VW Golf Mk2 Owners Club

Re: G135EPB 8v GTI

Reply #225 – September 19, 2025, 07:13:23 AM

Great update!
I really like those wheels on the car, makes it look tough.

Re: G135EPB 8v GTI

Reply #226 – September 26, 2025, 02:31:42 PM

I took it for its MOT on 20/9/25 as it had ran out for the 1st time since my ownership. Glad to say it passed with no advisories 


I only drove it too and from the garage about 8 miles all in but car drove fine. Coolant needs topping up which i really hope is just some air left in the system!

Later in the week I decided i was going to get ready for the Quaife to be fitted. So back in the air and gearbox off. Although its been in and out more time than i care to remember, I've never done it alone. Mainly due to a lack of confidence and the gravel driveway. I felt that it needed to be done at home so I'm not leaving it somewhere other than my own driveway to remove the need to get it back driving asap. I was amazed the time i took the first photo with the bonnet up and to the time i took the photo with the box on the floor was 1hr 20 mins. The hardest part was lifting the box at enough of an angle to get the cup over the flywheel. I have to admit when the box came down onto my chest i got myself a bit stuck 😂 the weight combined with the car sitting fairly low to the ground meant i didn't have much room to actually get myself out from under the car. After a short struggle I freed myself and dragged the box out- had to remove the splitter for it to come out the front!
Started 11:50

Finished 13:10

There was 1 casualty - gearbox bracket collared bolt m8x92 which i need to get hold of a spare if anyone has one?


As i had some free time I decided to fit the missing flaps of the fan cowl and my new Febi fan. I know the cowling needs a paint but this is way down the list of priories at the minute!



Also picked up an induction kit for noises! I'm not sure if i will keep it yet but it's a bit of fun. Its meant for a mk4 golf with an 80mm maf. I've trimmed down the heatshield and used the off cut to make a temporary bracket to secure it the the chassis leg and removed the lower blank to allow some more cold air through. I've got a cleaning set from Rami Air so will do that when i get the opportunity. the ABF intake is 70mm so fitted and 80>70mm reducer and some alli pipe to join them together. The intake temp sensor has been mounted to the heatshield for now. I still need to trim the pipe down but i might see about replacing the whole intake with 90 degree silicone elbow for a nicer look but so will hold on for now.






At the weekend i'm hoping to rip the old 02a apart to remove the Quaife ATB and maybe take the new 02j apart to ready to remove the diff rivets from the crown wheel (horrible job). I've got new diff bearings as well. All of this is best done with some help if i ever want it to work again! So going to rope in Dan, hopefully for guidance more than just taking all of his spare time.

Re: G135EPB 8v GTI

Reply #227 – September 29, 2025, 08:50:58 AM

28/09/25 – 02A & 02J Gearbox Stripdown for Quaife Swap

After a few months of it sitting at Dan’s place, I finally went over to strip down my old 02A gearbox with the Quaife LSD(with help). I'd swapped this box out for a 02J with a 3.9 FD a while back, but now it’s time to move the Quaife across to the new box.

I also brought the replacement 02J gearbox with me — this one had never been opened before. Stripping both boxes down was actually easier than it probably looks in the photos, but the 5th gear on the 02J was a nightmare to get off. Took a lot of persuasion and finally came off with a puller.

The diff rivets can now be drilled out that’ll be the next job.

Since the seals have been disturbed, I’ll be replacing:

Input shaft guide sleeve 02A141180A

2x Output shaft seals 084 409189B

Interestingly, the input guide has an 02A part number and a late 1999 date stamp, which is interesting to see, maybe a crossover period for early 02J parts?

I’ve ordered the new seals and bits and should be collecting them on 30/09/25, with a view to rebuilding the box on 01/10/25, if all things align.

After that, it’s just a case of getting it fitted back into the Mk2 and seeing how the 3.9 FD and Quaife feels on the road.

🙂

Re: G135EPB 8v GTI

Reply #228 – October 02, 2025, 09:40:20 PM

A little bit more time spent on the gearbox. I took the crown wheel and open diff down to a mates and used their neighbours pillar drill to drill out the rivets.

I snapped the drill bit on the last one 🤦‍♂️ so ground the rivet down with a finger file and tapped it out. Also tapped my hand in the process!

Went to Dan's and fitted the Quaife to the crown wheel and torqued the ARP bolts to 54 lbft.

