VW Golf Mk2 GTI 16V Radiator Fan Not Working When Car Hot - Overheating

I've thought for some time that the radiator fan on my VW Golf Mk2 GTI 16V didn't seem to be cutting in when the car had warmed up but as most journeys I do are on the motorway it's not been too apparent.

When driving in town recently I found that the fan is definitely not coming on and the car does start to overheat if driven in traffic. I needed to check if the fan motor had broken or if it was just the thermostat switch that needed replacing.

Fortunately it's an easy test to do, all you need to check is that when you remove the plug to the radiator and connect the two terminals the fan comes on. This is the same as if the switch was working and turning on if the radiator gets hot. Luckily the fan did work when the terminals were connected so next on my purchase list is a new radiator cooling fan switch which is much cheaper than a new fan motor!

VW Golf Mk2 GTI 16V Radiator Fan Not Working 

How to Fit Golf 16V Injector Rubber Seal Replacement

When checking the engine on my Golf 16V I noticed that the injectors seemed to be quite loose in their mountings. I've bought some new seals for them so my next job was to remove the Injectors for the Seal Replacement. As usual B&B Conmponents on Ebay were the supplier I used for the seals, they seem to stock most Golf parts and deliver very quickly.

How to Fit Golf 16V Injector Rubber Seal Replacement

As you can see in the above photos there are 2 different types of seal, the small thinner ones fit near the injector nozzle end and the fatter ones further up the injector.

The injectors just unplug and when I removed the first injector I found that only one seal was actually present (there should be two, a large and a smaller one) and even that one was badly perished and distorted.

Old worn rubber seal from 16V Golf GTI

 Once removed it was then possible to fit the new larger seal. This is a VERY tight fit over the injector and takes a lot of pushing to get it in place.

Once fitted the seal needs to be pushed into place along the injector body.

Video showing how to remove injectors and replace the seals

VW Golf BBS Alloy Wheel Refurbishment

I bought a set of BBS alloy wheels for my VW Golf GTI 16V late last year and since then they've been sitting in my shed. I've finally got round to doing something with them and today dropped them off to Lepsons to be refurbished. Lepsons are based in Gillingham so very convenient but deal with alloy repairs and refurb for customers across the UK.

VW Golf BBS Alloy Wheels Before Refurbishment

I've decided to only get 2 wheels done so far as the other 2 look in much better condition. They may look far worse when compared to the refurbished ones I get back!

VW Golf BBS Alloy Wheel Before Refurbishment

The BBS wheels were available as standard on some MK2 Golfs and you can see the VW logo stamped onto the wheels.

I'm looking forward to seeing how they look once returned - not looking forward so much to the bill which will be around £144 plus VAT.

MOT Fail Bump Stops Deteriorated

One of the advisories on the last MOT for the car was that the bump stops were deteriorated. When we took the suspension apart to replace the shocks and springs it became apparent exactly how bad this was. Amazing that this is just an advisory, I can only assume to fail they would have had to be totally missing.

MOT Fail Bump Stops Deteriorated

 These are photos of the bump stops from my VW Golf that had an MOT Advisory Bump Stops Deteriorated

MOT Advisory Bump Stops Deteriorated

Golf 16V Idle Revs High - ISV Faulty?

Over the last few days my VW Golf GTI 16V has started to rev much higher than normal at idle or in traffic so rather than 1000rpm it can jump to 2000rpm or more.

Interestingly a problem that I'd had with the idle not holding when the engine was cold for the first 30 seconds or so has now resolved itself so I'm guessing the two are linked.

I've disconnected the ISV (Idle Stabilisation Valve) and the engine now idles correctly when warm - but still struggles when cold first thing.

Looks like more investigation needed this weekend!


Golf Mk2 GTI 16V Revs high at Idle

VW Golf GTI 16V Rev Counter Intermittent

When I bought my VW Golf GTI 16V the rev counter intermittently stopped working along with the MFA display. It appeared to be some sort of electrical connection problem with the dash module but there was no apparent damage to the circuit board at the rear of the clocks.

Eventually the rev counter and MFA stopped working completely so I managed to source a replacement from Ebay as many of my Golf related purchases are!

There is an excellent YouTube video by Richard Dane showing how to separate the speedo from the rev counter so you can swap the original speedo into the replacement unit and retain the correct mileage for your car. The series of 5 videos linked below will show you how to remove the speedo and replace it with the one from your existing car to keep mileage correct.



VW Golf MK2 GTi16V Rev Counter Intermittent Fault

Painting VW Wheel Centre Caps

Painting VW Wheel Centre Caps.

When I got the bottle top wheels for my MK2 Golf only one of the centre caps was in a decent condition, all the rest were scratched and peeling so another job I've had on the list has been to clean and repaint them. With the better weather today seemed an ideal opportunity.

After a delayed start due to the first spray can being defective I managed to get them rubbed down and several coats of paint applied.

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