Mk2 Golf GTi 20v Turbo Soon To Be Daily.....
Discussion
This evening I was meant to go running after work, however while walking home I got a phone call from the company that has my V5 van. Apparently the engine mounts are all done and it’ll be ready to collect tomorrow! That’s great, however it poses a slight problem in that there’s only space for one car on my driveway! This means getting the Golf into a half roadworthy state so I can drive it to work and stick it in for an MOT. Then it can sit at work and I can use a ramp instead of the floor 
As soon as I got home I headed straight to the shed to put the rear suspension together. That way it can all be chucked in the car and fitted at work. Again, it was lovely to work on brand new bits that weren’t covered in crap
I had to find a picture online of what order it all went together but once I had that it only took ten minutes and they were together.
Once that was done I figured I better get the dash back together. Oh, I took the headlight switch to work today and got one of the techs to have a look at it. He found the dimmer contacts were rather furry so gave it a good clean up and told me to try it out. I got the (really crap fitting) LED bulbs back into the instrument cluster, plugged in the headlight switch and hoped for the best!
We have light
I’ll have to buy some better bulbs because these ones don’t fit well at all, but they’ll do for now. I got the rest of the dash in and then started the engine (which sat and idled quite happily straight away) and tested all the lights. Amazingly, every single light works!
Tomorrow I’ll get back on it after work, I’ll check and top up the levels and then give it a run around the block. Then Wednesday I’ll drive it to work!
As soon as I got home I headed straight to the shed to put the rear suspension together. That way it can all be chucked in the car and fitted at work. Again, it was lovely to work on brand new bits that weren’t covered in crap
I had to find a picture online of what order it all went together but once I had that it only took ten minutes and they were together.
Once that was done I figured I better get the dash back together. Oh, I took the headlight switch to work today and got one of the techs to have a look at it. He found the dimmer contacts were rather furry so gave it a good clean up and told me to try it out. I got the (really crap fitting) LED bulbs back into the instrument cluster, plugged in the headlight switch and hoped for the best!
We have light
I’ll have to buy some better bulbs because these ones don’t fit well at all, but they’ll do for now. I got the rest of the dash in and then started the engine (which sat and idled quite happily straight away) and tested all the lights. Amazingly, every single light works!
Tomorrow I’ll get back on it after work, I’ll check and top up the levels and then give it a run around the block. Then Wednesday I’ll drive it to work!
Seeing as it’s now a bit of a panic to get the Golf on the road I took another half day from work! It got me away from audit stuff as well which was definitely a good thing!
As soon as I got home I had some lunch (a beef, cheese and mustard bagel if you’re interested) and then headed straight outside to crack on. First thing was to get the rear suspension swapped over. In a moment of thinking ahead the other day I had drenched the lower shock bolt in plus gas to help it free off. It worked and they came undone pretty easily I had a couple of scary moments where HUUUUGGEEE spiders suddenly appeared while I was tucked up under the wheel arches but otherwise it all went nice and easily
With those fitted I decided to get the rear arch trims off and see what horrors met me underneath. They came off with a little persuasion and I was pleasantly surprised that the arches weren’t completely rotten. They are slightly crusty but a quick going over with a wire brush and some rust converter will sort them out ready for the GTi arch trims to go on
There was plenty of double sided foam tape and black sealant stuck to the arches so the heat gun came out and slowly but surely I got it all scraped off. I will admit it doesn’t look pretty but it’s all going to be covered up again so it’ll be fine.
The next job was to replace the rear light clusters. This took a whole five minutes including cleaning all the crap off the body behind the old clusters
Once they were changed I got the back wheels back on and dropped it on the floor. The rear suspension needs to settle a bit but I’m very happy with the height
Another job I got done was to replace the front lower window seals. It was starting to get dark at this point so I forgot to take pictures, but I can promise you all that they look good and I’m happy with them haha.
