VOLKSWAGEN CORRADO 1990 Repair Manual

TROUBLE SHOOTING - BASIC PROCEDURES
Article Text (p. 65)
1990 Volkswagen Corrado
For Volkswagen Technical Site: http://vw.belcom.ru
Copyright © 1998 Mitchell Repair Information Company, LLC
Thursday, March 23, 2000 09:52PM
problem symptoms. For model-specific Trouble Shooting,
refer to SUBJECT, DIAGNOSTIC, or TESTING articles available
in the section(s) you are accessing.
NOTE: Diesel engines mechanical diagnosis is the same as gasoline
engines for items such as noisy valves, bearings, pistons,
etc. The following trouble shooting covers only items
pertaining to diesel engines.
VACUUM PUMP (DIESEL) TROUBLE SHOOTING CHARTÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄCONDITION POSSIBLE CAUSE CORRECTION
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄExcessive Noise Loose pump-to-drive Tighten screws
assembly screws
Loose tube on pump assembly Tighten tube
Valves not functioning Replace valves
properly
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄOil Leakage Loose end plug Tighten end plug
Bad seal crimp Remove and re-crimp
seal
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ WHEEL ALIGNMENT TROUBLE SHOOTING
WARNING: This is GENERAL information. This article is not intended
to be specific to any unique situation or individual vehicle
configuration. The purpose of this Trouble Shooting
information is to provide a list of common causes to
problem symptoms. For model-specific Trouble Shooting,
refer to SUBJECT, DIAGNOSTIC, or TESTING articles available
in the section(s) you are accessing.
BASIC WHEEL ALIGNMENT TROUBLE SHOOTING CHART
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄCONDITION POSSIBLE CAUSE CORRECTION
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄPremature Tire Improper tire inflation Check tire pressure
Wear
Front alignment out of See ALIGNMENT SPECS in
tolerance WHEEL ALIGNMENT section
Suspension components worn See SUSPENSION section
Steering system components See STEERING section
worn
Improper standing height See WHEEL ALIGNMENT
Uneven or sagging springs See SUSPENSION section

TROUBLE SHOOTING - BASIC PROCEDURES
Article Text (p. 66)
1990 Volkswagen Corrado
For Volkswagen Technical Site: http://vw.belcom.ru
Copyright © 1998 Mitchell Repair Information Company, LLC
Thursday, March 23, 2000 09:52PM
Bent wheel See WHEEL ALIGNMENT
Improper torsion bar See SUSPENSION section
adjustment
Loose or worn wheel See WHEEL BEARING ADJ.
bearings in SUSPENSION section
Worn or defective shock Replace shock absorbers
Tires out of balance Check tire balanceÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄPulls to One Improper tire inflation Check tire pressure
Side
Brake dragging See BRAKE section
Mismatched tires See WHEEL ALIGNMENT
Broken or sagging spring See SUSPENSION section
Broken torsion bar See SUSPENSION section
Power steering valve not See STEERING section
centered
Front alignment out of See WHEEL ALIGNMENT
tolerance section
Defective wheel bearing See WHEEL BEARINGS in
SUSPENSION section
Uneven sway bar links See SUSPENSION section
Frame bent Check for frame damage
Steering system bushing See STEERING section
worn
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄHard Steering Idler arm bushing too tight See STEERING LINKAGE
in STEERING section
Ball joint tight or seized See SUSPENSION section
Steering linkage too tight See STEERING LINKAGE in
STEERING section
Power steering fluid low Add proper amount of
fluid
Power steering drive belt See STEERING section
loose

