sepulchrave

It should be easy enough to find from under the car if you follow the cable from the lambda probe. Get a new one but don't bother with the cheap universal probes, yours is probably a 4-wire type with heating element. It shouldn't be difficult to remove if you have a crowsfoot spanner the correct size (22mm?). The new one should come with thread sealant already on it, don't be tempted to use anything else, the fumes can kill a new probe.

That's because you spoke to the 'service manager' who is simply a clerk who relies on the technicians completed jobsheet to tell him what's going on. That 'service manager' would be completely incapable of servicing your car, but you can bet your life that the technician who did would have used the correct grade of oil.

I saw a PD150 cylinder head today which had been running on non PD approved engine oil. It's wrecked a cam lobe, smashed a follower and scuffed all the other lobes, followers and the rollers on the PD rockers. The mechanic who brought it in to us said he confronted the client about it, asking who had serviced it since every stamp in the book was at a main dealer. The client eventually admitted that in fact he had done the last oil change himself only a short time before and couldn't remember which oil he used! Here endeth the lesson. Learn from someone elses stupid mistake, VW quoted him

Yes, your injectors are dirty or clogged due to lack of use and/or your petrol is stale (happens quicker in summer). Whip off your injectors and get them ultrasonically cleaned, drain the stale petrol from the system, do a fuel filter change, and put nice fresh good quality petrol in.

jtox, I hate to point this out, but you have posted TWICE in VR6 threads. Yours is a totally unrelated Ford 2.3 litre four cylinder engine which usually has problems with fuel pump relays etc. These threads are specific to the Volkswagen 2.8 litre six cylinder engine, and its problems are NOT common to yours! Start a new thread and post the exact nature of your problem, you'll then be deluged with help from experienced 2.3 owners.

Flat spot on a back tyre?

Yes, they have done the job really badly and ripped you off. A brand new completely reconditioned cylinder head including a new cam for your car is

There's your answer then, although I'm afraid the oil fairy didn't drink it so that means you still have a leak which you haven't found. I don't care what they say about ATF, it won't quieten a wearing/high mileage manual gearbox nor will it provide the same level of protection. Your gearbox was effectively empty, and is now almost certainly very worn. If the input shaft oil seal has gone then so has the bearing behind it.

Sorry Mike, you seem remarkably lifelike for a parts guy. Typical conversation with a Fraud main dealer parts automaton: <METALLIC EXPRESSIONLESS VOICE> "Name, Reg. and Chassis Number" </METALLIC EXPRESSIONLESS VOICE> <ME> "...but they're all the bloody same until 2001" </ME> <METALLIC EXPRESSIONLESS VOICE> "I'm sorry sir, do you have a part number" </METALLIC EXPRESSIONLESS VOICE> <ME> "Yes, it's a VW part number though, but it's exactly the same car and the same part" </ME> <METALLIC EXPRESSIONLESS VOICE> "VW do not make Fords sir, it must be an import" </METALLIC EXPRESSIONLESS VOICE> <ME> "AAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH" </ME> *Click, Brrrrrrrrrrrr You'll find a lot of experiences like that on this forum about this car! Don't get me started about service management droids and their technical utility drones.

So that's all I have to ask for at the stealers, and the parts chap'll know immediately what I want? Any chance you can put the part number from the invoice please, just to be certain, you know what parts guys are like :)

There has been a spate of problems with the dual mass flywheel which can cause this.

Dude, there are two things I know which you don't: One is what I'm talking about, and the other is my age. Some of the other things I know are: My Shazza is faster than yours because I drive a big valve VR6 whereas you drive a diesel. How to make engines more powerful because it's what I do for a living. Why you work in the body shop and how you got that job. Finally, I know that I don't know everything but you really should know by now that you don't know anything. Now, because I'm a generous guy who doesn't charge for his expertise go and ask your Dad for a Long Stand for your car, it'll improve your fuel economy dramatically!

