snapper

I am a experienced kit car builder but know my limits. Gearboxes I want to try some of the easier cheaper fixes before either replacing with a scrapyard box, converting to manual or scrapping it. The engine is still sweet, it's got the whistles and bells and has the torque to pull a track car, trailer and 1/2 a car load of spares. I could with some ideas to try, the more the better, I will then have a go starting with the cheaper ones. Any pointers much appreciated

Thank you for your most unhelpful post.

I had retired my 1997 V6 auto after another auto box failure a year ago, but today i thought i might try topping up the oil. First off the whole filler tube came out and i lost about a litre and a half, then the level tube would not come out and i rounded the allen socket. So not to be defeated i just topped it up until it over flowed out of the filler. I know it is now too full but it did present some interesting side effects. First, originally when the car first lost drive it was towed home and pushed on the drive, it literally had no forward or reverse drive, it just revved in any gear, no drive. Now it has some forward drive, if held on the brake it will pull as if trying to move against the brake. If in neutral it will pull forward. If in reverse it will lock up the torque converter so the engine will not rev past about 2500 but has no reverse motion, it won't roll forward as it previously did. I know a further step is to fill the box correctly but this will require me towing it to a barn i share with some fellow kit car builders to access the complete range of tools and ramps for the job. Any ideas to the problem seems to simple to just be an oil level problem. What else could i check at home

Thanks. I did see that post but thought it was for a 2.3? If thats how you do it on a V6 VWOP Ta. Will get on to it soon. I know i am pushing my luck..... but what fluid do i need to look for? and what amount is needed to fill the box? As always any info much appreciated

Well, I have a problem. The old girl (1995) has lost oil in the V6 VWOP auto box, looks like it has blown the gearbox sump oil seal. But its a sealed for life unit. Replaced the box at huge expense a few years ago and have managed to keep it going for a 140,000 miles until now. Its so usefull I don't want to loose it but can't throw big money at it. I need to know how much oil it needs, what oil it requires and how do i fill it. Last bit of info, how do i know if it is full? The only info i have found is that you can fill it once you have removed the speed sensor through the hole.

All shocks have oil, the difference is air over oil or inert gas over oil, it helps to disipate heat and does not expand as much as air helping the shock to perform better in spirited driving situations. Unless you change all the rubber bushes and probably the springs all you will do is make the ride a bit harder. Springs and anti roll bars are what reduces the roll in corners, shocks keep the tyres on the road. Unfortunately there is no cheap way to sport up a car. 130K, a good set of standard shocks and use the saved cash on bushes would probably make a bigger difference than just gas shocks

The drive shaft UJ's are suspect on Galaxy's, listen for a Clunk when throtle on or off. Try windows open steady speed then on off the gas. I found you could pipoint left or right and almost inside or outside UJ.

If you are towing it's torque you want, it will make a big difference on how the car and van feel. No easy way to tune an engine without changing things like cams and head then you would probably move the power higher up the rev range, no good for towing. Your only real options unless changing to a bigger engined car or a turbo diesel is to get the engine into the best condition you can, plugs leads etc, then a free flow inlet filter with cold air feed and a chip upgrade but specify more torque. Weight is your enemy but if you tow a van and have 4 or more peopl then you have probably and extra 1000Kg to haul. 54 BHP per ton a Corsa has twice that

UPDATE Got the car diagnosed by a friendly VW engineer and found communication fault ABS to diag computer so looked at the fuse box, 3 fusses 2 x 30 amp 1 x 10 amp. 10 amp blown so replaced, lights go out but blows again in 10 mile replace again this time with 15 amp fuse no problem since. Conclude that after valet car has water in the connectors. will replace higher rated fuse with 10 amp and monitor. Abs problem still with intermittent fault but this is rear right sensor, or sensor ring, or broken wire/connector, another job for another weekend.

The V6 is very front heavy and if you are an enthusiastic driver you will eat the outside edge on front and back. One tyre place recomended keeping the front tyres pumped up to the higher fully loaded presures and even as much as 44psi. I have reduced the excessive wear but eliminated it completely

Check the wiring and connector plugs first and dont forget the 3 fuses in the fuse box.

If it is the balance shaft then engine out and much the same cost as a camshaft but i have never heard of one breaking. It could be oil pressure to the hydraulic followers, that would make the top end tick like hell. One trick to try and isolate the area where the racket is coming from is to use a very long screwdriver place the tip at various points on the engine and your ear on the handle then touch the screwdriver to the sump, engine, front, back, both sides, bottom,middle top and then the cam cover, you can usually hear/feel where the noise is coming from and therfore get a better idea of what it may be. Mechanical things are easier to fix than the smoke and mirrors of the electrics like the ABS/brake warning light problem i am trying to solve. I am thinking of chuking out the V6 and putting the Pinto from my Super 7 in, clockwork, easy. :ph34r:

Discs and pads on all 4 wheels OK. Master cylinder levels checked OK Checked handbrake switch and wiring, all OK Master cylinder fluid level float switch tested, float switch action correct, continuity correct. Not sure about connection to master cylinder plug seems to show earthed on both wires. Not sure where to look next. Brake level warning light On, ABS light On.

