Have said it umpteen times before that a big part of having older cars for me is the learning you do while working on them. This is likely basic stuff to a lot of you, but was something new to me. Apparently the intermediate shaft has two bearings... my (visible) outer one turned out to be a little worse for wear and you could just about feel the smallest amount of free play in it. Apparently they're 'Babbitt' bearings (I'll let you Google it for yourself). Not a big deal to replace if the engines already out and you've the right tools which is easy for me to say, I'd the engine shop do it. The inner (difficult to see) one can be accessed via the 'core plug' you see in one of the images. Don't know if this is fact or not, but read that they aren't usually under that much stress in normal circumstances and seldom fail / wear, so much so that VW didn't carry them as specific replacement parts back when these engines were more current... if they did need work done the official solution was to instead replace the entire block! Bentley aludes to it too, so maybe there's something in it. Now that these engines are all getting on a bit it's probable they may now need them replaced if only due to wear. Glad to say they're now available but even so it was still a bit of an eye opener looking to get some, took a surprising amount of time hunting them down, plus some of the (UK) prices being asked for a pair was just ludicrous. The difference the new ones have made is incredible... before them I'd have said the originals had nigh on no play in them, but comparing between them now it's clear they definitely needed doing. These images look quite dramatic, but that's the camera zooming right in. To your naked eye (and finger) it'd look / feel fine and smooth.
Touched on it in a previous post, that the modern day reincarnation of the origial Shrick cam cover, advertised as for the MK1 is in reality more for the MK2 and some later others. Basic casting fits perfectly, it's the tweaks they've made that take it away from the originals breather set up / throttle cable bracket (should say, lack of) that are the main gripes. They've also added a cut out / threaded hole for the MK2's ISV bracket that the MK1 didn't have / doesn't need. On the original the breather was a domed piece that had an exit pipe similar in style to the VW's cover plus a cast in bracket for the throttle cable in the same area. As said, no longer that bracket, plus just a bare hole for the absent breather which is in a slightly different place. The center line of that hole is about 1- 2 cm further way than the breather exit pipes same line, means they don't line up (see later) Did find an original, but wasn't able to get it into the UK... I've no doubt I'll turn another up at some stage, will probably just take some time. Other issues are the latter day version wont accept the MK1's pressed metal cambelt cover, (nor the MK2's plastic one either), without modification. Don't want to butcher the original, so have modified a MK2's Couldn't get my original oil filler cap to fit either (tangs are in too shallow a position), may be unique to me, but have had to use a deeper tanged MK2 one instead. In the mean while have instead MK1'ified this one... so it can be made to fit a MK1 properly, just a bit of effort required. MK2 rubber bung fits the breather hole (presumably what's intended) then a generic 18mm 90 degree bend that slots between it and the standard VW junction piece. My original junction piece was dozed / split, but new ones are still available from VW however the arm the 90 degree bend goes into is a good 1cm longer, don't know why it's changed, but works to my advantage as it now coincidentally reaches the right distance, whereas the old one might not have without some additional pipe work. Next problem, to do with the center lines mentioned above, was the original pipe from the inlet manifold to the junction piece is now too short by about 1-2 cm. You could add in a section I suppose, but instead just went with a new length of 'J' profiled pipe (handy left over from the 205). The bracket you see supporting the pipe isn't really needed, it's just a way of making the MK2 ISV cut out / threaded hole look like it's serving a purpose on the MK1. 205 to the rescue again and an old push on clip from that car fitted on top. Made from 25 x 3 mm aluminium, a bugger to shape. The throttle cable bracket is 30 x 5 mm aluminium (even more of a bugger)... you can see how it's made without me going into it any more. Heart in mouth stuff drilling / tapping the securing holes into the cover though, no room to get it wrong. There's a plate and raised area below the breather hole to condense the oil vapours, means you've to get things exactly right. Think that's it, will post up the adapted cambelt cover backing plate at some point.
