My 1992 GTI

[DocWalt]

Finally bought myself a new car. Got a smoking deal since the car includes a TON of relatively expensive extras, found some issues I wasn't expecting and now I get to do a member's journal, woohoo!

Drove 5 hours to go buy this GTI in NY. H&R Springs all the way around, new Bilstein rear struts, and 160k mile front struts. 5 hours home on the highway with struts like this vv was hilarious. I hope the people I blew past were laughing as much as I was. :lol:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbSUI4cgyQQ

http://imageshack.us/a/img405/9600/20120915234108519.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img812/5093/20120915234036513.jpg

WTF? I have a Helios blue BBS RA for my spare tire rim...
http://imageshack.us/a/img32/848/20120917233756637.jpg

Got home safe and sound, cleaned her up and made a tally of the issues I had: Passenger inner door handle is no longer attached to the door latch; passenger side lap belt is gone; passenger front indicator and marker light don't work; headlights are trash; driver's door latch needs finagled to close; headliner is sagging; door cards have shrunken leather; no radio; no fuel gauge; missing seat levers; blend door foam is missing (blows out in your face); exhaust leaks; handbrake doesn't work. I'll try to think of anything else.

Some cleaned up pics:

http://imageshack.us/a/img259/5452/20120917172423370.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img823/6629/20120917172342176.jpg

Obviously I need to get inspected to drive on the road in PA, so I'm going to start tackling the obvious inspection issues first.

Find where the exhaust is leaking:
http://imageshack.us/a/img825/6653/20120917172401512.jpg

[DocWalt]

Last night I decided to tackle the fuel gauge issue. The gauge in the cluster seemed to work, it would move up to the empty mark from the shut off point, so I moved to the tank and checked the PO's work to make sure the float was lined up correctly. Simple, or so I thought, lol. There's an arrow on the fuel pump assembly and on the tank to make sure the float arm doesn't hit anything and it was right on, time to pull the assembly. What I found was odd... No float on the arm. /facepalm. I got to drain the tank (no drain plug so I used a siphon and a bunch of gas cans and juice bottles :lol:) and fish around for the float. I could hear it clunking around when I sloshed the tank so I knew it was still floating around. Fished it out around 9pm. Woohoo!

http://imageshack.us/a/img832/1008/2012091720535584.jpg

Spent an hour finding a new clip and put it all back together and cleaned up around 12am. Gauge now works!

http://imageshack.us/a/img820/1221/20120917233448658.jpg

[DocWalt]

Big props go out to my brother Andrew for picking up a new door latch and passenger lap belt, plus some other odds and ends at Harry's on Sunday. He also tackled the wiring for the indicators and fog lights with me on Saturday & Sunday night. Thanks Andrew!

Ordered up some new door latch bolts and seat belt bolt at the dealer yesterday. Sunday night I ordered a TON of parts to finish up the repairs I need for inspection. New headlight assemblies (need to find good H4 bulbs, any recommendations?), KYB GR-2 front struts and new OEM upper strut mounts, Pagid front pads, Mk4 rear caliper conversion kit (factory calipers are seized, no bueno), and a Techtonics Tuning exhaust.

Woo, expect lots of pics of repairs and stuff.

Quoted from the CL ad:

i have a 1992 vw gti 16v with 159k miles on it. it runs and drive it's currently on the road, i've put a bunch of new parts in it over the past 2500 miles like tires,clutch, motor mount,tranny mount,both fuel pumps, coolant pipe shifter bushings,battery, all new seals and fluid in the tranny while i had it out to do the clutch. i also have new and ready to be installed e-brake cables,rear motor mount,t-belt,tensioner and water pump... the car has abt pedals,and door lock pulls,conrerro red stiched shifter boot with matching e-brake handle cover,carbon fiber momo door sill trims that still have the protective plastic on them!!! a nuespeed upper stress bar, smoked tails aftermarket recaro seats in the front and the correct stock grey recaros in the rear and it's sitting on some period correct 15" fondmetal rims...for that old skool look...NO RUST!!! i bought the car on long island 2 years ago where it sat for 8 years before i got it and theres no rust anywhere that i saw on the car... needs some tlc like a pass side mirror (which i may have, i have to check my storage) it needs a radio,the foglights were missing when i got the car,the suspension is completely blown( i made a deal for a suspension but it seems to have fallen thru,if that changes and i get the suspension we can negotiate that into the price some how if interested) and the short harness for the right front directional needs to be replaced...i have nearly twice what i'm asking into the car at this point but inlight of the tlc that it needs i've priced it for a quick sale, i'm willing to dicker a LITTLE but i'm not gonna give the car away...NO TRADES!!! and please don't send me emails with lowball offers i will not respond!!! if you want to make an offer come see it!!! i have a clean NYS title in hand in my name!!! and i will NOT hold the car for anybody...first person to show up with the right amount of CASH gets it...and yes i have the lower lip for the front bumper...if you have any questions please feel free to email me.

[DocWalt]

Copy pasted the above from my local forums.

[keo92stealth]

Swap in a vr6!!!!

[FeaRpb]

Lol, I used to have a car with worse struts than that. It was a Lollerfest driving that thing on the highway.

[Turbo Beast]

Swap in a vr6!!!! No, stage 3 G60 :)

[DocWalt]

No to both of those, staying 16v. Probably staying N/A too, the throttle response is fantastic.

[CoreyB]

No, stage 3 G60 :)

Had a G60 1990 Corrado, traded it for my first VR4

[nodoze]

nice find doc!

[DocWalt]

Thanks!

I spent last evening installing Mk4 rear calipers and new front pads. Now I can't get the damn air out of the brake lines... Grrrr.

[j2k4]

I like that car, Kenny. :)

[DocWalt]

Thanks, Kevin!

I did the brake bleed again, didn't get any extra air that I noticed. My brother found this thread: VWVortex.com - Can't Solve: Very Low and Soft Brake Pedal! (http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?4588531) that describes my issue exactly. Bah, I need a booster. Ordered up a reman, I hope it works out and fixes this. Might explain why the pedal was pretty soft, I just chalked it up to the seized rear calipers. Made it awfully hard to heel toe, lol.

[j2k4]

Thanks, Kevin!

I did the brake bleed again, didn't get any extra air that I noticed. My brother found this thread: VWVortex.com - Can't Solve: Very Low and Soft Brake Pedal! (http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?4588531) that describes my issue exactly. Bah, I need a booster. Ordered up a reman, I hope it works out and fixes this. Might explain why the pedal was pretty soft, I just chalked it up to the seized rear calipers. Made it awfully hard to heel toe, lol.

Actually, I spent a semi-intense couple of years - late 70s-early '80s - playing with Rabbits and Golfs because that was what my buddies were driving.

I never went as far as buying one, but I got my share of seat-time.

We'd run around the woods doing timed runs on the old POR courses that ran through the Stonington Peninsula on Northern Lake Michigan.

LOTS OF FUN WAS HAD. :)

[DocWalt]

I can imagine that was a ton of fun. All of our "local" rally roads are 4 hours away, but I'll definitely be driving up this year :)

[DocWalt]

Some quick pics:

http://imageshack.us/a/img688/1610/20120921193812621.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img338/4992/20120919203103264.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img217/7094/20120919203029105.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img204/7139/20120919203045199.jpg

[DocWalt]

New timing belt and tensioner :) I need to set the distributor timing tomorrow still.

http://imageshack.us/a/img684/2379/20120922161122998.jpg

When I pulled the sparkplugs, I noticed the gap was miniscule. One of them was so tight that I could only fit a sheet of paper in the gap. I regapped to .031"

[IPD]

subscribed.

[FeaRpb]

Work work work

[DocWalt]

lol, that's what I've been doing!

