1.6 death rattle....

[DogDay]

I have a '89 1.6 driver, 150k engine has seen much, much better days...It rattles like a bastard - spanners in a biscuit tin job. Now I'm new to Golfs & their engines, and I gather (from reading here) that the 1.6 8v is prone to a little bit of a tappet/head rattle, but this is bad.

So is the following the best way for a skint guy to keep it moving:

Try oil change first (filter, pull sump & check oil pump, pick up sieve etc and flush).

Failing that replace the head & oil pump with a (preferably low milage) complete head from a scrappy etc. On this note I am I right in thinking I can use the head off either a 1.6 or a 1.8 8v and use the original, if hideously complicated pierburg carb?

I am not trying to tune it at all (well not right now anyway), but for some reason there appear to be more 1.8's on ebay... ;o)

On that note, anyone in the SW got a spare good head & pump lying around for a few notes?

Also before I splash out £20 on a new clutch, I gather there are a couple of different Gearbox's I could have, like an 084, 085 or 020. How do i tell them apart & do they have a different clutch fitment or anything like that?

Sorry about the idiot questions but I am new to VW ;o)

DD

[animaniac]

its an 020 gearbox but theres 2 types a 4 speed or 5 speed.

if its a 4 speed you will have a 190mm clutch where as the 5speed have either a 200 or 210mm clutch..

you can swap your box for a gti one, the gear ratios will be higher so i'm not sure if it would be a good or bad thing as the 1.6 may not have the extra power in the gears...

the 1.6 is technicaly the same as the 1.8 you will have hydrolic tappets which will quiet down after the oil has pressurised them...

you will also need to check to see if its a top end rattle and not a bottom end knock, which would knock either when revved freely or under load as when your driving up a speed hill..

the light knocking may sound like its the tappets when its the big end bearings, the main brearing in the crankshaft will knock under load...

holding a stick on either the head or the block will give you a good indication if its a top end or bottom end problem. the top end even when noisy dont really cause any problems so long as its just the tappets...

where is is the big end or the main bearings are banging then it wont belong before they give! and let the conrod snap!

so you really need to find out just what is cauing the rattle, because if it is th bottom end then it really is a death rattle!!!!!

cheers jim

[VWDino]

If it is a top end tapping sound, a change of tappets is in order. I had the same and a simple oil change did not cure it.