Looking great. Massive effort in doing this but it does look very Schrick nice. I have a Schrick inlet Manifold on my VR6. They just look great but even that needed some adaption
Did expect there to be some fettling involved, maybe just not to the extent needed though... they're over egging it a bit implying in the adverts that it's directly for MK1's, there needs to be some sort of caveat. Wonder because it's such a faff doing it right, how many cars have ended up getting rid of the vent pipe set up and are using a straight to atmosphere filter in that hole instead? Over and above it being a dirty way to do it, instead of recirculating the gasses, I'm starting to think that'd also cause unintended issues as I think some of those pipes seem to have an additional function needed by Kjet. There's a one way valve in the arm of the junction piece that runs via that 'J' pipe to the inlet manifold. It's normally closed so gasses will vent via the arm / pipe that exits on the opposite side to the air box instead. Potentially when you have a situtation were you suddenly close the throttle at higher revs, the airflow sensor plate would be left hanging momentarily because of the incoming air already in the system beneath it, leading to a brief over fuelling before it can catch up by dropping down / reducing the plunger openings. Kjet gets around it by using the immediate rise in inlet vacuum that is also caused when rapidly closing the throttle, by pulling open the valve and creating a direct path to the air box, the same vacuum then draws the trapped air away from the underside of air flow sensor flap towards the inlet manifold (through the same pipe gasses use to vent, but in the opposite direction) thereby letting the plate drop instantly, rather than wait for them to dissipate naturally. You could still run a dirty straight to atmosphere filter I suppose but you'd need to ensure the now redundant arm of the junction piece was blocked and the other two arms still connected to the inlet manifold / airbox. Even everything was standard, if the valve were blocked I'd image it'd cause the same issues during sudden throttle closure, might be something to consider checking periodically as a precaution or add to potential causes if you already have certain running problems?
Unless you've had your block out on a MK1 (MK2 has this as well, so probably others too) you've maybe not noticed the 'pop rivet' hiding in the recess near the crank shaft end plate. Caught my eye a long time ago on the MK2's PB, then later the DX and most recently the EV for the MK1. Did wonder what it was at the time, but never looked into it any further... until now. And it is a pop rivet (of sorts), seals off the hole in the block used to insert the securing pin for the distributor bush. If your dizzy is out and you look down the hole you'll see the bush... something else to check if you're rebuilding an engine.
Original cover, GTiE appear to have machined off the SCHRICK and replaced it with a foil sticker. Toying with the idea of getting something made up and doing the same. Shows you how the vent pipes / throttle cable / cambelt cover / filler cap all fit perfectly from the get-go And an untampered with Schrick (vent's been twisted the wrong way). The Schrick name seems to be inset as a separate piece, maybe that was how GTiE did it?
Previous owners paperwork for the original DX engine shows they got the car 1995'ish and looks like amongst other things they changed out the injector valves soon after. That's borne out by the Bosch manufacturing stamp on them of March '95. Engine's not covered more than 20K since, despite it being so long ago. Picked up another used set that were thrown in with a spare fuel distributor from an Audi 80 GTE, more or less the same engine, so it had the same valves too. Those are date marked August '83 and as you can see from the 'before' pic. likely to be the 40 year old originals. Set of new ones to act as a bench mark. When sorting out the '83 ones took the opportunity to compare the 3x different sets. The 1995 ones were already in good shape and the 1983's cleaned up to almost the same condition, so if you have some grotty ones lying around don't throw them out based on appearances only, though how they work'll be the ultimate decider even they're sparkling. All turned out to have an opening pressure between 3.0 and 3.9 Bar, which is nicely withing spec., plus perfect conical spray patterns / no drips. Bosch say brand new valves are expected to open between 3.5 and 4.1 Bar, with used ones being instead 3.0 Bar, which is exactly what happened here. No idea how old the Audi valves are or the mileage on them, but don't think it'd be too far off the mark to say they're more on the well used side of things than not, yet they're still working perfectly after a clean through. These are the drip test holding pressures, set at 0.5 bar above opening pressure. (Pic. before last - Left to right - '95 / '83 / New.)