:( Master cylinder is shot. I can see why, the bore and everything is coated with rust. I guess that's what happens when it sits for 8 years and then it's driven for a year with no attention paid to the brakes. If I don't have a nice firm pedal after another bleed I may just go insane, lol

[DocWalt]

New master cylinder in, new headlights in, new exhaust on, new brake booster in, new mk4 rear calipers, new Pagid front pads, new timing belt and tensioner, new struts... Awesome :) Brake pedal is rock hard until I turn the car on, then it's overboosted as hell. I don't have a clue where there would be air hiding in the lines. I've bled about 3 quarts through, which is a lot even considering the mess with replacing the master cylinder. I can still easily lock up the tires, which isn't saying much considering they're all seasons, but oh well. I drove last night and to work today. Still need to double check all the torque values on the struts, I'm getting some clunking from the strut mounts. The exhaust will shoot fire at high rev overrun :D

[nodoze]

Very cool ! Kinda keeping a look out for one now

Sent from my HTC Hero S using Tapatalk 2

[R/T93]

So when you taking it to a rally?

[DocWalt]

lol, maybe auto-x or spectating a rally :p

Super pumped, my brake pedal is firm now, and my car is running superbly! Driving around for a couple of hours did it good :) New right rear tire installed and ready for inspection.

[DocWalt]

Thought this was cool:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRR3MGHbMA4

[Turbo Beast]

Are you sure sure you don't want to trow a G-lader at it? Ill rebuild it for you for free if you pay for parts :) Ive rebuild lots of them!
I used to own a corrado with a G60, loved that car, stiffest suspension ive ever driven though!

Whats the plans with the Golf?!?!?!

[DocWalt]

N/A build at a later date. G-Laders are cool as hell, and reliable if you keep on top of the maintenance, but I love this thing as is.

[Turbo Beast]

Clean the throttle body and intake manifold. They can get dirty as hell, since the car needed shocks it probably hasnt been driven hard.

[DocWalt]

The throttle body was relatively clean considering the amount of PCV oil in the elbow. After I pass inspection I'm looking for a euro intake and I'll take care of new gaskets and cleaning then. Thanks for the tip, I'll make sure to clean the throttle instead of just removing it and sticking it back on lol

[Turbo Beast]

Its just usually when you find a GTI you want to buy, the intake is usually fouled and in bad cases the valves and cilinders are too. Just because theyve been babied.

The ones that have been run hard are clean, but theyve been through some abuse.

[DocWalt]

Mine sat in a garage for 8 years, but who knows what the original owner did. The second owner bought it and parked it in his garage in NYC. Third owner moved it to mid-state NY, then I bought it. It's so smooth it's crazy. Kinda chuggy at the low end compared to my brother's 8v GL, but so much more up top.

Considering how little I paid, even after all the work I've done, and the work I need to do, and the complete lack of body rust, I'm perfectly happy. :)

[Turbo Beast]

Haha should be too! It never hurts to take the intake apart. Even if its clean, itll tell you how its been driven. The motor itself, its fine. Theyre tough as hell.

[DocWalt]

When I get to that point I'll post it up. Thanks :)

[Turbo Beast]

Youll love the crap out of it. If the suspension is right and the engine is real responsive theyre so much fun! :)

[green-lantern]

Those struts :lol:

[HLxDrummer]

Did you feel like you were going to die driving it home from NY with those struts? LOL

[DocWalt]

Haha, the car would skip across the pavement in turns, so yeah, it was a bit scary at speed :lo5l:

Update: After going out for a cruise and beating the crap out of it Saturday the coolant light came on... I appear to be losing coolant somewhere. I have a new waterpump to install, and a lot of the rest of the coolant system was recently replaced. Can't find any leaks, but I do smell coolant when I pop the hood. I'm not sure if it's pushing coolant or actually leaking. Also, I think I broke the downpipe off at the flex joint, oops.

Update 2: Failed inspection, it's running too rich. :( Also has a bad tie rod end, which I knew and ordered up a front end refurb kit Friday. Woot.

[nodoze]

silly inspections :) glad i dont have to deal with that , thats why my drag dedicated car is driveable on the street :) watching your build really has me in the mood for an eighties import now .... trying to locate an e30, or vw , or even an rx7 to maybe start molding into my dd next year

[DocWalt]

If you buy a VW be prepared for weird shit to happen, lol.

I got my downpipe, and a ton of cooling system pieces today. Don't you just love it when you order a gasket for a new part, and the part comes with its own gasket so now you have two? /facepalm

[DocWalt]

Tore the engine bay apart today :mad: During removal of the downpipe 5 studs broke off in the exhaust manifold, so I started into removing the exhaust manifold... I got the intake off with no issues and also got the top row of exhaust manifold nuts out no problem. I managed to destroy the two center nuts on the bottom row of studs. Going to take a dremel to the nuts and remove them to take my manifold off tomorrow. My brother is planning on dropping a spare 16v manifold off at our local machine shop to have the broken studs in that manifold removed. At least it should all go back together smoothly with brand new hardware, lol

[DocWalt]

Leaky coolant flange:
http://imageshack.us/a/img11/2362/20121003203634752.jpg

Hmmmm, I wonder why it leaked? The gasket was both torn and pinched out of the flange. The flange was also warped.
http://imageshack.us/a/img99/961/20121005210030570.jpg

All torn apart to replace the downpipe, haha.
http://imageshack.us/a/img855/6097/20121005170457429.jpg

Crappy interior shot:
http://imageshack.us/a/img515/1056/20121005171415212.jpg

Turbo Beast, I wiped the throttle body out, it was filled with oil. The film of oil inside the intake manifold is insane, this car was clearly not run hard by the PO.

[DocWalt]

http://imageshack.us/a/img715/9686/20121009220332143.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img685/2397/20121009224209352.jpg

I was up until 2 AM swapping the waterpump and t-stat. The old t-stat housing on the bottom of the waterpump was warped. Too much coolant dumped out to tell if it was leaking, but I wouldn't be surprised. I replaced the t-stat housing with a metal one so it won't warp again.

[DocWalt]

Blah, still have coolant leak somewhere on the front of the engine. Time to swap a ton of hoses that I just had apart, all with awful spring clamps.

[wingnut]

no samcos?

[DocWalt]

Can't afford it right now, going with brand new OEM of a select few hoses.

[Turbo Beast]

Turbo Beast, I wiped the throttle body out, it was filled with oil. The film of oil inside the intake manifold is insane, this car was clearly not run hard by the PO.

Good deal, cleaned the intake too? You find them alot like that, ive had one where i needed to take the head/ valvetrain apart because it was all gunked up. But that was just one, I've owned dozens of em.

That leak could still be from the T-stat, try some liquid sealant on it if it still leaks.

[DocWalt]

I cleaned what I could of the intake, but didn't waste time on it. It runs so smooth I just wanted to drive, lol

I don't think it's the t-stat, it smells near all of the coolant lines, not over by the waterpump like it did before.

[Turbo Beast]

Got new lines for it and everything?

If it runs smooth, dont mess with the intake, itll get clean just from driving it right. You'll always have a film in there at the very least.

[DocWalt]

Bought new lines for everything on the front of the engine. the PO replaced the metal coolant pipe, so that's brand new.

[Turbo Beast]

Do you have the tools to pressurize the coolant system?

[DocWalt]

Nope :(

[Turbo Beast]

Does Autozone or Napa rent those out?

[DocWalt]

Not sure. Found the leak anyway, didn't take a pic though. One of the hoses to the oil cooler must have been disturbed when I was doing the work on the water pump, because it's leaking like crazy.

On a better note... I fixed my awful headlights! The original owner had installed H4 housings but never did the wiring correctly, so the high beam and ground wires were swapped. Fixed it and now my headlights are MUCH brighter. Swapped out my power steering belt for a new one, so now I no longer have chirpy belts. I also fixed my dome light. It was corroded internally, and the door switches were bad. I swapped in the switches from my brother's crashed Golf and it now works perfectly.

What's left of my brother's Golf...
http://imageshack.us/a/img13/9555/1picture3.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img15/9642/1picture4.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img99/2904/1picture8.jpg

[wingnut]

ahhh, a family golf-thing then?