TROUBLE SHOOTING - BASIC PROCEDURES
Article Text (p. 67)
1990 Volkswagen Corrado
For Volkswagen Technical Site: http://vw.belcom.ru
Copyright © 1998 Mitchell Repair Information Company, LLC
Thursday, March 23, 2000 09:52PM
Power steering pump See STEERING section
defective
Steering gear out of See STEERING section
adjustment
Incorrect wheel alignment See WHEEL ALIGNMENT
Damaged steering gear See STEERING section
Damaged suspension See SUSPENSION section
Bent steering knuckle or See SUSPENSION section
supportsÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄVehicle Strut rod or control arm See SUSPENSION section
"Wanders" bushing worn
Loose or worn wheel See WHEEL BEARINGS in
bearings SUSPENSION section
Improper tire inflation Check tire pressure
Stabilizer bar missing or See SUSPENSION section
defective
Wheel alignment out of See Adjustment in
tolerance WHEEL ALIGNMENT section
Broken spring See SUSPENSION section
Defective shock absorbers Replace shock absorbers
Worn steering & suspension See SUSPENSION section
components
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄFront End Shimmy Tire out of balance/round Check tire balance
Excessive wheel runout See WHEEL ALIGNMENT
Insufficient or improper See WHEEL ALIGNMENT
caster section
Worn suspension or steering See SUSPENSION section
components
Defective shock absorbers Replace shock absorber
Wheel bearings worn or See WHEEL BEARING ADJ.
loose in SUSPENSION section
Power steering reaction See STEERING section

TROUBLE SHOOTING - BASIC PROCEDURES
Article Text (p. 68)
1990 Volkswagen Corrado
For Volkswagen Technical Site: http://vw.belcom.ru
Copyright © 1998 Mitchell Repair Information Company, LLC
Thursday, March 23, 2000 09:52PM
Bracket loose
Steering gear box (rack) See STEERING section
mounting loose
Steering gear adjustment See STEERING section
loose
Worn spherical joints See SUSPENSION sectionÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄToe-In Not Lower control arm bent See SUSPENSION section
Adjustable
Frame bent Check frame for damage
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄCamber Not Control arm bent See SUSPENSION section
Adjustable
Frame bent Check frame for damage
Hub & bearing not seated See SUSPENSION section
properly
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄEND OF ARTICLE

WAVEFORMS - INJECTOR PATTERN TUTORIAL
Article Text
1990 Volkswagen Corrado
For Volkswagen Technical Site: http://vw.belcom.ru
Copyright © 1998 Mitchell Repair Information Company, LLC
Thursday, March 23, 2000 09:52PM
ARTICLE BEGINNING
GENERAL INFORMATION
Waveforms - Injector Pattern Tutorial
* PLEASE READ THIS FIRST *
NOTE: This article is intended for general information purposes
only. This information may not apply to all makes and models.
PURPOSE OF THIS ARTICLE
Learning how to interpret injector drive patterns from a Lab
Scope can be like learning ignition patterns all over again. This
article exists to ease you into becoming a skilled injector pattern
interpreter.
You will learn:
* How a DVOM and noid light fall short of a lab scope.
* The two types of injector driver circuits, voltage controlled
& current controlled.
* The two ways injector circuits can be wired, constant
ground/switched power & constant power/switched ground.
* The two different pattern types you can use to diagnose with,
voltage & current.
* All the valuable details injector patterns can reveal.
SCOPE OF THIS ARTICLE
This is NOT a manufacturer specific article. All different
types of systems are covered here, regardless of the specific
year/make/model/engine.
The reason for such broad coverage is because there are only
a few basic ways to operate a solenoid-type injector. By understanding
the fundamental principles, you will understand all the major points
of injector patterns you encounter. Of course there are minor
differences in each specific system, but that is where a waveform
library helps out.
If this is confusing, consider a secondary ignition pattern.
Even though there are many different implementations, each still has
a primary voltage turn-on, firing line, spark line, etc.
If specific waveforms are available in On Demand for the
engine and vehicle you are working on, you will find them in the
Engine Performance section under the Engine Performance category.
IS A LAB SCOPE NECESSARY?
INTRODUCTION
You probably have several tools at your disposal to diagnose
injector circuits. But you might have questioned "Is a lab scope

