As I've mentioned in another thread, I've been doing some bits and bobs on a Golf3 NA diesel that belongs to a mate of mine.
As he was looking for something that only started, stopped and went a bog-basic G3 diesel seemed ideal - £310 for 55-60MPG with MOT until November and very little to go wrong, as it had very little at all about it.
What I didn't realise was just how little steel there was left in it.
So, I got a big fat MOT fail sheet waved at me. Loads of stuff, none of it terribly challenging and only £120 in parts, but this sort of list and how we've sorted it for the re-test next Monday.
o/s front damper - replaced
n/s front damper - replaced
both wipers - replaced
n/s rear wheel bearing - replaced
Rear numberplate illegible - replaced
n/s outer sill corrosion (rear wheelarch) - crap cut out and fresh steel let in.
o/s outer sill corrosion (under driver's door) - crap cut out and fresh steel let in.
n/s compensator to flexi pipe corroded - replaced
o/s compensator to flexi pipe corroded - replaced - git of a job.
Compensator leaking and needing to be replaced.
I'd left the brake system until last - I'm thinking it'll take a couple of hours to replace the pipes and the compensator valve. I've replaced the compensator on G2s and that was easy. How hard can it be on a Golf3, eh? I start at 6PM
Release pipes
release spring from arm
undo bolts
fit new item
What could possibly go wrong?
Well, on an older car you might have a right job undoing the brake unions - they corrode. While there was some corrosion on these I only had to get the moles on two unions - the ones on the flexi-hoses. I've got spare unions, so there's no issue with that.
So, let's undo the two bolts that hold on the compensator valve. Now, maybe I'm wrong, but on the G2 compensator I've done the compensator was fastened on with two M8 bolts, with two hex-heads. Looking at the G3 unit it's a rather different story. There are two M8 bolts, but in this situation they have countersunk 6mm allen heads - they're lovely and innocuous and set into the unit - looks lovely.
They're not keen to undo.
When I say they're not keen, the allen heads want to turn the flats out. I take out the 3/8 drive allen-bit socket and put it to one side- I'm going to trash these bolt heads and there's nothing to get them undone if I do that.
I get out the impact driver and belt them. Surely that'll crack them off.
Nope.
I put the 3/8 drive back in. It spins out the first bolt head. I'm screwed now. I try the other one. Nope, that one's gone too - there's no way I can now get this off sensibly.
That's OK - I'll cut up the heads with the 4 1/2" grinder and belt it off the remains of the bolts, then turn them out with the molegrips.
I make several cuts and the heads of the bolts fall off. Out with the chisel and belt it off - not so bad.
Wrong.
The body of the compensator won't move. It's like it's welded to the chassis. It just won't move and I'm not being kind with the chisel by now.
I've been meaning to buy a 9" grinder for a while. Annoyingly this is the perfect opportunity to buy one.
It's 8PM. I've been trying to sort these couple of jobs out since 6PM and I've not got the compensator off yet. I nip to B&Q and get a bloody disc cutter.
I now cut the compensator valve straight through with the disc cutter. This is a b*stard job - I'm on my back and the cutter's pretty heavy and it kicks like a mule. I'm also covered in ground up aluminium and the crap that's falling off the underside of the car.
Surely now the valve will just slide off.
Nope.
I've hosed the bloody thing with penetrating oil several times. I do it again - LOTS of smoke. It's really hot. I get the moles on the remains and try to waggle it about - it's still not having bloody any of it! I get the chisel and lump hammer out.
Nope
I get the 4 1/2" grinder out and cut down the side of the one bolt that has utterly not moved. It finally relinquishes it's grip on the bolt. There have been so many impacts on the remains on the bolts they undo by hand.
As I've mentioned in another thread, I've been doing some bits and bobs on a Golf3 NA diesel that belongs to a mate of mine.
As he was looking for something that only started, stopped and went a bog-basic G3 diesel seemed ideal - £310 for 55-60MPG with MOT until November and very little to go wrong, as it had very little at all about it.