[DocWalt]

It was a bit, lol. I had a lot of fun driving his car before he slammed it, so I was looking for a cheapo hatchback of my own when I stumbled on this GTI for stupid cheap.

[DocWalt]

Went to climb in my car to go to work and the seat was halfway reclined. Crap.

http://imageshack.us/a/img853/8393/20121015172530517.jpg

Replaced the foam rubber bits with a couple foam donuts from a new stack of CD blanks.

Got home from class and adjusted my headlights... Not bad at all for being Autopal lights, nearly as good as my brother's Hellas.

http://imageshack.us/a/img687/9667/20121015193434128.jpg

[Turbo Beast]

Crosses in the headlights?

[DocWalt]

Crosses in the headlights?

Noooo

[DocWalt]

So, the O2 sensor... It should cycle at idle, right? I get a steady .8 volts at idle :confused: Never seen an O2 sensor fail like this, but at least it was a recently installed O2 sensor, so it should come out easily.

[ntcmpjg]

If you need any euro spec parts let me know I do live in Germany and can mail things USPS


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Turbo Beast]

Yes O2 sensor should cycle at idle, get you a new Bosch, they should last

[DocWalt]

Thought so. I'm going to retorque my downpipe tonight after it's had some time to settle in. I'll likely buy a new O2 sensor this weekend to take care of it before taking it to inspection Monday.

[DocWalt]

Cat is completely gutted... Damn it. The O2 sensor was crossthreaded, thankfully it destroyed the O2 sensor and not the bung. Had to chase out the threads using a spark plug thread chaser, lol. Worked from inside the cat and cleaned up the threads nicely. Tore off everything on the front of the engine again to replace the coolant lines. I officially hate spring clamps on hoses.

[wingnut]

I officially hate spring clamps on hoses.

lol...took a VW to get to that realization?

[DocWalt]

Nothing else I've owned has had spring clamps with limiters to prevent you from just cranking them wide open.

[wingnut]

Ah, i gotcha then...

...even worse (imho) are VW's newer versions of crimp-on style :mad:

[DocWalt]

It has some of those too, lol. Went out to Wendy's for frosties, and blew up a sparkplug. The electrode fell out and was sitting on the ground strap when I got home.

[DocWalt]

Got my car back from inspection finally. Damn door molding fell off. At least I can finally drive it.

[R/T93]

Great work Kenny,

If you lived in my county you wouldnt have to had fix anything, lol

[wingnut]

If you lived in my county you wouldnt have to had fix anything, lol

LoL...ditto!

[DocWalt]

Yeahhhhh, screw this, lol. They're getting rid of dyno testing them here next year, supposedly.

[wingnut]

Yeahhhhh, screw this, lol. They're getting rid of dyno testing them here next year, supposedly.

That or move to northern PA...

...i almost took a job out of teterboro, but didnt wanna live in new joisey. I seem to recall easton had Inspection with smog test, but stroudsburg had neither?!?

[DocWalt]

A lot of counties in PA don't have anything beyond a visual.

I had another f'ing coolant leak today. Got to tear apart the hoses on my engine today after I stayed home sick with a splitting headache/stomach issues.

[wingnut]

... after I stayed home sick with a splitting headache/stomach issues.

tis the season, wife swears by "airborne"...

http://sharkride.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/airborne.jpg

...but it wont do chit for hangovers, so i hear :p

[DocWalt]

Finished swapping a friend's clutch in his 16v swapped Jetta. Not sure if my coolant leak went away, level was low but I guess it's burping itself... I hope. I spent a few hours today fixing all of my body trim. All black now, looks fantastic.

http://imageshack.us/a/img138/6273/20121027131927602.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img72/9812/20121027134941195.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img840/6820/20121027161228103.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img401/246/20121027135830863.jpg

[wingnut]

whatdya use...mothers back-to-black?

[DocWalt]

Heat gun. Slightly melt the surface of the plastic to get rid of the crusty surface. Gotta be really careful at the edges to prevent warping. I also remounted the skirts, the previous installation was with crappy pop rivets.

[wingnut]

i think you just smeared WD40 all over her...

http://imageshack.us/a/img138/6273/20121027131927602.jpg

http://images5a.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp63556%3Enu%3D3587%3E9%3C8%3E%3B%3C5% 3E26789%3C8%3C%3B6257ot1lsi

... :p

[DocWalt]

lol, you can see the dark spot on the side skirt where the WD40 ran all over after spraying it into the door latch mechanism :p

[j2k4]

Golly gee, it was pretty bad, Kenny.

Nice work. :)

[DocWalt]

Thanks!

Temporarily fixed a leak on my passenger door, didn't notice the driver's door is doing the same. Bah, need to make new vapor barriers. Just gotta park facing uphill so the water drains out of the door instead of pouring inside.

[wingnut]

Bah, need to make new vapor barriers. Just gotta park facing uphill so the water drains out of the door instead of pouring inside.

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4056/4303138252_3ca180039b.jpg

[DocWalt]

I'm going to use a shower curtain and metal tape :p

I managed to blow up both oil pressure sensors today... First one blew up and coated the underside of the car and the entire back of the car, as well as the engine bay. Fixed it and did an oil change, went to the car wash to degrease the engine bay and the bottom of my car, cleaned up really well. Went out and took some quick pics of my car. Got home and the second sensor was blown up. Awesome.

Video of the failure of the first sensor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xMKu9uBvy0

Pics I took today (don't mind the water lol):
http://imageshack.us/a/img547/1227/20121104160954921.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img7/9259/20121104161040461.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img546/4204/20121104161141454.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img267/1342/2012110416122841.jpg

[FeaRpb]

WIsh my car ran hahahah

Looking good.

[Street_Chally73]

Damn, those trim pieces look MUCH better after some reconditioning!! It looks like you're well on your way to turning that little thing into a clean, dependable daily driver. Nice job with it!

[DocWalt]

I don't know about dependable, but it'll be my daily driver anyway :lo5l: Thanks guys!

[B-Man]

DO IIIT!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=q2U-4qRJ9ZM#!

[DocWalt]

LOL nice

New metal coolant flange, hurray!
http://imageshack.us/a/img854/9357/20121109185518563.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img521/1515/20121109185529879.jpg

Hopefully this is the last of the leaking coolant...
http://imageshack.us/a/img10/9681/20121109202049425.jpg


Wow, brand new flange a few weeks ago, warped already:
http://imageshack.us/a/img72/3286/20121109201936283.jpg

Even more craptastic flange. This is terrible quality:
http://imageshack.us/a/img41/4277/20121109201749740.jpg

[DocWalt]

Long weekend... Fixed the antenna (it was broken off at the base), fixed the vapor barriers (no more leaks, woot), recovered the headliner (yay, no more sag), wired in a radio and door speakers (yay, music) and fixed a lot of rattles.

http://imageshack.us/a/img197/7796/1picture1.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img577/2904/1picture8.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img201/8886/1picture7.jpg

[wingnut]

Nice job man, reminds me of a GTI i bought (back in 1998) out of the junkyard for 100 clams. What i DIDNT know was the fuel injection calibration thingy was junk and new ones were prohibitively expensive :(


http://imageshack.us/a/img197/7796/1picture1.jpg

Are thoses two MORE vw's in the driveway?!?

[DocWalt]

Thanks! Those fuel distribution thingies sure are expensive, a new one for my brother's old car would have been $1050 :lo5l: Oddly, the same fuel distributor was used on Ferrari V8s... Two of them :eek:

Nah, that's my brother's new Jetta Coupe, and a random Passat driving by, lol

[DocWalt]

http://imageshack.us/a/img651/3034/20121113170423130.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img196/4139/20121113170355628.jpg

[DocWalt]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCiEka-ZXB8

:)

On a side note, dumped a bottle of UV dye into the coolant, and I'm not finding any leaks. I guess it's burping coolant still, or I have a BHG.

