Help with my Mk2 VW Golf please (bit smokey, etc)?... I have an old Mk2 VW Golf (J Reg) which has done about 150k.
I don’t really drive it a lot and when I do it’s not very long distances (maybe 20 miles round trips)
It starts first time, even after it’s been sitting for a while (up to a month without being started) and the oil and water levels are always fine, but it’s quite smokey when it is started and is a bit smokey when I first drive it, even if it’s been running for a while before.
I was thinking maybe it just needs a good run so I could drive the “long way” home today down the dual carriageway but I wasn’t sure if this might damage it more?
Should I do or not do anything, or does it just need starting and driving a bit more often?
Thanks
Answers
1) It might be leaky valve seals that allow a bit of oil to accumulate in the cylinders when the car is turned off. That accumulation is quickly burned off when the car is started. Some oil is getting into the cylinders all the time but is such a small amount and is burned off continuously so you don't notice any smoke. If so it's nothing to be concerned about as long as you regularly check the oil. You could drive it that way forever. - Howard L
2) how smoky? like does it look like your creating a smoke screen behind you... or is it lightly smoking?? could be the fliter on the back of the exhaust needs changing..... (they have a name but i forgot it :/) could be that the oil needs topping up.... or...and most probably.... is that a gasket has gone on the cylinder housing or oil reservoir.... and is slowly leaking in to the chambers and combusting with the petrol... which is fine for the engine, until you run out of oil - obviously!!.... so i would look at the cork gasket seals, and replace them with new ones for £15...... and yes driving it more often would also help quite a lot..... but if the problem persists then obviously take it to a garage... because they know what theyre doing.. and im sure they've seen it all before..... so yer...... - 8HRR52J
3) www.halfords.com - provisional ng haigh
4) These old VW engines do go that way after a big mileage, it'll be the valve stem seals. Whether you think it's worth the several hundred quid to fix it depends on you.
It'll probably go on for a while longer yet, and a car that old doesn't have such strict emissions testing at MOT time so it may even pass an MOT.
Personally I'd just keep an eye on it until it gets too bad and then sell it for parts. These old Golfs are quite sought after if the body is in decent condition so could be worth a few hundred quid. - EvelynThe ModifiedDog.
5) you should have told us the colour of the smoke ...but im guessing its blue ...oil ..i own a garage ...best test of any engine ...drive up a steep hill ..at top of hill put in third gear ..do not touch throttle or clutch let it go down hill ..what we call a trailing throttle ..when at bottom of hill ..boot it ..look in rear view mirror ...if you can see blue smoke ..you have worn bores ..simple as that - boy boy
6) Valve stem seals as others state. I understand there is a way of replacing them without actually removing the head. In essence, your cylinder is filled with compressed air via the spark plug hole. This keeps the valves closed and you can then remove the collets and springs which then enables you to replace the stem seals.However, I do not know any garage where this has been done but try speaking to a long established non franchise VW specialist in your local area. Oner of the VW magazines or the Internet should give you details. - L G
7) Sounds like worn valve stem seals. If the smoke disappears after a while and the oil level is fine, I wouldn't worry about taking it for a drive on the dual carriageway. Older VWs tend to have valve stem seal problems at that mileage.
If the car smokes a bit when you snap the throttle open after driving down a steep hill on engine compression, it's the valve stem seals. They also tend to make more white than blue smoke. If it's pitch black smoke, it's excess fuel or loosened carbon deposits. - Chris
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Question 2
VW GTI only a guys car?... So I'm about to get my first car.. and I'm pretty sure it's going to be a black 2003 vw gti 1.8t.
I know it's not the best car but I really want a gti and that's the only one for sale around where I live.
Anyways, everyone that drives a gti in my area are guys. I don't think I've ever seen a girl driving one..
So I'm just wondering what your opinion is on if a gti is more of a guys car.. a girls, or both?
It's not to change my mind or anything.. just curious what others think! I actually think it'd be kind of cool to be different.. one of the only girls by me having one..
:)
Answers
1) my sister in law had one...there is not gender association with the gti. - snowglobe380
2) I dont know your agr but i would suggest the insurance costs would be horrendous having read all the horror stories in the daily papers and the stories on TV - BARRY
3) it's definitely not just a guys car, especially not the Mk4. I think it's a cool girls (or guys) car, not like say a Ford Ka, (a girly girls car) and maybe something like an old RS 2000 Escort might be a Guys car for example.
But...I'm not quite sure why you would want a 1.8 anything, or a GTI, assuming you're under 25 and as this is your first car anyway the insurance will be sky high, you might not even get insured very easily.
Also the tax is high on a 1.8 GTI - Stuck In The Dark Sky
4) yes its owned by yorkie.... and girls are not allowed to drive it... if you are a girl and your caught driving it... police can arrest you and take your drivers license from you..... what do you think??!!!!!! of course you can drive one!!!!!!! so go buy one!!!!! theyre good cars, and there is no gender assigned to driving golf gtis... girls look good in sporty german hatchbacks.... so go and get it.... and then race the guys who have one... and beat them... and then they'll commit suicide....