Built up the courage to attempt doing the 'WUR Mod'. Without wanting to spoil the ending, it all went fine, though I could just as easily see everything ending in tears if you don't take extra special care at every stage. Says it all that I wouldn't have attempted this had I not the original regulator to fall back on if need be. Opened it in advance to check all was OK before committing... while it seems you can get virtually all of the components inside new nowadays, they're very expensive if you've to replace the lot, so if it's a wreck might just be more economical to try getting another instead. Luckily this one was quite literally as new inside, the only bit that I wasn't happy with was that black coloured / shaped seal for between the upper and lower casing. Guessing it having been compressed for 40 odd years had flattened it, and doubt it'd have been just as effective if trying to re-use it. Did read a few guides on the inter-web and on the whole they're all pretty spot on with what to do and what to watch out for. The below is just me repeating the most of what's been said elsewhere, but have added a couple of notes based on this particular conversion, so everything may not be applicable to you. You have to dismantle the regulator to do the work, there's no other way to get at some of the pieces, plus if the arm with the green ceramic element is still in situ it's guaranteed to get damaged. Big no, no trying to move the plug its attached to before the mod is made, specially by striking it. The plug itself is in TIGHT and it's also made of a surprisingly soft metal. Not as soft as the casing, but don't expect it to be as hard as steel either. I'd also be worried about cracking the casing, it's not all the same level in places and if not supported correctly there'll be times it's under quite a bit of stress, potentially concentrated at the thinner areas. Cover the fuel line openings, they lead straight into the chamber below. If any dirt / swarf gets in, at best it'll mean opening up the diaphram to clean it and at worst may scratch / destroy the filter / thin plate inside. Back to the plug... I initially tried hammering it out from beneath, but even using a brass drift you could tell the end was beginning to mushroom. Not sure if you'd maybe eventually bend the plug, but you'd definitely get to a point the nut wouldn't refit over the squashed threads. It'll press out much easier and be in a more controlled way than using a drift (which needs some hefty blows to see even small movement), I used 2 x nuts to take the strain rather than directly press on the end of the plug. I pushed the plug up 'till it and the surface of the casing were level. Thinking was it'd be easier / get a better result when drilling the hole for the dowell as you can use the joint line to position the drill bit. I'd do the dowell first so it can stop the plug potentially rotating when you attempt the other stages. I drilled where I did as that spot has the most meat below, further around and there's much less metal beneath. The plug... a M5 screw is recommended and I'd agree with that for no other reason than M6 or bigger would take too much metal out of the plugs core. Use a 4.2mm bit, not 4.5mm to leave enough material to tap for a good thread. Careful how deep you go, too far and youll reach the narrower threaded portion of the plug weakening it. I've put a small washer in the top (with a notch cut into it to accomodate the dowell)... makes everything flush and give you a bit of a buffer / stop in case you start pulling up the plug to the top of its travel as you won't be able to see how far up it's come because of the main washer / nut being in the way. When you're using this adaptation to make adjustments remember it's only capable of pulling the plug up, none of this allows for you to wind it back in again if you over shoot. To do that you need to press it back in which if you remember shouldn't be done with a drift as you'll wreck the heating element. You pull the plug up by turning the nut clockwise, the screw shouldn't rotate as it is only giving the nut / washer something to turn against and draw it out. I've an idea for doing this when the regulator is fitted, but not yet worked out the details... watch this space. The black shaped seal... didn't want to be forking out for a new one (not sure you can get them on their own even, might be just as part of a bigger kit?) but 3.5mm O ring cord does the same job plus costs buttons per metre. Will be super-glueing the joining ends as a belt'n'braces thing, but it's arguably not necessary. The casing is vented to the atmosphere on it's reverse, so the seal is for weather proofing only and not to preserve a vacuum for example. Think that's it... all the other stuff is just the reverse of taking it apart. Refreshing the grease on the pin aside it's all pretty obvious. Some piccies that are hopefully self explanatory - (Special mention and all due credit goes to whoever the owner of the diagram below is, couldn't have done it without you!)
Fantastic work. Might be worth putting that bit in the kjetronic section. I'm not brave enough to have done that but I suppose with the GTI engineering engine it allows you to play with the fuelling better. Surprisingly my kit that I bought last month did have the black rubber seal of the housing.