Gave the casing and gears a reasonable clean down with brake cleaner.

Sealant applied to the casing and bolts all torqued down.

We stopped for a cheeky burger before calling it a day for other commitments. Just needs 5th gear fitting, the new seals and cups and selector I think. Then it can go back in. I'm not looking forward to lifting it again!

Re: G135EPB 8v GTI

Reply #229 – October 03, 2025, 07:01:03 AM

Witchcraft I tell you!!!

Re: G135EPB 8v GTI

Reply #230 – October 14, 2025, 09:52:15 AM

Update:
Finally got the chance to finish the box off. 5th gear went on, followed by the plastic casing, new output shaft seals, new clutch guide, and the 100mm cups bolted in. There’s no denying I couldn’t have done it without some help, but it definitely feels good to have been part of the process again.

Loaded in the footwell for the 1 mile drive home and to get it fitted

Probably bread and butter stuff for most, but for me, lifting the box over the flywheel was a pain. I got there eventually with a bit of help from the wife on the jack! After previously getting slightly stuck under the car with the box on my chest, I was a bit reluctant to pull the jack away until I knew it was properly bolted up 😂
In hindsight, I doubt it would’ve come down on me once it was nearly home, I just spent far too long faffing when it wasn’t really needed!

Started on the mounts but ran out of time. Still, it feels great to have it this close to running again. I’ll probably make the most of it being jacked up to sort a few other bits and pieces — planning to trim and refit the Powerflex topmounts, add the camber bolts and alignment, and finish off the induction kit.

Re: G135EPB 8v GTI

Reply #231 – October 28, 2025, 02:54:35 PM

Got the engine mounts on and the driveshafts bolted in, although it didn’t all go to plan, I managed to strip one of the threads on one of the output cup bolts. Had to re-thread it and find another bolt, but once that was sorted everything went back together fine. Typical of me a 30 min job became a few hours 😂

Also refitted the camber bolts with some negative camber (still deciding whether to settle on -2° or -1.5°). Roughly set for now with the wheels drooped but sat completely level


whilst splitter was off i decided to get the dremel on what shoudl be the air ducts. I'm not sure if this was a 16v only thing?


First testdrive didnt go very well


Had a strange misfire that turned out to be the throttle switch had given up. Swapped the throttle body and it’s running fine again, although my old one was ported so there’s a noticeable drop in throttle response now. I’ll either try swapping the microswitch onto the ported body or port the replacement not sure yet but not a priority until i'm happy everything else it ok with the car.

Finished fitted my mk4 induction kit


I will probably swap the intake over to this at some point, it’s got a smoother larger diameter bend and slightly, so hopefully it’ll help improve airflow and throttle response a bit. I'll wait until a later point for this and fit a catch can at the same time


My HT leads had gone very hard so have fitted a new set an i need to relocate the air intake sensor into the intake at some point if i dont't swithc badck to the GTD airbox


Took it for a couple of test drives to work and everything feels good, just needs an alignment tweak. I might also reposition the air intake sensor so it sits inside the intake pipe again, or maybe go back to the GTI airbox setup.
<img src="https://i.ibb.co/7JbPwCp8/20251024-075936.jpg" alt="20251024-075936" border="0" />
I rolled the car around on a more level surface to try and set the camber and toe more precisely and is driving a lot nicer now- not quite 100% but a few more tweaks and I think i'll be there.
<img src="https://i.ibb.co/pBrSmqRj/20251024-113024.jpg" alt="20251024-113024" border="0" />

I've been using this Gunson trakrite gauge as it was recommended by Trackslag Mat who uses the same thing on his car


I’ve booked a track day at Donington on 13th December with Dan, Warren, and Tim. So something to look forward to and a good chance to properly test the car again.

Re: G135EPB 8v GTI

Reply #232 – November 29, 2025, 09:22:43 PM

The Golf was going well until one of the not very old mk4 rear calipers decided the handbrake mech was going to seize on 🙄 i was going to order a pair but decided just to replace what was broken. Its taken enough of my money lately!

One shiny new Apec caliper. Not red like the other three corners 😅

Old one, i reckon this was from maxspeeding rods, i should have known better!


