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New member and new car

Hey,

Had my 1990 MK2 8v big bumper in reflex silver nearly a week and over the moon with it, slowly discovering some things that need attention but expected that.
So far ive noted -

  • 1st gear is difficult to select when warm, bordering on impossible sometime without forcing it so this is a priority to fix
  • Trouble starting from cold and hot, takes around 5 seconds of key to come to life, but once running its perfectly fine and never stalls
  • Tickover is on 1k, not sure if this is slightly high?
  • Tracking is way out
  • Small drops of oil front offside, literally 1 or 1 drops on the driveway

Looking forward to reading all the content here and learning stuff and meeting others


Re: New member and new car

Reply #1
Welcome along!
Not sure where you're from, but our National Meet at Curborough sprint track is on in a couple of weeks.

As for the issues:
1st gear could be gearbox oil, or the linkage is on it's way out and needs a refresh/realignment, both easy enough to do.
Hot/cold starting and the tickover could all be from the same issue - timing. There is a great guide I'll link below. I used it on my old 8v and had it running like a sewing machine.
As for oil leaks, the firm favourite is usually the rocker cover gasket, they like to go for a past time!
https://www.vwgolfmk2.co.uk/clubforum/index.php?topic=141.0
Mk2 Driver
Mk2 Silver 8v
Corrado G60 Turbo
Mk2 Red 8v
Mk2 Grey 16v
Mk2 BBM ABF
Bora 20vt
Mk2 Green VR6
Mk2 Green ABF
Mk2 BBM 20vt
3.2 TT Roadster
Mk2 Red 16v
225 TT Coup
3.2 TT Coup
Mk4 Anniversary
Mk7 Red GTI Performance
Mk2 Red GTI Restoration

Mk2 BBM R32
911 Carrera 4S

Re: New member and new car

Reply #2
Welcome along!
Not sure where you're from, but our National Meet at Curborough sprint track is on in a couple of weeks.

As for the issues:
1st gear could be gearbox oil, or the linkage is on it's way out and needs a refresh/realignment, both easy enough to do.
Hot/cold starting and the tickover could all be from the same issue - timing. There is a great guide I'll link below. I used it on my old 8v and had it running like a sewing machine.
As for oil leaks, the firm favourite is usually the rocker cover gasket, they like to go for a past time!
https://www.vwgolfmk2.co.uk/clubforum/index.php?topic=141.0

Hi Monkey, thank you for the warm welcome and for the advice, this is awesome! I'm from Northampton and always happy to do a road trip but probably won't be doing so until I've got those bits sorted out but, will definitely try to do some shows soon.

Re: New member and new car

Reply #3
Hi & welcome:)
National Meet - 18-20 July 2025 @ Curborough Sprint Course

Re: New member and new car

Reply #4
Welcome to the forum.