new lad- new questions......

[bigpoppa81]

hello im new this is my first post!

i have a mk2 gti 91' 8v and its been playing a bit funny lately,

1.there was mayo gunk under the oil cap  cleaned it out and its not been there since? checked the coolant and there isnt no sign of any gunk in there so i was thinking does it still mean my headgasket is going?

2.my temp gauge doesnt move until you come to a stand still for a bit- even though my mfa says its whatever temp it is, is that bust?

3.my car revs drop below 1000 when i come to a stop then bounce back up and finally rest at a steady 1000 when idle is that ok? also when reversing into my garage it sometimes stalls as if you aint got your foot down fully even though u have,whats happening there?

4.when you turn on the blowers in the car (even to just '1') it sometimes makes a funny noise? as if something is trapped- even though there isnt?

cheers

[SarahD]

hi dan 

[rubjonny]

1. Probably just condensation build up, it happens if you do lots of short journeys.  Give it a blast up the motorway to burn it all off
2. What oil temp is registered on the MFA?  It sounds like possibly the thermostat is stuck open, or maybe the temp sender/clocks arn't working right
3. Almost definitely down to the ISV, check it buzzes with the ignition on, and if so sit it in a bucket of petrol and turn the ignition on so its buzzing away in the petrol.  Should clean it out nicely
4. Probably the blower motor bearings are on their way out, common fault as water often leaks into the fresh air intake and gets into the fan.  Its located under the passenger undertray and can be removed by taking out 1 screw and twisting it or something, not sure never done it

Once out I've heard if you leave it in a tub of engine oil for ages then let it drain THOUROUGHLY it will be fine again, you could also try spraying WD40 into the bearings, but I dunno how long that would last.

[Veedubgt18v]

for point number 3 i would check the throttle body micr switches there is one below and one above the psring on the throttle body (the bit on the engine end of the pleated air pipe) sometimes these can cause the same symptoms, as it did with mine. i will see if i can find out/remeber the test you do on them i just cant remeber what the resistance readings should be

any idea golf vr6?

[bigpoppa81]

3. Almost definitely down to the ISV, check it buzzes with the ignition on, and if so sit it in a bucket of petrol and turn the ignition on so its buzzing away in the petrol.  Should clean it out nicely

im a complete goof when it comes to mechanics- whats the isv? and what should i be listening out for?

[...joe]

ISV = idle stabilisation valve. its a metal tube sitting on your rocker cover, with a hose coming out one end into the air intake and a wire on the other end, the whole thing is held on by a big rubber band type thing

[takethefifth]

And could you tell me how to clean it?  I have been wondering this for a while, i think just remove it and soak it in parrafin or something over night?

My car has a tendency at no apparent time to take longer to return to idle than normal. ie. dip the clutch and it holds at about 2k before gradually going down. When its working fine you dip the clutch and the engine drops straight off like it should.  I am hoping this is the mysterious ISV as well from what i have read on here......

[...joe]

i've never had to do one myself but i think you just blast it through with carb cleaner to free it up or soak it in petrol or something, sh!tty throttle bodies can do funny idle things too. whip off the plastic hose and have a look in there if it s all black and sticky whip it off and blast it with carb cleaner as well.

[rubjonny]

Don't clean the ISV with carb cleaner, it is abrasive and will do more harm than good!  Best use white spirit or petrol etc.  A good method is to leave it running in a bucket of petrol.

[...joe]

never knew that?! just know its good for cleaning gunk off as its nasty stuff!!!