VW Golf MK2 GTI Seats - Difference between Early and Late Models

Over the production period of the MK2 Golf GTI there were 2 different seat adjustment levers depending on the age of the car. The early models have the height adjustment lever to the left hand side of the driver but the later models have a pull handle to the front  right hand of the seat.

Early Golf GTI seat with side adjustment lever

Early Golf GTI seat with side adjustment lever

Late Golf GTI seat with front adjustment lever

VW Golf Mk2 Seat Positioning

The driver's seat in my MK2 Golf seemed to be quite a way to the left and rather close to the gearstick and handbrake. These photos show the view from the back seat.

Having done more investigation it seems that this is standard although the handbrake is rather angled and should be straight.

New Replacement Fuel Filter Gives Massive Performance Gains

I changed the fuel filter on my VW Golf at the weekend. It was a job I'd not be able to do along with the rest of the service due to difficulty accessing the fuel filter under the car. Having managed to borrow the vehicle lift at a garage I was easily able to replace the fuel filter. I wasn't expecting a massive difference but wanted to replace the fuel filter as there was no record of a recent change despite the oil being changed several times over the last few years.

When I removed the fuel filter the colour of the fuel that came out from the tank side was pretty horrific, extremely dirty and black. The outside shell of the old fuel filter was very corroded and the bolts were very tough to undo with one breaking rather than releasing, all giving more indication that the fuel filter had not been changed for a very long time. The official recommendation from VW is for 20,000 mile changes but the car has 177,000 miles on the clock and I doubt the fuel filter has been changed since 100,000 miles.

The drive to work today was the first proper opportunity I'd had to experience the car following the fuel filter being changed. To say I was shocked by the performance difference is an understatement!

VW Golf Hall Sensor Plug and Terminal Wires Part Number

I needed to replace the Hall sensor plug on my VW Golf as the wires had broken. It proved rather tricky trying to find the right part number so thought it might be useful to post in case anyone else needs to source a replacement plug and terminals.

The wires had broken off at the plug so I needed to get a new plug along with the terminals to fit inside.

Hall sender plug housing part number is 052 905327 B00 now replaced by V443 906 236
Terminal connectors for Hall sensor are part number 000 979 225A (VW Part 979225A)



Hall Sensor Plug and Terminal Wires Part Number




Hall sender plug housing part number V443 906 236

VW Golf Serious Crash - Safety in VW Golf - Mk7 vs MK2 - Driver Escapes Death in MK7 Golf

I recently saw some photos of a serious crash involving a VW Golf Mk7 where the driver escaped with only minor injuries. When you see the photo of the VW Golf crashed below you wonder how anyone could have got out alive. Fortunately there was just the driver in the car and they suffered minor injuries from the airbag but not serious ones. It really does show how the Euro NCAP car safety ratings have improved the design of cars that a crash as serious as this can allow the driver to survive.

Car Crash Safety VW Golf - Mk7 vs MK2 - Driver Escapes Death in MK7 Golf

In contrast this was a low speed collision in my old MK2 Golf GTI. I dread to think what would have happened if a MK2 was in a similar collision to the one above.

Golf GTI Fuel Filter Replacement - How to Locate and Fit New Fuel Filter

Having serviced my Golf GTI a few weeks ago one of the jobs outstanding was to replace the fuel filter. The fuel filter on the MK2 Golf GTI is tucked away underneath the body so replacement is an awkward job carried out on axle stands on the ground. I tried a couple of times but couldn't get sufficient space underneath the car to get access and have room to be able to move.

Tools need to replace fuel filter on VW Golf GTI

• 10mm spanner
• 17mm spanner
• 19mm spanner
• Mole grips
• Wide, deep tray to catch petrol drips along with container to store afterwards

Fortunately I had access to a vehicle lift at a local garage so arrange to call in to do the work.

View of the fuel filter from side of the car using axle stand


View of the fuel filter from side of the car using axle stand

VW Golf 16V Scuttle Cover Part Number

The scuttle & ECU covers on my MK2 VW Golf 16V are badly cracked and damaged. I noticed the VW part numbers listed on them so my next job is to contact my local dealer to check availability of replacements. It appears that new versions have been released that are harder plastic so won't break up in the same way as the originals.

