Golf Mk 2 - Lots of repairs needed!

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Tue 29 Oct 2002 13:40
Golf Mk 2 - Lots of repairs needed! - Glutton
Hello all - I'm new to these boards and have found an absolute wealth of information! And as I've just bought an ole Golf (1988 1.6 CL) that needs a bit of work doing to it, I will probably test your patience several times! It needs an oil change and the like and new brake pads and discs (which shouldn't be a problem) But there are a few things that puzzle me and any guidance would be most welcome!

One thing that strikes me about the car is that the wipers have to be switched off manually, i.e. they will not stop when you switch off the ignition. Is that standard for mk2 Golfs or is the wiring shot?

And also the previous owner says it will only run on LRP but I'm sure I read somewhere that Mk2 Golf's can run happily on unleaded without any modifications - but then again I read a lot of stuff

And finally the heater only seems to blow out cold air - when I put it on, the engine was nice and warm, the settings were correct (I did check!) and thats left me a bit confused too.

Any thoughts/advice would be most appreciated!
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Tue 29 Oct 2002 14:28
Golf Mk 2 - Lots of repairs needed! - Phil G
On my 87 1600CL the wipers did switch off with the ignition.

As for the fuel, there is no reason why it can't run on Unleaded. Don't waste your money on LRP.

As for the last one - heater matrix? There was a recall for which it would be fixed free, but VW have recently cancelled this.
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Tue 29 Oct 2002 14:33
Golf Mk 2 - Lots of repairs needed! - Phil G
Oh yeah, I am feeling generous despite being ill - here are some useful Golf links:

www.clubgti.com
www.golfgtinet.com
www.passiongolfgti.com (French but 1st class resource, use google to translate)
www.vwvortex.com (USA site but huuuuggge number of members)

Don't be put off by them being GTI-centric, lots of people have knowledge about the 1.6 problems.

Nearly all the problems you hit will be well documented - just ask on clubgti forums. They will also start telling you to fit a GTI camshaft and a 1.8 downpipe for extra HP :)
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Tue 29 Oct 2002 14:52
Golf Mk 2 - Lots of repairs needed! - Glutton
Thank u very much! Much appreicated!
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Tue 29 Oct 2002 15:35
Golf Mk 2 - Lots of repairs needed! - jc
Most modern wiper motors have power to them permanently and are switched by earthing the other side of the motor-sounds as tho' problem is in this side of circuit.
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Sat 2 Nov 2002 18:22
Golf Mk 2 - Lots of repairs needed! - bazza
I had one of these for several years. Great car! The wipers should definitely switch off with the ignition.
It should run perfectly on normal unleaded, the engine was designed to take 2star (remember that?!!)
If you find wet carpets, the most likey place to look is inside the door trims - VW fitted polythene splash guards which often fail, quite cheap to replace though.
I had no major problems in over 5 years apart from a duff mileometer after about 75000 miles
Best of luck
Baz
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Sun 3 Nov 2002 23:07
Golf Mk 2 - Lots of repairs needed! - Richard Hall
I had a problem on my Polo where the wipers would not stop when the ignition was switched off. The feed to the wipers (and various other items) went through a relay, and this had failed in the 'on' position. Check whether the heater fan and heated rear window also come on with the ignition switched off. If so, the relay is the most likely cause.

Richard Hall
bangernomics.tripod.com
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