[DocWalt]

Threw down a deposit on a 1.8L 16v head (higher flow than the 2.0L, thanks VW) that includes 268-ish cams (Autotech Sport) and a fresh rebuild. Here we go :)

[j2k4]

You go, Doc. :)

Hope you find the coolant problem is an easy fix.

[DocWalt]

I have a bit of weeping from the water pump, the UV dye finally showed up. Not nearly enough to explain the loss I have, hurray headgasket.

[DocWalt]

http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh228/yally123/Picture2012parts076.jpg

mmmmm can't wait

[DocWalt]

This is why I can't wait

Oil cap:
http://imageshack.us/a/img201/6567/20121128202409602.jpg

Really, really clean cam with a side of coolant:
http://imageshack.us/a/img846/1438/2012112820240117.jpg

Crankcase breather:
http://imageshack.us/a/img402/228/20121128202008937.jpg

[Turbo Beast]

Ah a little headgasket pinhole

[lawdogg]

Read through your project, looks like quite the fervent love affair! Congrats on the buy and thanks for documenting the resto-mod process for us to enjoy.

So let me ask you, having never driven or even ridden in a GTI like yours myself, how engaging is it to drive? Jeremy Clarkson gives considerable deference to this platform, having used it as the "hot hatch" yardstick in many of his videos. I'm curious what your impression is!

[DocWalt]

I'd struggle to call it a love affair, haha.

I'd only driven my brother's Golf before this, which was a lot of fun, even on worn out old suspension or when he slammed it on the ground. The GTI takes a nice middle ground and makes it hilariously good fun. It's flickable, and easy to handle with great feedback. It understeers less than the Evo or VR-4 ever did, which is fun. Turn into a highway loop ramp and roll off of the gas and the rear will come around nice and smooth and roll back on the power and the rear drops right back in line. Really well sorted car, can't wait to auto-x or HPDE.

I'm planning on going to NG this year :)

[DocWalt]

Since the car's down I tore apart the heater box and repaired the blend doors. I have blistering heat now, woot.

http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/5787/20121201133305218.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img59/233/20121201141443202.jpg

[DocWalt]

http://imageshack.us/a/img21/2369/20121205194959244.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img651/3425/20121205193452203.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img59/3309/20121205174920496.jpg

1.8 16V head with Autotech Sport Cams. All cleaned up and ready to drop on. Got a new oil cooler, and a bunch of other bits to go on at the same time. Going to clean up the intake manifold and valve cover and paint them up, they should look fantastic. Can't wait for this weekend!

[Chris@Rvengeperformance]

I'm not sure I would've been comfortable taking a rotary sander to an aluminum head, although I did use one on my iron block.

You are not using MLS gaskets, are you?

[DocWalt]

Um, no rotary sander involved. That was milled by a machine shop. Yes, using an MLS gasket.

The PO installed it, cranked it over and broke the rings in and then installed a P&P'd head with more aggressive cams. I cleaned off the intake gasket material that was on it, and wiped off the composite head gasket stuff with lacquer thinner, and a paper towel.

[Chris@Rvengeperformance]

uh it is obvious by the marks on the upper side that some type of rotary sander was used. Whether this was used to remove gasket material or whatever, it can put waves in the head, but whatever.

It looks EXACTLY like if I clean something up with a scotchbrite disk on my die grinder.

[FeaRpb]

I can kind of see it also, you can make out the motion in which the person was using it. Or maybe I have no idea what I am talking about..

[DocWalt]

Ok, well I have no idea why it looks like that either, but it came from a reputable shop like that. Those marks were under the bits of head gasket left over from the PO, and he had no issues (albeit with a composite gasket). If I have an issue with the MLS gasket sealing, I'll use a composite gasket. If that's an issue I'll have it decked again or build another head... I'm not too worried about it, but I'll check it with a metal straightedge and some feeler gauges.

Keep in mind guys, that was taken with a cell phone camera with the flash on, and everything is extremely exaggerated in the picture.

[DocWalt]

Eh, fuck it. Read some more about how picky MLS gaskets are... I ordered an OEM gasket, I'll use that. Thanks for looking out guys. :)

[Chris@Rvengeperformance]

sure I wasn't trying to bust balls

[DocWalt]

Yeah, I understand. I wouldn't take a sander to the head, that's for sure. I was afraid using a plastic scraper, so I just picked at it with a paper towel and patience. :lo5l:

[DocWalt]

All cleaned up:
http://imageshack.us/a/img820/8569/20121207224018116.jpg

Not bad for 161k:
http://imageshack.us/a/img541/2553/20121207224002634.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img820/281/20121207222753752.jpg

New oil cooler:
http://imageshack.us/a/img845/7051/20121206213929185.jpg

Head on:
http://imageshack.us/a/img28/1033/20121208164956493.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img585/3820/2012120913200667.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img7/6783/2012120914075990.jpg

All wrapped up:
http://imageshack.us/a/img41/4497/20121209160717134.jpg


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA0GY6xg-Tk

The power increase is noticeable, to say the least, haha. Better bay pics and videos coming later.

[wingnut]

The power increase is noticeable, to say the least, haha.

http://bp0.blogger.com/_Ie_AYPHXB84/Rc-KKQKC2eI/AAAAAAAAAEg/rSe_HN9NiUk/s320/o_rly.jpg

[DocWalt]

http://files.myopera.com/Sk8r644/albums/510337/Ya%20Rly.jpg

[FeaRpb]

Sounds awesome. Love the pics. Good work doctor..

[wingnut]

http://images.sodahead.com/polls/001378503/no_wai001_answer_2_xlarge.jpeg

[futurevr4man]

http://memeorama.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/oh-stop-it-you-meme.jpg

[Chris@Rvengeperformance]

looks nice. That engine may have been rebuilt. The bore is chamfered around the top like a lot of engine builders do to make the rings go in easier. not sure if the factory did that or not with your car.

[anyonebutme]

I think people blow MLS's need for smoothness out of proportion. You'd be surprised what an MLS gasket will seal. I think people who have blown gaskets for other reasons like tuning like to blame something....and the head not having perfectly spec RA is an easy target I think. Just helped someone replace a blown head gasket on a 3.0L V6 Honda engine that was badly overheated. Heads were quite warped honestly as I could see considerable light between each cylinder using a straight edge. Slapped it together with a factory MLS gasket after cleaning with an air powered die grinder with a scrub disk on it. Runs like a champ and perfect compression and leakdown numbers. The engine I put together in my Stealth has piss-poor RA smoothness, and if it was going to blow, it would have considering the abuse I put it through. People building BMW x50/52 engines are afflicted with this desire for mirror finish head and block surfaces, too, thinking that's the answer to solve their head gasket sealing issues when boosted or running crazy timing numbers on ultra-high compression race engines. I don't buy it. They always blow up anyways, lol.

[DocWalt]

looks nice. That engine may have been rebuilt. The bore is chamfered around the top like a lot of engine builders do to make the rings go in easier. not sure if the factory did that or not with your car.

Not sure, never looked into it. May need a rebuild in the future anyway, my dad's pretty sure it has a wrist pin on the way out. Has a rattle above 3,500 RPM that goes away as soon as I let off the gas. It's always done it, and no metal in the oil. Meh.


I think people blow MLS's need for smoothness out of proportion. You'd be surprised what an MLS gasket will seal. I think people who have blown gaskets for other reasons like tuning like to blame something....and the head not having perfectly spec RA is an easy target I think. Just helped someone replace a blown head gasket on a 3.0L V6 Honda engine that was badly overheated. Heads were quite warped honestly as I could see considerable light between each cylinder using a straight edge. Slapped it together with a factory MLS gasket after cleaning with an air powered die grinder with a scrub disk on it. Runs like a champ and perfect compression and leakdown numbers. The engine I put together in my Stealth has piss-poor RA smoothness, and if it was going to blow, it would have considering the abuse I put it through. People building BMW x50/52 engines are afflicted with this desire for mirror finish head and block surfaces, too, thinking that's the answer to solve their head gasket sealing issues when boosted or running crazy timing numbers on ultra-high compression race engines. I don't buy it. They always blow up anyways, lol.