Cars been on the drive since, no intention of driving a car with potentialy no brakes. Today i start to check and stripdown if necessary.

Right then, next weekend 1. Check fluid levels 2.check pads. May be time for a set of discs and pads allround, any tips on where to get them at more reasonable prices?

Jumped in the car 1/2 an hour ago to find both handbrake warning light and ABS light on. Is this simple fluid and or pads or have i got something serious going on? Brakes feel OK but i only went round the block and returned straight home.

I had the overheating problem on my V6 and went completely the wrong way about sorting it. I did the pump first and as said its not a problem on the V6 with a metal impelor however it was a bit notchy compaired to the new one. Replaced the complete thermostat housing but the original was fine, it was a bitch of a job. Boiled old thermostat and discovered it had failed closed, replaced it and the engine has run cooler that when i bought it. The joggle pins in the thermostat can get stuck. So replace the thermostat first I also replaced the auxilary drive belt and the belt tentioner dipso my car was just the same, it also ran quite hot oil temp 112 to 118 and water always to the M of normal, after all the changes, and i think the belt tentioner was part of the problem, the water temp is mostly on O or R and oil temp is a good 10 degs lower.

First check cable adjustment or fluid resovoir, i dont know which system you have but start with the easy bits first. If you have a hydraulic system its worth bleeding the system. How many miles have you done? could it be the clutch? some times when the clutch is worn engaging 1st is a struggle as the drive plate is not always fully released however you normaly get some slip if pushing hard in high gear from lower revs. If you can engage 2nd from standing with no problem and pull away with little slip once fully engaged and you have tried the other solutions then it may well be synchro on first. But trust me try the cheap easy stuff first before going for a full gearbox replacement as you will need to change the clutch and cable at the same time.

I found a rotted vacuum hose and ended up replacing the lot with some silicone hose that i had, and lots of cable ties and very small clips.

Give or take a few mm of rolling radius but 1955/65/15 and 205/60/15 are the same rolling radius and 215/60/15 and 215/55/16 are the same rolling radius so i suspect that the speedo drives have different configurations

For future reference ET is offset, normally an ET with a P after means the hub mounting face is inside of the wheel centre ie the wheel will stick out more, the Galaxy's ET of on mine 49 means more of the wheel pushes in to the arch. The Wheel and tyre bible page 2 if you scroll down it also has a very useful calculator so you can get your ET/Offset correct. As a rule of thumb if you increase the width of your wheel by say 10mm and the offset is the same then 5mm will go out and 5mm in, if you also change the offset then you can move all 10mm in or out depending on the new offset. Ultimately if you go to wide yopu will hit both the wing edge and the inner arch but with a bit of jiggery pokery you should be able to go wide with little problems.. Apart from when you scrub the tyres on the inner wing on full lock, then you need to put stops on the rack.

Gregers, i ran 205's for 6 moths as i got them for nowt, yes you have to be aware that you have 10mm less and they should still be reinforced and have the correct load rating but if you are aware then you take the risk. I have now replace them with the correct 215's this time part worn, but in reality they are as new with pressing marks and proper yellow test stamp on, again at 35 per tyre as opposed to over the 100 new, i will take my chance but be aware.

Since my expensive and protracted replacement of the thermostat which included the MAF, water pump and complete thermostat housing, i now have a much better running V6 MK 1, however the gauge reads low and i get the feeling that it never read high as even when the oil temp read 127 once the water temp gauge did not reach the red. It now sits only just in the normal box and only gets to the N of normal when the oil temp gets well in to the 100 degs. This i know is not a bad thing and since the replacement of the thermostat the oil temp is a good 10 degs lower all the time but i like to know what is happening in an engine and always have the computer on oil temp with an eye on the water temp as well. Could this be a simple water temp sender, if so what does it look like and where is it? If not how do i reset the ECU to move the needle more to the middle. I know from a Ford engineer that the gauges are designed to sit roughly in the middle for a large range of temps within the acceptable range so as not to alarm the owners with gauge movement, not what i would like on the kit car, i like to see 20 degs of heat dissapated before the next fast lap

I am thread stealing, i also had problems and replaced the hose with new while i did a new water pump and thermostat, by then i had removed just about all of the front left and right of the car. So new pipe on but no C/C, any other connections to the under wing modual i can try?

I know i am adding to an already resurected thread from Aug 07 but if in any doubt take off a wheel and measure the disc, diameter and thickness should do it, then when the motorfactor says " theres 3 mate 300mm 288mm and 265mm" or " there all 288mm but 2 thickneses" you will know which one you want.