New Mk2 owner

[HairyCheeks]

Hi,

I bought a 1990 mk2 Scirocco GT2 this weekend with 62500 miles on the clock. I recently got married and have always wanted one of these. I am 37 now and I wanted one for me and the wife to go away. My dad was a mechanic all his life and he was the guy that did all my work up to 5 years ago when he was stricken by cancer. I feel a bit stupid as I am not sure if the car is a bit of a lemon or not or I just am not used to an older car so I am after some help and some advice if you could all kindly input that would be great. The car is going to my local garage as I am not the best mechanically, another thing my dad would say is why did you buy an old car?! The brakes do not feel right. There are receipts there for pipes, discs and pads the lot but it takes an awful lot of effort to get the car to stop. During some gear changes I can hear a clink and the gearbox, wasn’t sure if it’s just because it’s old or because there is a problem. Window winder was glued on so I have ordered another along with new rubber covers for the peddles. Speakers don’t work in the doors, either of them. Still getting used to a manual choke, don’t know if I am doing that right either! Body work seems good as does underneath. Interior is pretty much immaculate besides the window winder. I was hoping to buy a new BLAUPUNKT stereo. I can hear the aerial moving as I turn the stereo on but it doesn’t actually go up, can hear the motor. Any help or advice guys would be appreciated!

[GT_II]

Welcome to Scirocco ownership! Chances are your dad would have approved, I think.

Getting the brakes checked over by a garage would be sensible. They are not as sharp as on modern cars, but with firm pressure they should still be able to stop the car quickly. The rear drum brakes may need attention, eg the drum brake cylinders may have partly seized - the parts are not that expensive. A common MOT failure point for drum brakes on older cars - rear brakes recording little or no braking effort.

I am not sure what the clink might he when changing gear, but one potential souce of noise might be a stress fracture in the sheet steel bulkhead where the clutch cable passes through. Over time, with stress from operating a heavy clutch, the metal can crack and eventually fail. This is best resolved by welding in a repair panel, but stick on reinforcement plates may still be available.

The manual choke suggests an aftermarket Weber carburettor has been fitted to replace the original Pierburg 2e2, which has an automatic choke. The Weber is a less sophisticated design but favoured by many owners due to its simplicity.

The GT2 was fitted with a manual aerial. If yours has an automatic aerial, if the motor is running but it's not rising, you'll probably need a new aerial.

[HairyCheeks]

Hi,

Thank you for all of that it is good to know. I didn’t know the aerial from standard was manual. Appreciate that. The carburettor was changed by the previous owner again I had no idea that the original has an automatic choke. I have tried to look on the Internet, and Facebook etc for groups relating to the mk2 and for how to do jobs but there isn’t much out there or I am just not finding it. I had an old Z3 a few years ago and there was an abundance of information. Hopefully I get some good news from the garage on Thursday and I will report back. Thank you again for your help.

[WreckTangle]

If the Weber carburettor was properly installed and set up then it should be fine. However, I hated the one that came on mine and replaced it with a DIY refurbished Pierburg 2e2 as part of my project to restore a slightly messed with car to original spec. If you find that your car is losing power or stalling, especially going up hill, there are a few simple things to check.

Your stereo wiring may have been messed with over the years. It is worth going through it systematically and re-installing ISO connectors for reliability. For some low cost speakers which fit and ideas on how to connect them to the OEM speaker plugs (if still present) have a look at my thread here.

https://forum.sciroccoregister.co.uk/vi ... 33&t=22284

The brakes are quite poor on the Scirocco. The Heath Robinson way the servo links to the RHD pedal doesn’t help either. If they pass the MOT then it may just be a case of getting used to them.

[mark1gls]

Worn engine mount could cause a knock when changing gear, it’s usually the front or rear mount which can cause the problem.

Old brake fluid will make the brakes feel poor and the brake fluid needs changing every 3 to 4 years with some fresh DOT 4 fluid.

As these cars don’t have ABS the brakes are not going to feel like new cars as it takes longer to stop and you lose steering when the wheels are locked up. You should be able to lock the wheels if you press hard enough on the pedal.

[mark1gls]

My tips on using the manual choke.

To start the car, pull choke all the way out, Don’t turn the key to start the car just yet but press the accelerator pedal to the floor and then release. Try to start the car but you may need a little throttle.
Once the cars running let it idle for at least 30 seconds (put seat belt on, adjust the radio etc..) this gives it time to warm up at little, it’s best to let the car idle a bit longer in colder weather.