Finally I got the front end up on stands, removed the front wheels and chucked them in the back of my BMW ready to take to work tomorrow. I’ve had two new tyres sitting there for a week and kept forgetting to take the wheels in so tomorrow is the day. Once they’re fitted the car can go for an MOT and see what else is required
As soon as I got home I had some lunch (a beef, cheese and mustard bagel if you’re interested) and then headed straight outside to crack on. First thing was to get the rear suspension swapped over. In a moment of thinking ahead the other day I had drenched the lower shock bolt in plus gas to help it free off. It worked and they came undone pretty easily
I had a couple of scary moments where HUUUUGGEEE spiders suddenly appeared while I was tucked up under the wheel arches but otherwise it all went nice and easily 
With those fitted I decided to get the rear arch trims off and see what horrors met me underneath. They came off with a little persuasion and I was pleasantly surprised that the arches weren’t completely rotten. They are slightly crusty but a quick going over with a wire brush and some rust converter will sort them out ready for the GTi arch trims to go on
There was plenty of double sided foam tape and black sealant stuck to the arches so the heat gun came out and slowly but surely I got it all scraped off. I will admit it doesn’t look pretty but it’s all going to be covered up again so it’ll be fine.
The next job was to replace the rear light clusters. This took a whole five minutes including cleaning all the crap off the body behind the old clusters
Once they were changed I got the back wheels back on and dropped it on the floor. The rear suspension needs to settle a bit but I’m very happy with the height
Another job I got done was to replace the front lower window seals. It was starting to get dark at this point so I forgot to take pictures, but I can promise you all that they look good and I’m happy with them haha.
Finally I got the front end up on stands, removed the front wheels and chucked them in the back of my BMW ready to take to work tomorrow. I’ve had two new tyres sitting there for a week and kept forgetting to take the wheels in so tomorrow is the day. Once they’re fitted the car can go for an MOT and see what else is required
The Golf had its MOT today. It passed
It had some advisories but they weren’t unexpected.
The advisories were;
A very perished N/S outer CV gaiter - Not quite split but very close.
A very perished N/S steering rack gaiter - Nearly split as well.
Both wiper blades perished - Already replaced them.
Both front brakes fluctuating slightly when applied - This is due to surface rust.
All brake discs corroded - These should clean up with more driving.
O/S/R tyre close to the legal wear limit - I’m replacing both rears on pay day.
Corrosion to the bodywork on the rear - Slight bubbling around the O/S corner.
All in all these advisories are nothing. I’ve ordered a new CV gaiter which I’ll replace over the weekend and then start driving the car to clean the brakes up etc.
Annoyingly, but not surprisingly the aftermarket GTi arch trims I bought don’t even come close to fitting so I’ve just ordered a set of used genuine VW arch trims in good condition.
Here’s a picture of the car in the workshop this morning having a track rod end freed off before the tracking was done
It had some advisories but they weren’t unexpected.
The advisories were;
A very perished N/S outer CV gaiter - Not quite split but very close.
A very perished N/S steering rack gaiter - Nearly split as well.
Both wiper blades perished - Already replaced them.
Both front brakes fluctuating slightly when applied - This is due to surface rust.
All brake discs corroded - These should clean up with more driving.
O/S/R tyre close to the legal wear limit - I’m replacing both rears on pay day.
Corrosion to the bodywork on the rear - Slight bubbling around the O/S corner.
All in all these advisories are nothing. I’ve ordered a new CV gaiter which I’ll replace over the weekend and then start driving the car to clean the brakes up etc.
Annoyingly, but not surprisingly the aftermarket GTi arch trims I bought don’t even come close to fitting so I’ve just ordered a set of used genuine VW arch trims in good condition.
Here’s a picture of the car in the workshop this morning having a track rod end freed off before the tracking was done
Yesterday morning I dropped my daughter to her dance class and then rushed straight to Eurocarparts to pick up a CV gaiter.
Then it was a quick dash to work to get it replaced. Because I was pretty short on time I called ahead and got one of the techs to get the car on the ramp and in the air ready for when I got there.
After the MOT was done on Friday one of the techs had asked if he could take the Golf for a drive. I told him to crack on and carried on with my work. He obviously took it for a spirited drive because the rather perished CV gaiter that had been advised on the MOT was now destroyed
Anyway, off came the driveshaft and into the vice.
The CV joint came off nice and easily which makes a change, I cleaned everything up and then got the new gaiter on.
