1992 VW Golf 1.8 CL
Discussion
aka_kerrly said:
PS - there are a few mk3 golf forums out there - one is www.mk3golfowners.co.uk it's run by some of the same guys who operate the mk2 golf owners club (of which i'm a member) and there are a few guys who know their mk3s inside out who could possibly offer you some more pointers.
most of the mk2 and mk3 suspension stuff is very similar iirc?320touring said:
most of the mk2 and mk3 suspension stuff is very similar iirc?
If you look at a mk2 and mk3 from underneath the main visual clue is a mk3 subframe has and extra bolt at it's rear most mounting point compared with a mk2 and the fuel accumulator/filter assembly is slightly different. Beyond that from the firewall>boot floor is the same.All the brakes, suspension, subframes, engines, gearboxes, hubs, lower arms etc are interchangeable so long as you are aware a GTI 16v & VR6 run wider track and 5 stud hubs compared with 4 stud of mk2s.
aka_kerrly said:
If you look at a mk2 and mk3 from underneath the main visual clue is a mk3 subframe has and extra bolt at it's rear most mounting point compared with a mk2 and the fuel accumulator/filter assembly is slightly different. Beyond that from the firewall>boot floor is the same.
All the brakes, suspension, subframes, engines, gearboxes, hubs, lower arms etc are interchangeable so long as you are aware a GTI 16v & VR6 run wider track and 5 stud hubs compared with 4 stud of mk2s.
Sound- that means more chance of finding useful articles on how to do the workAll the brakes, suspension, subframes, engines, gearboxes, hubs, lower arms etc are interchangeable so long as you are aware a GTI 16v & VR6 run wider track and 5 stud hubs compared with 4 stud of mk2s.
good knowledge BTW
Cheers for the support guys! The bangernomics swingometer took a bit of a hammering today but I think I have found a reasonableish solution. It's that thing of balancing your time, comfort and wallet. The weather here is, at the moment, totally dry but cold. If it swings the other way it will be warmer but raining. Neither are very working-on-car-in-driveway friendly so my swingometer was moving towards the "Get someone else to do it" marker.
An ex colleague of mine here knows quite a few people so I gave him a bell and he has sorted me out with someone to do the work. He's also going to fit the replacement clutch so for sure the car will be transformed and I won't have to freeze my bits off, realise I need a special tool, find out I can't undo a certain bolt... etc.
The guy has quoted €270 which I think is pretty reasonable. It does go against the bangernomics principle somewhat but like I said, it is a balance. Once the APK is done I hope to have another year trouble free motoring
note to self: buy bigger house with garage, install lift and buy loads of tools...
An ex colleague of mine here knows quite a few people so I gave him a bell and he has sorted me out with someone to do the work. He's also going to fit the replacement clutch so for sure the car will be transformed and I won't have to freeze my bits off, realise I need a special tool, find out I can't undo a certain bolt... etc.
The guy has quoted €270 which I think is pretty reasonable. It does go against the bangernomics principle somewhat but like I said, it is a balance. Once the APK is done I hope to have another year trouble free motoring
note to self: buy bigger house with garage, install lift and buy loads of tools...
Out of these jobs:
- Right inner CV boot, big hole
- Rear brakes not effective enough
- Left rear wheel bearing noisy (I could barely hear it)
I'd say the inner CV boot is not too hard if you have the right tools to remove the driveshaft which is 32mm socket for the hub nut and a m8 spline - NOT a allen key, a allen key will fit in the hole but will ruin the head of the bolt which can be the difference between success and failure!!
I always recommend buying one of these style of kits for working on VW as having proper allen key/torx/splines which can be put on 1/4inch drive ratchets makes life a lot easier
It's also worth noting that buying the VW fit CV boots is far better than the universal ones which can be a pain in the ass!!!
