Leaderboard

Yeah, my green SDI passed on Saturday. But only just. The rear brake compensator had stuck, so on the brake tester, it indicated that the back brakes were faulty (like only half power- would not lock up). But on handbrake, they worked just fine and locked. The tester confidently said "yup, both your rear cylinders are shot. You need new ones. We can do it for you today...". So I "humbly" suggested that it may actually just be a stiff compensator lever or stuck plunger. And that it'll be obvious when up on the ramp for the underside inspection. So once up in the air I had a look, asked if he had a hammer that I could borrow for a moment- gave the housing a thump, mentioning that may have sorted it. Once back down, he tested it again and all good. "In 30 years, never seen that before. Know a bit about cars then?". I just smiled and thanked him, through gritted teeth. So he was going to change both rear cylinders (wrong) and bill me for £175. Yeah. And the compensator would have probably reset anyway when bleeding everything. SMH. Get a sump plug with built-in O ring. You'll never need a crush washer ever again...

Black smoke will be either blocked/jammed EGR valve, or a control hose or related. Or temp sensor or air filter. Basically, not enough air to provide a complete burn- running rich (like any black smokey diesel). Unlikely to be the turbo. Blue smoke- never good. Rings, leaky valves, turbo seal, too much oil. New engine time. 3L lumps are sealed for life- you "can't" rebuild them. See the self study guide. But usually good for 500k km. But the chain and tensioner should be changed every 150k miles. (Same as the 1.4 AMF lump).

Just means if you want to remove the caliper to change the pads etc, then you have to disconnect the brake line (or leave it attached and bend the line). Could they have used drum brake specific lines?

Hello! Recently became the proud new owner of an Anthracite Grey Lupo GTi It's in a really good condition for it's age (03') & mileage (120k), testament to the previous 3 owners, looking to do a few bits to bring it as near to factory finish as I can, & maybe put in a few subtle mods along the way. I've had various VAG cars in the past, and both my partner & her dad also have Lupo GTi's. We've worked on Lupo's in our spare times for the best part of 5 years now, so not much we've come across that we've not been able to resolve. More than happy to help out with other members questions etc where I can!

Hola! The way the ECU works in this older 1st generation engine is by maintaining the O2 readings. So if there's too much air getting sucked into the engine, it will automatically compensate by adding fuel- to keep it running. If no extra fuel were added, it would go lean and stall. As a consequence it revs higher; more air + more fuel = more power = more revs. So somewhere extra air is getting in- not through the throttle valve. Try putting your hand over the air intake blocking the throttle and see if you can hear where it is leaking. Vacuum lines are often the cause, even the brake servo. Inlet manifold join to the cylinder head... I can't remember if your engine has an Evap canister. The purge pipe to the canister (or the activation solenoid) can leak, allowing air in. Good luck!

Erm... you do realise this a post that started in 2011?