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Topic: Rescue Me - 1988 GTI 16v (Read 5120 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: Rescue Me - 1988 GTI 16v

Reply #45 –
Brilliant! Would you be so kind to donate? :D
Don't happen to have any relays left from your fuse box do you?


'90 Mk2 Golf GL running R32 Power. 'Gumpert'
'88 Tornado Red Mk2 Golf 1.8 16valve GTI. 'Hollie' - Winner of Best Mk2 GTI at the 2014 & 2017 National Meet

Re: Rescue Me - 1988 GTI 16v

Reply #46 –
Life saver!

Yeah I'll pick up the hazard switch, unless you pass your test tomorrow (good luck btw) and you could drive over and pick it up! ;)

You don't have any remaining relays then? I don't know if 15 would work lol.


'90 Mk2 Golf GL running R32 Power. 'Gumpert'
'88 Tornado Red Mk2 Golf 1.8 16valve GTI. 'Hollie' - Winner of Best Mk2 GTI at the 2014 & 2017 National Meet

Re: Rescue Me - 1988 GTI 16v

Reply #47 –
Well best of luck mate! A lot of it is down to luck on the day to be honest with other drivers, so fingers crossed for you!

I'll pm you my address. I'm sure one of those relays must be the right one lol.


'90 Mk2 Golf GL running R32 Power. 'Gumpert'
'88 Tornado Red Mk2 Golf 1.8 16valve GTI. 'Hollie' - Winner of Best Mk2 GTI at the 2014 & 2017 National Meet

Re: Rescue Me - 1988 GTI 16v

Reply #48 –
Well today was a productive day.
On Thursday Sam brought round the hazard switch to replace the one I somehow obliterated... Friday I bought some new dash bulbs from VW for the princely sum of £3.26 for 6 (only charged for 2) - they are discontinued now everyone! Yesterday I bought a new flasher relay and today I set to work getting the old bus back together.

Dash bulbs fitted to dials, Speedo cable successfully attached after much less swearing than predicted and dials connected to electrics. Secured. All was well until I remembered the vacuum line was still disconnected. Bugger. So out it had to come again. But it went back in smoothly and all connected again. New hazard switch and relay fitted and we have a working dash!



So thanks to Sam for the hazard switch.

I had to go out for the obligitory spin and it was perfect. No scary squeals, dodgy lights or anything! Just what I thought was steam coming from under the front of the bonnet when stuck in traffic, but thankfully it turned out to be the steam from the Toyota Hilux's exhaust infront.

Bloody paranoia!


'90 Mk2 Golf GL running R32 Power. 'Gumpert'
'88 Tornado Red Mk2 Golf 1.8 16valve GTI. 'Hollie' - Winner of Best Mk2 GTI at the 2014 & 2017 National Meet

Re: Rescue Me - 1988 GTI 16v

Reply #49 –
Ha. Unfortunately the ass end is the last on our list of priorities with our wedding in April. So all works being done are basically cheapies or essential.

However... Prior to this year's national meet all repairs will be done... along with a lovely fresh coat of paint. :jackson:

Miss Mac's Dad is coming up this week and is expecting to be taken out for a spin, so needed to get the dash sorted, else it wasn't drivable. Afterall, he is likely to be the eventual owner of the old girl once the cosmetics are finished. Any mechanical niggles he will be happy to spend his retirement tinkering with it! (He used to own many many Minis and tuned up countless cars, so engines are fun and games for him!)

Next on the 'to do' list is the passenger window regulator, fit the new bumpers and tidy the engine cosmetically up a bit. Still got the shiney new inlet manifold to fit!


'90 Mk2 Golf GL running R32 Power. 'Gumpert'
'88 Tornado Red Mk2 Golf 1.8 16valve GTI. 'Hollie' - Winner of Best Mk2 GTI at the 2014 & 2017 National Meet

Re: Rescue Me - 1988 GTI 16v

Reply #50 –
You're right it was worse than it is now, but I managed to push it out a bit by doing the not very technical sitting in the boot and pushing it with my feet! Haha. Does look better than it did.
Fortunately it hasn't rusted through, just surface rust.

We do indeed have a garage and to be fair it's a good sized one. I can get my Octavia in and NEARLY a Golf in behind... But not quite :| but plenty of width to it, so are lucky really. However, I am happy to tackle non-cosmetic jobs and engine/trim/electric bits but body work can only end up in tears. I'd make a hash of it. So in a couple of months the rear will be professionally repaired and at the same time the car will be treated to a full exterior respray.


'90 Mk2 Golf GL running R32 Power. 'Gumpert'
'88 Tornado Red Mk2 Golf 1.8 16valve GTI. 'Hollie' - Winner of Best Mk2 GTI at the 2014 & 2017 National Meet

Re: Rescue Me - 1988 GTI 16v

Reply #51 –
Well today I went a bit mad in the heat and went about restoring the old bus' pink paint.

This is the result. Which I am extremely pleased with.

I have a tornado red car again!

After a spot of going over with a clay bar.



Polishing progress



And the result













I recommend this stuff, as it brought our awful, flat, pink, patchy paint back to life and it looks great!
Smells bloody nice too!



I'm so chuffed, I may even chance it and take it to work on Tuesday... Just a small matter of an hour's commute and no doubt, heavy traffic into Southend...

Best stock up on brave pills.


'90 Mk2 Golf GL running R32 Power. 'Gumpert'
'88 Tornado Red Mk2 Golf 1.8 16valve GTI. 'Hollie' - Winner of Best Mk2 GTI at the 2014 & 2017 National Meet

Re: Rescue Me - 1988 GTI 16v

Reply #52 –
Just took Mrs Mac out for a spin in the (now) Red Rocket for the first time since I had loads of things go wrong with it, which put the willies up her so she refused to go in it again...