And then the joint when back on
At this point I suddenly realised it was almost time to go and pick my Daughter up so I stopped taking pictures and just got on with getting the shaft fitted. It’s all back together but the car has now decided it’s going to misfire! I’ve still got to service the engine, change the cambelt and clean everything out so hopefully I’ll find something that’s causing the misfire while I’m at it.
Then it was a quick dash to work to get it replaced. Because I was pretty short on time I called ahead and got one of the techs to get the car on the ramp and in the air ready for when I got there.
After the MOT was done on Friday one of the techs had asked if he could take the Golf for a drive. I told him to crack on and carried on with my work. He obviously took it for a spirited drive because the rather perished CV gaiter that had been advised on the MOT was now destroyed
Anyway, off came the driveshaft and into the vice.
The CV joint came off nice and easily which makes a change, I cleaned everything up and then got the new gaiter on.
And then the joint when back on
At this point I suddenly realised it was almost time to go and pick my Daughter up so I stopped taking pictures and just got on with getting the shaft fitted. It’s all back together but the car has now decided it’s going to misfire! I’ve still got to service the engine, change the cambelt and clean everything out so hopefully I’ll find something that’s causing the misfire while I’m at it.
Usget said:
I must admit I'd be pretty upset if I lent someone my work-in-progress car with instructions to look after it, and it came back with a hanging CV boot and a misfire...!
That’s a shame that something like that can get you upset. I couldn’t care less. The CV gaiter was going to be replaced anyway and the car has been sitting for 4 or 5 years so I’m fully expecting things like misfires to crop up. I don’t blame the technician for any of this and I hope he absolutely ragged the granny out of it AJB88 said:
You an fit the newer coilpacks from 2.0TFSI
You’re correct, however because of the older style of coil and coil loom it would involve a spacer plate which costs about £50 for the coils to fit the rocker cover and then a conversion loom which is about £250 so the TFSI coils can plug in. All in all it doesn’t really seem worth it. J4CKO said:
Have you got a VAGCOM/VCDS ?
Dont make the mistake I made buying coils at £100 when it was a plug
Check for codes and which cylinder and swap coils and plugs round and make a note of where from and to, clear the code and run it again, see if the code moves.
The 1.8T is a great engine, its all the toss they bolted to it thats the problem.
I’m the assistant service manager of a VAG brand main dealer Dont make the mistake I made buying coils at £100 when it was a plug
Check for codes and which cylinder and swap coils and plugs round and make a note of where from and to, clear the code and run it again, see if the code moves.
The 1.8T is a great engine, its all the toss they bolted to it thats the problem.
First I need to find the OBD plug (if it has one). If there isn’t one then I need to figure out how to wire one in.
Gallons Per Mile said:
Looks like your car is coming along nicely. Good to see another one being saved!
I've got a similar problem with my fuel sender not working properly on my mk2 - can you let me know where you got yours from as I don't want to pay the extortionate prices people on Ebay want for a 2nd hand part!
I had to buy a second hand one. You can’t get a new one anywhere!I've got a similar problem with my fuel sender not working properly on my mk2 - can you let me know where you got yours from as I don't want to pay the extortionate prices people on Ebay want for a 2nd hand part!
A quick update for this. Due to the crap weather I haven’t done anymore to the Golf. It’s been parked outside my house just waiting for me to do some more bits to it.
The things that need doing urgently are:
Replace the radiator which has started leaking
Replace the engine cooling fan which is dead
Replace the thermostat which I suspect is a little sticky
Service the engine
Replace the cambelt
Replace the oil pump pickup
None of these things are particularly difficult to do, it’s just having the time and the weather to do them.
Anyway, today I decided to remove the radiator so I could figure out what it’s from and have a look at where the thermostat lives. The radiator came out nice and easily and has definitely seen better days. After some searching online and eventually asking on Facebook it was identified as a Golf G60 radiator, which makes sense as this had a G60 engine fitted when my brother bought it. Annoyingly this particular radiator is stupidly expensive to buy, so I’m now looking at alternatives, however this will mean having to re-route the coolant pipes for the new one. I’ll have a think about what to do.
While I was doing that I had a look at how to remove the thermostat. To me it appears the alternator is in the way, but apparently it can be changed without moving anything except the dipstick tube! I can just see I’m going to end up rounding a bolt haha!
