Mk2 Golf GTI 16v
Discussion
Mr Tidy said:
More great love being lavished on your Golf - a great read. 
I had a 1986 16V back in the late 90s and loved it - even though it had had about 12 previous owners and most didn't seem to have looked after it much!
Yep, I've had a few and they all seem to have had a load of owners. This one's had 20 previous! I dug up some info from a Google search where someone was unsure what to do with it as it was almost worthless at the time. IIIRC they were thinking about making a track car out of it. I'm glad it survived!I had a 1986 16V back in the late 90s and loved it - even though it had had about 12 previous owners and most didn't seem to have looked after it much!
5harp3y said:
lovely lovely thing
shame about the fitment of the exhaust but i'm sure a decent shop will be able to tweak it right
Yeah, the fitment is wshame about the fitment of the exhaust but i'm sure a decent shop will be able to tweak it right
k, but I took a gamble as I knew it was a cheap Ebay job... I think I'll just bin it off and get a proper Jetex system on there soon. The current exhaust is too loud and droney for me anyway.BristolAl said:
This brings back found memories of my 8v Jetta GTI. Was lucky to have this as my first car and ran it from 1997-2000.
H 103 GBK - think its long gone now.
H 103 GBK - think its long gone now.
I love the way the 8v's drive. Really nice engine, but this time around I had to have a 16v as I've not had one before!5harp3y said:
lovely lovely thing
shame about the fitment of the exhaust but i'm sure a decent shop will be able to tweak it right
Agree on both counts. Great to see you putting so much effort into getting it running, but that exhaust fitment is a real blight on the back end of the car.shame about the fitment of the exhaust but i'm sure a decent shop will be able to tweak it right
Very good thoughtful running repairs pal. They are the type of car that have not to have particularly easy lives back in the day so it's great to see one be so well looked after now.
Oh People rave about the trackslag system, it even comes with the oem style slanty tailpipes for an extra £20. But it is still quite loud. Is yours kjet or digifant btw?
My 16v resto is a rabbit (black) hole that I have well and truly fell into head first. Seeing yours makes me kinda regret buying something more decent. Keep it up.
Oh People rave about the trackslag system, it even comes with the oem style slanty tailpipes for an extra £20. But it is still quite loud. Is yours kjet or digifant btw?
My 16v resto is a rabbit (black) hole that I have well and truly fell into head first. Seeing yours makes me kinda regret buying something more decent. Keep it up.
shalmaneser said:
That gearbox clucth setup is pretty crazy, did VW stop that for the Mk3 and go to a more conventional setup? I've never seen anything like that before!
Car's looking great!
No idea what they did for the Mk3, I've never owned one! Yeah, the clutch is a bit arse about face for some reason, but it works well so I'm happy Car's looking great!
Coakers said:
Very good thoughtful running repairs pal. They are the type of car that have not to have particularly easy lives back in the day so it's great to see one be so well looked after now.
Oh People rave about the trackslag system, it even comes with the oem style slanty tailpipes for an extra £20. But it is still quite loud. Is yours kjet or digifant btw?
My 16v resto is a rabbit (black) hole that I have well and truly fell into head first. Seeing yours makes me kinda regret buying something more decent. Keep it up.
Cheers! I like the idea of OEM style slanty tail pipes, but quietness is a thing I need if I'm going to actually drive this thing. That's why I'm leaning toward a Jetex as I know the one on my old 8V was quiet when you wanted it to be. Mines a K-Jet by the way. I don't think they made an EFI version of the 16V in a Mk2 Golf? There's the 150bhp ABF (I think?) unit that came in the Mk3 which is a popular swap in to the Mk2.Oh People rave about the trackslag system, it even comes with the oem style slanty tailpipes for an extra £20. But it is still quite loud. Is yours kjet or digifant btw?
My 16v resto is a rabbit (black) hole that I have well and truly fell into head first. Seeing yours makes me kinda regret buying something more decent. Keep it up.
I've been following your thread but I don't think I've commented yet. You had your work cut out from the start! A massive project to get it back to a good state. Keep plugging away - throwing money at a problem isn't necessarily the best way to fix things, sometimes you just need materials and a lot of your own labour. I'm happy to help you out with bits and pieces if I can!
shalmaneser said:
That gearbox clucth setup is pretty crazy, did VW stop that for the Mk3 and go to a more conventional setup? I've never seen anything like that before!
Car's looking great!
The 020 gearbox was also used in the mk3 8v GTi with 2E/AGG motors- but the 16v GTi with ABF & VR6 used a cable change 02A box with a conventional setup.Car's looking great!
The 020 is fabulous for feel being ‘rod change’- however they do have a habit of the diff letting loose through the bellhousing.
The 020 flywheel to pressure plate bolts (x9 M7 things iirc) are made of Swiss cheese too. Easy to shear when running more cc’s/power/rpm than standard
Keep up the good work, OP! It's good to see one of the very best hot hatches of all time being restored to its former glory.
