Re: VR6 oil leaks:[Was] Synthetic trans oil

["Christopher Morgan" <cmorgan02@sprynet.com>]

> From: ANDREW_ATWELL@HP-PaloAlto-om20.om.hp.com
> ...mysterious rough engine idle...

My '93 Passat (and most of the '96 and earlier VR6 cars I've driven) had an
intermittent rough idle that was never cured.  Surprisingly, not too many
people complainted about it, and one magazine even thought the motor was
cool because of its "cammy" idle.  I found it annoying, especially when my
mom's '94 4cyl Jetta GLS idled perfectly.  Anyway, I've been thinking it
has something to do with the different intake/exhaust tract shapes (and
maybe the relative injector placement, too) of the front cylinders vs. the
rears, causing a minor difference in power output between the front and
rear cylinders, combined with the firing order (1-5-3-2-6-4, I think, front
three cylinders fire and then rear three fire, etc.), which causes slight
idle speed fluctuations that the idle stabilizer valve plays catch-up with.
 Am I making any sense?  I could be completely wrong, but I do know that
the '97s and their new IS system are much better than before.

- -Chris