Well that’s the update. No pictures I’m afraid. It was freezing outside, blowing a gale and starting to rain so I just wanted to get back indoors ASAP!
The things that need doing urgently are:
Replace the radiator which has started leaking
Replace the engine cooling fan which is dead
Replace the thermostat which I suspect is a little sticky
Service the engine
Replace the cambelt
Replace the oil pump pickup
None of these things are particularly difficult to do, it’s just having the time and the weather to do them.
Anyway, today I decided to remove the radiator so I could figure out what it’s from and have a look at where the thermostat lives. The radiator came out nice and easily and has definitely seen better days. After some searching online and eventually asking on Facebook it was identified as a Golf G60 radiator, which makes sense as this had a G60 engine fitted when my brother bought it. Annoyingly this particular radiator is stupidly expensive to buy, so I’m now looking at alternatives, however this will mean having to re-route the coolant pipes for the new one. I’ll have a think about what to do.
While I was doing that I had a look at how to remove the thermostat. To me it appears the alternator is in the way, but apparently it can be changed without moving anything except the dipstick tube! I can just see I’m going to end up rounding a bolt haha!
Well that’s the update. No pictures I’m afraid. It was freezing outside, blowing a gale and starting to rain so I just wanted to get back indoors ASAP!
Gallons Per Mile said:
Keep at it, you'll get there in the end. This weather/being winter time is annoying. I got 3 out of 4 springs changed on my Mk2 the other day and then realised I couldn't see what I was doing any more as it had got dark. The other spring will have to wait until I'm off work and it's not raining or dark!
Haha yes I’ve done that sort of thing before as well!An update with no pictures today.
Today my Daughter and I set off on a 200 mile round trip to collect a complete Mk2 Golf GTi interior in excellent condition. Luckily we set off early enough that there was no traffic at all which makes a change. Anyway, it all went without a hitch and I’ve got the whole interior sitting in the back of my 5 series saloon (that was interesting getting it all in!!)
The main point of this is actually when I got back in the BMW this evening to drop my Daughter home the smell of the interior was very apparent in the car. It amazes me how a smell can evoke a memory and the smell of that 19 year old VW interior took me right back to when I was 18 and had a Mk3 Polo G40.
All a bit pointless without pictures but it was the smell that set me off haha.
Today my Daughter and I set off on a 200 mile round trip to collect a complete Mk2 Golf GTi interior in excellent condition. Luckily we set off early enough that there was no traffic at all which makes a change. Anyway, it all went without a hitch and I’ve got the whole interior sitting in the back of my 5 series saloon (that was interesting getting it all in!!)
The main point of this is actually when I got back in the BMW this evening to drop my Daughter home the smell of the interior was very apparent in the car. It amazes me how a smell can evoke a memory and the smell of that 19 year old VW interior took me right back to when I was 18 and had a Mk3 Polo G40.
All a bit pointless without pictures but it was the smell that set me off haha.
AJB88 said:
When I was a kid (circa 1990) my dad had a MK2 Driver, I can remember the smell of it, when I was 17 I bought a MK2 GTI 8V and that had the same smell!
My MK2 TDI doesn't have the smell at the moment mainly as it stinks of Diesel inside, I'm hoping to get the interior wet-vac done soon and the smell will return.
Occasionally my BMW suddenly smells like my Grandads old E30 325i. Only first thing in the morning when it’s been cold. Always puts a smile on my face though. My MK2 TDI doesn't have the smell at the moment mainly as it stinks of Diesel inside, I'm hoping to get the interior wet-vac done soon and the smell will return.
After spending all day Saturday holding my Daughters hair back while she chucked her guts up, today was a slightly more productive day.
Unfortunately the day started with Mrs Sammo deciding we needed to go to Ikea. Of course the only upside of that is getting to have meatballs for lunch
Once we were home and everyone had settled down doing something I sped outside before I could be roped into doing something else.
So at the last update I’d removed the radiator bad then couldn’t find another one to replace it with. Thankfully after doing some research I found that the original GTI 8v radiator was more than up to the job and in all honesty the G60 radiator was just overkill.