I used to love the MkII 16v Golf - my first experience was driving one for a magazine photo shoot at Goodwood, in the company of a Ford Escort RS turbo, which was an abysmal thing - too stiff, lots of turbo lag, and we had to pull into the paddock after a couple of hot laps to let the brakes cool down. And this car had been supplied from Ford's press fleet. The Golf felt as though it could pound round all day.
You mentioned water coming into the car, my guess is that it's probably a blocked sunroof drain. Get yourself a length of net curtain wire (basically a piece of wire wound like a tight spring, covered in plastic) which is the best thing I've found for clearing the drain channels which run from each front corner of the sunroof lip down the A-pillars. You'll need about 1.25 metres of wire to get all of the way down the channel.
Carry on!
I used to love the MkII 16v Golf - my first experience was driving one for a magazine photo shoot at Goodwood, in the company of a Ford Escort RS turbo, which was an abysmal thing - too stiff, lots of turbo lag, and we had to pull into the paddock after a couple of hot laps to let the brakes cool down. And this car had been supplied from Ford's press fleet. The Golf felt as though it could pound round all day.
You mentioned water coming into the car, my guess is that it's probably a blocked sunroof drain. Get yourself a length of net curtain wire (basically a piece of wire wound like a tight spring, covered in plastic) which is the best thing I've found for clearing the drain channels which run from each front corner of the sunroof lip down the A-pillars. You'll need about 1.25 metres of wire to get all of the way down the channel.
Carry on!
chrismc1977 said:
The 020 gearbox was also used in the mk3 8v GTi with 2E/AGG motors- but the 16v GTi with ABF & VR6 used a cable change 02A box with a conventional setup.
The 020 is fabulous for feel being ‘rod change’- however they do have a habit of the diff letting loose through the bellhousing.
The 020 flywheel to pressure plate bolts (x9 M7 things iirc) are made of Swiss cheese too. Easy to shear when running more cc’s/power/rpm than standard
Good info there, thanks. Which bolts do you mean - the ones that secure the pressure plate and bolt in to the end of the crank? Or the ones that bolt the 'backwards' flywheel to the pressure plate? I reused the old bolts for the time being on my car, but can always replace if they're a known weak point. Any upgraded items out there?The 020 is fabulous for feel being ‘rod change’- however they do have a habit of the diff letting loose through the bellhousing.
The 020 flywheel to pressure plate bolts (x9 M7 things iirc) are made of Swiss cheese too. Easy to shear when running more cc’s/power/rpm than standard
Dermot O'Logical said:
Keep up the good work, OP! It's good to see one of the very best hot hatches of all time being restored to its former glory.
I used to love the MkII 16v Golf - my first experience was driving one for a magazine photo shoot at Goodwood, in the company of a Ford Escort RS turbo, which was an abysmal thing - too stiff, lots of turbo lag, and we had to pull into the paddock after a couple of hot laps to let the brakes cool down. And this car had been supplied from Ford's press fleet. The Golf felt as though it could pound round all day.
You mentioned water coming into the car, my guess is that it's probably a blocked sunroof drain. Get yourself a length of net curtain wire (basically a piece of wire wound like a tight spring, covered in plastic) which is the best thing I've found for clearing the drain channels which run from each front corner of the sunroof lip down the A-pillars. You'll need about 1.25 metres of wire to get all of the way down the channel.
Carry on!
Thanks! That must have been excellent, testing both back in the days when they were the new kit. I actually own an RS Turbo too... I love it just as much as the Golf, but agree that the Golf feels like it'll just carry on regardless. Having said that, this Escort was totally reliable and never had any issues when I was using it as a daily, and then as a weekend toy.I used to love the MkII 16v Golf - my first experience was driving one for a magazine photo shoot at Goodwood, in the company of a Ford Escort RS turbo, which was an abysmal thing - too stiff, lots of turbo lag, and we had to pull into the paddock after a couple of hot laps to let the brakes cool down. And this car had been supplied from Ford's press fleet. The Golf felt as though it could pound round all day.
You mentioned water coming into the car, my guess is that it's probably a blocked sunroof drain. Get yourself a length of net curtain wire (basically a piece of wire wound like a tight spring, covered in plastic) which is the best thing I've found for clearing the drain channels which run from each front corner of the sunroof lip down the A-pillars. You'll need about 1.25 metres of wire to get all of the way down the channel.
Carry on!
The Escort as it currently stands; just a bare shell having been given a bit of a restoration by a company that does that sort of thing as I just don't have the space to do it myself currently:
I'll buy some net curtain rod and have a fish around in the sun roof drain channels but I know there's play in the door latches and the doors aren't as tight on the seals as they should be. It's possibly both things that are causing the problem! I take it you know there are rear channels too that drain the other side of the rear arches?
