1990 GTI MK2/ABF/5dr/Alpine White - Au - Mission Complete 1/7/2016

Hey up Paul me loverley Laddo.
Now't wrong with twin choke carbs! Just not as good as triple choke down-draught Solex on my 1965 Saab Sport and 1967 96 TS. My V4 rally cars had a single twin choke down-draught Weber DFI. Twin DCOE 45s were far too expensive for me! Kugglefisher was never offered to the general public.

Don't forget that one of the first production road cars to give 100bhp/litre was from AUDI! The NSU TTS : 100bhp from 1000cc on twin Solex horizontal 'DoppleGassers'! I'd love one.

Can't decide on my favourite car is it my stripped out 90 20V Q or the stripped out Rally SAAB Sport?
My favourite bike is the ex-works ISDT MZ I owned in the mid 1970s : 37bhp from 250cc.
I'd love a KTM 640 Rally.

 

I'll see your triple choke down-draught solex and raise you quad 48 IDA's on a Ford 289 powered Bolwell Nagari. With the foot firmly planted on the accelerator pedal I could actually see the fuel gauge needle going down.

Fun to drive though.

 

Have a stash of Heritage Booty I'm coveting!


My PRECIOUS!!!!


I hope this sorts out the steering slop, I have to remove the steering shaft and from what I've seen in the other threads, the whole column might need to come out to get to this bearing.



I tried again yesterday to find a radiator specialist that might be able to help, his book only listed 675mm with intake/outlet on RHS, I need them on the left. At least he had a look and thought of modding the one I have but it's too new school for that... Seats are awesome with the grommets in place, finally no more cocking the seat rails!!

So for now, it's all going to plan, I should wait for the end of summer then get cracking on, Cam, Water Pump, Remove Dash (Mike you still have one there for me?) Fix steering column, replace heater matrix, clean up heater box, insulate from floors and if permitting, remove rear window and give the hatch and roof some loving.

Dave, engineering question for you.

Yes I ran it way too lean, I was experimenting and starved it of air too with a choke trying to find fuel economy, something we've never needed in the past. This 'is' the first engine I've intentionally taken too far and the first time I've heavily 'frosted' the piston and head button. Is it cavitation ? Is it different physics at play? I know the cause and prevention, but what is it that's going on for random chunks of alloy to vanish or is the face of the alloy deforming into that shape, if it were melting away, would there be signs of residue in exhaust port?

 

Morning blis.

Just what I need at 04.00 hours when I have been awake since 02.22.

Flipping interesting!

First hypothesis.

From experience with the highly tuned high compression SAAB Sport motors on which the combustion chamber looked a lot like that. i.e. Massive 'squish' area and tiny, but deep, combustion chamber. I know that burning even a perfect stoichiometric mixture in such engines can melt side electrodes on spark plugs. Hence the Sport used surface discharge plugs. You actually had to warm the motor on standard plugs then change them to Champion UK 16Vs. My works MZ with 37bhp from 250cc had two plugs and a change-over switch. The bike came with just a one page owner's handbook, spare jets and two front sprockets. The one page handbook was a chart of which jets to use at what altitude.

So. My hypothesis is, and I could be spouting rubbish, and I don't mind being corrected:

High temperatures and high pressures with too much oxygen = A thermo-chemical surface reaction causing the formation of one of the unstable Aluminium Oxides. AlO or Al2O. These would just vanish with the exhaust.

As you know metals are highly reactive with oxygen. Potassium and sodium violently so. Magnesium very reactive. Aluminium comes next. Aluminium powder in an oxygen atmosphere will explode. The explosion is a thermo-chemical reaction causing the formation of one of the unstable Aluminium Oxides. AlO or Al2O.

As you say: "Cavitation"! The pitting on impellers and propellors looks something like this when they have suffered surface oxidation due to cavitation!

 

Dash stashed

 

Looking for leaks.

Wiped down with soap and a damp old chamois, no solvents, didn't want to remove more wax.

Intake vent looks pretty good



ECU area is clean too.