Anyway, armed with a GSF discount code I picked up a new radiator, a selection of hoses & hose clips and 5L of coolant
Thankfully due to the old G60 radiator being huge it left plenty of space for the new one.
The only issue I had was that the pipework was all in the wrong place. I fitted the new radiator and after a small amount of hose trimming managed to get them to fit as though they were meant to be there
I did have remove and rotate this coolant housing but that came off without a fight
With the radiator fitted and hoses trimmed it all looks good I just need to get a new rad fan switch and rad fan. The old fan was dead when I removed it so I’m on the look out for another slimline fan.
I’ve put the word out for some other bits I’m after like arch trims for example. If the weather stays like this then I’ll try and get the new interior fitted after work this week
Unfortunately the day started with Mrs Sammo deciding we needed to go to Ikea. Of course the only upside of that is getting to have meatballs for lunch
Once we were home and everyone had settled down doing something I sped outside before I could be roped into doing something else.
So at the last update I’d removed the radiator bad then couldn’t find another one to replace it with. Thankfully after doing some research I found that the original GTI 8v radiator was more than up to the job and in all honesty the G60 radiator was just overkill.
Anyway, armed with a GSF discount code I picked up a new radiator, a selection of hoses & hose clips and 5L of coolant
Thankfully due to the old G60 radiator being huge it left plenty of space for the new one.
The only issue I had was that the pipework was all in the wrong place. I fitted the new radiator and after a small amount of hose trimming managed to get them to fit as though they were meant to be there
I did have remove and rotate this coolant housing but that came off without a fight
With the radiator fitted and hoses trimmed it all looks good
I just need to get a new rad fan switch and rad fan. The old fan was dead when I removed it so I’m on the look out for another slimline fan. 
I’ve put the word out for some other bits I’m after like arch trims for example. If the weather stays like this then I’ll try and get the new interior fitted after work this week
I’ve had the week off this week and got my BMW to a point where it went through it’s MOT so today I decided to fit the interior into the Golf.
The Golf has been sitting out on the road looking very sorry for itself. I bought a replacement interior for it a couple of months ago which has been sitting in the dining room waiting to be fitted. The first thing to do was to fit the door cards.
This I what I started with.
Five minutes and barely any swearing later.
You can probably see in those pictures that the carpet was covered in crap. Once the door cards were fitted I chucked a seat in, got the car onto the driveway and vacuumed the life out of it. Between this and the BMW I’ve done enough vacuuming this week to last me a lifetime
Once it was looking clean and tidy I fetched the rear bench and got it bolted in
Then it was time for the front seats. I’d bought all new slider clips for them and made sure I greased the runners to keep them moving smoothly.
Once the seats were in I got the steering wheel swapped over. As much as I liked the wheel that was fitted it wasn’t in the best condition. I found a Mk2 Golf GTI wheel for sale a little while ago and bought it.
With the interior done I decided to get the slimline cooling fan fitted as well. It’s a Spal fan which came with all the mounting clips etc so only took about 15 minutes to fit including adjusting the wiring.
That’s about it for today It’s been a productive one.
The Golf has been sitting out on the road looking very sorry for itself. I bought a replacement interior for it a couple of months ago which has been sitting in the dining room waiting to be fitted. The first thing to do was to fit the door cards.
This I what I started with.
Five minutes and barely any swearing later.
You can probably see in those pictures that the carpet was covered in crap. Once the door cards were fitted I chucked a seat in, got the car onto the driveway and vacuumed the life out of it. Between this and the BMW I’ve done enough vacuuming this week to last me a lifetime
Once it was looking clean and tidy I fetched the rear bench and got it bolted in
Then it was time for the front seats. I’d bought all new slider clips for them and made sure I greased the runners to keep them moving smoothly.
Once the seats were in I got the steering wheel swapped over. As much as I liked the wheel that was fitted it wasn’t in the best condition. I found a Mk2 Golf GTI wheel for sale a little while ago and bought it.
With the interior done I decided to get the slimline cooling fan fitted as well. It’s a Spal fan which came with all the mounting clips etc so only took about 15 minutes to fit including adjusting the wiring.
That’s about it for today
It’s been a productive one. 
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