'90 2l 16v(ABF) mk2 (restoration page9, going megasquirt), mk5 ed30

If I uninstall the rear big bumper, look at this trade mark please

 

Stunning non Red Golf mate

 

Not updated this in a while. Best get to it.

Got the front end complete and started to check all the lights and other electrics. Turns out I had the side light connected to the fog's and the mains connected to the lows. Switched them all around and eventually they were all working as they should at the front.

The back was trickier, the fog didn't want to work and the light on the fog switch wasn't coming on! I had a look at the fusebox and the power was moving where it should so there was only one thing for it.
I stripped the switch down, cleaned all the connections and made sure they were where they needed to be. put it back in the car, and it was back to working as it should, tick.

The number plate lights are non existent but work when earthed, fix that in a bit.

Wipers and washers up next. Push on the stalk and the water hits the front screen and the rear wipers don't budge. I did notice that the number plate light comes on though.
Washer hoses switched round, tick.
Dug out the earth point for the rear electrics, clean some paint away, copper grease and reconnect. Now all the lights work, the rear wiper works, and the back window gets wet as it should. Tick.

Now i read up that the Bosch ignition system needs to be non inverted spark output. Scared of just making the change in megasquirt, i reset the timing and started over.
Now the car runs like crap. Needs throttle to even run. Moving back to spark inverted doesn't change anything. Un-tick
Reading up on megasquirt like mad i found out that i could have just change it in megasquirt without resetting it all (too late now).
Eventually cracked it by putting the engine back to tdc for the millionth time and checking the dizzy and rotor arm. I was the wrong side of plug no.1. spun the dizzy clockwise till the middle led came on then back a bit till it just went off and locked it in place.
Load up the older map, before cock up, and tick. Check the timing when ms locked to 10degrees, and it was spot on. Yep, tick.

About kill myself with fumes during all this as the car is backed into the garage, tick.
Over the next few weekday afternoons i sorted out the idle and came out the garage night by night smelling less like petrol, it was overfuelling like mad to start with.

I did find a leak on the side coolant flange which needed a bit of attention. I tried nipping the clamp up but it actually got worse. Thinking the hose was split i removed it, but found the 20plus years of heat cycles had made the plastics like honeycomb. The flange just broke leaving the ending the hose. Coolant over the garage floor as i tried to block the hole with a finger and try and pull a container over with my outstretched leg.
A new genuine flange was sourced on eBay from Deustche parts. Installed and the coolant topped up.

Here's the new and old




Last bit to get water tight was the rain tray for the scuttle panel. A hard plastic one with a few cracks in it. I'm not paying the extortionate price for a new one so i welded it back up.









That brings us to today. The car needs a clean as it has a years worth of garage dust on it. Do i push it out and try and spin it around?


Hell no. I drive it out. The 1st drive (all be it a few metres) in 4 years. It moved, it stopped. The power steering isn't working, may need re bleeding. It didn't blow up, fall apart, or make any funny noises.








It got the well deserved bath, and it doesn't leak. Or I've just not found one yet.






A 20point turn and back into the garage, so more tuning without killing myself can commence




Shiny, reflective, metallic paint once more




MOT soon, and I'm in discussions with toyotec about mapping.

 

Brilliant Martin!
Grand to see that it's all come together and MOT is imminent.
Dave

 

Got a few more bits done ready for an mot.

A few goodies turned up, like the 1st aid kit. I've had the bracket for a while so it was time to use it






Got the front interior tidied up and installed the passenger seat and made sure my electric seat loom worked. Which it did.







I knew i still needed to torque up the hub nuts. Mainly due to my biggest torque wrench not being man enough. A call to my truck mechanic brother sorted that.

Now that's a TORQUE wrench. If needed it can do 1000nm. I only needed 265nm. Que 'scene' photo, although not for centre lock wheels.




A few more bits turned up Saturday morning.




A central locking vacuum strap, as mine went missing. Possibly when we moved house.




A nut for the steering column, as mine went missing. Plus i don't want the wheel to come off, as that wouldn't be good.




Lastly, a power steering reservoir bracket, as mine went missing. Now i know i had it here, as i remember painting it. I didn't want to order a new one but i just cant find it. Bet I'll find it now.
Got some waxoil on the back of it, on the mating face.




Toyotec sent me a start up map to get me through the MOT which is brilliant. Loaded it and it's running great.

For the MOT the power steering has to work and at the minute, it just isn't. I think it just needs bleeding so, this morning, got the car in the air and started to steer lock to lock.

Takes ages, and gets nowhere. Quick check and the reservoir is still full. But just doesn't seem right.
Turning all the way right it gets very stiff all of a sudden, then as quickly as it came it went easier again. Not pas easy just unbled 'not so easy' easy.
Quick check under the car and.......




Yep the rack is leaking!!! The difficulty turning right was the bellow trying to compress the fluid, then the bellow gave way making it easier again. Great.

I was hoping at the worst it would be the pump, but no it's the worst part it could be. The rack.

No time like the present, i want to drive this thing. Let's get it off while i still have the engine crane. Easiest way is to drop the subframe.

The worst part was, definately, having to weld the captive nut back onto the rack, in situ, for the gear selector bracket. Just so i could get the bolt out. Also taking loads of steps backwards.

Didn't catch much, although the floor did.






Out it goes




Split bellow.




The offending item, after much cursing.



I can remove ^ that pic if needed but it made me feel better

I'm ringing a refurb place tomorrow to see if they can repair it. They are only in Birmingham, which isn't far. With slim luck they may have an exchange one.

I WILL get there.

 

Update time

After getting the pas rack out i went straight over to Birmingham and dropped it off to Kiley Clinton. I arranged to pick it up on Monday morning on the way back from Manchester airport, saving an extra trip.

