Super quick and dirty BBS Alloy Centre Cap overhaul

Problem: My old BBS alloys need a serious refurb, and the worst looking parts were the centre caps. I can’t afford a proper returb!

Solution: The centre caps are plastic, with a thin alloy stamped, painted and lacquered inset. Firstly I removed the plastic cap from the main alloy centrepiece. Continue reading “Super quick and dirty BBS Alloy Centre Cap overhaul”

Replacing the Blue Coolant Temperature Sensor in the Golf VR6 Mk3

Problem: My VR6 was having trouble starting and idling when cold. Many forums suggest this is due to a faulty “Blue” temperature sensor.

Solution – Testing the Sensor: To test the sensor while it’s fitted to the car, remove the latched plastic connector from the sensor and measure the resistance (Ω) between the 2 pins.
If the sensor is working correctly it should measure about:

  • 5500Ω at 0°c
  • 2500Ω at 20°c
  • 1250Ω at 40°c
  • 600Ω at 60°c
  • 325Ω at 80°c

I’m my case, the resistance was infinite, I.e. open circuit. So needed replacing.

Solution – Replacing the Sensor: The parts you will need are:

  • 1 x 2-pin Blue Sensor (VW: 025 906 041 A, GSF: 929vg014)
  • 1 x O-ring / Seal (know the part number? Please tell us in comments below)
  • Metal or plastic retaining clip (know the part number? Please tell us in comments below)

Continue reading “Replacing the Blue Coolant Temperature Sensor in the Golf VR6 Mk3”

Remove pistons from brake calipers without fluid/tools

Project: I want to restore my old GT6 brake calipers and the old chipped paint us very VERY tough so I plan to use paint stripper. To do this without harming the seals and soft alloys I need to split each caliper and remove pistons.

Problem: The pistons are stuck in, and will only come out under pressure. Continue reading “Remove pistons from brake calipers without fluid/tools”

Skoda Fabia VRS, temperature beep, expansion tank replacement

Problem: My Fabia’s temperature indicator light started flashing and beeping at me a few minutes after the engine was started, each time I used the car. The coolant level was fine, and the car seemed to get up to temperature quickly and stay there, never overheating. A quick search of the Briskoda forum revealed that this is a common fault, caused by faulty terminals and/or electrodes in the expansion tank vessel.

Solution: On the VRS models, and possibly others, the electrodes that measure coolant level cannot be replaced or cleaned, so a complete expansion tank replacement is needed. Thankfully these are cheap (about a tenner) and easy to fit. Here is a fitting guide, with photos where necessary: Continue reading “Skoda Fabia VRS, temperature beep, expansion tank replacement”

Replace nearside headlamp on Fabia vRS Mk1 without removing battery!

Problem: According to many websites and a few mechanics, replacing the nearside headlamp on a Mk1 Fabia vRS involves removing the battery and battery box. This is because the clear plastic light-cluster cover almost touches the plastic battery box. Thankfully this is not true, as I’ve just found out… you don’t even need very small hands 🙂 Continue reading “Replace nearside headlamp on Fabia vRS Mk1 without removing battery!”

Resize a U Bolt properly without heating

Problem: When re-fitting the ARB to the GT6 with new U Bolts, I found the new ones were too wide, and forcing them in would have resulted the badly seated washers and nuts:

Old and new U Bolts
Old and new U Bolts, too dissimilar

Fix: The new U Bolts could be bent to shape in a metalworking vice, but there’s an easy way to make sure they remain parallel:

Putting the U Bolt in the Vice
Put the U Bolt in the Vice and protect the threads a little
Find something exactly the inside-size of the old U Bolt
Find something exactly the inside-size of the old U Bolt
Tighten the new U Bolt against the chosen spacer
Tighten the new U Bolt against the chosen spacer
Keep checking against the old item until it's correct
Keep checking against the old item until it’s correct
Once it's right, note the flats are still perfectly parallel
Once it’s right, note the flats are still perfectly parallel

Removing paper gasket residue from engine surfaces

Problem

I recently replaced the water pump on my car, and found the existing paper gasket clinging solidly to the pump face on the head. I needed a very quick removal method, as it was getting dark and the car had to be driven 30 minutes later, so I searched around for something hard, flat, but not likely to damage the surface. I found an old Stanley knife blade and tried it, but it wasn’t very easy to hold while scraping the papery crap off.

Solution

In the end I found a blunt hacksaw blade, snipped it in half with some tin-snips – making sure the cut was flat and neat – and ground off the teeth on the chopped-off end. This gave me a very hard, flat tool with which to scrape the paper off.  The ‘half-blade’ could be held in both hands at a good angle to avoid scoring the gasket face. Soaking the gasket paper residue in some detergent helped the process along also. 5 mins of careful scraping around the 3 studs saw the job done. New gasket and pump fitted in another 5 mins, jobs-a-good’un!

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