Once moving you can start to push the choke in a little bit at a time and it should be all the way in when the temperature leaves the 1st line after the cold area.
If you are driving in a town and doing lots of start stopping you may need to leave the choke out longer but if on a open road and travelling at a steady speed you can push the choke in earlier.
If the car starts to “bog down” when pulling away you need more choke.

Couple more tips on old cars, try not to accelerate hard or rev the engine over 4,000 until the oil temperature is above 80 degrees.
Change the oil and filter every year, 10w40 semi synthetic oil and a good quality oil filter, use only MANN, Bosch or genuine VW oil filters. MANN oil filter available from Euro car parts or Car Parts 4 U and avoid Crossland or any oil filter from Halfords…

These cars can suffer from a crunch in the gearbox when going from 1st to 2nd especially when the gearbox oil is cold so don’t change gear to quickly when the cars cold as if it keeps crunching the problem will get worse, changing the gearbox oil for fully synthetic oil can help with 1st to 2nd gear change and the gearbox oil should be replaced every 4 years but it’s very often forgotten about.

Lots of the running gear and engine parts, brakes etc are the same a Mk1 Golf and Mk1 Golf cabriolets so there’s plenty available.

If looked after and regular service these cars, engines and gearboxes go for a long time, I’m currently on 319,000 miles and the engine needed no major work until I got to 270,000 miles as the engine was burning oil from valve steam seals. This is my daily drive but it’s a 1988 Mk1 Golf GTi cabriolet but as I said the Scirocco is the same underneath, my 1978 Mk1 Scirocco is the weekend toy and lives in my garage and only covered 170,00 mile

[HairyCheeks]

Thank you so much for all the advice I really do appreciate it all. The garage came back with good news. The brakes are fine and it’s just that I was not used to having an older car. I took it to my local garage they do all the police cars etc and have a good reputation for being thorough. He said my car was in exceptional condition underneath considering it was a 1990 car so my worries are somewhat alleviated. All the car needed was new wiper blades. He did point out some rust on the n/s/r wheel arch behind the cover that said should be investigated so I have booked the car into my local body shop for them to have a look and cut out anything that needs cut out and replaced hopefully so it doesn’t get worse. I have now ordered a Blaupunkt stereo and the speakers and connectors posted above, thank you for that. The speakers are the originals and we’re breaking apart almost when taking them out however the wiring looked in pretty good unabused condition. I have new mats, rubber for the peddles, 2 new window winders, and a new dipstick guide all fitted yesterday. Thank you for the help with using the manual choke. I had looked at videos on youtube and was worried I would be over choking it but I will take what you have advised and use it, thanks. I think I will order a new aerial if you guys have any recommendations that would be great!

[mark1gls]

Door and rear shelf speakers…

These speakers fit in the doors and you can keep the covers on as well, they also fit rear of the car if you still have them on the sides and not 2 big holes cut in the parcel self.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/110826911107 ... UyEALw_wcB

Shop around as 1st ones I found.

They do lack a bit of bass but that’s down to the design of where they are as sound systems in old cars was just an afterthought, a sub and amp in boot will add extra bass if needed.

[HairyCheeks]

Hi guys, sorry I am currently away on the NC500 and the car was fantastic for about 170 miles and had been going up and down hills no problem until I got to Applecross and when going up the hill the car started to chug back and lose power. I pulled over and let it rest but left the choke out to get me up the hill. It did help a little but it was still happening but only on hill climbs. The car hasn’t really moved in about 6 years so maybe I have just pushed it too hard. I don’t know whether it is fuel or air related or both. I hope it’s better tomorrow as I am not driving as far.

[mark1gls]

Undo the fuel pipe just before the fuel filter and blow down the fuel pipe into the fuel tank, you should hear bubbles. This should clean any blockages in case the fuel pick up has sucked up some rubbish from the fuel tank.

[HairyCheeks]

Thank you, Mark. I suppose buying it 2 weeks ago and taking it a hard drive around the NC500 it would spring up some issues. I went to put my rear wiper on today and it moved to the opposite side but did not return, I can still hear it clicking down toward the fuse box however. I’m sure I’ll have a list of things to sort by the time I am home!

[mark1gls]

If the rear wiper motor is still clicking etc when you switch the car back on try and carefully pull the wiper arm back to its park position.