Drains are open.



Not sure what's on the other side of the guard/wings, I think they are rust free. I can see a large volume of water getting in this way. The rubber seal on the intake vent was in great condition too, so I'll clean up and put it back. There are the occasional grommets missing, but they don't seem to be significant. Guy said he felt a drop on his foot under dash and I cant find anything to relate. Must check more into door waterproofing too.

h

I used a rubberized paint, it wasn't what I was expecting, it was a almost a tar like substance, so I gave it a light coat and waited 24hours to dry, gave it a few coats of Matt Black acrylic to seal it up and put it back.



It's nothing to write home about but it's cleaner than it was and I took some time to sort out the folds that slip onto body as they had been kinked.

Now to plan the dash removal and heater matrix.

 

SKF Water Pump - ABF

Here's the SKF Water pump I found, with flanges and a bargain too. Having taken the pics, I see it's not sheetmetal impeller, it looks cast and I hope it's more efficient.





Time to source a timing belt kit, local supply will be DAYCO.

PS: Thermostat too. Temp suggestions?

I opted for a 180F thermostat... 82.2c I think...

I need to sort this out, I need to remove the captive nut in the radiator and replace the flange, will do it when I do cam belt and water pump.

 

You're asking an English forum about temp suggestions for a Queensland car?

Mine was around 91 if that's any help.

Cheers

Paul

 

I asked because if I change the thermostat, I should change the fan thermo-switches too and there's an ECU, I have no idea what it deems to be operating temps, so I'm not sure if the obvious isn't what it seems.

 

Steering column Lower Bearing.





To remove it, I used a socket and an extension bar and tapped it out. A pair of multi grips and patience and it's not hard to get in. Mine wasn't floating so I don't think the spring holds it in, I suppose it's there to prevent it slipping out.

The bottom of my steering column is too small for the bearing, the old one was a little worse for wear and now I'm packing out with tape again and hope to get less play.

Ok so...

The column had to come out to pull it open again, it's telescopic and the only way to get it back in is to extend it and then seat it to legth once everything is on. There's a lot of grunting involved and the dreaded removal of the indicators, light/mfa stalk, reader and other connectors that try your patience. I removed the column, re wrapped using aluminium tape and burnished them after each layer and measured to 22.5mm.

I found that there was a bolt supporting the bottom of the column and this was loose, I used a couple of washers to pack the bolt out and it's much better now.

Other tips...

Be very gentle with connectors and they can need a little pry opposite the end with the tab/key.

Also carefully depress the HAZZARD light to get the indicators back on if it's on the stalk.

Lining up the spline can be trying too.

Done

 

JBL-GX302 - Front Speakers and tempting options for the rear.

Purchased a set of Sony 4" for the fronts thinking they would fit, they didn't in depth, 45mm deep, well so I've ordered the only shallow ones I could find at 35mm and they're 3.5" with one mounting point, looks like it's made for it and many have mentioned JBLs in other threads so I went for it.

http://www.ryda.com.au/jbl-two-way-3-1-2-speaker-system

Also saw these and wonder if they would fit the rear, others have asked.


http://www.ryda.com.au/infinity-ref6432cf-4x6-car-speakers

Can' t help myself.. Or these...

Polk DB461 4x6" 2 Way Coaxial Speaker

http://www.ryda.com.au/polk-db461-4x6-2-way-coaxial-speaker

And here they are..







I tried them quickly and they're perfect fit, comes with some damping foam I'll use and should come up a treat. 35mm deep and I wouldn't want it any deeper.



Sound quality is good if you're being sensible about expectation. There's not much volume from a 3.5" speaker, it has clean mid and high end and acts as a good fill.
Size wise, it's 35mm deep and anything bigger than this is a big ask or you have to fabricate a housing. For what it's worth, couldn't be happier, straight forward seemingly made to fit.
There is a better 3.5" in the JBL range, http://www.jbl.com/car-speakers/GTO329.html - Im good with these.

NOTE: There is orientation to the install, rotating it into place was simple.