WAVEFORMS - INJECTOR PATTERN TUTORIAL
Article Text (p. 2)
1990 Volkswagen Corrado
For Volkswagen Technical Site: http://vw.belcom.ru
Copyright © 1998 Mitchell Repair Information Company, LLC
Thursday, March 23, 2000 09:52PM
necessary to do a thorough job, or will a set of noid lights and a
multifunction DVOM do just as well?"
In the following text, we are going to look at what noid
lights and DVOMs do best, do not do very well, and when they can
mislead you. As you might suspect, the lab scope, with its ability to
look inside an active circuit, comes to the rescue by answering for
the deficiencies of these other tools.
OVERVIEW OF NOID LIGHT
The noid light is an excellent "quick and dirty" tool. It can
usually be hooked to a fuel injector harness fast and the flashing
light is easy to understand. It is a dependable way to identify a no-
pulse situation.
However, a noid light can be very deceptive in two cases:
* If the wrong one is used for the circuit being tested.
Beware: Just because a connector on a noid light fits the
harness does not mean it is the right one.
* If an injector driver is weak or a minor voltage drop is
present.
Use the Right Noid Light
In the following text we will look at what can happen if the
wrong noid light is used, why there are different types of noid lights
(besides differences with connectors), how to identify the types of
noid lights, and how to know the right type to use.
First, let's discuss what can happen if the incorrect type of
noid light is used. You might see:
* A dimly flashing light when it should be normal.
* A normal flashing light when it should be dim.
A noid light will flash dim if used on a lower voltage
circuit than it was designed for. A normally operating circuit would
appear underpowered, which could be misinterpreted as the cause of a
fuel starvation problem.
Here are the two circuit types that could cause this problem:
* Circuits with external injector resistors. Used predominately
on some Asian & European systems, they are used to reduce the
available voltage to an injector in order to limit the
current flow. This lower voltage can cause a dim flash on a
noid light designed for full voltage.
* Circuits with current controlled injector drivers (e.g. "Peak
and Hold"). Basically, this type of driver allows a quick
burst of voltage/current to flow and then throttles it back
significantly for the remainder of the pulse width duration.
If a noid light was designed for the other type of driver
(voltage controlled, e.g. "Saturated"), it will appear dim
because it is expecting full voltage/current to flow for the
entire duration of the pulse width.

WAVEFORMS - INJECTOR PATTERN TUTORIAL
Article Text (p. 3)
1990 Volkswagen Corrado
For Volkswagen Technical Site: http://vw.belcom.ru
Copyright © 1998 Mitchell Repair Information Company, LLC
Thursday, March 23, 2000 09:52PM
Let's move to the other situation where a noid light flashes
normally when it should be dim. This could occur if a more sensitive
noid light is used on a higher voltage/amperage circuit that was
weakened enough to cause problems (but not outright broken). A circuit
with an actual problem would thus appear normal.
Let's look at why. A noid light does not come close to
consuming as much amperage as an injector solenoid. If there is a
partial driver failure or a minor voltage drop in the injector
circuit, there can be adequate amperage to fully operate the noid
light BUT NOT ENOUGH TO OPERATE THE INJECTOR.
If this is not clear, picture a battery with a lot of
corrosion on the terminals. Say there is enough corrosion that the
starter motor will not operate; it only clicks. Now imagine turning on
the headlights (with the ignition in the RUN position). You find they
light normally and are fully bright. This is the same idea as noid
light: There is a problem, but enough amp flow exists to operate the
headlights ("noid light"), but not the starter motor ("injector").
How do you identify and avoid all these situations? By using
the correct type of noid light. This requires that you understanding
the types of injector circuits that your noid lights are designed for.
There are three. They are:
* Systems with a voltage controlled injector driver. Another
way to say it: The noid light is designed for a circuit with
a "high" resistance injector (generally 12 ohms or above).
* Systems with a current controlled injector driver. Another
way to say it: The noid light is designed for a circuit with
a low resistance injector (generally less than 12 ohms)
without an external injector resistor.
* Systems with a voltage controlled injector driver and an
external injector resistor. Another way of saying it: The
noid light is designed for a circuit with a low resistance
injector (generally less than 12 ohms) and an external
injector resistor.
NOTE: Some noid lights can meet both the second and third
categories simultaneously.
If you are not sure which type of circuit your noid light is
designed for, plug it into a known good car and check out the results.
If it flashes normally during cranking, determine the circuit type by
finding out injector resistance and if an external injector resistor
is used. You now know enough to identify the type of injector circuit.
Label the noid light appropriately.
Next time you need to use a noid light for diagnosis,
determine what type of injector circuit you are dealing with and
select the appropriate noid light.
Of course, if you suspect a no-pulse condition you could plug
in any one whose connector fit without fear of misdiagnosis. This is
because it is unimportant if the flashing light is dim or bright. It
is only important that it flashes.

