GeoffD

don't know exactly skezza. but when I've done engine swaps in the past to avoid complications the original clocks were required. if you're using vag com a lot you may be able to tell me exactly what is required. geoff

right, I probably know more about the focus bits more than the gti discs. have you tried taking the spacer out? the focus master cylinder normally copes with fairly sized brakes, so should do it in the braking department. I think if you have full travel you should be ok. geoff

I think you've got a nice little motor there. what I did with sophie's lupo was to put an oil pressure gauge on it. then you know what the oil pressure is. like I said they're idiot lights anyway, by the time that comes on your engine's fuc**d!.i think two things, follow rich's advice or ignore the oil light and fit a gauge. to be honest the worst thing about changing the clocks is getting them reset with vagcom. geoff

trouble is, that beeper is like vw's own version of morse code! they use it to denote all sorts of problems, but don't tell you what it does. vagcom is the way people, geoff

must be a hell of a lot of steering wheels kicking around without clocksprings then!!

on quite a few vw exhausts a sleeve is used to join exhaust sections together, they're quite substantial, about six inches long with a substantial bolt clamp at either end. europarts sell them for about £4. or if you're handy with a welder, weld two sleeves to your de- exhaust pipe. geoff

I have my own shop and decided not to do this, it really is quite a lot of work to do right. geoff

you could always pick up another set of clocks, but remember that you will need to recode them using vagcom. nothing in life is simple! geoff

do lupo ones fit? the base model ones are pretty smooth.

yeah but I buy them from people that are terrified of high mileage, and sell them to people who aren't bothered. they get perfectly good cars for very little effort. they go on forever, especially the 1.7 sdi's. geoff

pretty sure the lock barrels themselves are the same in different models mk4 golf for example, but the difference is in the spade fitting which goes into the locking module inside the door. these can be different in length, but it is possible to swap them about. geoff

it's not a case of needing a resistance . it's simply a pressure operated switch which is closed when there's no oil pressure. when the oil pressure gets to say 0.5 bar, it opens the switch, that is how it works. it's known in the trade as an idiot light for obvious reasons! geoff

I think he means to centre the wheel on the spring. I did this on a lupo once without realising there was a procedure to set up the clockspring and tore it off the wheel!. just as well I had a spare. live and learn!! geoff

it isn't a difficult job to take the clocks out, but you can't change the bulb once you get them out. the clock units are sealed and if I remember correctly, the only bulbs that exist are the illumination ones, the others being leds which are smd devices. surface mount devices require special equipment to work on them, hence it's not a diy job. are you convinced it's not the wiring, which is more likely? geoff

I have absolutely no idea about the conversion you're doing but I'd be tempted to remove the spacer, it sounds to me like you need more fluid movement. why the change in master cylinder, what have you done to your brakes to necessitate that? obviously you've put on some hefty brakes? as a car doctor, I need to ask lots of questions, ha ha. geoff

it's not, the mistake many people make when arch rolling is putting on too much pressure at once. it is a process which needs to be done a little bit at a time using many passes of the roller to achieve what you want. i've used arch rollers (I made my own) and I've used the hammer technique and also there's the piece of 4x2 wedged off the tyre method, but that's a bit imprecise. try not to apply too much heat as you will cause your wing to warp. geoff

there is a circular plug/socket assembly on the right hand side of the block, uncouple this ,spray it with wd40. assemble and disassemble it a couple of time to clean the connections, your problem may be there. make sure you click it right into position as it will work loose. geoff

you can't cut vw springs, old ford ones yes but not vw, they're pigtailed, which basically means they're wound smaller at the ends and when you cut them they can't sit in the cups. it was a shite idea on fords anyway .. geoff

I can remember the old drop to bits as soon as you got them home type Vauxhalls, they were shite, most all of the other Vauxhalls I have ever driven (and there have been many) have been shite, so I guess you'd say I'm not a Vauxhall man. I do have a soft spot for the old droop snoot firenza though. thanks ray for bringing that one up. although I believe in modern times the engines have become pretty good. to be fair some of the old vx engines were not bad, its just the bit around the engine was cack

as far as things going on or off when the switch is earthed, it depend on what is connected to the other side of it ie a positive supply. the positive supply goes from the battery-wire-indicator-wire-switch, which is connected to the engine block which is ground. circuit completed. some switches work the other way but this is the easiest as it needs less wiring, simples. geoff

no, it only has one pin and you're right all the switch, when working, does is earth out when the oil pressure is below say 0.5 bar. as the oil pressure increases it causes the switch to open thereby turning off the light. see, not only a mechanic, but a qualified electronic engineer too. the switch is only really there to tell you when your engine is about to die. geoff

if you're worried about sludge either get a cleaning oil to put through your engine (you don't drive your car with it in) or run the car with diesel in for a while, then in both cases dump it out and put in your regular oil but don't forget to change your filter. in both cases it may well clatter a little more than usual but that is to be expected. just remember don't drive your car with the cleaning oil in, just leave it running for a while. oh by the way all of the cheap switches came from euro's, I sent the first one back and they gave me a gallon of oil too because I twisted. I didn't bother with the others, lesson learned I thought. geoff.

welcome to the world matey! I've been doing cars in my own garage for the last forty or so years, retired and then started again. good luck with your new venture. geoff

I got some new ones from euro parts, but if anybody wants the old ones they're up for grabs. geoff

see!