renandstimpey

Agreed, its very expensive for what it is, my beef really was the garage wanting to have me change it and pay them nearly £300 for a problem that isn't causing the airbag light to come on in the first place! They seemed to want the whole positive lead ripping out and replacing?

Yeah my plan was to speak to a local auto electrician about reconnecting the wires into the connector block....it hasn't caused the light to come on, I know that myself as it was on prior to me changing out the battery. It strikes me as a way to get some money out of someone, also I can't believe you have to buy the WHOLE positive lead from the loom to the battery (their words)....utter madness!

Just to ressurect this thread.....I've just had my car mot'd and also had it plugged into Vag-com to see why the airbag light is on. The garage has said that they have sourced the light back to a faulty positive battery lead, apparently this innocuous little extra wire is part of the 'pyrotechnic' system on the car and the fact that it has been damaged (accidentally pulled out by me!) has put the light on. Cost to replace this wire, over £250 from Vw, you can't get the part anywhere else! Sounds plausible really, part from the fact that the light was on before I went near the battery and changed it, damaging the wire at the same time. So are they talking shite or is there any basis in what they have said? Even though I know it hasn't caused the light to come on as it wasn't damaged until I meddled, and the airbag light was on before that!

Ahhhhhh! Very clever....ok so I will pop this on the 'to-do' list then as it needs fixing really, but it's not damaging anything as such by having one end out. Thanks for that :-)

Just changed my battery today, made a slight cock up when refitting the leads. The red positive lead has a funny yellow connector on the battery end, which has a black wire coming out. This goes to a black coloured block, which then has another black lead coming out of it which goes to another yellow block which I think is re-attached to the red positive wire. The black wire coming out of the yellow connector block that is attached to the battery end of the positive lead has fallen out (....well, ok I might have pulled the lead the wrong way and it's pulled the wire out, but whatever.....) What does this wire do? What happens if it is pulled out? It doesn't seem to have an effect on whether the car starts or not, it doesn't appear to have affected anything else....anyone offer any information, ie do I need to replace it completely or can i just tape the wires off and leave it? Cheers :-)

Thanks for the replies people, I think the safest option for me especially is to remove the cards and bits properly, I have a habit of damaging stuff when trying to do a quick 5 minute job! I must try and find that thread for the chap who was able to supply the VW parts at mega low prices too....I have the codes for the stalks and the switch so that's all good. Out of interest, would a problem with the stalks throw up and airbag light on the dash or is that likely to be something else? I've had one on there since they started acting funny, was wondering if it might be connected in some way....

Just a couple of things I'd like some opinions on..... 1) - The wipers and indicator stalks are acting a little strange. If you lift/drop the indicator stalk you can make the indicator flash properly without actually 'clicking' it on (if that makes sense....). It works going left, but if you go right you have to fully click the stalk on otherwise it clicks randomly and doesn't indicate. The wiper has the same problem, except the wiper (obviously) moves reaaaaaally sloooooooowly unless you click it on. Does this suggest the stalks or the little ring they click into is knackered, or perhaps just a relay? 2) - The drivers door lock/unlock on the inside locks the doors fine, but doesn't work to unlock all of a sudden....there's no click when you press the unlock button and the doors remain locked! New switch thingy needed perhaps? And if so, how does one remove the old one without marking the door card around it? Awaiting patiently any suggestions/advice....

That's really bad news! If mine is anything like that then it's getting scrapped, it's only done about 2 1/2k miles on a top end rebuild/new pistons/fresh belts and tensioners!

Haven't had it plugged in, haven't got it and don't know anyone who does! I have ordered one of those leads off ebay to see what that throws up? Don't know how useful they are for the 'home' mechanic...

Yep, vw part. Oil level is just below the high mark on the stick, no noises, no running problems, no overheating, no nothing other than a blinking blinking light!

I'm suffering a similar problem with my GTi this last week, swapped for a new sensor and it hasn't cured the problem, mine also starts to flash after the water has hit normal operating temperature, 5-10 mins of driving, and seems to be if I use over 3k revs....?

Ok, changed out the oil pressure sensor Wednesday, thought it had solved the problem....but the light flicked back on as I got to work this morning Booked in to the garage on Monday, wonder what this will cost....

Ok, i'll keep my fingers crossed it's a dodgy sensor and not an oil pump on the way out! Now to find someone who sells the sensors....

Nice one, thanks. Looking at it there doesn't appear to be any oil leak around it? Maybe it's just worn out after 61k....?