WAVEFORMS - INJECTOR PATTERN TUTORIAL
Article Text (p. 4)
1990 Volkswagen Corrado
For Volkswagen Technical Site: http://vw.belcom.ru
Copyright © 1998 Mitchell Repair Information Company, LLC
Thursday, March 23, 2000 09:52PM
In any cases of doubt regarding the use of a noid light, a
lab scope will overcome all inherent weaknesses.
OVERVIEW OF DVOM
A DVOM is typically used to check injector resistance and
available voltage at the injector. Some techs also use it check
injector on-time either with a built-in feature or by using the
dwell/duty function.
There are situations where the DVOM performs these checks
dependably, and other situations where it can deceive you. It is
important to be aware of these strengths and weaknesses. We will cover
the topics above in the following text.
Checking Injector Resistance
If a short in an injector coil winding is constant, an
ohmmeter will accurately identify the lower resistance. The same is
true with an open winding. Unfortunately, an intermittent short is an
exception. A faulty injector with an intermittent short will show
"good" if the ohmmeter cannot force the short to occur during testing.
Alcohol in fuel typically causes an intermittent short,
happening only when the injector coil is hot and loaded by a current
high enough to jump the air gap between two bare windings or to break
down any oxides that may have formed between them.
When you measure resistance with an ohmmeter, you are only
applying a small current of a few milliamps. This is nowhere near
enough to load the coil sufficiently to detect most problems. As a
result, most resistance checks identify intermittently shorted
injectors as being normal.
There are two methods to get around this limitation. The
first is to purchase an tool that checks injector coil windings under
full load. The Kent-Moore J-39021 is such a tool, though there are
others. The Kent-Moore costs around $240 at the time of this writing
and works on many different manufacturer's systems.
The second method is to use a lab scope. Remember, a lab
scope allows you to see the regular operation of a circuit in real
time. If an injector is having an short or intermittent short, the lab
scope will show it.
Checking Available Voltage At the Injector
Verifying a fuel injector has the proper voltage to operate
correctly is good diagnostic technique. Finding an open circuit on the
feed circuit like a broken wire or connector is an accurate check with
a DVOM. Unfortunately, finding an intermittent or excessive resistance
problem with a DVOM is unreliable.
Let's explore this drawback. Remember that a voltage drop due
to excessive resistance will only occur when a circuit is operating?
Since the injector circuit is only operating for a few milliseconds at
a time, a DVOM will only see a potential fault for a few milliseconds.
The remaining 90+% of the time the unloaded injector circuit will show
normal battery voltage.
Since DVOMs update their display roughly two to five times a