Gallons Per Mile said:
chrismc1977 said:
The 020 gearbox was also used in the mk3 8v GTi with 2E/AGG motors- but the 16v GTi with ABF & VR6 used a cable change 02A box with a conventional setup.
The 020 is fabulous for feel being ‘rod change’- however they do have a habit of the diff letting loose through the bellhousing.
The 020 flywheel to pressure plate bolts (x9 M7 things iirc) are made of Swiss cheese too. Easy to shear when running more cc’s/power/rpm than standard
Good info there, thanks. Which bolts do you mean - the ones that secure the pressure plate and bolt in to the end of the crank? Or the ones that bolt the 'backwards' flywheel to the pressure plate? I reused the old bolts for the time being on my car, but can always replace if they're a known weak point. Any upgraded items out there?The 020 is fabulous for feel being ‘rod change’- however they do have a habit of the diff letting loose through the bellhousing.
The 020 flywheel to pressure plate bolts (x9 M7 things iirc) are made of Swiss cheese too. Easy to shear when running more cc’s/power/rpm than standard
They are cheap from VW so I always used to replace them whenever a box came off. No upgrade items back in the day....
In fairness they seemed ok on an 1800- but running a 2L block & extra rev limit (7800 vs 7200) made their life span dramatically shorter.
Sheared 6 of 9 of mine with a missed gear & had two friends both suffer bolt maladies on track...net result being total loss of drive. The drivetrain can definitely be a weak point!
Well worth you looking up the ‘WUR mod’ if you haven’t heard of it too. Adjusts control fuel pressure in metering head to 48psi via the Warm Up Regulator to optimise fuelling. Should allow you to sneak a bit more ign timing (which a KR will like!!!). Every little helps...
chrismc1977 said:
Pressure plate to flywheel- 9 little ones.
They are cheap from VW so I always used to replace them whenever a box came off. No upgrade items back in the day....
In fairness they seemed ok on an 1800- but running a 2L block & extra rev limit (7800 vs 7200) made their life span dramatically shorter.
Sheared 6 of 9 of mine with a missed gear & had two friends both suffer bolt maladies on track...net result being total loss of drive. The drivetrain can definitely be a weak point!
Well worth you looking up the ‘WUR mod’ if you haven’t heard of it too. Adjusts control fuel pressure in metering head to 48psi via the Warm Up Regulator to optimise fuelling. Should allow you to sneak a bit more ign timing (which a KR will like!!!). Every little helps...
Ok, I'll look to replace those at some point then. They are cheap from VW so I always used to replace them whenever a box came off. No upgrade items back in the day....
In fairness they seemed ok on an 1800- but running a 2L block & extra rev limit (7800 vs 7200) made their life span dramatically shorter.
Sheared 6 of 9 of mine with a missed gear & had two friends both suffer bolt maladies on track...net result being total loss of drive. The drivetrain can definitely be a weak point!
Well worth you looking up the ‘WUR mod’ if you haven’t heard of it too. Adjusts control fuel pressure in metering head to 48psi via the Warm Up Regulator to optimise fuelling. Should allow you to sneak a bit more ign timing (which a KR will like!!!). Every little helps...
Not heard of that mod either. I'll have a look at that too!
Quick update on the Mk2:
I changed the exhaust! I've now got a nice Jetex 3 box system on there. The fit is excellent although it does knock on the rear beam slightly. I've put that down me fitting it on the drive way, which is hardly ideal. It's booked in to my friendly mechanic mate's place next week to be adjusted on the ramp. It sounds so much nicer than the old system, ie it's not 'wake the neighbours up at 6am' loud any more. Still louder than I remember on the 8v GTI I had a few years back. I don't know if the 4 branch manifold has anything to do with that though.
I changed the exhaust! I've now got a nice Jetex 3 box system on there. The fit is excellent although it does knock on the rear beam slightly. I've put that down me fitting it on the drive way, which is hardly ideal. It's booked in to my friendly mechanic mate's place next week to be adjusted on the ramp. It sounds so much nicer than the old system, ie it's not 'wake the neighbours up at 6am' loud any more. Still louder than I remember on the 8v GTI I had a few years back. I don't know if the 4 branch manifold has anything to do with that though.
The fit over the beam is always troublesome- especially with larger bore systems &/or running lower than stock.
Mid pipe needs to be twisted so it’s as tight as possible to the floorpan & adjusted fore/aft so the loop part has maximum possible clearance to front & rear of the beam.
Backbox section can then be clamped on straight.
New hanging rubbers are a good plan- there used to be an uprated rear one with a built-in chain to prevent stretching.
A good, tight & straight fitting mk2 after market system is no easy task however...
Mid pipe needs to be twisted so it’s as tight as possible to the floorpan & adjusted fore/aft so the loop part has maximum possible clearance to front & rear of the beam.
Backbox section can then be clamped on straight.
New hanging rubbers are a good plan- there used to be an uprated rear one with a built-in chain to prevent stretching.
A good, tight & straight fitting mk2 after market system is no easy task however...
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