GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk2 => Topic started by: Waspy on 28 March 2015, 19:01
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My priorities change all the time with this car! But ATM I am sacking off the idea of a 20vt and just keep it all standard(ish).
Is a DIY engine rebuild possible for a complete novice? You have to learn somewhere right? And it is something I would really like to give a go, I just don't want to get started and realise i am way over my head. When I say novice, I really mean in terms of the engine. It's the only but of the car I haven't really touched yet, everything else I have, so mechanically I'm not too scared, just looking for a few opinions.
As a side point I'll probably make it 2l while I'm at it, why not?
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orite waspy. doing an engine rebuild depends a lot on how the engine behaves beforehand. like if its belching smoke or low on compression readings. a gti bottom end will do an easy 250k if driven wisely and with regular oil changes. its the cylinder heads that usually let them down around 100k-150k. but I get the feeling your after the 2.0 power now :wink: which is just a case of 2.0 headgasket and the timing belt and covers. pulls so much better with the 2.0 but you should consider a fast road cam to as the 2.0 pulls better at low rpm but gets choked after 5k.
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It's been a while since I did a compression test, but I think one cylinder was down, it also sips coolant, and oil. Not amazingly fast, but it does. So I think I came to the conclusion the head gasket was on its was out, and the oil seals are probably done. The engine is touching 200k now, so think a refurb and upgrade for its 200k birthday would be nice :)
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I don't think a full engine rebuild is too much of a big ask for an 8v. I have rebuilt the head twice on my engine. Definitely worth an engine stand investment, mine was only £30 off gumtree.
Valve spring compressors go up in stages with price, I done the 8v with the bog standard set and it took quite a long time, wouldn't touch either of my 20v heads with them though.
You could drop the engine out (no crane needed on a mk2) and send the head off to the man in the shed. Ported, polished, big valve upgrade for a good price.
Buy yourself a nice cam off fleabay along with a 2.0l bottom end.
Bolt it all together with a good free flowing exhaust
Enjoy your 150+ bhp doing it the old school way
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I don't think a full engine rebuild is too much of a big ask for an 8v. I have rebuilt the head twice on my engine. Definitely worth an engine stand investment, mine was only £30 off gumtree.
Valve spring compressors go up in stages with price, I done the 8v with the bog standard set and it took quite a long time, wouldn't touch either of my 20v heads with them though.
You could drop the engine out (no crane needed on a mk2) and send the head off to the man in the shed. Ported, polished, big valve upgrade for a good price.
Buy yourself a nice cam off fleabay along with a 2.0l bottom end.
Bolt it all together with a good free flowing exhaust
Enjoy your 150+ bhp doing it the old school way
This mystery man in the shed, I see him everywhere! he must have refurbed thousands of heads and still he is referred to as "the man in the shed" haha. That was all pretty much my plan actually! Although I didn't know it could yield 150bhp! 50% increase on an (almost) original engine? Would be rude not to.
Thanks for the info man
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its more than likely the cylinder head is on its last legs so if its high revs power your after get a re-con gasflowed head and a fast road cam. if its low revs power your after stick in a 2.0 with standard re-con head and standard gti cam along with a mk3 diesel gearbox for more relaxed cruising. of course if budget allows you could combine the whole lot :wink:. if I were you I would buy a second engine to strip down for practice. grab a decent manual and lay all parts out methodically and keep things clean. its easy if your keen enough :smiley:
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He does have a name but I'm not sure I should say aha. Big NA power is possible. A friend has had a 2L 8v with get 174 bhp at the rollers but this was with multiple gas flws and back and forth with the man in the shed. The bottom end was also lightened and balanced.
A certain hillclimber has also told of 8v engines running over 200 bhp but they weren't really road cars
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Keep us posted, it's a job I haven't been confident to try, I'd love to follow your progress
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I really fancy a Mk2 with a Mk3 ABA cross flow head on a 2.0 bottom end.
You could go turbo or Throttle bodies but even as std N/A injection this engine combo is good for a lot of go.
Been looking it up on Vortex to see how much it would cost....
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Keep us posted, it's a job I haven't been confident to try, I'd love to follow your progress
Not sure how fast it will get started. It's my daily, so might end up buying another engine, rebuilding that (or pulling mind and sticking the second one in, so I can keep my original engine :) ) but I will keep you posted for sure!
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DO IT! Just think of it as two separate components, head and block. Once you have the head off and you dismantle it you'll soon see its a lot easier to work on than you may think. When you have the head dismantled, get it cleaned in a hot tank, crack tested and skimmed, will almost be as good as new. Granted the block is more indepth if your going to rebuild it, if you want it doing 'propa' it's going to have to go to a machine shop to get measured up. If rebore-ing cylinders and regrinding cranks are involved then the pennies are soon going to turn into pounds! But however, if you've got faith in your crank and bores, replacing bearings and rings is again easy work. Theres an entire step by step guide on YouTube by (think his name is) Barry McGowan, on how to rebuild the mk2 engine. Doing it yourself I think is very rewarding. For a one you can put a sticker in your rear window saying 'built not bought', and two, you can feel really intelligent when you go to the stealers and ask for pressure plate to crankshaft bolts, have an argument with the parts geeza for 10 minutes about how your right that the plate bolts to the crankshaft and he's wrong whilst he points to his little diagrams on his computer, and then feel all smug when you pull up a picture on your phone showing him that the pressure plate does bolt to the crankshaft and that he is indeed WRONG!!! Sorry to rant but you get the idea!
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hey waspy first you need to decide on what you want the car to perform like. if you stuck in shiyty traffic for most of the day like me then you would be better with an agg conversion and a diesel gearbox. that's all I can tell you right now coz im blazing and going out for a smoke :grin: I will be back later when my head works.
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Keep us posted, it's a job I haven't been confident to try, I'd love to follow your progress
Not sure how fast it will get started. It's my daily, so might end up buying another engine, rebuilding that (or pulling mind and sticking the second one in, so I can keep my original engine :) ) but I will keep you posted for sure!
I have an AGG engine coming up in a few weeks if that's any good to you..69500miles
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If I was going to do a 8v build again I would go for the 2L bottom end but with a mk4 cross flow head. It will leave you with plenty more options for the future as well aka turbo ;)
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I didn't even know they did an 8v mk4... Plus that would no longer look stock under the hood. With a 2.0 in the bay, doing that later if I wanted wouldn't be the end of the world
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how much extra power are you looking for? and would a lumpy idle bother you at all?
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how much extra power are you looking for? and would a lumpy idle bother you at all?
I'm not after massive power, as this will at some point stop being my daily. The reason the 20vt went out the window is because I don't need it, if it's just a second car. I now want to keep it pretty standard, only modding the bit that I would be silly not to do when refurbishing it. For example, it feels daft not to put a 2.0 bottom end in if I am pulling the 1.8.
Yes, a lumpy idle would bother me somewhat. If I change the cam it will be something fair midrange. Nothing too wild and nothing too mild
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Kent GS2H!
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a kent gs2h would be spot on with a 2.0 but if you were going to stick with 1.8 then maybe a gs1h and modded head would keep it civil but still give decent power increase. a lot of people go to wild on the cam then end up taking it back out and selling on. if your going 2.0 don't forget to change in your 1.8 clutch/flywheel as its a fair bit lighter than 2.0 set up. you really need to set a budget and price up parts first as a job like this can get very pricey. its better to overestimate slightly then you will feel better when it works out less :wink:
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I run a tsr202 cam which isn't bad on idle.