The afternoon i dropped it off i had a phone call from them to say that the rack was too far corroded. The options were either, for them to get it built up and ground back down to the correct diameter, which would take a few weeks in total. Or to get a 2nd hand rack to refurb. I left them to do the 2nd option.

On return from holiday it was ready to be collected and i got straight onto fitting it the next day. It all went well apart from the pinch bolt for the steering column was a nightmare to locate.

Then the next problem arrived when i popped the tie rod ends into the hub.




Massively toed in. With the wheels eyed straight and the tie rod next to it, it was about 25mm out. Maybe mk3 golf tie rods?




Annoyed and frustrated, to say the least.

I definately didn't want to take the rack out again. So the options were either, try and get the tie rods changed to shorter ones, or put some more thread on them and cut some off.

I went for the 2nd option, and borrowed a m14x1.5 die from the metalworkers next door to work.




It was tough going but eventually wound 30mm more thread on there.




Locked some nuts on up the bar at the point of cut.




Chopped off and cleaned up




Much better




All lines, plus the pump and the reservoir were blew out or cleaned, before reinstalling.

I have now bled the system but I'm still not sure if it's right. Will look into it tomorrow when i get the car back onto the ground. If it's not okay, then it can only be the pump which is a lot easier to change.

After getting the pas all hooked back up i dissembled and cleaned the fuel rail as it was squeeling. Now it seems okay. Also clocked the front wipers so that it starts and stops in the correct place.

If the pas is okay, then it's sort out:

the horn as it isn't working. I think it's the steering wheel contacts.Easy job, hopefully

The passenger sill cover. I've now got the protective foil. Easy job

Sort out the rattly sunroof. Should be simple.

Then check everything off an MOT checklist, before getting it MOT'd

 

Awesome dude... I had a similar issue with the steering rods, they found a Toyota that fitted... well done regardless!

 

Got back on with finishing this this week and weekend.

1st thing on the list was to drop the car down and check the pas. The result is it still didn't work!!!

New pump time. At least they are very easy to change. So an order for one was placed which turned up in the week.
Old one off




New refurbished one on. Shame it's black.



The result is.............


It finally works. Yay for me.

Next up the horn. The fuse LOOKS okay. Chased the power to the horns and it stops around the fusebox. Ah, no relay.
Relay no. 53 stole from another slot to test and it still doesn't work.

Steering wheel off to check the connections and they're okay.

Bridge the steering wheel connections and get out the multimeter. Test the power at the old style 10amp fuse, and the horn suddenly goes off????.
The fuse was broke all along, and just looked okay.
New fuse and it's fixed.

Onto the rattly sunroof. Easily fixed, as there was a bar rattling in there which i put in to lift the sunroof headlining up with.

Passenger sill cover up next. Got the new old stock sill foil out, cut to shape and stuck it on.




Now for the cover.




Side trim Gti badge is on order, should be here this week.

Now for its identity. Meant drilling the new front bumper, but needs must.






Rear plate on




Then i got a long rivet to rivet the bonnet release cable to the inner wing so that it actually operates. Meaning i could shut the bonnet.

Also got the subframe bolts torqued up again after the rack removal.

Ready for an MOT, after I've had a quick check myself. It will need the split rims putting on as they have much better condition tyres.




Maybe one for rubjonny.... I have the coolant light flashing all the time and bridging the connector on the overflow tank doesn't switch it off. What else can i check, please?





Sent from my ONE A2003 using Tapatalk

 

^^ I have GTI badges excess to requirements!

 

Cheers toyo but a new on is on its way. I do still have the old one.

I checked the timing and got that spot on now as well.

 

Looking good mate, where did you get your front discs, I'm still trying to find some with the vented hubs like that

 

Think they were from carparts4less, which is essentially eurocarparts. I know i got the brembo ones

 

Cheers, I've just reserved a pair to pick up at euros so I can make sure they are the correct ones

 

Today saw me risk the MOT.

Regards result is this......

 

He did say the front brakes are binding and there's a bolt on the rear strut that i haven't done up. But he said he will pass it and just get them sorted.

When it passed and he moved it out. The car wouldn't restart!
After wiggling a few wires it finally restarted. Strange one but there's always teething problems.

It did feel really strange to drive. Weird almost, might be the tracking and alignment, plus the gears are hard to select. Definately not like a modern car.

 

6 years later!

 

Just under 5[emoji6]
Still a long time though.

 

In a few hours over the last couple of days i have:
Sorted out the door alarm trigger. It was connected too far along the earth and was perminantly earthed. Moved it right out to the switch and it works perfect for both doors. Easy and very loud job.

Un bound the brakes, although they seem okay. Engine on and off. Could just be that they expand a little, and that they are new with not much tolerance.

Torqued up the suspension bolt. Just had to remove the rubber dampener off the rear calliper in order to get a spanner on the nut. Easy job.

Readjusted the gear linkages and it seems a bit better, but the true test will be on the road. I have the tsr metal adjustable linkages so it could be they are the wrong lengths? Soon find out on the next trip out.

Rear number plate light. Just needed plugging in, but i had to take the light out to do it. Easy job.

Coolant flashy annoying light. As said previous, bridging the plug didn't do anything so while i was sorting the alarm i got into the fusebox.
Being a 90 spec, it's plug c wires 5 and 8. On plug c wire 1 was coming out the connector (washers) so i shoved it back in, but they work anyway.
Then i saw that wire 8 was also coming out. I shoved it back in with a satisfying click. Could that be all?
I grabbed the multimeter on continuity and buzzed each end of wires 5 and 8 and it made the noise on both. No breaks in those wires.
Plugged connector c back in and gave it a go.....


No more flashy annoying light. Easy job

I also got the alarm light and keypad installed properly, rather than dangling from the dash.