Rear brakes not being effective enough , is this just when used as a parking brake ? If it's the parking brake is inefficient it could be as simple as adjusting the hand brake cables, this is done from inside the car, if you remove the handbrake lever cover you will be able to see the two cables which attach to it. Take the slack out of the cables and try the handbrake again - a cheeky handbrake turn may be required ;-)
If this doesn't solve the problem then it is more likely the brake cylinders in the drum have failed or the pads have worn down too much.
Wheel bearing - well you will be taking the rear drum off to inspect the pads/brake cylinder/handbrake so it is worth removing the bearings and inspecting first. It could be a case of new grease and refitting with the correct torque is enough to solve the problem - too often a lose or too tight bearing can make noises but not be damaged enough to ruin it. That said a new bearing is £10 which is far better for peace of mind.
- Right inner CV boot, big hole
- Rear brakes not effective enough
- Left rear wheel bearing noisy (I could barely hear it)
I'd say the inner CV boot is not too hard if you have the right tools to remove the driveshaft which is 32mm socket for the hub nut and a m8 spline - NOT a allen key, a allen key will fit in the hole but will ruin the head of the bolt which can be the difference between success and failure!!
I always recommend buying one of these style of kits for working on VW as having proper allen key/torx/splines which can be put on 1/4inch drive ratchets makes life a lot easier
It's also worth noting that buying the VW fit CV boots is far better than the universal ones which can be a pain in the ass!!!
Rear brakes not being effective enough , is this just when used as a parking brake ? If it's the parking brake is inefficient it could be as simple as adjusting the hand brake cables, this is done from inside the car, if you remove the handbrake lever cover you will be able to see the two cables which attach to it. Take the slack out of the cables and try the handbrake again - a cheeky handbrake turn may be required ;-)
If this doesn't solve the problem then it is more likely the brake cylinders in the drum have failed or the pads have worn down too much.
Wheel bearing - well you will be taking the rear drum off to inspect the pads/brake cylinder/handbrake so it is worth removing the bearings and inspecting first. It could be a case of new grease and refitting with the correct torque is enough to solve the problem - too often a lose or too tight bearing can make noises but not be damaged enough to ruin it. That said a new bearing is £10 which is far better for peace of mind.
LeoZwalf said:
Cheers for the support guys! The bangernomics swingometer took a bit of a hammering today but I think I have found a reasonableish solution. It's that thing of balancing your time, comfort and wallet. The weather here is, at the moment, totally dry but cold. If it swings the other way it will be warmer but raining. Neither are very working-on-car-in-driveway friendly so my swingometer was moving towards the "Get someone else to do it" marker.
The guy has quoted €270 which I think is pretty reasonable. It does go against the bangernomics principle somewhat but like I said, it is a balance. Once the APK is done I hope to have another year trouble free motoring
note to self: buy bigger house with garage, install lift and buy loads of tools...
I know the feeling- been there often. Sounds like a good compromise you've found, especially with the clutch getting fitted too- good work!The guy has quoted €270 which I think is pretty reasonable. It does go against the bangernomics principle somewhat but like I said, it is a balance. Once the APK is done I hope to have another year trouble free motoring
note to self: buy bigger house with garage, install lift and buy loads of tools...
Good stuff. They're quite robust those mk3s. I bought my brother's abandoned GTI from him for £200 as he'd left it at my parent's house for a couple of years just quietly dying. A bit of fettling and a quick brake overhaul later and it was running fine apart from like yours a slightly dodgy clutch and somewhat weak gearbox.
I even took it for a thrash on track a few weeks ago with some fellow PHers who were shocked by how well it went considering how little it cost!
I've looked into the clutch change and it's a bit odd as it's the pressure plate that's mounted to the crankshaft and the flywheel bolted to that with the release bearing at the other end of the gearbox. I may attempt it at some point if it gets any worse.
I even took it for a thrash on track a few weeks ago with some fellow PHers who were shocked by how well it went considering how little it cost!
I've looked into the clutch change and it's a bit odd as it's the pressure plate that's mounted to the crankshaft and the flywheel bolted to that with the release bearing at the other end of the gearbox. I may attempt it at some point if it gets any worse.
aka_kerrly said:
My ambition to, i'd be happy with a 2 bed house with a double garage and space for half a dozen cars off road.
good luck with the golf!
