Hello

Hi, I'm Milly, live in Greenwich and have a Mk 1 Golf, 1983 1.1 formal E, Mars Red, about 158,000 miles on the clock. Had it for 4 months (was my brothers for 7 years before that). It's generally a good runner, I love it but am having a few problems with it and am wondering if it is worth the time and money to sort it out a bit. I think its maybe just a bit worn out!  Recent service said it was in good condition for its age but its a bit clunky changing gear (engine mounts?) and cuts out when slowing down if the choke is not out a little bit (transmition?) (these are other people's suggestions as I don't know the first thing about cars, this is my first, also the clutch it extremely heavy which is hard work in traffic) Does anyone know anyone in South East London / Kent who's good with Mk 1s who I could take it to to have a look at it? or should i just sell it for a project and get myself a slightly newer one? thanks

Hi Milly,

Welcome to the site. Quite a few of us around and about in Kent! I live near Ashford.

The car doesn't sound bad at all, it probably just needs a tune and some tweaking to worn parts. The Formel E engine is a little more tricky than some of the others, but not beyond the capabilities of people on this forum to help. I'll move this post to the small engine section so it gets seen by the right people.

I can recommend a mk1 friendly garage in Canterbury though, a number of us go there and have been made welcome with good service.

Volksline 226 Broad Oak Road, Canterbury CT2 7PX
Dial 01227 767958 and ask for Ian.

Make sure you say you got the info from the Mk1 Golf Owners' Club.

Best of luck,

Cheers,

Drew.

Welcome Milly,
…….another from Kent.
I would say that if the body shell is good with no serious rust it's worth spending a bit to replace worn out mechanical bits (suspension, brakes etc). You don't have to pay an arm and a leg, I'm sure I have seen ads for VW specialist places based near you, and you have GS&F (German, Swedish & French) at Thurrock, and others for reasonably priced parts. As Drew says, we use Volksline in Canterbury, who although being just down the road from the main VAG Dealer, are MUCH cheaper (and friendlier).

The gear change could very well (at that mileage) be just the linkage bushes - about ?5 for the bits. It could be the synchros, but I've learnt to live with it on the GTI - it's the way you drive it !!!!
The clutch can be heavy, but I found that a new cable sorted out my

old 'Faithful'

and the GTI.

If the engine smokes (and smells) it's usually the valve seals - again quite cheap to cure.

As long as the engine does not 'rattle' it should go on for ever !!

Hi Milly, as the other guys say doesn't sound to bad. The engine dying on the overrun when slowing down at junctions and traffic lights isn't that uncommon. Most likely carb needs tuning/cleaning or air/vacuum pipes need cleaning out or replacing. Also worth getting new points, condensor and distributor rotor arm if these haven't been changed for a while. These parts can often cause poor running and are ?4 or so a piece.

Good luck

As mentioned, stalling on overrun (slowing down) usually means that the mixture is too weak in the carburettor, but at 158,000 miles, it's likely that the carb is also worn, as well as out of adjustment, so it might be hard to adjust correctly - you might have to consider getting the carb re-built or getting a replacement. In my experience, a rebuilt VAG carb is better than the Weber replacement one, but it's your call (Ask if you want the name of a good carb-rebuilders)

You probably need new engine mounts at that mileage, which will improve the gear-changes, but also check the condition of the gear-shift linkage.

If you are finding the clutch very heavy, try fitting a Golf Mk2 1.3 clutch cable - an improved design and different route around the back of the engine means that the pedal feels a lot lighter.