GOLF MK1 1300 GF Timing Marks

Good afternoon Dub Heads, Please help!!!!
So I've recently adopted a 1980 Golf MK1 with a 1300 GF lump.

I bought the car as a shell and built it up with all existing parts.

I have been using the car for about 2 months now but notice it gets quite hot when driving, especially when the engine is laboring it raises to approx. 3/4 to max, when I notice it heating up I pull over and let it cool down, I don't switch off or anything, I just let it idle and the temp comes down and then carry on.

I have gone through the cooling system as this was my first suspicion. So far I have replaced the radiator with a new BEHR one, I have replaced the water pump as well as thermostat but no change.

I suspect that the timing could be causing this as the engine didn't come with timing covers. The only indication I have is the TDC plate which sits above the crankcase pulley so TDC isn't a problem, however I am not sure of the cam timing.

Can anyone please advise how I can set the cam to the correct timing without the covers.

I once read that on the Golf mk2 HK engine which looks similar to the GF engine, you can line the cam pulley mark with the welsh plug that sits on the side of the block, approx. 6 o' clock. Not sure if this would apply to the GF engine as-well?


Thank you.

Can't help with the timing marks, but the radiator fan is controlled by the radiator fan switch, did you replace it with new?  If you replaced it with new did you test it prior to install as new ones have been known to be bad out of the box.

Did you also test the fan to verify that it is running?

Hi Braino,

Thanks for your reply.

The radiator the car came with was a top fill radiator which wasn't in a good shape at all, I took it in to be refurbished but the core was rotten and the guys wanted a arm, leg and kidney to re-build it.

I opted to get the radiator from the later model Golfs as the top fill one isn't / wasn't available.

I mounted the bracket for the water bottle on the front shock housing as it sits in the later model Golfs and added a expansion tank.

The wiring was in a bit of a mess when I got the car and as a result I haven't connected the fan through the fan switch as yet. I'm currently connecting the fan manually (It does work though). I have fiddled around with the wiring to get it to operate through the switch as I don't want to be connecting manually as the fan then constantly runs and I risk the chance of burning it out.

I've tried connecting through the switch using the earth wires and the 12+V but none work. If I bridge the wires either way the fan works but when connected through the switch nothing happens so I do suspect a faulty switch. The one which is on there at the moment is actually a brand new one.