Interesting. If I ever do the full rebuild I'll have the block and head smoothed and try the MLS gasket and see how it goes. VW people haven't had too many issues with the MLS gasket, but most people that bother with the MLS gasket are doing a built engine, so who knows.

[DocWalt]

Metallic rattle above 2500 RPM at light load or heavy load. Moderate load or engine braking and there's no rattle.

I ordered a set of standard sized rod bearings, rod bolts (damn stretch bolts), and a windage tray/oil pan gasket. Woohoo... I guess I'll pull it apart this weekend and hope I find a toasted rod bearing. Toasted mains can't be fixed without pulling the crank, and if it's a wrist pin then I'll just buy another engine and swap that in and get it running, then swap the high flow head after it's sorted.

I'm REALLY glad I bought this car to wrench on...

[wingnut]

I'm REALLY glad I bought this car to wrench on...

Now now sir...


Got a smoking deal since the car includes a TON of relatively expensive extras...

...according to the charter rules, you are not allowed to complain after getting a smoking deal :rockon:

[DocWalt]

I wasn't complaining, I was serious. I bought this car because I was tired of not wrenching on stuff :p

Tried to track down the noise tonight. Pulling spark plug wires one at a time doesn't change the noise at all. Noise is barely audible at idle, if at all. Runs hard all the way out to 6800 RPM. Oddly, the noise sounds very top end like with the sharpness of the noise, but I think it's happening too fast to be a rod. I've been driving it for over a month with the noise, so I have no clue. I'm pulling the pan and replacing the rod bearings, so we'll see what's up in there.

[wingnut]

I wasn't complaining, I was serious. I bought this car because I was tired of not wrenching on stuff :p


lol, well then carry on sir http://secusphere.com/smf/Smileys/classic/smiley_salute.gif

[VR4]

fwiw ive replaced toasted mains without pulling a crank

they didnt spin and there was no journal damage

[DocWalt]

My dad HAD the tools to rebuild an engine, including aluminum pins to spin mains out and new ones back in without pulling the crank or worrying about damaging anything. Apparently I broke his ring compressor and lost the metal pins when I was a kid.

I wish I could kick myself in the testes sometimes :)

[IPD]

I wish I could kick myself in the testes sometimes :)

sig worthy

[DocWalt]

http://imageshack.us/a/img855/1089/20121212174636530.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img703/499/20121212203823207.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img689/4171/20121212230801188.jpg


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IGWmGUZc-Q

[wingnut]

well THAT didnt take long to dig into http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll6/tomi_kk/The%20Smileys/th_dancingsmilie.gif

[DocWalt]

#3 rod bearing was toast. #2 was down to the copper. #2 main looks decent, #4 main looks decent. It has new style main bearings for sure, replaced recently-ish. #5 was the only main bearing with an oil groove, now #4 has one too, which is pictured above. I have two rod bearings left to go, and three mains to check. I'm waiting on parts I didn't order/found damaged. My new rear motor mount is trash, one of the bolt holes stripped out because I didn't loctite the bolt in and it vibrated loose. Woops.

[FeaRpb]

I like the way you use your hands.. Mmmm

[wingnut]

I like the way you use your hands.. Mmmm

http://www.blamonet.com/vb/images/smilies/new/spew.gif

[j2k4]

Kenny knows how to handle a rod...:p

[DocWalt]

:inout:

[DocWalt]

http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/5538/20121214122140784.jpg

Center main is pretty bad, lol

[Turbo Beast]

Jeez, thats trash

[DocWalt]

Hans @ GZP got me new main bearings in a day, thanks Hans! :) Mains and rods are done. Installed the windage tray and new oil pump baffle. Packed the oil pump with assembly lube to help it prime. Started it up and it had a knock and was running rough... First thought was "oh fuck" then the lifter pumped up and it smoothed out and idled away better than ever. Gave it a few revs and there's no noise :)

I'm going to take it easy for a hundred miles or so, then I'll let 'er rip. Good vids will be incoming, probably over winter break :)

[FeaRpb]

Very nice

Post via Tapatalk

[Turbo Beast]

Crank was fine?

[DocWalt]

Yep. I think I'll buy another bottom end to build up in case it fails again, but for now I think I'll be ok.

[Turbo Beast]

Hey, if you plastigauged it and you dont see any scratches and its round I wouldnt worry about it.

[DocWalt]

Yeah, true. Would still be nice to have a bottom end ready to drop in at any given time lol. Probably a ~$350 project to have a rebuilt spare bottom end.

[DocWalt]

http://imageshack.us/a/img17/5751/20121216163656710.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img26/8752/20121216163722950.jpg

What is this stuff? This is in my old 2.0 head's exhaust ports.

[wingnut]

Carbon deposits, simple green works well on it :D

[DocWalt]

White fuzzy stuff is carbon deposits?

[R/T93]

Its friable.

Could be burned up coolant??

[DocWalt]

Doubt it's coolant, it wasn't burning any AFAIK. All of the cylinders had the same amount of carbon buildup.

[DocWalt]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv5hw7aBJ2s

vrooom, vrooom.

[FeaRpb]

Sounds really good.

[DocWalt]

Thanks!

I've been beating the hell out of it after driving ~100 miles taking it easy to ease into the bearings. Seems to be taking the abuse, still nervous any time I hear a weird noise or rattle. Of course the car vibrates and rattles right at the same RPMs the rod knock was most noticeable before. :(

[maTT]

I had a '86 golf back in the day. Loved that car. It drove like a go kart. Very fun.

[DocWalt]

It sure does drive like a go-kart. It puts a smile on my face any time I get a chance to rail some corners :)

[DocWalt]

My brother and I washed up our cars and went out to snap some pics. :)

http://imageshack.us/a/img839/9415/dscf0060n.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img213/3734/dscf0061cg.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img339/3182/dscf0063g.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img13/1020/dscf0065jr.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img32/4167/dscf0068j.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img18/2343/dscf0070cs.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img267/9549/dscf0072qz.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img853/7637/dscf0075g.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img829/6898/dscf0076xh.jpg

[DocWalt]

http://imageshack.us/a/img507/2254/dscf0077i.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img824/5395/dscf0079f.jpg

vroom vroom:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOFhXeEA-8k

edit: A little fun with the camera and photoshop:
http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/9615/gtihood.jpg

[DocWalt]

Went to the junkyard Saturday/Sunday and got myself some new parts. I picked up a weight shift rod from a Mk3 Golf as well as a programmable wiper relay. I can now set the intermittent wipers to be infinitely variable. :) Pulled Mk3 knuckles/calipers and prepped them with new balljoints. Found out that my CV drive flanges weep a bit Bleh. Waiting for my next paycheck before I buy the bigger master cylinder, LCA bushings, rotors/pads, drive flange seals, and drive flange removal tool.

I predict a busy weekend in a couple of weeks :)

[CoreyB]

Doc, when my car is done, will you do a photoshop pic with the clear hood thing for me?

[DocWalt]

Sure. Just need a couple of pics from the same angle, one with hood down, one with hood up.

[DocWalt]

I ordered a Peloquin 80% shim kit this evening. Has all of the drive flange equipment (tool & seals) and increases the factory "mini-slip" performance. Creates extra drag between the front wheels to act as a quasi LSD. Shouldn't do much in the dry, but it should help traction in corners in the wet.

[FeaRpb]

Sounds fancy

[DocWalt]

It's snazzy.

Replaced my handbrake cables today. They had quite a bit of water inside of the housing, which explains why the rear brakes kept dragging. Stuck on my new rear badge.

http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/5758/gtibadge.jpg

[wingnut]

Turbo time?!?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQc_wVAbM0Q&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[DocWalt]

^^ Wow.

