mk2 (a2) golf 1.6td engine troubles

[Aragorn]

Ive recently aquired a mk2 golf 1.6TD ('91) from a relative

they had the car a few moths and "the head gasket went", took it to a garage who replaced the gasket (without skimming the head i should add) and the problem still exists

ive got the car and ive had a quick look at it, there is no coolant in the expansion tank and the oil is waaay over the max line and is creamy which would indicate water and oil mixing

the old head gasket is in the boot and on inspection looks perfect, no visible breaches between water and oil galleries

ive not had any dealings with these engines so im wondering if there are any common faults it could be - ie cracked heads or blocks or warped heads or anythingi can look for specifically

i intend to remove the head soon for inspection but am having trouble finding a haynes manual for it? it looks similar to the 1.9td lump but im not sure if i could simply use a 1.9td manual to sort this lump, or will i have to shell out the £35 (US$65) for a bentley manual??

ive been told a head skim will probably be all it needs, however ive also been told i'll need to line bore the cam? not quite sure on this as when i spoke to my local machine shop the bloke just said it would probably need a skim and nothing more

also been told to use a 1.9td head gasket on the rebuild

any info would be greatly appreciated


cheers

[Dr. Diesel]

can they skim the head and check the cam bearings for straightness?

[mk1vdub]

yup you'll have to fork out for a bentley manual as haynes don't do one :cry:

[Aragorn]

will a 1.9TD passat manual give me enough info for stripdown regarding injector pump positioning etc while im waiting on the bentley manual for reassembly? as the heads and injector pumps seem to be interchangeable im guessing they are very similar engines...

i get the feeling that the cam/crank/injector pump will all need set to a specific place before stripdown and kept there for easy reassembly?

quicker i can get it stripped the quicker i can get the head into the machine shop for repairs

amazon will probably be 2-3 days for delivery on the manual but if the 1.9 manual is no good i guess i'll just wait

[Aragorn]

ive read the manual and by the looks of it dissasembly should be easy enough - alignment seems to need done on reassembly only as all the pulleys need to come off to remove the rear belt cover...

however i did notice it says that the 1.9td engines cylinder head cannot be refaced... is this just a precautionary thing? or a 1.9 only thing?

dont fancy having to try n find a new head for this engine :/

[Hammy]

When the head gasket is replaced, it needs to be held in place with dowels that screw into the block. These are for aligning the gasket to the block, and head. If the dowels are not used, the gasket can somewhat  slip out of place, causing leaks internally and soforth. Some people use old head bolts and cut a slot in them  so that they can be removed afterwards.

 I'm pretty sure that the 1.9L head gasket can be used on the 1.6L. It is supposed to be a better head gasket. Make sure you get the right thickness also.

 Did anyone crack test the head? I personally would be more worried about the head being cracked, than warped. Ask around though, don't just take my word for it.

 Spend the money and wait for the Bentley book. Money well spent.

[Aragorn]

i will certainly be waiting on the bentley book for reassembly

disasembly seems quite streight forward tho as far as i can tell, basically remove pipes (and cover turbo inlet), remove timing cover and remove belt and pulleys, remove rear cover, remove solid injector feed lines, unbolt turbo/downpipe, unbolt headbolts according to pattern, lift head off, remove manifolds

think i'll get cracking on with it the next few days

took about 30mins to drain the oil out there was that much and it was that sludgey :/

once i get it up and running im sure there a few tweeks i can do to erk out some extra ponies too, been skimming over some articles regarding boost pin mod, govenor mod and max fuel adjustment so i'll see how much i can get out of her before knocking the boost up

[janb]

however i did notice it says that the 1.9td engines cylinder head cannot be refaced... is this just a precautionary thing? or a 1.9 only thing?

precautionary warning, they can be shaved, but only a limited amount

ive been told a head skim will probably be all it needs, however ive also been told i'll need to line bore the cam? not quite sure on this as when i spoke to my local machine shop the bloke just said it would probably need a skim and nothing more

you will need to line bore if warp exceeds 0.1mm, as your journals will no longer be in line, otherwise your cam will eventually break, or seize from poor lubrication  (then you WILL need a new head)

also been told to use a 1.9td head gasket on the rebuild

Metal 1.9 gasket a plus for Turbo compression, use 1.9 gasket only if you have a Hydraulic 1.6 (which a '91 should be, but never know till you check)
janb

[Aragorn]

ok engineer has just got back to me:

first off he says hes pressure tested the head and its fine no cracks etc, it also has signs of recent skimming so he asked me to look for an oil cooler on the engine - ive done this and it appears there is one fitted between the oil filter and the casting that comes out of the block?

have these been known to go porus?

if so is it likely that thats the problem in this case?

im gonna remove it and get the guy to pressure test it for me...

should i get a mild skim of the head anyway just to be safe?

cheers

[GTD.]

On reading this thread as soon as you said

ive got the car and ive had a quick look at it, there is no coolant in the expansion tank and the oil is waaay over the max line and is creamy which would indicate water and oil mixing

the old head gasket is in the boot and on inspection looks perfect, no visible breaches between water and oil galleries

 I thought oil cooler.

The oil coolers have been known to leak, causing oil to get in to the coolant and vise versa.

Replace the cooler, and flush the engine, if oil has got in the coolant sysem you'll need to flush that too, might be wotrh draining to check.

You shouldnt need the head skimming gasket replacement or any other head work, I'd suggest a new (too be on the safe side) genuine cooler from either VW or GPC VW Audi http://www.gpcvwaudi.com/ as pattern oil coolers arnt always up to much.

I did a search on the http://www.clubgti.com/forum as there was a thread about this ages ago but nothing turned up as that was ages ago and the search function dosen't work very well most 1.6> engines including GTi's have the cooler.

Hope this helps[/url]

[Aragorn]

can anyone give me some pointers as to how it comes off?

ive removed the coolant pipes but rhere doesnt seem to be anytihgn holding it on?

does it just screw on like an oil filter?

dont wanna force it and its not mentioned in the haynes manual i have just now

[Patrick]

Not sure but I think you have to take the whole thing off at the block.

[rackley]

Don't mean to highjack your thread, but I also have an engine with a bad internal oil leak.  Just bought it for $400, it's a 91.  Knew it didn't run when I bought it.  Opened up the coolant expansion tank today while I'm doing a through inspection and the thing is CAKED in oil on the inside.  I'm assuming the rest of the engine block, head, rad and pipes are all caked in oil internally.  

It there any way to dissolve the oil out of the coolant passages?  I'm just wondering if it's even worth taking off the head, etc or if I'm better off just junking the engine and getting one that's known to run from a junkyard?

Ray

[fspGTD]

Sounds like you are on the right track having your oil cooler pressure tested.  To remove it, first unscrew the oil filter below.  Then, loosen the nut below the oil cooler.  Then with the coolant lines removed, it should just fall right down.  There is a rubber seal between it and the filter flange above.  When you go to re-install it, be careful to use the correct torque spec on the nut that holds it in place... it is not as tight as you might guess looking at the size of the nut.  It is also recommend to replace the rubber seal with a new one.

I would recommend if the pressure test fails, buying a brand new oil cooler.  There are sources for these coolers OEM-quality available aftermarket for as cheap as around $100.  With an old cooler, the thin aluminum walls I think may corrode away with time and hot old coolant agitation, so a brand new unit should have the best prospects for long-term survival.

Good luck!