Shameless Necromancy! Cotton filters are pants (in fact cotton pants are filters too :blink: ). Just take the airbox lid off and chuck handfuls of fine grit into your engine while it's running for the same effect with no uneccesary expenditure. A good remap works by bypassing all those pesky emissions requirements the manufacturers have to meet and matching fuelling to the engines actual needs, thereby improving torque throughout, on electronically controlled turbos you can alter the boost levels at different engine speeds too and often increase full boost slightly. A good remap is time consuming to do and involves lots of expensive equipment and a highly skilled operator (these are rare). Wayne at Chipwizards in Rochdale is fantastic at it. Therefore you can theoretically save fuel by using less throttle for a given engine load, in practice of course you end up spanking it more often because it's faster and more fun to drive and because you're a muppet anyway. :angry2:

I used synthetic multigrade manual gearbox oil I got from GSF, can't remember what it was. As long as it's a synthetic and not ATF it'll be fine. While you're under there check the mountings are ok and look for telltale signs of gearbox oil leakage from the bellhousing and diff seals.

Perhaps you should start there then!

You don't need a manual, you need this forum! Since there are no tappets to adjust, cambelts to change or anything vaguely significant to worry about on the VR6 engine at all, then you can treat it like a large mysterious black box! Any problems you may have will be adequately covered in these hallowed pages and will be cooling/electrical related. All you have to do is change the oil and filter regularly, air and pollen filter every now and then, coolant, brake fluid, plugs and fuel filter when you feel like it and anything else when it needs maintenance/replacing. You can't stop the CV joints dying, the thermostat housing splitting, the HT leads failing, the coil pack expiring, the brake discs warping, and all the other faults this vehicle has inbuilt for 'character'. The car will fall apart long before the engine does.

Not on a VR6, the MAF doesn't make any detectable difference to the way the engine behaves, it only affects economy/emissions.

It sounds like the turbo is spinning down and you may have an air leak somewhere which is amplifying the noise. Check all the hose connections.

It will of course bolt to the engine and mounts ok and the selector mechanism should fit, but what about your driveline. Are you converting the vehicle to 2wd?

Unplug it then look at it?

Jamesy, I run my T4 2.4D van on 50/50 and it's absolutely fine. It's an old tech diesel and this mix keeps the fuel system nice and clean. I would not however run it on 100 for any great length of time since the fuel system is 15 years old which is asking for trouble. Yours is 11/12 years old, I wouldn't risk it.

Just thought I'd let people who may be interested know that I have finally solved the misfire which has plagued my car for the last few months. I have VAG-COM and the relevant cable and always address problems it throws up, however it has been no help at all in this case, so here is my cure: 1) Absolutely the first place to start with this engine are the HT leads, standard replacement leads will last a year or two at best so get good ones. For really good quality replacements which last much longer then get a set of Magnecor Electrosports 80 for post 1995 VR6's, they will clip in just fine to the standard engine cover. 2) If you are replacing the HT leads then replace all the spark plugs as well, I only recommend NGK plugs, IMHO they are the best, get them here. NGK Iridium plugs are purported to have a wider heat range than most and last longer (currently testing this claim). 3) The Coil Pack goes wrong largely because it's forced to pump HT through knackered leads, this overloads the insulator and overheats the unit. I bought a brand new replacement coilpack on ebay and it's absolutely excellent, don't pay more, but you must buy new! 4) The Lambda probe, VAG-COM is no use here since mine checked out fine, however when I got the old one out it was the VAG OEM unit from 12 years ago. I bought an NGK replacement probe which is a more modern design here, and it finally cured that misfire. Once you've addressed all these problems your car should once again drive like new and it does wonders for your fuel economy too. Don't forget the MAF; on these engines it makes little or no difference to performance and road manners and you won't notice it failing, but again it has quite a noticeable impact on fuel economy. Bingo, do your basic service items frequently, i.e. Oil and filter plus standard air filter (no bloody K&N rubbish) and you'll have few problems with this engine otherwise. Keep on top of cooling system faults as they develop because doing head gaskets on these ain't cheap or funny!

Try RS Engine Parts on 01304 828271, can't remember where they are but the casting is contract couriered to you anyway, make sure you know which casting you want.