[Hans@GZP]

wheel spin makes that look so much faster LOL. Looks, my wheels are going 100 mph and I'm going 60 :p

[DocWalt]

Ordered the rest of the parts to do a 10.1" brake swap and front suspension refresh. Picked up the full Mk3 set up with worn out pads and crusty rotors a couple of weeks ago. I plan on calling up TT and ordering a chip for my setup in the future, as well as some other odds and ends before I tackle the bodywork. In the meantime I thought I'd write down some thoughts about the new parts I've installed. My thanks to all of the posters following along :)

1.8L 16v head w/ Autotech Sport Cams
I installed this combo over 2000 miles ago, and I have to say it's made a noticeable improvement in almost every way. I can rev to 6800 RPM without a big drop in power at the top end. With the stock 2.0L 16v head it felt like it was pointless to rev past about 6250 RPM. I also love the feeling of opening the first butterfly and feeling the engine pick up more and more speed as the revs build. In addition, I've been getting about 1 mpg better fuel economy on top of the improved power. The only real drawback, if you can call it that, is less of a torque spike at 4000 RPM. I can't smash the throttle open and break tires free in 3rd at 4000 RPM on wet roads anymore, which is probably a good thing, ha.

KYB GR-2 (Excel-G) Struts
I'm rather disappointed in these struts. They bill themselves as being a bit of an improvement over stock and they simply aren't good enough. I have H&R Sport springs on my GTI and they're lower than stock and slightly stiffer. These struts cannot properly handle the spring rate of the H&R's. The front is floaty and bottoms out rather easily. I will be changing to G60 struts/shocks in the relatively near future.

Pagid Front Brake Pads
These are superb, if you're ok with a bit of cleanup work. Great feel and modulation while threshold braking, with a smooth initial bite. These Pagid pads do produce a bit of dust. Compared to my prior two cars (Evo X w/ stock pads & 3000GT VR-4 with HPS pads) the dust is minimal and cleanup is easy. If you don't mind the light brake dust produced, these are great street pads.

TT 2.25" Exhaust w/ Magnaflow Muffler
Not much to say really. It's an exhaust that fits quite well, doesn't leak, and sounds great. Long term durability of the aluminized steel is always going to be a problem.

Mk4 Rear Caliper Kit from GAP
The calipers are nice lightweight calipers. The handbrake mechanism actually works, which is fantastic. In my case the SS lines needed to be at least 1" shorter to smooth out the harsh bend in the line. I feel like making the SS line 1" shorter would not impact performance, and would only ease installation and increase durability. You can see in this pic how the line could be shorter: http://imageshack.us/a/img217/7094/20120919203029105.jpg

Autopal H4 7" Round Housings
Acceptable. They have a decent cutoff with minimal glare. I did have some condensation in one housing, but I believe it was due to a damaged rear rubber seal. I have not seen the issue reoccur after fixing the seal. I'm still going to replace them with Hella H4 housings.

BFI Red Stripe Grille
Not bad, and if you factor in the price it's great. The paint quality isn't great, but it's acceptable for a DD. I have one rock chip in the red stripe already. The plastic itself seems pretty good, only one broken tab so far. Looks OEM, and seems durable enough to not worry about it.

NGP Spark Plug Wires
These look great and feel great when installing them. The wires are flexible, and the insulation is nice and soft. My OEM wires performed fine, so these didn't provide any improvement in performance. One big complaint though, they need to come with an ignition trigger sensor as an option. I had to destroy my OEM wires to reuse my crusty old ignition trigger sensor. Not cool.

eBay Fog Lights
They fill the bumper holes and they come with usable brackets. There are absolutely no other positives. Totally crap build quality. When I replace them with OEM fogs I'll post pics comparing the internals.

Plastic Coolant Flanges
Complete garbage, all of them. Find a metal flange to use instead. I have 4 metal coolant flanges for the front of 16v heads and I don't regret any of the money I've spent on them. I also spent the extra for a metal thermostat housing flange because I've seen the plastic ones warp and leak.

[DocWalt]

Forgot to add these two last night:

Redline Gear Oil (MTL & MT90)
Great stuff for my trans. YMMMV, but it works great for me. I used this combo in my VR-4, and it's also very popular in the Evo crowd for a reason. I had a little tiny 2nd gear grind before, and if I was trying to shift too fast I would get locked out of 2nd gear. No such issues now, and shifting feel is greatly improved elsewhere. When I shift, everything falls into place a lot easier.

Mk3 Weighted Shift Rod
Why didn't VW use this on the Mk2? Great addition. Feels a LOT nicer to shift, with less effort required and it tightened my linkage up quite a bit. Keep in mind I don't have many miles on my linkage rebuild. :)

[Hans@GZP]

wow, I was an Autotech dealer back when they were the US importer for Quaife. That had to be 10 years ago

[DocWalt]

Ha, nice. They also sell Wavetrac diffs now.

[Hans@GZP]

Yea, I think Quaife dropped them. Probably not doing enough volume

[wingnut]

wheel spin makes that look so much faster LOL. Looks, my wheels are going 100 mph and I'm going 60 :p

True, but...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR4zBRnjq1I&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[Chris@Rvengeperformance]

Jesus, they really got that thing to hook up around 2:15

[DocWalt]

Spent my evening fixing shoddy wiring from the factory. Awesome. Great job VW. It was rigged to work by a previous owner, and now it's fixed correctly.

I also replaced my power steering belt. I think my used power steering pump is failing, strange metallic whirring noises from it at idle. Works fine, just sounds bad, lol

[FeaRpb]

Damn that car looks fun as hell.

[Boost4VR4]

Um, that video that wingnut posted is insane... that is one quick Golf...

[IPD]

maybe big mike would trade his c6 for it...

[Turbo Beast]

German built, there's more of these cars around. A friend of mine bought one that had the drivetrain swapped with and Audi TT. So from a tiny FWD powerplant, it was upgraded to 4wd with a turbo.

[IPD]

German built, there's more of these cars around. A friend of mine bought one that had the drivetrain swapped with and Audi TT. So from a tiny FWD powerplant, it was upgraded to 4wd with a turbo.

sounds like a downgrade in body style...

[Turbo Beast]

Golf 1 and 2 looked alot better than the first generation Audi TT IMHO.

[IPD]

Golf 1 and 2 looked alot better than the first generation Audi TT IMHO.

looks significantly better with fender flares, wide tires, blacked out, etc.

[Turbo Beast]

looks significantly better with fender flares, wide tires, blacked out, etc.

Blasphemy!

[IPD]

there's a yellow 1g tt in GA. i used to see it when i was going to/from work. something about the combination of changes he did to it makes it look 100% better.

[DocWalt]

I actually have a set of TT bushings to install on my control arms... Not quite the quattro AWD system, but it's something :p

VW has a LOT of parts interchangeability. The brake upgrade I'm sitting on came right off of a Golf 3, and my rear calipers are right off of a Golf 4. Pretty sweet, it makes parts a lot cheaper.

[wingnut]

Speaking of interchangeability...

http://www.motorgeek.com/attachment_files/22852.jpg

[DocWalt]

Better than the above: http://jalopnik.com/261372/so-effing-great-we-cant-see-straight-golf+bodied-928

Got my grille badge today... :D
http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/2225/20130204173044364.jpg

[DocWalt]

I spent this weekend working on my car... as usual :)

Replaced the control arm bushings, the rear bushing being upgraded to a solid rubber bushing from the Audi TT/VW R32. Replaced the balljoints and tie rod ends, new swaybar endlinks, new knuckles, hubs, new 10.1" rotors (up from 9.4") with matching calipers, new Pagid pads all the way around, new SS front brake lines, new 22mm brake master cylinder, Peloquin 80% shim kit for my factory diff (tightens the diff up to act as a quasi LSD), replaced both transmission output flange seals, and aligned it.