Large scuttle cover part number 192 819 415 (192819415)

Small scuttle cover part number  192905399

Main cover part number 192 819 415

Small scuttle ECU cover part number  192905399

Online VW parts catalogue

http://www.vagcat.com/epc/cat/vw/GO/1990/110/56/1093657/

192 819 415 C - main cover - 21.62+VAT
192 905 399 A - ecu cover - 5.77+VAT

Golf GTI 16V Seat Repairs

I've not yet picked up my seats from the repairer but been sent a photo of them showing how they now look!

New seat runner guides bought so all ready to fit them back in the car at the weekend. Once back in the car it will be nice to get out for a drive and see how much more comfortable they are with new foam fitted to the base.

Golf GTI Seat Repairs

This was the bolster prior to repair with damage to the back side bolster where the fabric was totally worn through and the base bolster where the foam was completely disintegrated so it no longer offered any support.

VW Golf Seat Bolster Worn Out - Repairs to Fabric and Foam

One of the common problems that can occur on a VW Golf, and indeed any car with sports seats, is that the driver's seat bolster can wear out and the foam start to degrade.

Repairs to the seat are possible if you can't find a replacement and with the newest VW Golf MK2 cars now over 20 years old replacements in good condition are very hard to come by.

VW Golf Seat Bolster Worn Out - Repairs to Fabric and Foam

The seats from my 1989 VW Golf MK2 GTi are currently with a repairer so once they are returned I will update with the details of how the repaired seats now look.

VW Golf MK2 Hall Sensor/Sender Plug Part Number 052 905327 B00 Superseded by 443 906 236

I needed to order a new plug socket for my VW Golf MK2 16V and struggled to find a replacement part. When I managed to clean the dirt and oil off the old Hall Sensor Plug I found a Part Number in very small writing on the side which was 052 905327 B00.

On ordering from VW I was informed that the part number had been superseded and the Hall Sender plug housing was now V443 906 236

VW Golf MK2 Hall Sensor/Sender Plug Wire pin layout

VW Golf MK2 Hall Sensor/Sender Plug Part Number

VW Golf MK2 - Removing Wires/Connectors from Plugs with Laser 3932 Terminal Tool

Extracting the wires from Hall Sensor plug on VW Golf MK2

I found the Laser 3932 Terminal Tool was designed to remove the connector from the Hall Sensor plug so that the wires can be refitted.

http://www.lasertools.co.uk/item.aspx?item=3175

The video showing how to use the Laser 3932 Terminal Tool is here

VW Golf MK2 GTI 16V Hall Sensor Wire Broken

My VW Golf GTI 16V wouldn't start and had been running roughly for a couple of weeks. No obvious cause was apparent so we checked all the wiring under the bonnet and replaced the distributor cap and rotor arm which made no difference.

When checking the wiring from the distributor we noticed that two of the 3 wires from the Hall sender/Hall sensor were broken and the third wire was almost detached too. On clearing back some insulation and reattaching the wires to the Hall sensor plug the car started immediately and was also running far more smoothly than before. Cold starting tickover at idle was also vastly improved with the previous cutting out no longer occuring.

Hopefully replacing the broken wires on the Hall sensor will have resolved these problems.

Update

Hall sensor wires fixed and problem has now gone away. No more rough running and performance back to normal so no misfiring or juddering under acceleration. New Hall sender plugs are available from VW part numbers here



VW Golf MK2 GTI 16V Hall Sensor Plug Wires Broken

VW Golf MK2 Stub Axle Cover Part Number

When replacing the rear Stub Axle on my VW Golf the metal cover plate fell apart as we removed it so we needed to purchase a new one. The Stub axle cover Part Number is 191 501 639A and can be seen as the shiny part in the centre of the pictures below.

Stub axle cover Part Number is 191 501 639A

 As of 2014 this part is still available from VW main dealers.

VW Golf MK2 Stub Axle Cover Part Number

VW Golf MK2 16V Turns Over But Wont Start - Hall Sender Wire Broken

After replacing the distributor cap and rotor arm on my VW Golf MK2 16V I found that the engine would turn over but wouldn't start.

