1. yes if there is no outer OT you need to use the inner marker, you wont have anything to line it up to anyway unless you also have the late plastic cambelt cover set. Just make sure that when the inner mark is lined up the cam lobes on #1 are where they should be, in case someone has put the sprocket on back to front in the past 2. not that I'm a massive expert but looking at your cam lobes I wouldn't be overly worried considering its an original engine 3. if you're putting a new cam in then no need to worry about the old stuff, though I'd probably do a full oil flush and refill at some point to be sure everything is spot on before new cam goes in 4. I wouldnt worry, if you start scraping at it now a fair amount of crud is gonna end up in the sump. if you ever have the head off then clean away!
Awesome cheers! Last bits to clairfy: I do have a new later cover to go on but I wont worry about that for now. I'll just use the inner marks. When you say oil flush I assume you mean just that i.e. not an engine flush additive? As I changed it last weekend I think I'm on top of that I will leave the crud well alone!
If you have the later cambelt covers to go on (dont forget you need the lower cover as well as the inner metal bit!) then I would get hold of a later cam sprocket with OT marker to go on the cam at the same time. Or if you have an aftermarket sprocket to go with try to get a later sprocket so you can transfer the OT mark to it. MK3 Golf 1.8-2.0 8v ones are the same so easily found in the scrappy. I meant use an oil flush, but tbh if you're putting new cam and tappets in at some point then no real need
I have the lower cover in place it was just the upper and upper rear that was missing. Will the later uppers and earlier lower covers be compatible? I have no sprocket to go on the new cam so I will see if I can source one from a scrappy. Failing that I will reuse what's on there (once I figure out how to remove it!). Sorry I am being dull - oil flush as in add a Wynn type additive or just drop the oil? As I said I did an oil change last week and now the lid is off I may have to forgo that bit, swap the cam and buckets out, change the cambelt, time it and fire her up ready for strobe timing. Sound ok? Or should I button it back up to do a flush?
you need the right lower and metal inner to match the uppers, all of it changed unfortunately. can reuse the old sprocket no problem, just use inner punch mark same as you are now both! oil flush to the old oil, run up to temp and drop as per instructions on the tin. but as I say if you've got a new cam and tappets to fit anyway dont bother no real need.
Damn with the covers! I best see if I can find rocking horse metal covers... I almost did an engine flush but had walked away from them in recent years because of them loosening debris to block the oil pick up but I think that's more of a 1.8t issue than this solid beast of an engine. Oh well.
yeah I would say only worth it if you want to try and revive the old sticky lifters, since they're being swapped no worries. On my old lump I did a flush and it cleared out all the gunk holding my oil cooler together so it started leaking lol
Lol yep been there before too! Cheers for your help. I'm looking forward to getting her running right.
Quick one: do I need to remove the transit oil from the new lifters and camshaft before install or am I ok to install them with it left on? I will leave the new lifters soaking in oil a while anyway.
shouldnt need to worry no, use fresh engine oil when installign cam into the caps etc. worth having a word with cam manufacturer though they may have recommendations on what to use, run-in procedure etc
Cheers RJ. I've downloaded the install instructions now. No mention of cleaning anything just chuck it it, torque it down, button it up and run it at 2k rpm for 20 mins The only thing stopping me now is the rain and the differing opinions on soaking in oil/working the piston in the lifter to preprime with oil/install dry and let the engine oil pressure do the work hydraulic lifter debate...
Took about 4 weeks but this finally arrived: View attachment 7841 Expensive stuff nowadays. Anyone know what the right codes are for the various rubber elbow bits the vacuum pipes connect to or which later VWs they can be pinched from? Might as well do those too.
Got these free the other day, too. They were still in a fuse box sat outside the car and had been rained on so I put them in rice for a day on the rad. I then opened each up and they were bone dry inside. No sign of moisture ever being present: View attachment 7842 I believe the "99" is a useful intermittent wiper relay? Will this work on my 88? If so, which relay does it replace?
Rocker cover restored. Shame I don't really have a good before shot but it was poorly painted silver straight onto bare metal. It had also been oversprayed where the cap fitted so each time the oil cap was I'm screwed and screwed back on silver was actually coming off inside the cover and dropping inside the engine. Fortunatley it seems to have just been covering the splash guard and going no further. Idiots. Looks better now though: View attachment 7903 View attachment 7904 In order to not repeat their mistake I used the beauty ring from the base of a kitchen tap. Fitted up perfectly on the oil filler hole giving me just the right edge to paint up to.
Nice work! with the dighifant isnt much in the way of vacuum tubing, you can clean it up a bit by binning off the pipe and T piece for the warm air system on the airbox as it does bugger all in the UK climate, then you can run a new vacuum line from the throttle body straight to the FPR. If you want fabric covered vac hose the only stuff I use is genuine VW, its a bit pricey but you only need a meter, I've foudn the stuff you get off ebay goes porus pretty quick. If you dont mine silicone tubing that'll do you fine with the 99 relay yeah this is the variable intermittent one, swap it with 19
Cheers @rubjonny. I ordered a bunch of that vacuum tubing from VW (see the post above). It is very pricey these days but I can also use it on my other VAG cars too. Is it worth replacing the rubber elbows the white vacuum pipe connects into? I'll swap over the relay when I get back
So pulley set to tdc. Checked at the gearbox end and confirms it's at tdc (its on the dot). The camshaft however looks like this: View attachment 8901 Which is not what I expected at all or what it looks like in @rubjonny write up. It looks like it's actually upside down. The 'dot' on the cam gear is not present in-board of the head but has been previously marked in tip ex on the outside. It doesn't even line up with the face of the head anyway! I can only assume this is all wrong?! If so, how it runs at all is anyone's guess. Can someone confirm please?