All back together... easy enough in the end and if nothing needs replacing shouldn't cost you more than a couple of quid in total for the O ring cord / dowell and M5 screw / nut / washer. That's the atmospheric vent hole on the reverse, the clever design pattern allows air in/out but channels moisture around and away from it regardless of where it might come from.
Couldn't resist an eBay bargain the other day when someone had just listed 2 x cold start injectors for the MK1 as a buy it now for small money. Sad face when only one of them would click with some 12v going through it. Tried filling / soaking it with carb cleaner but still nothing, boo. Probably subliminally thinking of stuck stater motors and after some inspration and a few light taps with a hammer later coaxed the solenoid into action - now it's clicking like a good'un... might save you a few quid if all else fails.
Mentioned above the control pressure regulator mod. only allows you to pull the plug up and if you need to push it back in, hitting it with a drift / hammer would risk damaging the ceramic element so made this pusher in'er. The cheapy puller it's based on came off eBay, they're all over the place at the moment for as little as 6 quid. Last bit of my 3mm aluminium off cut later and I'll now be able to adjust in or out with everything in situ.
This image was buried in the GTiE Facebook photo archives. It was posted in 2018, but the guy mentioned it was taken around 2004 when the car was owned by a friend of his and that it was the Z20 'LBD' (See much earlier posts). He also said the car no longer had it's GTiE engine at that point, it having blown up previously in France to be replaced by a 2.0 8V... might ring a few bells with someone? He was kind enough to let me re-post the image here.
Got another Volvo airbox, included as part of a K-jet bundle I've posted about elsewhere. This time it came with the original plastic intake pipe, which if I'd known was going to be such a perfect fit would've meant I'd not have bought some ridiculously expensive pipe elsewhere (no names!). Specially so as the first length delivered was shedding its skin along the inside... be warned, check. If I fit the Volvo original upside, down so as to to change the path of the curve you'd think it was made for a MK1, even a handy non-corrugated portion that'll allow me to make up and fit a bracket. Can't recall the inside diameter of the VW pipe, but this increases things to 65mm (70mm OD Filter).
Update and back to the GTiE dizzy side of things... Was prompted to look at this again after recently reading an old magazine article which made another reference to their conversions including a 'modified' (ignition, not fuel) distributor. Said elsewhere that the dizzy Craig sent with the RE1900 engine was very likely to be it's original that GTiE 'modified'... the Bosch / VW numbers tallied with what should've been on the conversions donor (EV) engine, plus its manufacturing date was nearly to the same month as the engine and head. Also previously mentioned I'd picked up another EV dizzy (same numbers and manufactured the following month, but non-GTiE) and had opened them both up to see if there was anything glaringly obvious that might explain what the 'modification' entailed. Drew a blank at the time, but have since read a bit more to do with advance curves and the like, so opened them each up again today. And there is a difference, plus it's one that'd have an influence on the curves, though a bit more reading needed to fully understand the hows / whys. Most of the internal components are stamped by Bosch and they all match across both dizzies, so nothing has for example been changed out or removed. Even weighed / measured the centrifrugal arms / spring lengths and other stuff, but with the exception of one thing, everything came back the exact same on both. That difference is the extent of travel of one of the centrifrugal arms to it's own stop (the one with the hard spring). The GTiE's is 0.6mm greater... when you realise that, it's actually quite noticible that it has been bent out when they're held up together to compare. The bent stop is part of the shafts base plate and can be accessed very easily via that plugged oval hole in the dizzys side after it's been removed. Have tried on another dizzy and the stop is so simple to get at and bend out with minimal effort, you don't need to dismantle anything else whatsoever. I'm going to say then that's what and how they did it! Potentially it'd all be very straightforward for someone who's practiced at it and they may even have been able to get it close by eye alone, then calibrate things exactly afterwards to the particular engine.
