I've got the old Golf ('88 1.6) back on the road with a combination of my hard work, money and the local garage and its running well, touch wood.
There is something that annoys me that I noticed last night - it seems that the electrics will be "on" after switching off - the wipers, the radio, even the brake lights will come on if you hit the pedal while the engine is off.
I'm kind of thinking it could be one of two things. Firstly, the door seals were shot when I bought it which meant that it was leaking water like a sieve - so could it be the damp in the car is making the electrics play up? Or could it be a dodgy earth connection? Am I right in thinking that the earths are attached to various parts of the engine and may just need a rub down with a wire brush and a little greasing? I'll be giving it a good run at the weekend so that should hopefully dry the cabin out - but the earth connections, I'm not 100% sure what I am looking for. Any hints/pointers would be much appreciated!
Thanks in advance people!
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My brake lights come on without having to insert the key in the ignition and this seems normal to me.
When you are waiting for someone in the rain it is useful not to have to run the engine to see what's happening in front of you, so the windscreen wipers not being ignition based is quite standard.
What isn't standard is the radio. Anyone who has ever fitted a radio into a Veedub (or Vauxhall) will know that there are special instructions as the operation is not ignition related.
Are any of these issues causing you problems?
Nice to see another old Golf back from the dead anyhow!
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Thanx very much Maz. They weren't causing problems - I was just wondering whether or not they were the start of something bad. Its nice to have my mind put at rest.
Its a lovely car to drive - tho a bit "lively" when cold which the garage said was the waxstat. I'll have that done after payday I think - and then sort out the few dings in the doors.
Old Golfs? Tanks with wheels! Feels like with a bit of TLC it will last forever (touch wood!)
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No worries.
As a car takes more energy to make than it will ever use, what you are doing is about as pragmatically eco-friendly as cars get.
An argument the car-lobby does well to bury.
Forums like this help keep these old beasts on the roads, as well as money in your pocket.
I am tainted a little by hypocrisy though. My 18 year old Polo outlasted my will to drive it and my current car is only 11 years old.
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Just bought a MK2 Golf GTi 8-valve for £50 pounds which is giving me so much fun! The low-end torque of that engine is something VW should have considered when developing all of their 16-valve motors which need to be ragged to ridiculous rpm to get any pace. It's G-reg and has done c.250k miles and the gearbox whines but apart from that it's a belter. It's also got four teardrop alloys (not bad condition) which I've been told are worth well over the value of the car-any offers? Cheers!
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Just bought a MK2 Golf GTi 8-valve for £50 pounds
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Sounds like HJ was trying to rip us all off with his £100 Jetta! ;-)
Glutton, you'll find if you don't cancel the indicator before parking up, one front and rear light will be on. Handy for parking on an unlit road.
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I might be interested in your teardrops. Drop me a mail: phil.garner@ukonline.co.uk
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As an ex-Mk2 golf GTI owner, I have a few memories. The radio was definitely powered all the time, not ignition dependent. This was a feature on all VW's I knew of this sort of era, including my dad'd immaculate owned-from-new 1990 Passat.
I have a feeling Maz is correct about the brake lights - these might have worked at all times as well on the Golf, but the wipers surprise me.
I suppose the obvious question is, "does it matter?"
Hope this is, at least in part, reassuring
Andy
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My MkII suffered the same automatic choke problem as you've got.
It gets stuck on fast idle until the engine warms up. I have changed the waxstat but the problem still persisted. Next job is the vacuum unit, which apparently is a b*itch of a job.
If I were you I'd change the waxstat yorself and get a garage to change the vacuum unit.
Brakes and radio working without the ignition is normal, but not sure about the wipers.
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I was wondering whether or not that would get tricky. Do you think that manual choke conversion might be viable? Hopefully cut out all those hassles and also provide that retro motoring feel...
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