I rechecked all the leads and connections to the distributor cap, checked the rotor arm and spark plug connections but all seemed to be fine. The engine would turn so the battery was fine as was the starter motor so I decided to leave the car overnight and come back with a fresh pair of eyes after some research.

One thing I hadn't checked was the connections and wiring from the hall sender to the distributor. On closer examination and removing the rubber boot over the hall sender lead plug I found that 2 of the hall sender wires into the plug had broken only leaving one connected.

I stripped the wires back and temporarily pushed them into the plug then tried starting the car. Bingo it fired into life first time! Next job to make a permanent solution to repair the hall sender/hall sensor plug so the wires don't come out again.

VW Golf MK2 16V Turns Over But Wont Start - Hall Sender Wire Broken

The 16V Golf GTI has been running rough over the last couple of weeks and I'm now pretty sure that the cause has been the wires to the hall sensor gradually breaking up and losing connection. Hopefully once the wires are repaired to the plug all will be back to normal again.

Koni Adjustable Shocks VW Golf

When I bought my VW Golf MK2 16V it was fitted with Koni adjustable shock absorbers. I've replaced these so it is back to standard although the springs that I've used are Eibach lowering ones so it is about 20mm lower than standard. One of the Koni rear shocks had leaked slightly so wasn't offering any resistance but the other was working fine. Replacing them with new shock absorbers has transformed the handling of the Golf 16V.

VW Golf MK2 16V Standard Ride Height

Now that I've fixed the rear stub axle and fitted the original bottle top wheels to my MK2 Golf GTI 16V I thought it would be interesting to see how the ride height has changed.

The car is on Eibach Pro lowering springs which give a 20mm drop compared to standard and has new standard spec shock absorbers on the rear, currently Koni adjustables on the front which I'll be changing soon too.

The ride height now is marginally different to before but despite replacing the stub axle the rear passenger side is still slightly higher than the rest of the car.

(From top of wheel arch to floor/Top of wheel arch to middle of wheel)

Front - Driver's side             580/330mm
Front - Passenger side         580/330mm

Rear - Driver's side             580/330mm
Rear - Passenger side         590/330mm

VW Golf MK2 16V Standard Ride Height

Golf GTI 16V Alloy Wheels - Bottle Top OEM Wheels refitted

The original Montreal bottle top wheels are now fitted to my 1989 Golf GTI 16V and I've sold the G60 wheels that were on it via Ebay. I know the G60 wheels are popular but personally I much prefer the look of the standard wheels on the Golf GTI 16V. The OEM or original wheels were sometimes known as bottle top wheels as the pattern had the look of a metal top from a glass drinks bottle.

VW Golf GTI 16V with OEM Montreal standard alloy wheels

VW Golf G60 wheels

VW Golf 16V Happy 25th Birthday!

My VW Golf GTI 16V is 25 years old today, registered on 31 August 1989.

VW Golf 16V Happy 25th Birthday!

For a 25 year old car it has lasted very well with minimal rust and little underbody corrosion, a testament to the build quality from VW in the 1980s.



Golf Rear Stub Axle Replacement/ Brake Disc/Rear Wheel Bearing Fitting Instructions & Guide

Steps to replacing the stub axle on a mark 2 VW Golf GTI 16V. These photos show the process for replacing the rear stub axle on a VW Golf Mk2 but will equally apply to fitting a new rear wheel bearing or rear brake disc to the car.

Loosen wheel bolts, jack car and remove rear wheel

Wheel removed showing brake disc and rear bearing

Remove rear bearing cover & locking pin

Pin removed from rear bearing

Remove 2 bolts holding rear brake caliper on

Remove bolts holding brake carrier to brake disc

Remove calliper carrier

Remove brake disc

Rear brake disc removed with wheel bearing resting on it

Remove dust cover and access to 4x stub axle bolts

Remove wheel bearing components

VW Golf Mk2 wheel bearing replacement guide

Remove stub axle bolts from rear beam

Stub axle removed showing rear beam

Old stub axle removed from VW Golf GTI

Brake calliper and wheel bearing components removed from car

New rear stub axle fitted and brake cover attached

New dust cover fitted to stub axle covering bolts

Dust cover fitted and rear wheel bearing placed on top