Well she loved it. Took it down some B-Roads local to us, showing what she'll do after 4500 RPM. Oh such fun!

Also overtook a cyclist and turned around further up and when we went passed him again, he gave us a big thumbs up and a smile. Love it.

Then a trundle up the dual carriageway and made mincemeat of a 51 plate Fiesta Zetec S. I never knew how quick these little beasts are. Could seriously give my Skoda a real run for its money.

Grin factor up to 11!


'90 Mk2 Golf GL running R32 Power. 'Gumpert'
'88 Tornado Red Mk2 Golf 1.8 16valve GTI. 'Hollie' - Winner of Best Mk2 GTI at the 2014 & 2017 National Meet

Re: Rescue Me - 1988 GTI 16v

Reply #53 –
I will be taking her to work on Tuesday - 36 miles each way, lots of duel carriageways and then most likely stuck in traffic, so a good test.

If this goes well, then we will be bringing Hollie to the National Meet!


'90 Mk2 Golf GL running R32 Power. 'Gumpert'
'88 Tornado Red Mk2 Golf 1.8 16valve GTI. 'Hollie' - Winner of Best Mk2 GTI at the 2014 & 2017 National Meet

Re: Rescue Me - 1988 GTI 16v

Reply #54 –
But this was quite possibly it's first ever going over with a clay bar, plus the fact it had been sat under a fern tree for 5 years or so. The paint felt like sand paper. And I'm not even exaggerating.

Now feels like silk. :thumbs:


'90 Mk2 Golf GL running R32 Power. 'Gumpert'
'88 Tornado Red Mk2 Golf 1.8 16valve GTI. 'Hollie' - Winner of Best Mk2 GTI at the 2014 & 2017 National Meet

Re: Rescue Me - 1988 GTI 16v

Reply #55 –
It was driven as VW intended yeah. I feel a bit guilty about driving it hard though lol, as the poor thing has only just come out of respite! Will be a gentle cruise to work though.

Defo chap.

I am free after 19:45 from tomorrow through the week, so drop me a text and cruise over. :)


'90 Mk2 Golf GL running R32 Power. 'Gumpert'
'88 Tornado Red Mk2 Golf 1.8 16valve GTI. 'Hollie' - Winner of Best Mk2 GTI at the 2014 & 2017 National Meet

Re: Rescue Me - 1988 GTI 16v

Reply #56 –
Took the old girl to work today, 36 miles each way and it ran without a hitch.

Only when I started it to come home (after being off for 12 hours), although it started straight away, it was a bit reluctant to rev for about 10 seconds or so. Once given some revs it spluttered a bit and then revved freely and then drove fine.

Could this be anything to do with the cold starting issue I have been having, in which it will occasionally just turn over and not fire the morning after a drive where it had got hot? (I'm thinking that's due to the Warm Up Regulator).


'90 Mk2 Golf GL running R32 Power. 'Gumpert'
'88 Tornado Red Mk2 Golf 1.8 16valve GTI. 'Hollie' - Winner of Best Mk2 GTI at the 2014 & 2017 National Meet

Re: Rescue Me - 1988 GTI 16v

Reply #57 –
Well I know it's a sort of piston thing which regulates fuel into the "5th injector". So I'm thinking if it's stuck in either position it could be starving the engine of fuel during the hot day (today) and in the winter it was flooding it.

Guessing really!

Hopefully getting my hands on a new one soon!... Then I will be able to assess whether this is the fault. I also found that leaving the ignition on prior to starting for 10 seconds or so actually prevents this issue of non starting - so I think it must give the regulator those vital seconds to position itself correctly, if it is sticking, or hesitant.

My mind's going into overdrive lol.


'90 Mk2 Golf GL running R32 Power. 'Gumpert'
'88 Tornado Red Mk2 Golf 1.8 16valve GTI. 'Hollie' - Winner of Best Mk2 GTI at the 2014 & 2017 National Meet

Re: Rescue Me - 1988 GTI 16v

Reply #58 –
Thought I would stick up a couple of more recent pics of the old gal.



Drove it to work today and got all misty eyed at how amazingly this car drives. For those that didn't know, the cause of the non-starting issue was the distributor. I replaced it with a genuine one (bought from VW for a very reasonable part ex price) and it cured it.

These were taken at work today:
Can you guess where I work?  :lol:







This is all of the "good" side which is still perfect after hankmanus worked his magic, then showed me how to use a machine polisher.

This week though, we have a serious treat for her...  8-)


'90 Mk2 Golf GL running R32 Power. 'Gumpert'
'88 Tornado Red Mk2 Golf 1.8 16valve GTI. 'Hollie' - Winner of Best Mk2 GTI at the 2014 & 2017 National Meet

Re: Rescue Me - 1988 GTI 16v

Reply #59 –
It has indeed been months and this may sound like the lamest excuse ever, but we simply haven't had time, nor the money to purchase the goodies required to obtain the same sort of finish as the good side.

Fear not though. Mrs Mac and I have a few days off together as of tomorrow and the old girl (the car) is going to be spoilt... Not as is spoilt by being slammed with some coilovers and arches rolled... but properly spoilt!


'90 Mk2 Golf GL running R32 Power. 'Gumpert'
'88 Tornado Red Mk2 Golf 1.8 16valve GTI. 'Hollie' - Winner of Best Mk2 GTI at the 2014 & 2017 National Meet