I rent space for cars at the moment, all that happens is you end up with more shyte, and many more projects than you can deal with!good luck with the golf!
good luck and let us know how you get on
Forgot to update this at the time but I'm happy to report that the APK was a success a couple of weeks ago. So the Golf and I have another year ahead of us. It drives much better with the new clutch but its sharpness is highlighting the very worn engine mounts. I bought one replacement mount months ago but haven't fitted it yet, will have to do it when the weather is better as it will improve the drive and get rid of the vibration which is especially bad when the engine is cold.
Months ago I bought a set of engine mounts. There is a fair bit of vibration when the engine is cold and you can feel the engine rocking when going on/off the throttle. It was made even more obvious they need changing when I was doing the thermostat - undoing some bolts and the engine was wobbling all over the place!
Today I had time to change the front mount. The new one was a good 10mm taller than the old one, I can only suppose the old one had compressed over its 23 years in the car. Date stamp on it shows '91'.
Three mounts in boxes showing part numbers:
New ones at top of picture:
Old one removed:
Also whilst faffing around under the bonnet, I took the air filter out to see how dirty it had become (not much at all). Found the hot/cold flap stuck in the hot engine position so only cold air being drawn in. That may well explain why it takes so long to warm up despite me changing the thermostat.
Took it all off and found the metal hook which pushes and pulls the flap across was stuck fast. Freed it up and then found the plastic brackety thing was broken so the hook would just pop out making the whole thing useless. Superglue didn't fix it so... improvised
Going to take it for a bit of a drive soon and see if it has made ANY difference at all.
Today I had time to change the front mount. The new one was a good 10mm taller than the old one, I can only suppose the old one had compressed over its 23 years in the car. Date stamp on it shows '91'.
Three mounts in boxes showing part numbers:
New ones at top of picture:
Old one removed:
Also whilst faffing around under the bonnet, I took the air filter out to see how dirty it had become (not much at all). Found the hot/cold flap stuck in the hot engine position so only cold air being drawn in. That may well explain why it takes so long to warm up despite me changing the thermostat.
Took it all off and found the metal hook which pushes and pulls the flap across was stuck fast. Freed it up and then found the plastic brackety thing was broken so the hook would just pop out making the whole thing useless. Superglue didn't fix it so... improvised
Going to take it for a bit of a drive soon and see if it has made ANY difference at all.
The 'fix' in my previous post keeps breaking so I eventually decided to just ignore it. Maybe in winter it will help get the engine to temperature quicker if it was working but I don't care enough to get it working.
Not a lot has happened with the car recently. I've been driving instead of cycling to work for the last 6-8 weeks for a few reasons and the Golf takes it all in its stride. Starts first time every time, no fuss at all.
Yesterday I drove a few hundred km's around the country since I was given the run-around by a guy selling a pair of roof bars. Turns out they were for a mk4 Golf. Bloke didn't really have a clue what he had, no problem for him really but a wasted trip for me. Problem was, I had to have a pair because we'd bought a wall unit and had to go pick it up. With no roof bars, there's no way it would have been able to come home! Luckily managed to find a pair but they were a long way away. Picked them up, fitted them on and drove another 130km back home, picked up Mrs and then another half hour to collect the unit:
Now sitting on 227,000 km.
Not a lot has happened with the car recently. I've been driving instead of cycling to work for the last 6-8 weeks for a few reasons and the Golf takes it all in its stride. Starts first time every time, no fuss at all.
Yesterday I drove a few hundred km's around the country since I was given the run-around by a guy selling a pair of roof bars. Turns out they were for a mk4 Golf. Bloke didn't really have a clue what he had, no problem for him really but a wasted trip for me. Problem was, I had to have a pair because we'd bought a wall unit and had to go pick it up. With no roof bars, there's no way it would have been able to come home! Luckily managed to find a pair but they were a long way away. Picked them up, fitted them on and drove another 130km back home, picked up Mrs and then another half hour to collect the unit:
Now sitting on 227,000 km.