WAVEFORMS - INJECTOR PATTERN TUTORIAL
Article Text (p. 5)
1990 Volkswagen Corrado
For Volkswagen Technical Site: http://vw.belcom.ru
Copyright © 1998 Mitchell Repair Information Company, LLC
Thursday, March 23, 2000 09:52PM
second, all measurements in between are averaged. Because a potential
voltage drop is visible for such a small amount of time, it gets
"averaged out", causing you to miss it.
Only a DVOM that has a "min-max" function that checks EVERY
MILLISECOND will catch this fault consistently (if used in that mode).
The Fluke 87 among others has this capability.
A "min-max" DVOM with a lower frequency of checking (100
millisecond) can miss the fault because it will probably check when
the injector is not on. This is especially true with current
controlled driver circuits. The Fluke 88, among others fall into this
category.
Outside of using a Fluke 87 (or equivalent) in the 1 mS "min-
max" mode, the only way to catch a voltage drop fault is with a lab
scope. You will be able to see a voltage drop as it happens.
One final note. It is important to be aware that an injector
circuit with a solenoid resistor will always show a voltage drop when
the circuit is energized. This is somewhat obvious and normal; it is a
designed-in voltage drop. What can be unexpected is what we already
covered--a voltage drop disappears when the circuit is unloaded. The
unloaded injector circuit will show normal battery voltage at the
injector. Remember this and do not get confused.
Checking Injector On-Time With Built-In Function
Several DVOMs have a feature that allows them to measure
injector on-time (mS pulse width). While they are accurate and fast to
hookup, they have three limitations you should be aware of:
* They only work on voltage controlled injector drivers (e.g
"Saturated Switch"), NOT on current controlled injector
drivers (e.g. "Peak & Hold").
* A few unusual conditions can cause inaccurate readings.
* Varying engine speeds can result in inaccurate readings.
Regarding the first limitation, DVOMs need a well-defined
injector pulse in order to determine when the injector turns ON and
OFF. Voltage controlled drivers provide this because of their simple
switch-like operation. They completely close the circuit for the
entire duration of the pulse. This is easy for the DVOM to interpret.
The other type of driver, the current controlled type, start
off well by completely closing the circuit (until the injector pintle
opens), but then they throttle back the voltage/current for the
duration of the pulse. The DVOM understands the beginning of the pulse
but it cannot figure out the throttling action. In other words, it
cannot distinguish the throttling from an open circuit (de-energized)
condition.
Yet current controlled injectors will still yield a
millisecond on-time reading on these DVOMs. You will find it is also
always the same, regardless of the operating conditions. This is
because it is only measuring the initial completely-closed circuit on-
time, which always takes the same amount of time (to lift the injector
pintle off its seat). So even though you get a reading, it is useless.
The second limitation is that a few erratic conditions can

WAVEFORMS - INJECTOR PATTERN TUTORIAL
Article Text (p. 6)
1990 Volkswagen Corrado
For Volkswagen Technical Site: http://vw.belcom.ru
Copyright © 1998 Mitchell Repair Information Company, LLC
Thursday, March 23, 2000 09:52PM
cause inaccurate readings. This is because of a DVOM's slow display
rate; roughly two to five times a second. As we covered earlier,
measurements in between display updates get averaged. So conditions
like skipped injector pulses or intermittent long/short injector
pulses tend to get "averaged out", which will cause you to miss
important details.
The last limitation is that varying engine speeds can result
in inaccurate readings. This is caused by the quickly shifting
injector on-time as the engine load varies, or the RPM moves from a
state of acceleration to stabilization, or similar situations. It too
is caused by the averaging of all measurements in between DVOM display
periods. You can avoid this by checking on-time when there are no RPM
or load changes.
A lab scope allows you to overcome each one of these
limitations.
Checking Injector On-Time With Dwell Or Duty
If no tool is available to directly measure injector
millisecond on-time measurement, some techs use a simple DVOM dwell or
duty cycle functions as a replacement.
While this is an approach of last resort, it does provide
benefits. We will discuss the strengths and weaknesses in a moment,
but first we will look at how a duty cycle meter and dwell meter work.
How A Duty Cycle Meter and Dwell Meter Work
All readings are obtained by comparing how long something has
been OFF to how long it has been ON in a fixed time period. A dwell
meter and duty cycle meter actually come up with the same answers
using different scales. You can convert freely between them. See
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DWELL & DUTY CYCLE READINGS TABLE.
The DVOM display updates roughly one time a second, although
some DVOMs can be a little faster or slower. All measurements during
this update period are tallied inside the DVOM as ON time or OFF time,
and then the total ratio is displayed as either a percentage (duty
cycle) or degrees (dwell meter).
For example, let's say a DVOM had an update rate of exactly 1
second (1000 milliseconds). Let's also say that it has been
measuring/tallying an injector circuit that had been ON a total of 250
mS out of the 1000 mS. That is a ratio of one-quarter, which would be
displayed as 25% duty cycle or 15ø dwell (six-cylinder scale). Note
that most duty cycle meters can reverse the readings by selecting the
positive or negative slope to trigger on. If this reading were
reversed, a duty cycle meter would display 75%.
Strengths of Dwell/Duty Meter
The obvious strength of a dwell/duty meter is that you can
compare injector on-time against a known-good reading. This is the
only practical way to use a dwell/duty meter, but requires you to have
known-good values to compare against.
Another strength is that you can roughly convert injector mS
on-time into dwell reading with some computations.
A final strength is that because the meter averages