Phew. Busy weekend. So far I've noticed the bushing replacement as being the biggest improvement. There's no longer a lurch between acceleration and deceleration, which is really nice. The diff kit pulls the car through corners a little more, but there's still power-on understeer if you're pushing hard. The brakes are meh, there's plenty of stopping power and the pads have good bite and feel, especially with the SS lines. The hydraulics still feel crappy, there's a good two inches where not much happens, then the pedal is nice and firm like I want. I wish the pedal dropped half an inch and then got firm, but oh well. Heel-toeing is a bit of a pain, but better than with the stock Mk2 stuff.

I think my next upgrade will be Hella headlight housings instead of the cheapo housings I currently have. After that I'll likely go with G60 struts/shocks with VR6 strut mounts. Keeping my current H&R Sport springs, they ride well.

[DocWalt]

Ended up picking up a set of Bilsteins, still going to throw my H&R springs on instead of the Jamex springs on them.

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/3163/20130219220027369.jpg

[CoreyB]

Nice Doc

[DocWalt]

Ordered some poly swaybar bushings and did a $3 mod tonight to get rid of the dumb stock tensioner.

http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/5872/20130305191457549.jpg

[Turbo Beast]

Ulgh, those stock tensioners suck to adjust. Good call.

[nodoze]

since your ps is failing , going to go manual rack?i would think that thing is light enough up front it would not be a big deal, my talo nwith a manual rack is not that bad except when idling maneuvers around the shop

[DocWalt]

My brother's Golf and Jetta both have manual steering... No thank you. :)

[KeithMac]

I've got my Atlas Grey Mk2 16v on the drive, fitted a stage 4 G60 to it with BBM front mount alternator brackets. Runs Megasquirt efi now. Really need to pull my finger out and replace the gearbox and get it back on the road..

Used to do trackdays with it, Koni coilovers and bigger arb's, poly bushed etc.

Timeless classic the Mk2 Golf, good call!.

[DocWalt]

That thing sounds like a hoot! Any pics? How'd you like the Koni coilovers? I found a set for really cheap that I may jump on...

[KeithMac]

I'm going to resurect it this year, put it on the back burner while trying to get the gto into the 11s.. Konis are great for track use but a little too much for bumpy roads.

Had Koni top adjustable shocks and Eibac springs before that and they were a great road setup!.

Used to post on clubgti uk site, me and Trev16v imported the BBM kit. Had the BBM 16v chip in. G60 ecu when I first when over to efi but it was far too rich off boost.

When it was still on k-JET with some Kent 1602r cams it did 165bhp on the rollers, not bad for a 1.8kr!.

Is yours a 2 litre?.

I run Mk4 rear calipers as well due to better handbrake mech and some 4motion front disks, calipers.

Totally different expedience to the 3s and I have to say after jumping out of my 16vg60 into a stock gto-tt I was a little underwhelmed. Up to 120 the Golf would have murderer it!.

Would love a Mk2 Limited (2l 16v g60 4wd from the factory) but they only made 71..

Will try and get some pics up when working on it, had load on aol but they deleted them all!.

[DocWalt]

I think I'll hold off on the Koni coilovers then.

BBM's kit is pretty nice! 1.8kr making those kinds of numbers must have been great fun.

Yup, a 2 liter 9A.

It's definitely a different experience, especially through the bends.

[KeithMac]

Bigger Anti roll bars make a real difference, think mine were Neuspeed?.

I tried 1/4 mile with the Golf after fitting the charger but it wouldn't launch on road tyres, just smoked them..

Good to see another 3s owner with a Mk2 as well!.

[DocWalt]

Still on stock swaybars for now, probably going to keep them for a while, depends how they do with stickier tires.

Mine smokes them through first as it is now, more power would be pretty silly :p

Now I just need to buy a 3S again :D

[KeithMac]

Yeh you really need one of each, best of both worlds then!.

Is yours a rod change box or cable change?.

[DocWalt]

Rod change box, rebuilt linkage with a short shifter, so it's not horrid. Would much prefer cable shifted, but oh well.

[KeithMac]

To be fair rod change give a better feel but cable change are stronger. Diff rivets are the most common problem on the rod boxes, theres a bolt kit you can fit but you have to strip the box to do it..

[DocWalt]

Meh, the feel is kinda mushy compared to how my VR-4 felt with cables.

My brother's Jetta actually came with a bolted diff trans in it, which makes his brand new trans worth more than he paid for the entire car, including a spare trans and a bunch of wheels and other boxes of bits. He has 3 ISVs now, heh.

[Turbo Beast]

Are spare cable transmissions as hard to find over here as in Europe? We used em for racing, since theyre more direct and tougher. They got harder and harder to come by

[DocWalt]

O2A transmissions aren't hard to find, but you need to do a cable clutch conversion to the trans, or swap the pedal box for a hydraulic pedal box.

[KeithMac]

I've got the hydro pedal box but it's a task to fit it, Seat models came with the cable clutch adaptor for the gearboxes but they are hard to come by..

The Jetta sounds like good buy with the bolted diff!.

[DocWalt]

Especially for $700 ;)

[DocWalt]

Went to a meet on Saturday:
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/857935_429086053840065_1408697412_o.jpg

[Turbo Beast]

DooD! the car looks amazing!

[nodoze]

looks great doc! jealous of your weather as well we just got 6 more inches of snow last night....

[DocWalt]

Thanks guys :)

It was 62 on Saturday when that pic was taken, mid 50s yesterday, and into the 60s again today... I wish we'd get at least one more snowfall this year.

[FeaRpb]

http://1cargarage.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/vw_guy.jpg

[B-Man]

Witness this insane 736-hp VW Golf immolate its front tires (http://www.autoblog.com/2013/03/11/witness-this-insane-736-hp-vw-golf-immolate-its-front-tires/#continued)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qcz46RzTMu

[DocWalt]

It's not like that much power is all that useful. Fun, but not very good at anything but burning tires :lo5l:

I'm not saying I wouldn't drive it :suspect:

[DocWalt]

Pics of swaybar endlink bushing install :)

Before, with sloppy rubber bushing for a bigger swaybar:
http://imageshack.us/a/img96/4986/20130311195804173.jpg

Poly bushing installed to match my 15mm stock swaybar:
http://imageshack.us/a/img442/2655/201303112006248.jpg

[DocWalt]

Pictars:

replacement downpipe:
http://imageshack.us/a/img209/2651/img20130327195132070.jpg

eh:
http://imageshack.us/a/img842/2946/img20130327195239985.jpg

random ice formation on my spoiler this morning:
http://imageshack.us/a/img713/254/img20130327073446222.jpg

[DocWalt]

Broken:
http://imageshack.us/a/img825/1725/img20130329111603703.jpg

New OEM vs 6 month old aftermarket:
http://imageshack.us/a/img59/469/img20130329112650638.jpg

[FeaRpb]

Purty

[nodoze]

Pretty nice part for Aem !

Sent from my HTC Hero S using Tapatalk 2

[DocWalt]

Wheels and tires ordered, thanks GZP :)

Passengerinner CV boot is destroyed, swapping in a spare axle soon. Driver's inner tie rod end is trashed, ordering the parts and I'll swap it soon as well. It never ends lol

[nodoze]

Ever feel like you should just do a complete build ha ha gets to a point It's frustrating and you are like f it tear it all down

Sent from my HTC Hero S using Tapatalk 2

[DocWalt]

It sure feels like that sometimes. Can't rent the tie rod tool, so I need to buy one from Harbor Freight lol.

I'm stoked :)

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/529157_10152702534020307_1330511743_n.jpg

[nodoze]

For the winner toe rod ? Can you reach a punch in and give it a rap on the flat spot ? Usually a bent locking tab in.their as well I have gotten them.loose that way or cranked the rack all the way the side I need and gotten pipe wrench on it

Sent from my HTC Hero S using Tapatalk 2

[DocWalt]

I'd much rather torque to spec than just crank the hell out of it. Removing it should be possible with a pipe wrench, but it has threadlocker, so maybe not very easily.

[DocWalt]

Tie rod was cake, and so was the axle. It took me longer to install the new tie rod boot than to swap the tie rod.