New copper washers


Did put a pressure bleeder on it but i always find i get better results having an assistant pump the pedal. Called the wife out and she slammed her coat zip in the door 😢


The handbrake cable on the same side was playing up. I did buy a pair but again thought I would opt to replace just the faulty one. It only took about 5 minutes to change so i decided to do both, which in the end proved to be a good decision. The handbrake has never felt so good.
Looks like its also seized up





The rivets on the side of the handbrake mechanism inside the car had become loose, causing the ratchet system teeth to miss each other, effectively causing the handbrake to fall down! I thought about drilling the rivets out and nutting a bolting it, but at the risk of making a bigger job, I stuck it in Dan's press and squeezed the existing rivets tight. This seems to have worked a treat.

You can see where i have previously tried to punch the rivets in an attempt to bodge it in the past.


Whilst the wheels were off I decided my multi colour tape protection on the BC's was a bit comical 🤣

Much better


I decided I had run the car in enough post headgasket so when for another oil change. Love a box of Quantum and a new genuine vw filter you can see i also temp removed spacers. I thought it wasnt catching but turns out the 1st speed bump the fronts weren't happy! I might take the angle grinder to the arches at some point because it looked so good but for now they're off


The induction kit still on here but I have now reverted back to gtd airbox


Also noticed my steering boot was split, massively underestimated this as a job 🤣




Got there eventually and car is now fully working ahead of Donington!
I've mounted a few gopro mounts so hoping to get a bit of footage. Fingers crossed for some dry weather!

Re: G135EPB 8v GTI

Reply #233 – December 01, 2025, 06:46:20 AM

Have you really owned a classic car if you don't have a photo of you flipping off a part you've just removed??

Re: G135EPB 8v GTI

Reply #234 – December 23, 2025, 09:38:27 PM

13/12/25 – MSV trackday at Donington Park National Circuit

This came around quickly! An early start was needed to make the safety briefing and with a slightly damp forecast it was not ideal, but for December, I really can’t complain.
I’ll admit I felt a bit nervous initially. The conditions were tougher than the dry and there were plenty of much more modern powerful cars out there. I was conscious of not wanting to be in the way, but I reminded myself that I’d paid to be there just like everyone else, so I put the nerves to one side and focused on enjoying the day.

After the compulsory sighting laps, I decided to hang on and let the more eager drivers head out first while I grabbed a coffee. Around 20 minutes in, I went out for my first session. Grip was obviously down due to the damp conditions, after roughly 15 minutes I came back in to check everything over. There was hardly any heat in the tyres, I let the car cool down, checked wheel torque (to satisfy the OCD) and then headed straight back out.

Grip steadily improved as the day went on, right up until some light drizzle returned in the afternoon. I spent some laps with Dan in his Mk5 — a very capable car and a very capable driver. I also went out in Warren’s 20v Mk2, again excellent car with plenty of power and a very good driver behind the wheel. Tim was out in his R53 Mini Cooper S, which proved to be very evenly matched with my Mk2 a genuinely nice surprise and great fun to lap with. Unfortunately, Woz suffered ECU issues which sadly ended his day early.

I managed a few more sessions through the afternoon and was feeling increasingly confident, but resisted the temptation to squeeze in one last run before dark.

The 02J EGU gearbox with the 3.9 final drive has made a very welcome difference, particularly when accelerating and on gearchanges. The car feels much more alert and responsive out of corners. I had originally contemplated going even shorter with a CZM 4.2 final drive, but having now driven this setup in anger, I genuinely feel the current gearing is the sweet spot — hot enough to make the car great fun on track and on fast road drives, but still just about acceptable for longer journeys across the country or back into Europe.
Overall, I’m really pleased with how the car performed and have gained a lot of confidence in it following the head gasket rebuild and the gearbox/Quaife change over. I think the damp conditions levelled the field considerably (much like the National Meet). While I did have to move over for some genuinely quick drivers, I also found myself holding onto plenty of others and even getting frustrated at times with cars not moving over. My confidence in damp conditions has definitely improved.

I’m absolutely delighted with both the day and the car, and I’m hoping to get a few more track days in during 2026.

Re: G135EPB 8v GTI

Reply #235 – Today at 07:45:34 AM

Great update there.

Also, always a good move to let the keen ones go out first, they can dry the track out for you

I really need to make it to a couple of track days in 2026 too, so let me know when you're next heading out!

Re: G135EPB 8v GTI

Reply #236 – Today at 09:33:48 AM

That we definitely need to do mate!