A couple of days ago the gear linkage seemed to suddenly become a lot more sloppy. Turns out part of it is very worn out, I reckon a piece of one of the plastic joints broke off.
Thankfully there is a repair kit which I've just ordered...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/390975037910
eBay shop is called veedubmachine_ltd - http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/veedubmachine_ltd?_trksi...
With every fix and bit of money I spend on it, I feel like I'm gradually getting further away from bangernomics. A true bangernomics devotee would have binned it when it failed its MOT last year, but I quite like the feeling of spending a bit here and there to keep it moving.
The rear brakes will also need some attention. They had new shoes and cylinders for the MOT and it passed fine after they were replaced, but the pedal is low and they sing when they're cold. I suspect the self adjusters are not working and/or perhaps the drums are too far worn.
Thankfully there is a repair kit which I've just ordered...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/390975037910
eBay shop is called veedubmachine_ltd - http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/veedubmachine_ltd?_trksi...
With every fix and bit of money I spend on it, I feel like I'm gradually getting further away from bangernomics. A true bangernomics devotee would have binned it when it failed its MOT last year, but I quite like the feeling of spending a bit here and there to keep it moving.
The rear brakes will also need some attention. They had new shoes and cylinders for the MOT and it passed fine after they were replaced, but the pedal is low and they sing when they're cold. I suspect the self adjusters are not working and/or perhaps the drums are too far worn.
Yesterday I finally had a free morning so made some time and fitted the two remaining engine mounts. The one on the right side of the car was fairly straightforward but the gearbox end one was a right old job. You have to remove a pretty beefy bracket on the end of the gearbox to make space to pull the mount out. Got it done eventually and the engine no longer lollops around when you rock it by hand.
Beefy gearbox bracket:
Right side - new vs old (notice the height difference as the old one has collapsed)
Left/gearbox side - new vs old (not much height difference but old one was very soft and can be bent by hand, new one is much firmer)
Unfortunately I haven't been able to give it a test drive yet. The eBay shop in my last update never responded to my purchase and subsequent email asking how to pay so I carried on searching and found the same kit for sale in NL. Bought online (from www.boelm.nl) on Friday and it turned up yesterday whilst I was under the car doing the engine mounts. Love fast delivery
Repair kit:
It all tied in quite nicely because the gear linkage is in the same general area as the gearbox mount so I was easily able to do both jobs at the same time. It soon became painfully clear that the kit I'd just received was not going to fix my almost completely broken linkage.
This piece is the worst, not just worn but broken. I think it is supposed to be a ball, half is missing. Despite how knackered it is, you can still change gears without problems.
That's one of the parts which isn't included in the kit I bought. Had to get back on the net and figure it out. Back to the same site I bought this kit and find a kit for a mk2 Golf/Jetta appears to have the piece I need. My Golf is a 1992 mk3 so I suspect that because it's such an early one, there was a crossover period of mk2 bits being used on mk3's. Still doesn't quite explain why the repair kit for the mk3 does not include that ball piece, it is shown on a diagram for the kit but the part isn't highlighted as being part of the kit (makes sense...?!)
Shoddy pic of the mk2 kit, the white slatted ball is the bit I need as well as some other washers etc.
Annoyingly I have now spent more than I wanted to - the 'wrong' mk3 kit was €25 and the mk2 kit was around €45. Maybe I will be able to make a full mk3 kit back up with the extra bits and sell it on.
In the meantime it will be bus or cycle to work until the mk2 kit arrives and I can make time to fit it. Mmmm, dark evenings, not my favourite for clambering under the car out in the street.