:)
and @ the other commenters ^^^ .... the insurance is not high if you are put down as an additional driver on the car with someone over 25 and with lots of driving history, and an excellent no claims bonus..... it costs around the same amount to insure a nissan micra on an 18 yr old license, as it does to insure an 18 yr old in a 7 year old Audi A6 3.0l turbo as an additional driver on an experienced driver's license. (theyre both £2000/yr) i should know as my sister had a saab 2002 9-5 2.3l Aero.. as an additional driver... and i am eventually getting insured on a 2000 4.0l Jeep grand cherokee.. as an additional driver.. so a 1.8L Golf GTI is rather small in comparison... - 8HRR52J
5) nah its just image associations/stereotypes...
I know both men and women who have the GTi
For a first car though.. I reckon you could do better unless you got money to burn on maintaining it. - G
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Question 3
i am considering buying a later beetle say a 73 or 74, which one will be better for looks and daily driveabili?... Ive read a lot about these bettles as am buying one to restore soon. I am thinking along the lines of a 72 to 74, dont know which year is best for looks, spares and daily use. Am going for the modern retro look inspired by the beetle crisis show [ http://www.cjroberts.com/steve/02/index.htm ]. Engine wise, i should do well with a modest 1600cc without any serious modifications. Please advise me..
Answers
1) waste of your energy. - Mark
2) Wait... You want to purchase a 38 year old vehicle to use as a daily driver? Are you hoping to get stuck on the side of the road at the most inopportune time? - straight shooter
3) '73 or older. - doane_nut
4) not much of a difference between a 72 and a 74.
differences = bumpers, bumper mounts (shock mounts). steering wheel, carburetor, strut mount (3 bolt vs 4 bolt)
difference between super beetle and standard beetle = strut front suspension, different hood (71-72 and 73+) 73+ has curved front windshield.
a 1600cc engine is enough power to get you around, i drive a 1970 with a 1600cc single port with probably 40-45HP daily(its the only car I own), and I'm still alive.
these cars do require more regular maintenance than a newer car but if maintained properly can be very cheap to own and drive - Air-Cooled (o\ ! /o)
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Question 4
VW golf mk5 (how come 2.0TDI has more torque than GTI)?... can someone explain why and what does it mean that it has more torque why is it better to have more and how can it have more its a disel and also explain anything you know about golf engine of mk5
Answers
1) Hi
Here's a very basic explanation. Torque usually tells you how quickly a car will take off or "launch". The higher the torque, the better the takeoff. Power will tell you what top end speeds you can expect. The higher the power, the better the top end speed. Now, diesel engines always have a higher torque, due to the way they are built. Petrol engines have better power. (FYI, TDi is diesel and GTi engine is petrol). The GTi is better overall because it has excellent torque for a petrol engine and obviously has better power. Plus... The GTi is turbocharged and supercharged... But thats a discussion for another day. :-) - V
2) Diesel engines inherently have more torque than the equivalent gas engines. TDI means Turbo Diesel Injection. It is turbo, very strong starts and gets 60 mile per gallon (Canadian) ir 43 U.S.
I have a 2002 jetta diesel 280K kilometers (168K miles) no problem - Bruce K
3) A diesel, as mentioned by the other posters, usually has more torque than an equivalent turbocharged petrol engine due to the much higher compression ratio that is required to ignite diesel fuel (16.5:1 in the TDI vs. 10.5:1 in the GTI). Higher compression ratios can extract much more energy from each stroke, therefore the torque is higher.
Power on a diesel is usually lower, since power is a function of torque and engine speed. If you can build a very high-revving diesel engine, it will have more power than the GTI. That is why some cars (Japanese, especially) have quite low torque figures, but they are very powerful in kW (or bhp, depending on where you live).
Now for the technical specs. 2.0 TDI in the Mk V is a pumpe düse design, meaning that each little injector has its own pump on the injector to create very high fuel pressure right before injection. These are rev-happy (to an extent), but require meticulous care to prevent damage to the engine. This is mostly caused by incorrect oil.
GTI is a 2.0 turbocharged gasoline engine with direct injection. Direct injection allows much more accurate adjustment of the mixture, much finer fuel atomisation and stratified injection, meaning the mixture leans out as you move away from the spark plug. This allows for high performance, but also much better fuel economy when driving with small, constant throttle openings.
Both vehicles use drive-by-wire throttle. - Chris
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Question 5
How do I find the Thermostat on a 68 VW beetle?... Can't find it need pictures or videos
Answers
1) there isn't one in a '68 they started adding them to cars in the 90's - brian trunick
2) If memory serves me there is no radiator, so no thermostat. VW's were air cooled not water. - Poppy
3) There is a thermostat unless it was removed. Remove the four screws holding the inspection plate on the bottom of the sheet metal under the engine. Above it you should see an accordion like device which is the thermostat. Many people removed the thermostat and the flaps it controls so the engine would receive full flow at all times. However, the flaps also direct the flow to particular points on the engine and so should be kept. The thermostat is adjusted by loosening the mounting bracket so it can slide, then set it to where the flaps just close ( at room temperature) and tighten the bolt. If the thermostat is extended at room temperature it is bad. Screw it off its shaft and screw another one on. You can test a thermostat by dropping it in boiling water. It should expand. - Richard D
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