Isaac - 1992 MK2 Golf GTI 8v...

Cheers... hopefully tomorrow will see it finished, had to leave it half done today unfortunately.

There's a VW tool (VW558) that locks the pressure plate so it doesn't rotate as you torque up the bolts, but it costs an arm and a leg.

BrokeVW shows a getaround on their site using a spanner. If you were loosening things and not tightening as I am it'd be the other way around and at the 2 o'clock position instead.

The 6 x bolts are to 30Nm plus an additional 1/4 turn each, so it'll try and turn away from you.

Should really have a go at properly making something while I've access, but don't want to get side tracked and this way works a treat too.

 

@Cressa This new to me too, big learning curve!

When I did the clutch first time the engine and gearbox were out of the car, that was the easy bit... getting the whole lot back in was when the a pain started, specially doing it on your own.

That'd be my first tip, get another set of eyes and hands to help.

This time round I dropped the gearbox out the bottom... that sort of implies it was a controlled process, but the reality was it snagged and caught on everything, plus gravity took over in the end. Have some wood or similar on the ground to prevent damage if it does go.

Remember to take off the rear aluminium support bracket that's held on by 3 x bolts to the actual gear box and which in turn normally rests on the passenger side chassis mount.

I have fought for 2 days trying to get the 'box back in from beneath using one of those scissor lift / trolley affairs.

Might lift it up OK but the 'boxes weight isn't evenly distributed and it kept wanting to shift around to the point it'd risk falling to the floor. Meant you had to take it all out again to reposition things just for it to happen again.

Use an engine hoist and pull it up from below instead, much more controllable... you can tilt and twist to a certain degree and it'll eventually get past everything.

 

Piccies...

The hole which the bolt passes through that normally secures the bent wire clutch cable support.

An old exhaust clamp at the end of a single chain is a pretty spot on as a pivot point for manoeuvring the box as you raise it up from below.

The support on the 'box is held by 3 x bolts, the last one's out of sight. They play no part in securing the two halves of the casing, there's a series of other bolts, some of which you can see coming in from the opposite side that do that. It not being there helps quite a bit.

 

Not quite a clutch related tip, but when you're working alone all the time you have to think up ways to overcome the lack of a second pair of hands (or in this case, feet pressing the brake pedal.)

Tightening the drive shaft bolts makes them want to rotate against you... a sliding socket on a bar inside the engine hoist handle holds thing tight.

 

Not a screwdriver in a disc vent against the caliper then?

 

Nah! Suppose that might work, but not as stylish.

 

If you want style, you should have said,
2 wheel bolts in the flange and a long bar of your choice to stop it rotating, Jack handle, breaker bar, crow bar, long screwdriver, thick steel, there multiple options.

 

Have used a G cramp on solids before, obviously need access so if disc shield is in way not great.

 

Tempting fate but it's alive!

Finished buttoning up everything this PM, what a saga.

With having to do it as / when possible, being forced to walk away from jobs halfway through them to do other things, I'm just waiting for something overlooked or forgotten to fall off.

Tracking etc. on one side is waaaay off as I'd to remove the drive shaft completely / undo the suspension at one point.

But the important thing is the gears and change are perfect from the get go, so major result!

Has to have been the Sachs clutch kit, absolutely everything else was checked / re-checked and the replacement LuK works perfectly.

Glad it's sorted but at the same time well annoyed at the original clutch. It's cost me money I could've done with putting elsewhere, countless time and effort plus this summers enjoyment of the car.

If I can get an MOT date this side of Xmas I'll be lucky, roll on next spring.

 

The car looks awesome. Great way to keep the engine cool without a bonnet. Top tips I may need to revisit one day

 

Set the morning aside to do the emissions, not that it's difficult, but needs to be done to the letter otherwise you're wasting your time.

So first big surprise was the car seems to be running more or less perfectly despite having sat for over 10 years and the engine being pulled apart.

Idles at a rock steady 750 rpm once warm and the water temp. doesn't go above the needle straight up position.

Fan kicks in when expected, works quickly and the oil temp briefly peaked at 94 degrees, though mainly sat at 92 (still filled with running in oil mix).

CO was a steady 1.4 straight out of the box, didn't have to tweak anything.

The 205's done 2 x MOT's now after setting its CO with this Gunson and both times the readings I got exactly matched the test centres own... pretty confident then that it's accurate.

What shouldn't be a surprise after 30 years was that some one's been at the AFM's adjustment before me, the blue tamperproof cap's gone.

If you're a stickler for the small things - get a box of these caps, the blue ones are a near perfect match to the originals colour and while a very slightly smaller diameter fits well enough that they won't fall out.

Real deal beside an untrimmed fake in the last image.

 

Your attention to detail is at another level

 

Too much time and nothing better to do dude!

 

Upped the idle to 850 rpm and the CO down to 1.0% today plus fitted the bonnet.

The 205's not hard to set up, but there's quite a bit of back and forth with the adjustments on it to get where you want to be, the MK2 almost takes the fun out of it, naturally sitting at it's sweet spot.

I know it was virtually ready as it was, but finally seeing the engine covered has suddenly brought it home I'm actually nearly finished after 12 odd years... still can't get it to sink in.

Still got to build up the bits and bobs on the bonnets under side and scuttle, give it a serious dunging out after sitting for a month and a half gearboxless then just maybe an MOT if I can get a cancellation.

 

Don't know what made me do it but was checking the MOT agency web-site this morning to see what the latest state of play is and early February seems to be where we're at now.

Infact my preferred one that's nearest to me isn't taking any appointments at the moment, next year or not.

It's possible with delays now reaching the 6 month mark there's maybe an admin. or legal reason they can't take bookings that far before your due date?

Anyhow, the odd cancellation gets thrown up if you're lucky enough to happen to be on-line and bingo there was one at another reasonably close center just an hour and a half later.

Quick re-check of all the obvious stuff like lights etc. and arrived with 30 mins to spare.

Took me early and we now have the first MOT in 10 years, not even an advisory.

Nerve wracking driving an untried car for it's first time that's barely moved further than the length of itself in over a decade for a 40 mile round trip in the rain.

Happy boy, way for a lie down now.

 

Amazing work and congratulations on the MOT.
After that lie down, the car needs a drive

 

Thanks... there's not much fazes me usually but taking your car to it's MOT really throws me off, don't think anyone could understand what it's like until it's their turn.

 

77 miles today, kidding myself it was me checking everything's still holding up, but truth is I couldn't stop myself taking the next road, then the one after that and the one after that again.

Down side... £91 quid to fill it up and £295 road tax (though'll get a lot of that back when he's SORN'd in two or three months time).

125 miles since the MOT yesterday lunch time and if the MFA's to be believed an average 32.2 mpg.... Not the 60+ mpg of the Up!, but just as great to drive despite it's 30 odd years disadvantage, infact may be even more so given the Golfs 185/55's don't crash and thud like the rubber bands of the newer car.

Not a fair comparison as I'm molly cuddling the still tight engine, plus it'll be full of run in oil for a while yet, but the 205's definitely a lot keener to get up and go.

They're both in keeping with their reputations - the French car's electric fast, but brittle and crashy, the Golf's quite a few rungs up the quality ladder on all fronts including ride and comfort plus a surprisingly smooth engine - it's just not the power house that is the 1.9

Both definitely as equally great, but in oddly complimentary ways, wouldn't change a thing on either of them.

 

Think AirPress became Climair eventually (in the 1990's?) and they're maybe even still on the go.

Used to have these on all my cars way back when and they actually work very well. Useful on a car without air-con...