get a good grip. Even a fairly new Britool Bi-Hex socket was forced off by the plastic. Luckily I have Single Hex as well and this worked. The real problem was cleaning the spring seat using a hand wire brush, it took quite a lot of effort to get it de-rusted enough. I'll start re-building tomorrow.
So the suspension has been on for a few weeks now and it is so much better. It is at maximum height for now as I can't get the ride height data. Back end is definitely too high. The dealer can't help, so I have contacted VW Customer Services in the UK. Now, with the new ball joint fitted it pulls to the left a little. I was hoping to get the ride height sorted before I took it in for wheel and head-light alignments. But had to get the job done soonest as we are driving to the UK next week and don't fancy a thousand miles or so constantly correcting. So I took it in on Thursday! AND: The dealer could not do the job as the track-rod adjuster is seized! F'ING UNBELIEVABLE! Today's job then! Except I feel really rough after all of last night's 6 pack of Leffe beer, and steak, chips, onion-rings and grilled tomatoes! Lainey was at a work's do so I had a massive blow-out! I have been drinking 'Pepto-Bismol' since 06.00 hrs and I still have massive re-flux! Can't imagine what it will be like prone under the car!?
Didn't manage to get outside yesterday! Buy, today, it took me literally just a few minutes to free off the track-rod end!
Pulling High 'G' - It needs a baffled sump! I read a US 'Road and Track' test of the 25J (337) where they recon. that the standard car, on crappy Pilots, pulled 0.89 G. They did not mention that the oil pressure warning alarm instructed them to stop the car!? I don't know how much 'G' I was pulling, on Dunlop Maxx RT AOs + SACHS SRE coilovers, when the warning lights and buzzers when MAD!?!? Definitely needs a baffled sump!
you must be made of better stuff than the yankie test pilots lol aye they could do with a baffled sump even the r32 don't have one till the mk5 sure you could make one and get it welded in
Got he sump baffle templates from sambo but I have not done anything with them yet as I don't drive the car much. I found a problem with the rear callipers which I have fixed. One calliper was sticking really badly and on investigation it was almost impossible to move the piston back into the housing. When I changed the discs and pads it was a bit stiff but this time it was almost solid! These are aluminium callipers, the first I have ever had to work on. The dust cover was split (must have been split when we bought it) and water had entered. The water had caused corrosion in the piston seal groove. Aluminium oxide expands so the seal had been forced outwards and caused the seizure. Took me literally an hour to gently clean out the groove. The gear change was very stiff and this turned out to be the relay lever being tight. See this thread: http://www.clubgti.com/showthread.php?283719-Advice-Please-Mk4-25J-6-Speed-Sorted-Stiff-Gear-Change
DISASTER - Oil Starvation Destroys - Head, Turbo, etc. Hi folks. Long time no posts! Not done a lot due to various things, except destroy the top end of Elaine's Mk4 25J! What I thought was loss of pressure due to surge turned out to be due to blockage in the oil-ways. So the dealers say!? Not got around to cleaning out everything yet. I never sorted a baffled sump, so never dropped the original sump to check the pump or filter. I brought the car home from the dealers after they had done their checks and I am now working on it. Stripped it down and it appears the bottom end is OK!? So. New: Turbo, VVT Adjuster, Chain, etc., etc., etc.. Found a used head on ebay which I'll rebuild. Thank goodness the weather is good!
Exhaust Manifold Cracked The exhaust manifold is cracked. Had a look for a 2nd hand one only to find that on ebay people are actually selling cracked manifolds. Lots of them!? It appears that this is a common fault! Found a USA company selling fabricated stainless tubular manifolds. Anyone had any experience of them!
this is quite common mostly down long life services thought not always I'd have a look see how much damage it's done to the head and turbo though the turbo has probably had it if run for a while with lowish oil pressure I'd say you will easy fix it without too much cost Justin