Can anyone point me in the direction of where this is positioned on the engine? I'm thinking it may be the little green coloured sensor on the front right side of the cylinder head, near where the coil pack is? I've got the dreaded flashing oil light on the dash, oil level is fine and there is no rough running/overheating issues at all....hopefully it's just the sensor, but I'm leaving it at home until I've changed it out

I am after a single conrod for the lupo gti engine, I don't suppose you have any of them left on this engine perchance? You wouldn't know the condition of the pistons/conrods perchance would you...? Cheers, Ian

Cheers, I'll send him a wee pm and see if he has them....got to be cheaper than buying 4 new for the sake of 1!!!

Hi all, I am trying to get a single conrod for my GTi engine, VW are only interested in supplying a set of four, for about £600 I believe? To me this seems pointless, I only need one and the other three have been checked out and cleaned up etc by my engine builder, so to spend so much money on four just doesn't make sense - had the same problem with the pistons, basically it seems VW are only interested in selling you a complete engine if something goes drastically wrong with yours. Does anyone out there have any knowledge of any company that makes conrods to fit our engine? Searching the internet has brought up few results. I may have to buy a set of four and try and sell the remaining three on ebay or something, just to recoup some of the cost. Thanks y'all

Yes all from the same side, I think it was the inlet side, corresponding with the two cylinders that had no compression, so there's a bit of consistency there I guess? It will be sorted, just a lot of dollar. I guess I'm keeping the little red motor until it turns into dust now, after putting that much cash into fixing it. Some have said get rid and buy something else, the trouble is you never know what you have with another car - I do know the history of this one, it has been well looked after (apart from this damn belt anyway!). Even if I fitted a reconditioned engine, it could just happen again because I don't know how well it's been built/treated? I've had them in my old Rovers and frankly they felt rough as hell.

Yep, that looks strangely familiar! Pile of arse it is....

Finally, an update: The camshaft pully belt had some teeth missing. The head has been skimmed, 8 new valves fitted, new head gasket fitted. It would also appear that the bottom end of the engine has now seized, possibly a dropped piston ring. At best it's going to be a bent piston or conrod. What was going to be a £550 bill has turned into at least £1000, maybe even 1500 when the bottom end is rebuilt. All thanks to some teeth going on the cambelt. Fitted 3 years, 5 months ago, or 28k miles. Get you belts checked please

Aaaaargh!!! Right, well the damage has been done by now anyway when I tried to start it on the day, plus the mechanics that have turned it over etc, no doubt the sodding valves are all bent to buggery by now The how-to would be useful, as I have no idea at all what I'm looking for, cheers

The only thing that has been done so far is the mechanics coming out to my place, popping the compression gauge on each of the cylinders and checking the readings when cranking the engine off the ignition....I'm still waiting for them to have the space in their garage to tow it over there to start pulling things out, a week after it cut out - yes, annoying isn't it? Unfortunately they are the ones that can look at it the soonest, hopefully this Monday....Midland VW can't do anything until next week. I'm stuck until then with a very heavy red paperweight outside. I'm leaning towards the timing being the issue, only because there are no symptoms that would point to one of the other problems that has been suggested, however my engine skills ran out about 2 1/2 pages ago! Don't know if this helps at all, but when I turn the ignition to start the engine, the camshaft pulleys are rotating backward and forward, rather than turning?

It was the Auto electrician who originally said it sounded funny - what he meant was it sounded like a car that has a compression issue in the engine, I guess to him he recognised something in the sound when I cranked it over - he clearly was correct after all, as we found when it was actually compression tested? To me it just sounded like an engine struggling to spark into life... I'm thinking you mean the reddish looking disc behind the large pulley/below the two camshaft pulleys - this would be one of the tensioners that is changed in the 3 year/60,000 mile cambelt change? (never having seen the kit or the work being done I wouldn't know) Bearing in mind the car is over the prescribed 3 year change period by a month or 3, that would be pretty f'ing amazing if it has gone and that's what has caused it? A simple belt and tensioner change could in fact fix the problem then? Mr. Casper, yes no smoke, oil or anything when it cut out, the complete opposite of when my old Rover 200 Vi let go, sending a cloud of oil and water out of the exhaust, along with two of the pistons in pieces down the exhaust, and a third one sticking out of the front of the block!

No loss of any coolant or oil, it was serviced in March (I think) this year and both are still as they should be, no leaks or nasty holes with fluid leaking out