mk2

yeah, i've tried the non-sdi thing, but just can't get over the sound of a 3 pot. i keep thinking that there's something wrong with the engine, as all the familiar sounds are not there. you know, main bearings sound like they're on their way out. cam sounds like it's jumped a tooth, ignition sounds like it's completely retarded, valve train noise is just wrong.... i just canna take it. now when it comes to a nice straight six, v8 or even a v12, i'm a very happy chappy. i do like the old 1.9 tdi too- best engine ever made by vdub IMO. i'm changing all the hydraulic tappets on the black sdi this afternoon. something to do on the car as everything else is perfect.

i dunno, if i could find another decent arosa or lupo sdi, with no rust on rear arches or front sills, reasonable bodywork, perfect interior, good engine and box, i'd be happy to pay over a grand for it. but then you guys know how picky i am... before buying i start calculating how much it would cost to get the car back to concours condition again. if you have a car, you may as well keep it running the way nature intended (or the way it left the factory).

Yeah, without more info, it's tricky to know what's going on. if you've bought the same sensor, and it works, you should get the same readings. take them both out, leave them to settle to the same temp on the table then measure the resistance of both the thermistors in each. you should get the same resistance. then try again with boiling water. at least that'd be something you could eliminate. by the sounds of it, it's most likely a fuelling issue, caused by the ecu being given the wrong info- so it's not putting out the right injection pulses: under or over fuelling.

i'm going, but nothing to enter this year

i've always found that its not the motor that stops working, but the switches that control it... might be worth checking them first.

good write up! needs to be moved to the how-to section.

yay! we've kept another SDI on the road. I do like SDIs....

No side pipes, well lowered suspension, proper exhausts or home made custom stuff in switzerland then? Most of my cars would be completely illegal! Pass uk MOT everytime though. i think most club lupo owners cars would fail in switzerland.... where did you get the parts? off ebay. who did the work? i did. who approved the work? er, me? too many regulations. that's probably why nearly all the formula 1 teams are based here. Thanks for the ADAC tip. hadn't thought of them (a bit like the RAC here in the UK). A traffic office. i just love it. LOL! contract? down the beer keller is where we'll all meet! Yay! germany doesn't do internet car processing me thinks?

i think being a rule follower is part of the german culture... here, we come up with rules then instantly try and find ways around them. it's one of the defining things of being a brit. it's like modifying cars... the dutch are into car mods, but in germany you need lots of money to get engineering reports and scientific analysys (official) before you can do anything. Spain is the same. Switzerland... forget it - Even Clarkson mentioned something about comparing a modified car and having an assault rifle on the passenger seat. Swiss authorities wont care about the weapon... Dunno the rules in France or Scandanavian countries. US you can do what you like, same as here. It's our way of expressing our individuality!

there's a gearbox guy somewhere in your neck of the woods who is supposed to be good... someone on here will know who i mean?

yeah, that much i've figured. But, real world scenario, i turn up at the airport at say 11am. he picks me up in the car and we drive back to where he lives. i check it out and say i'll have it, negotiate a bit, shake hands, guve him his cash, he gives me receipt (essential apparently), some other bits of paper, then i'd be on my merry way back to calais (insurance arranged in the uk on the chassis number). Er, no, can't do that. too easy. i think there are four pieces of official paperwork i need- in my name. and export plates. and local insurance. but the export plates and insurance can only be arranged in person by the sounds of things. and only on certain days of the week only on a leap year, when it's a blue moon, between 9.15 and 9.30 in the morning. And if Klaus Hergesheimer at the equivalent of the local DVLA is not out checking radiation tags. Is it possible to do everything on the same day....? The spanish system is similar (equally stupid) when I ridiculed an official (bad move by the way!), highlighting how in the UK we have computers and CAD systems where you can design anything and then have a rubber stamp instantly made, to 'approve' the form I just filled in. which then needs to be taken to another dept to be stamped, then again and again. Then you hand the form in with all the rubber stamps and be gone. my solution: cheat. no-one will ever care. French system is the same i think.... I guess other countries haven't realised that rubber stamps are so easy to copy! As for contactless bank cards... that's just black magic! The devil's in the detail...!?

I've been offered a German car in Germany on German plates, registered to a German, living in Germany (yes, apparently each bit matters...!). Happy to buy it off the guy and drive it back. Mod it the way I want (quite a lot) then register it here. I've heard nightmare stories about american backpackers buying a car in Germany to drive around europe... nightmare, but that's another story! Anyone actually done it, or know someone who has? There's a lot of stuff on the web but is well out of date... The UK process I get (14 day time limit from the official import day- you can bring a car in, mod it, take it over to france for a day trip once modded, then bring it in officially and start the formal UK registration process). I can't figure out the german system. seems very bureaucratic, with stamps, metal plates, papers, checks, phones calls and signatures. I like the UK buying/selling process- You can do everything instantly online! I do think that here in the UK we are way way way ahead of our European friends. Germany didn't even have paypal or over the phone credit card purchasing till a few years ago.....

gear ratios usually... this might be useful: https://workshop-manuals.com/volkswagen/polo-mk3/power_transmission/5-speed_manual_gearbox_085/technical_data/gearbox_identification/

if the steering wheel is tight, then something is stuck or in the wrong place behind it. you'll need to take it off again. There are some pics in the how to... http://forums.clublupo.co.uk/index.php?/topic/63534-mending-cleaning-lupo-indicator-stalk-lever/ if the horn stays on, it could be what rich says or might be a trapped wire caught/trapped on the steering column. it could be the clock spring unit or base behind not seated correctly in its slot.

any news?

can you get a lambda reading upstream from the cat? i've seen the symptoms a few times, and the cause can be various. i assume you have a diagnostic thing. see what the temp readings are (i agree with rich). could be loads of things. cam sensor, even crank sensor, but you'd get a CEL. The reason I mention the Lambda reading, is that it should be bang on mixture and steady. if it's jumping around, you may have multiple problems. the vcds graph plot function is your friend.

go read some books... way too much to write here! good first book would be this. old, but still fresh. it cuts out a lot of the physics and maths, with just the juicy bits. "david vizard how to build horsepower". it was required reading at my college.

ooh, someone's gonna do some calcs... don't forget you can move the pressure sensor, blowoff and dump control to right next to the inlet valves. reduce down swept volumes, speed up flow, increase pressure. Mmmmm. Poweeerrrr.....

now if that's not an invitation to open a can of worms....!

if the diagnostics are correct and the engine is running too lean, could be anything that means the fuel air mix is wrong- too much air or not enough fuel. could be manifold leaks or related, or low fuel pressure, or something causing lack of fuel- but i'm guessing the car drives ok? just rubbish idle. my bet would be air is getting sucked in somewhere. so throttle is shutting right down, but the air is still too high.... check air and vacuum hoses.

welcome! The Gti is a fab car and certainly a future classic. but bear in mind, a Lupo is now a relatively old car compared to what you're used to. Enjoy all the little extra entertainment features during your ownership In fact, it is many of those discussed here, daily which is what gives our cars such character!

you need to do more than just increase air throughput... if you throw more fuel in, with everything else stock to generate lots of black smoke, you'll get a fair bit more power, without even getting your hands dirty

you could fit a 3.6 VR6 FSI engine in the engine bay... oh, then add a vortex supercharger . you could get 800hp. Or instead of spending around 2k, buy a more powerful older car! IOW, keep it stock....

they don't generally go wrong... what's up?

that gear stick gaiter is neat. i like it.