Some jerk wrote on my dirty old wheels, haha:
http://imageshack.us/a/img716/8528/img20130406152058188.jpg

So I replaced them:
http://imageshack.us/a/img138/5710/img20130406184014902.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img593/4240/img20130406172534702.jpg

Old wheel/tire weight:
http://imageshack.us/a/img577/5695/img20130406161257969.jpg

New wheel/tire weight:
http://imageshack.us/a/img843/513/img20130406160006636.jpg

I've got the alignment at 1/32" toe out, about -1.5* camber in the front, and the rear at 0.8* of camber. Feels superb, and rolls really nicely now.

[CoreyB]

Looking good.

[DocWalt]

Transmission is stuck in 3rd gear. Hurray. Trying to pick up a replacement on Sunday ~3 hours each way...

Pulled the trans last night:

http://imageshack.us/a/img834/688/img20130416203305368.jpg

The clutch thankfully appears to be as new as the PO says it is:

http://imageshack.us/a/img15/8838/img20130416203321222.jpg

VW in its natural habitat:

http://imageshack.us/a/img838/4463/img20130416210220896.jpg

Drained the trans and pulled the diff kit tonight. The fluid is tasty...

http://imageshack.us/a/img593/5018/img20130417211056118.jpg

[DocWalt]

Transmission is in :) My self-adjusting clutch cable broke, so we tried to swap in a manual adjust cable and ran into silly issues and I was tired so I went to bed lol. My brother finished swapping my clutch cable for me today. Just drove to class, new (used) trans + delrin shifter bushings = tranny sex... wait, what? seriously though, it feels great. The manual adjust cable feels like poo, but I'll deal with it for now. New self-adjusting cables are expensive and likely to break, plus they can make the clutch not fully engage.

[FeaRpb]

Drink it!

[DocWalt]

No thanks, haha

[DocWalt]

On the 3SPA cruise last weekend my clutch bolts backed out and the pressure plate fused to the crank and then fell off and damaged the end of the crank. I fixed that, but the damage done to the thrust washers by me forcing the clutch pedal down ruined the bearings and they ate the crank. So...

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/1930/img20130502191735924.jpg

New crank is pulled from the short block my brother picked up yesterday. Forged cranks ftw.

I'm thinking I can install it and then bolt the trans up and do the timing belt to get that stuff out of the way. Swapping bearings is relatively easy with that stuff done.

[wingnut]

Backed out?

[DocWalt]

Yep, moron PO reused stretch bolts that bolt the pressure plate to the crankshaft.

[wingnut]

Yep, moron PO reused stretch bolts that bolt the pressure plate to the crankshaft.

Ahhhh, nevermind... http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LHZPfTupMSc/Tbc-QHdiN0I/AAAAAAAAADw/nlZV5NkfnUQ/s1600/carry-on-smiley.gif

[DocWalt]

Good progress tonight. Crankshaft swapped, #1 & #5 main clearances are perfect, I'm waiting on bearings to replace #2, #3, and #4. Front and rear main seals installed as well. I realized that I can only temporarily install the timing belt because I have a new one coming in my parts shipment.

Here's the toasted thrust bearing surface:
http://imageshack.us/a/img836/5303/img20130503220849684.jpg

Here's the opposite thrust bearing surface. Notice how it's flat?
http://imageshack.us/a/img15/2039/img20130503220914542.jpg

Here's the end of the crank after I smoothed it out:
http://imageshack.us/a/img577/1435/img20130503221006289.jpg

Notice the oval shaped holes and the heat marks on the center of the pressure plate:
http://imageshack.us/a/img855/2199/img20130503221111142.jpg

This plate sits in the pressure plate with a spring clip (not shown) and is pushed by a rod inside of the input shaft:
http://imageshack.us/a/img13/174/img20130503221129840.jpg

Rod inside the input shaft (I need to clean the bellhousing, the rear main was spewing oil because of the floppy clutch assembly):
http://imageshack.us/a/img32/6969/img20130503221228724.jpg

Damage on the back of that thrust plate. It was pressing against the bolts that were backed out so every time I pushed the clutch pedal I was smashing the crank straight into the thrust bearing.
http://imageshack.us/a/img209/9069/img20130503221141042.jpg

New front main:
http://imageshack.us/a/img832/1028/img20130503221026465.jpg

New rear main:
http://imageshack.us/a/img96/3734/img20130503221047523.jpg

[HLxDrummer]

You have bad luck with cars, your always fixing stuff!

[lawdogg]

Tough break man, looks like you got it covered! Rule 1 of 3/S cruises: something always breaks.

[DocWalt]

Trans is in. Axles aren't bolted up. I'm debating just using my 6 month old timing belt so I can have the rest of the belts and intake put together, but knowing my luck it would fail and bend valves lol.

Shiny new pressure plate:
http://imageshack.us/a/img4/9726/img20130504141302839.jpg

Dirty transmission:
http://imageshack.us/a/img191/6903/img20130504162314801.jpg

[Snook]

looks like a good time to clean up under there.

[DocWalt]

It's a bit cleaner now. The trans really isn't as horrible as it looks since this end is exposed and gets road grime on it.

So this is why you flush an engine after spinning a bearing... No idea how much longer this would have lasted. Notice the oil holes aren't round anymore. These are from rod #3, the bearing that spun last time.

http://imageshack.us/a/img547/8199/img20130510222244463.jpg

In other news... My car is on the ground, no leaks and it sounds a LOT smoother with the new crank and the clutch stuff taken care of.

http://imageshack.us/a/img515/9495/img20130510224451326.jpg

Rod bearings are all at ~.06mm clearance (.12mm is the wear limit)
Main bearings are all between .05 and .06mm (.03-.08mm is ok for new parts)

Unfortunately I have no good way to verify the crankshaft end play, but the rods all tightened up to well under the axial wear limit. The block wasn't damaged in a way that affects how the thrust bearings sit, and the new crank's thrust surfaces looked good.

Now to break in the clutch :)

[DocWalt]

Pretty sure I had a leak from the oil pan into the bellhousing, so I pulled that and the rubber gasket was wet on both sides from oil. Awesome. RTV'd it up and letting it cure for a while before I dump the oil back in. I got a bit more metal crap flushed out into the pan from the thrust bearing crap. woo... :rolleyes:

Here's a video my brother took of the clutch assembly. The noise this was making was unbelievably bad. Some of the 3SPA members can attest, and it only got worse since they heard it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4C5TNiYUhE

[DocWalt]

Ricer pictures.

http://imageshack.us/a/img823/4630/20130530180707hdr.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img22/9416/20130530180848hdr.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img37/1458/20130530180955hdr.jpg

[IPD]

doc, don't you wish the scirocco was available in the US? ;)

[DocWalt]

The newest one? Yeah, that would be pretty cool, I've always liked that one. My buddy down the street has an A1 and an A2 Scirocco. I don't want to own an old one lol

[IPD]

nor do i. that said, i don't know why VW hasn't decided to put the golf AWD in a turbo scirocco. it would sell like hotcakes.

[DocWalt]

It would cost too much money, most likely.

[IPD]

shouldn't really cost anything more than a golf-r...though to be fair, the golf-r is a bit pricey as it is.

[DocWalt]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10201398960513938

I managed to win the novice class first time out... Finished second in SM even though I was incredibly outclassed. Good times were had!

Pictures:
http://imageshack.us/a/img203/4589/vzye.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img832/9818/20td.jpg

[DocWalt]

Techtonics Tuning chip has been ordered. It's programmed for my specific setup, so I'm hoping to feel some decent gains. Might have to visit Hans to get a before/after dyno :suspect:

[DocWalt]

Finally got my new fuel hat gasket from VW. My old one was pretty torn up about getting thrown in the trash can.

http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/9451/njpv.jpg

[Hans@GZP]

What's scheduled to break next?

[DocWalt]

:suspect: your dyno when this baby rolls onto it

[anyonebutme]

Haaaaaaaaaaa