Think I mentioned this GTiE car elsewhere - A772 TUL, it's a RE2000. It's been a big influence / source of info. as well as A175 HAD. The previous owner very kindly sent me some images taken for the auction where he sold it, but weren't used. I keep coming back to the cam cover with it's 'Prepared by GTi-Engineering' sticker. I've seen very similar stickers on other GTiE cars, though they've just been applied to the regular steel VW cam covers or even on the rear of some cars. They all look to be made of printed foil, possibly why they don't seem to weather too well? Anyhow... have been looking into getting a more sturdy one made up, of a similar make up to the engine plaque ones on 1mm or 2mm aluminium instead of being a sticker. Idea is to get the SCHRICK logo milled down (its almost 5mm deep) by the same amount as the new plate so that it will sit flush, plus the logo will still be there beneath if I ever change my mind. Just a mock up with a printed white paper template to get an idea of the look plus hone down the dimensions, was initially going to go for the same dark navy print of the data plaques, but black (that'll ultimately on a bare alumnium background) is tempting me. The red text colour of the original that's pictured here on TUL I've also seen images of on Tim Stiles own racing Golf, though those seen on later cars do all appear to be navy.
Looks great, do it. When you can decide on the colour. Or get 2 colours done so you can decide later.
Went for the navy blue of the data plaque in the end, might be here in a week or so with a bit of luck. Finally found somewhere (reasonably) local that'll be able to mill down the SCHRICK script on its own, while leaving the surrounding part as is... lets me keep it intact beneath should I ever want to resurrect things, plus''ll mean the new plate's flush with the existing face. That'll be ready in a week too, so all being well can stick up a pic. or two soon. While sounding out one of the other places I'd approached to do the milling got talking again about lightening the flywheel. I'd previously wavered on that one, but going to do it now. Not that the car's going to probably benefit overly in my hands, but fits in with the whole period modification direction I'm now going in.
Feature about Richard Lloyd and the original GTiE Golfs. https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/march-1980/92/racing-golfs/
It's a bit convoluted, so won't bore you going into the finer details other than to say my V5C logbook has had several mistakes / inaccuracies since I got the car back in 2007'ish. They date from around 1995 when the car was brought permanently into N. Ireland from GB. I'm old enough to remember, and as bizarre as it probably sounds today, back then you had to surrender the GB logbook for a replacement NI. issued one (we'd our own licensing offices here then). The car's never been truly on the road other than for a short while before the then current MOT ran out soon after I got it and has been SORN'd ever since. Not that things are close to changing, but I'm definitely getting nearer, plus with it already being MOT exempt and a month or so away from being tax free too thought it was time to sort things out with the DVLA. Anyhow, got me looking again at manufacturing / registration dates and one of the sources of info. you can check is on your paper data sticker in the boot. Time was the DVLA would supply you with a potted history of your car on request, but presumably because of data protection, no longer do. That doesn't mean they can't see it though. I always suspected my car was a 'personal import' and it's more or less been confirmed now. Came off the line in Germany on the 24th September 1983 and delivered four days later on the 28th September. DVLA say it was UK registered with them 5 weeks after that on the 3rd November 1983 which was news to me, I'd always thought it was in late September. From recollection, if you personally imported a car to the UK from Europe at that time it had to be properly registered abroad then spend a certain amount of time being 'used' before it could be sent to the UK, so this would fit in with what I now know. I've a VW cerificate for the car and it states the 'Country of destination' was Germany. If you look at your data sticker, there'll potentially be a two letter code on the top line, far right. I've trawled some inter-web examples that you can see below with the letters high-lighted. Apparently a delivery to Germany shouldn't have anything in this space, but mine states 'HO', which accourding to the cetificate shouldn't be there. HO's for Holland and would tie in with it coming to the UK other than via VW GB. I didn't realise the significance of these letters until re-looking at the sticker. There's a long list of codes on the inter-web that can help you decipher them. As said, the ones below are random finds. The FR marked sticker was on a MK2 that was for sale / had French plates on. My 1992 MK2 has EG and while that's not listed there are other E numbers (EN - England, EB - Belfast and more). The codes sometimes seem to refer to ports, not just the country. Some later MK2 / MK3 stickers have two digit numbers, not letters, but I've not yet found a list explaining those. So have a look at your own sticker, might give you an insight into where your came to you from. EG - England, but which port? EN - England. FR - France. Portugal - Odirelas.
