My 1990 H-reg Driver (1.6 petrol) has had an issues with the front doors being sticky and difficult to open.
Some time ago I replaced both the handles and this seemed to improve things, but the issue has started up again, and my mechanic says it's the 35-year-old locking mechanisms, not the handles, that are the problem, and recommends replacement.
I ordered these:
"DOOR LOCK FEBI BILSTEIN 17016 A NEW OE REPLACEMENT Price: £17.46 Item ID: 276848191418 Order number: 04-12862-49358 Seller: mas-motorstore
DOOR LOCK 17018 FEBI BILSTEIN NEW OE REPLACEMENT Price: £16.65 Item ID: 176890164583 Order number: 04-12862-49359 Seller: ams-carparts "
Looks like the same German seller, who advised that they are not the right parts (ie front L & R), and is not able to advise what I should get.
Other sources seem to offer parts that are correct for vehicles up to and including 1989, but mine's 1990. It seems strange that it's proving challenging to obtain parts for a less old vehicle but easier for an older vehicle.
While these don't all come under the heading 'Engine & Gearbox', I hope you'll be OK with me listing them here. The vehicle is a 1990 Mk2 Driver (1.6 petrol).
My mechanic's advisories state:
1. Dipstick tube broken 2. Coolant flange on head has small leak 3. Slight leak from gearbox 4. Play in both front top mounts
What is involved in remedying these issues, so that I can plan ahead for mechanic time if necessary, being very much of a newbie with mechanics etc?
Hmm... this would be inside one of the existing silencer boxes that were not renewed? I don't know, but strange that the noise has started after the work carried out on the exhaust. By the way, this is a 1.6 petrol Driver.
I was puzzled, by the way, to see a bit of double pipework as part of the downpipe/front pipe that has been fitted. Not sure why it's designed like that. Not the same, for example, as the VW Heritage part specified on their website.
My exhaust started blowing and I had the downpipe and middle section replaced. While this is basically OK and the exhaust is no longer blowing, I now detect a new and puzzling noise, difficult to describe, with a ‘metallic crackling or tinkling’ evident only on acceleration, or when needing some power on hills etc. When cruising or under engine braking downhill it disappears.
I took the car back to the garage and the foreman put it up on the ramp and invited me to inspect it with him, confirming all with the new installation seemed OK.
Any idea what might be causing this new and puzzling noise?
This 1990 Driver has supplementary high beam lights inboard of the standard H4 headlights (like a GTI?).
What is the correct designation for the bulbs that fit in the supplementary high beams?
Some years ago a separate headlight loom was fitted, which took power direct from the battery, and worked quite well but it now seems to have developed a fault such that the nearside high beam (both in the standard headlight and the extra high beam are not working. Low beam working normally both sides. It's going to fail its MOT tomorrow due to this, assuming high beams must work to pass MOT.
Will it be relatively easy for my MOT man to remove the dedicated loom and return the lights to normal spec?
Subsequently, I am considering converting to LED bulbs. Are these produced also for the supplementary high beam lights? That's why I need to know the correct designation for them in particular.
I’ve had the 10-year-old Weber carb serviced by an old-school VW specialist in his 60s – a dying breed! He also checked the gauze on the fuel uptake pipe in the tank. I’m reasonably confident now that the carb is in good nick.
Intermittent problems persist, however, which lead me to wonder whether the long-standing intermittent rough running has been a combination of things, so now excluding the carburettor might be helpful.
Current issues: occasional rough running and stalling. Today's example – rough running almost from the start on a short local trip (usually it’s been OK whilst warming up and problems only arose after running at normal temp for a while). This time, very marked stalling whenever the car not in gear under motion. Restart every few yards in traffic!...
BUT
Suddenly, back to normal! No stalling, smooth running, all purring sweetly again! The question is: what is going on?
What might be the symptoms of faulty ignition in the distributor? The only electronics in this 1990 Golf Driver 1.6 are the amplifier and the distributor I believe. Can such electronics malfunction intermittently, or are they a case of binary working vs not working.
Up-thread was a suggestion to check the wiring between the amplifier and the coil, which I admit hasn’t been done yet (new coil a couple of months ago). There was also a suggestion of upgrading the battery earth wire to that of a Mk4, which has been done.
My theory at the moment is that some kind of electrical problem has been masked by a carb fuelling problem. Does that sound reasonable?
Sounds like you are getting there with it fella, as you say a mixture of niggles more than likely. Weber carbs have no connection to the thermostat as they are manual choke unlike a pierberg carb. Worth checking and renewing for piece of mind though. EP makes a good point about carb icing and you symptons seem to match, motorway road speed and airflow will not help with this. You should have a corrogated pipe coming of the top side of the exhaust manifold into the underneath of the airbox. This carries hot air from the exhaust into the carb to prevent carb icing. If it is missing or damaged then it may not be getting the hot air that is needed. If you have an aftermarket airfilter and no airbox then replacing with a standard airbox setup is best in winter as the k&n type have no hot air feed/flap and are notorious for carb icing in winter.
Thanks kartman.
Can confirm that corrugated hose for warm air is intact, and air filter housing is standard.
Thanks, EP, for you very detailed reply and thanks for pointing out the typo, where I erroneously stated 'fuel' instead of 'temp' (corrected in my post upthread, but still extant in kartman's quoting of my post).
You have a very good point about the thermostat, and this is something I will check. Not sure if carb itself is connected to the cooling system.
I acquired a Golf Mk4 negative earth cable, which is indeed beefier, but I couldn't undo the bolt fixing it to the engine block. This is currently being sorted out by my garage man. But just applying vaseline to the battery terminals and the first earth point near the battery seems to have eased things.
As always, I suspect more than one intermittent issue with this car - been the history all along. Carb seating sorted. Earthing getting sorted. Thermostat to be investigated. Just hope the wiring between the amplifier and the coil isn't the issue as suggested upthread! The puzzling thing was how quickly the car returned to normal once I was off the motorway and onto the ring road.
I'm intrigued now to investigate the functioning of the thermostat once I get the car back, unless my garage man gets there first!
