sepulchrave

I think some of the guys above have the individual 'pencil pack' coils which are about

Is it the hub or the driveshaft or both which are damaged? No, this is not a common problem. If the hub is damaged I would replace the entire strut with one from a breakers yard, I'd probably get the driveshaft as well just to be sure. From memory you clamp and remove the brake hose, then the two bolts holding the bottom balljoint, split the track rod end, undo the drop link from the ARB to the strut and give the hub a really good yank towards you whereupon the entire driveshaft will jump it's spring clip out of the diff and you can simply lower the lot to the ground and remove it en bloc. You will lose some gearbox oil unless you have the car jacked right up on stands and leaning over enough to prevent it.

Your assumption is correct, there is NOTHING wrong with your fan motor and when they fit the new resistor pack and it all starts working again as if by magic then you'll have a really hard time proving that they didn't replace the motor at all UNLESS you specifically ask that they return any parts they replace to you for inspection which pisses them off no end. This is how to get free money if you're in the motor trade, tell the customer to expect a big bill and then give them what they expected no matter what the job entailed. Why don't you just replace the resistor pack yourself, it's so easy to do and with the old one in hand you can be sure of ordering exactly the right part from the dealer. You can try unplugging the MAF to see if the power situation improves, if it does simply fit a new MAF then disconnect the battery to reset the ECU to make the PCM light go out. Failing that SEARCH this site, I'll bet you your problem has been covered many times before.

I would have thought the damage from one would be indistinguishable from the damage from the other. Semantics. B)

Get VAG-COM, a serial lead of ebay and an elderly laptop if you don't already have one. That way you'll be speaking the same language as everyone else here when you have a problem.

What's this, the busiest thread for a non-galaxy owner with self-inflicted injuries? ;) There are two easy ways to kill a perfectly good car, one is to let it run out of oil, the other is to fail to change a cambelt. Now for the sympathetic advice: Since you have bought another non-galaxy, might I humbly suggest that, unless you are absolutely CERTAIN that the cambelt has been changed according to the manufacturer specified schedule (...and I don't mean verbal reassurances!), you get the cambelt and oil changed without delay on this replacement vehicle. Lightning can strike twice. ;)

HT leads and plugs will not put the ECU light on, a failing coil pack might if it's gone open circuit. Sorry.

Points one and two are related, the PCM lamp is lighting up because you have a problem which is causing the engine to lose power. The third point is almost certainly the infamous resistor pack failure documented in these hallowed pages on countless occasions, it certainly doesn't cost

Warped disc is the most likely cause, change the front disca and pads to cure it.

Unplug the MAF and tell us if it gets any better.

This right here is the numero uno most likely cause of the issues you are having with your engine. Unless the valvetrain timing has been checked using a DTI without reference to the timing marks this is very difficult to diagnose, and you really do need a GOOD mechanic with access to the valve lift @ TDC data from VW to confirm the timing really is correct. Remember I'm not referring to the pump timing here, but the camshaft timing.

No, the battery swap you did will have reset the ECU so it's now re-learning its settings. With regards to rating, it's more about quality than quantity, poor quality batteries tend to cave in under the constant quiescent current drain from the alarm/immobiliser. I have a 70Ah battery in mine from a BMW 3 series and I have no problems at all.

Clogged with what please?

Who's James May? :32:

Definitely sounds like an HT ignition issue, I'd persevere with the coil pack/lead avenue of investigation.

Don't believe everything you read here for there is rumour and hearsay despite the best efforts of most of us who try and keep our advice relevant and factual. Early VR6's (OBDI) with distributors as fitted to Corrado, Transporter, Passat, Vento and Golf were initially prone to camchain tensioner failure resulting in spectacular engine/head destruction, mostly as a result of continual redlining of the engine causing the chain to 'jump' and therefore the timing to slip catastrophically. The later VR6 engine as fitted to Sharan/Galaxy/Alhambra incorporates a modified camchain tensioner assembly far less prone to failure, the rev limiter is also set lower on OBDII cars making this failure very rare nowadays. The sound you describe when changing gear is quite normal and is simply backlash in the drivetrain, mostly the CV joints, remember the VR6 has a lot of flywheel inertia and doesn't like being forced to change gear too quickly, you're not doing the sychro any favours with 'racing' gearchanges so I'd give it a miss! Keep taking the pills and try to enjoy your new purchase instead of worrying yourself into an early grave.

I wouldn't worry at all if I were you, I've seen lots of damaged valvetrains and if the cam starts to 'pick up' then the top end is toast within minutes! 500 miles might as well be 50,000 miles, nothing bad is going to happen now, save your time and money for the regular service intervals. :16:

:)

Yes, short the +ve to ground for about 30 seconds with the battery disconnected. The dynamic ignition map will also be reset. No, you cannot wipe the maps with VAG-COM, only the fault memory. Ok?

Hello, Yes, the 'adaption limit exceeded' simply means that the ECU feels it is having to add too much throttle using the stepper motor to maintain a decent idle. If you change the MAF and the HEGO sensor please remember to disconnect your battery and short the terminals to clear the adaptive fuel map and force the ECU to relearn from base settings. This should sort out all the other problems, but will take a few hours driving to do so.

Unplug the MAF and tell us if it improves.

I assume this is a TDI, if so it's very likely to be the water pump from the symptoms you describe.

If it is only your base circles which are showing this 'wear' characteristic then there is almost certainly nothing to worry about, I assume that you replaced the followers at the same time as the cam because old followers will do this until the faces wear to suit each other. When a new cam and followers are to be run in you should use a mineral oil and run the engine at 2000 rpm for about half an hour, then change the oil for your normal synthetic fill. Do not allow the engine to idle during the cam break-in period. The fact that you have no obvious signs of spalling means there is no serious damage and all should be well.

The most likely culprits are complelely knackered coil pack/plugs/leads. Change the lot to see it fly.

Yes.