Beefy gearbox bracket:
Right side - new vs old (notice the height difference as the old one has collapsed)
Left/gearbox side - new vs old (not much height difference but old one was very soft and can be bent by hand, new one is much firmer)
Unfortunately I haven't been able to give it a test drive yet. The eBay shop in my last update never responded to my purchase and subsequent email asking how to pay so I carried on searching and found the same kit for sale in NL. Bought online (from www.boelm.nl) on Friday and it turned up yesterday whilst I was under the car doing the engine mounts. Love fast delivery
Repair kit:
It all tied in quite nicely because the gear linkage is in the same general area as the gearbox mount so I was easily able to do both jobs at the same time. It soon became painfully clear that the kit I'd just received was not going to fix my almost completely broken linkage.
This piece is the worst, not just worn but broken. I think it is supposed to be a ball, half is missing. Despite how knackered it is, you can still change gears without problems.
That's one of the parts which isn't included in the kit I bought. Had to get back on the net and figure it out. Back to the same site I bought this kit and find a kit for a mk2 Golf/Jetta appears to have the piece I need. My Golf is a 1992 mk3 so I suspect that because it's such an early one, there was a crossover period of mk2 bits being used on mk3's. Still doesn't quite explain why the repair kit for the mk3 does not include that ball piece, it is shown on a diagram for the kit but the part isn't highlighted as being part of the kit (makes sense...?!)
Shoddy pic of the mk2 kit, the white slatted ball is the bit I need as well as some other washers etc.
Annoyingly I have now spent more than I wanted to - the 'wrong' mk3 kit was €25 and the mk2 kit was around €45. Maybe I will be able to make a full mk3 kit back up with the extra bits and sell it on.
In the meantime it will be bus or cycle to work until the mk2 kit arrives and I can make time to fit it. Mmmm, dark evenings, not my favourite for clambering under the car out in the street.
Some kind of winter cold/flu thing attacked me recently so it's been tough going out in the cold to fix the damn car. Yesterday evening I got outside and fitted all the remaining gear linkage parts in the engine bay side which had arrived on Monday.
There are a few more linkage parts inside the car to fit. It is not possible to fit them without 1) dropping part of the exhaust 2) removing a big heat shield 3) reaching and removing the underside of the gear lever from under the car. Doing that allows removal of the vertical lever from the horizontal link which goes through to the engine bay. But I ain't got time for dat, so left it alone. Maybe one day.
Once all the engine bay side bits were fitted, it was pretty clear that, of course, something was wrong. The lever would not move fully left/right. Some head-scratching later, and the handy arrival of my Dad (who spotted the problem) we discover this:
Original on left, new on right - horizontal bar is in a different place! Rage face. The ball part was fitted to the new shiny rod so had to be removed (pull it, HARD) and fitted to the old. Of course, that didn't fit either did it; it was way too loose. Dad's bright idea; slip it on loose and tap tap tap tap the end of the rod it sits on to peen it off. Booyaka! It holds.
Car now back on the road and will fight other day. Gear shift is hugely improved BUT the new engine mounts, hmm. At idle and overrun there's more vibration inside the car than before! Pulling away feels smoother and the drivetrain shunt is much reduced. Under acceleration it feels smoother. Perhaps they'll settle down after some more driving...?
There are a few more linkage parts inside the car to fit. It is not possible to fit them without 1) dropping part of the exhaust 2) removing a big heat shield 3) reaching and removing the underside of the gear lever from under the car. Doing that allows removal of the vertical lever from the horizontal link which goes through to the engine bay. But I ain't got time for dat, so left it alone. Maybe one day.
Once all the engine bay side bits were fitted, it was pretty clear that, of course, something was wrong. The lever would not move fully left/right. Some head-scratching later, and the handy arrival of my Dad (who spotted the problem) we discover this:
Original on left, new on right - horizontal bar is in a different place! Rage face. The ball part was fitted to the new shiny rod so had to be removed (pull it, HARD) and fitted to the old. Of course, that didn't fit either did it; it was way too loose. Dad's bright idea; slip it on loose and tap tap tap tap the end of the rod it sits on to peen it off. Booyaka! It holds.