Time to tune the front to rear, I'll have to dial back the amp a touch.

 

Working towards the dash - interior cleanup.

I know there are threads that go into details, so any pointers will be appreciated with any interior improvements. With the felt laid I do need to get it water tight so I left this door card off for a few weeks to see if I could see any signs of leaks. Nothing definite yet....



With the glovebox, underdash and steering columns free Im edging closer and closer to the heater matrix and dash removal



(Mike, Im not sure what goes in what I think are the dash lug holes, mine have nothing there)

All part of the plan early in 2016, one of my son's mates finished his apprenticeship and I may engage him to help.

 

Santa loves me.. SuperCheapAuto Shoutout!

Mushy, I want to get under the dash to clean up 25 yr old perishing foam and tape up loose ducting but thanks for the tip, knowing me I'll have to redo it to get it right.

On a good note, the southern Santa must like Golfs because while perusing the spares at Supercheap I stumbled on one of these...



I couldn't press buy now quick enough, it was totally out of the blue and out of the ordinary, there it was, here it is and it's still wrapped up in it's original plastic!!

On the down side, I finally got under the car for a good look at my drivetrain. Took a mate that stopped by to turn the drivers front wheel while I took a look. Immediately we heard something wasnt right and when I got underneath, the problem became more evident. The inner left CV bolts we all loose and the CV felt like it was shot. I hope there's nothing to the flange/diff that was hurt. I tightened them up and took it for a drive and it's shagged. At least it's not about to fall off.

 

Missing bolt?

Under the car having another peek at the CV and noticed a possible bolt missing...



I put a bolt there and the gap doesnt want to close either... lost.

h

 

You mean the gearbox mount ? The arm that goes from the side of the gearbox to the rear rubber mount ?

 

Yeah, the nut adjacent to it is fastened to the mount, but the second hole has nothing...

 

NO GO... Drove 30km across town, then drove up the **** of a utility and his towbar went straight through the badge, lucky its just a bent bracket, radiator is fine I think, grill is finished. Then it's back to the same old argument over CV and hub bearings, how I shouldnt waste my money and change CVs, how it MUST be the hub bearings. I then went and bought premium bearings and when I got back, they gave me the.. "too busy now"... WHY CANT CGTI HAVE A GLOBAL NETWORK OF SERVICE CENTRES!!!

I called up the wholesalers I sourced CV's from, apparently the mech their designs and customises too, lets hope he can appreciate the MK2, when I go for a test drive, I'm going to insist he open it up, it gets their attention and a smile usually appears too. Im assuming that it's a complete gearbox out to change bearings for the flanges?

 

Oops At least it was just the grille and nothing major !

I honestly believe you are overthinking this noise !! It`s simply the inner CV`s that are knackered and when they are swapped the noise will vanish.

 

Yep, I hear you, I know I can be like that, if not for the overthinking I don't think we'd have the ABF started, most people including me would not have blamed the ECU, so the paranoia is there and I apologise. It's not like I can find a mechanic that knows what a MK2 is, I was asked if the MK2 was ever bought into the country, and yes he was older than I was!! I'm going to ask the mech tomorrow to keep the inners as I want to inspect them at home personally. That goes for the wheel bearings if they get changed too!

The only VW mech I trust is an uncle to a friend and unfortunately, he's not well and he's retired. Graham's the type of engineer that slows everything down, does everything methodically and works with an open mind. He's the type of mech that I love to stand back, hold the torch, get and put tools and watch do their thing with passion. Nige, he reminds me of you in another 20 years..

Idiot in his long wheelbase UTE sitting at the middle of an intersection, I should have assumed he was lost. Lights went green, we turned right and he left his tail hanging out trying to drive into a tyre place and I was being bitten by a mosquito and went for the quick swipe... Looked down, looked up and let out a shi..... and the roads were wet and slid into his towbar at 10kph. Nothing major but not a good start to the day. Now to find a grill...


Mike, what's the chance of finding a twin GTI grill with the dashboard ?

Anyone have a ABF VW manifold?