What I didn't realise was just how little steel there was left in it.
So, I got a big fat MOT fail sheet waved at me. Loads of stuff, none of it terribly challenging and only £120 in parts, but this sort of list and how we've sorted it for the re-test next Monday.
o/s front damper - replaced
n/s front damper - replaced
both wipers - replaced
n/s rear wheel bearing - replaced
Rear numberplate illegible - replaced
n/s outer sill corrosion (rear wheelarch) - crap cut out and fresh steel let in.
o/s outer sill corrosion (under driver's door) - crap cut out and fresh steel let in.
n/s compensator to flexi pipe corroded - replaced
o/s compensator to flexi pipe corroded - replaced - git of a job.
Compensator leaking and needing to be replaced.
I'd left the brake system until last - I'm thinking it'll take a couple of hours to replace the pipes and the compensator valve. I've replaced the compensator on G2s and that was easy. How hard can it be on a Golf3, eh?
Release pipes
release spring from arm
undo bolts
fit new item
What could possibly go wrong?
Well, on an older car you might have a right job undoing the brake unions - they corrode. While there was some corrosion on these I only had to get the moles on two unions - the ones on the flexi-hoses. I've got spare unions, so there's no issue with that.
So, let's undo the two bolts that hold on the compensator valve. Now, maybe I'm wrong, but on the G2 compensator I've done the compensator was fastened on with two M8 bolts, with two hex-heads. Looking at the G3 unit it's a rather different story. There are two M8 bolts, but in this situation they have countersunk 6mm allen heads - they're lovely and innocuous and set into the unit - looks lovely.
They're not keen to undo.
When I say they're not keen, the allen heads want to turn the flats out. I take out the 3/8 drive allen-bit socket and put it to one side- I'm going to trash these bolt heads and there's nothing to get them undone if I do that.
I get out the impact driver and belt them. Surely that'll crack them off.
Nope.
I put the 3/8 drive back in. It spins out the first bolt head. I'm screwed now. I try the other one. Nope, that one's gone too - there's no way I can now get this off sensibly.
That's OK - I'll cut up the heads with the 4 1/2" grinder and belt it off the remains of the bolts, then turn them out with the molegrips.
I make several cuts and the heads of the bolts fall off. Out with the chisel and belt it off - not so bad.
Wrong.
The body of the compensator won't move. It's like it's welded to the chassis. It just won't move and I'm not being kind with the chisel by now.
I've been meaning to buy a 9" grinder for a while. Annoyingly this is the perfect opportunity to buy one.
It's 8PM. I've been trying to sort these couple of jobs out since 6PM and I've not got the compensator off yet. I nip to B&Q and get a bloody disc cutter.
I now cut the compensator valve straight through with the disc cutter. This is a b*stard job - I'm on my back and the cutter's pretty heavy and it cuts like a mule.
Surely now the valve will just slide off.
Nope.
I've hosed the bloody thing with penetrating oil several times. I do it again - LOTS of smoke. It's really hot. I get the moles on the remains and try to waggle it about - it's still not having bloody any of it! I get the chisel and lump hammer out.
Nope
I get the 4 1/2" grinder out and cut down the side of the one bolt that has utterly not moved. It finally relinquishes it's grip on the bolt.
I pull a couple of bolts out of the various I have lying around and re-secure the new compensator, make up the new brake lines and bleed the brakes up. I finish at 23:20.
The old one:
The new one:
What was the problem?
Steel bolts through alloy housing = bimetallic corrosion
So
On a Golf2 - 13mm hex-head M8 - bolts would probably crack off, rather than shear off and they're nice and proud of the body of the brake compensator.
On a Golf3 the bolts are allen head - not renowned for
not stripping and countersunk to ensure maximum surface area on the alloy.
That's before we even get into the amount of pox in the damned thing.
The more I do with Golf3s the more, as far as I can make out they're like a Golf2, but badly designed.
Now, where's the 'exploding head' emoticon?