Car now back on the road and will fight other day. Gear shift is hugely improved BUT the new engine mounts, hmm. At idle and overrun there's more vibration inside the car than before! Pulling away feels smoother and the drivetrain shunt is much reduced. Under acceleration it feels smoother. Perhaps they'll settle down after some more driving...?
APK is due at the beginning of March so I took it for a test on Saturday. Not hugely surprised when they called to say it had failed 
From memory, the list was as follows:
I had to don my sensible hat. Parts and labour = €500. That's what I paid for the car ffs! But I don't have the time or inclination to faff about changing the car right now. Either pay for repairs or get rid of it. If I get rid, I'll have to find another car which may well be another whole bag of unknown problems.
Garage just tried to call me... wonder what they want?!
From memory, the list was as follows:- Both rear wheel bearings loose (these were replaced last year! Garage will tighten them)
- Front wheel bearings bad
- Front tyres need replacing (I knew this and already have a new set waiting to go on)
- Front pads very low (I think this it not a failure, but they do need doing)
- Rear middle belt doesn't fasten - they will get a replacement socket from scrapper
- Slight corrosion on a brake line - they will "clean it up a bit"
- Rear left trailing arm bush, excessive play
I had to don my sensible hat. Parts and labour = €500. That's what I paid for the car ffs! But I don't have the time or inclination to faff about changing the car right now. Either pay for repairs or get rid of it. If I get rid, I'll have to find another car which may well be another whole bag of unknown problems.
Garage just tried to call me... wonder what they want?!
Went to pick up the car earlier only to find they had only fitted two of the four tyres. Why would I order four but only want two of them on the car?!
Garage man also showed me a brake pipe and said they had replaced it on the front right because I don't know. Bulging perhaps, I didn't understand what he told me because language barrier. No charge for that.
They are cash only so I asked for a bill for my records. Bloke types it up and only after I leave I notice there are things on there that guess what, they didn't change e.g. brake discs. Also around €180 for two new rear wheel bearings which we'd agreed they just needed tightening. Will have to go back and talk to them about it.
Yet again I wish I had the time and facilities to do all this stuff myself, no matter what garage I ever take any car to, I always feel like they're having me on.
Despite all that the car now has new tyres all round and a fresh APK to last another year. Unsure if I can put up with it for another year though :-/
Garage man also showed me a brake pipe and said they had replaced it on the front right because I don't know. Bulging perhaps, I didn't understand what he told me because language barrier. No charge for that.
They are cash only so I asked for a bill for my records. Bloke types it up and only after I leave I notice there are things on there that guess what, they didn't change e.g. brake discs. Also around €180 for two new rear wheel bearings which we'd agreed they just needed tightening. Will have to go back and talk to them about it.
Yet again I wish I had the time and facilities to do all this stuff myself, no matter what garage I ever take any car to, I always feel like they're having me on.
Despite all that the car now has new tyres all round and a fresh APK to last another year. Unsure if I can put up with it for another year though :-/
Glad to see this old thing still soldiering on
And you should definately discuss the discrepancies with the garage.
Rear wheel bearings new will be less than 15euro each, and fitting them is not difficult.
The only way i dould see them costing what is on the bill is if they rebuilt the back brakes at the same time..
And you should definately discuss the discrepancies with the garage.
Rear wheel bearings new will be less than 15euro each, and fitting them is not difficult.
The only way i dould see them costing what is on the bill is if they rebuilt the back brakes at the same time..
There is no way they rebuilt the rear brakes, they're as bad as they always were
Came out the house this morning to find this:
Brand new left rear, flat as a pannenkoek (that's a Dutch pancake).
Put on spare, thankfully didn't find a nail or any other nasty in there. Conclusion: garage didn't seal it properly or the valve is bad. Makes me wonder if the other three new tyres are OK or not.
Came out the house this morning to find this:
Brand new left rear, flat as a pannenkoek (that's a Dutch pancake).
Put on spare, thankfully didn't find a nail or any other nasty in there. Conclusion: garage didn't seal it properly or the valve is bad. Makes me wonder if the other three new tyres are OK or not.
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