Anybody know much about mk2 jetta's?

[e30lov]

I thought the 8 valve was a non interference motor? I had a buddy who snapped his belt and all he did was just pop another one on and he drove off fine.

[Pinepig]

I thought the 8 valve was a non interference motor? I had a buddy who snapped his belt and all he did was just pop another one on and he drove off fine.

Depends on compression ratio, they came in different flavors.

[HarryPotter]

I coulda sworn all the 8v's were non interference. The 16v on the other hand not so much. My gli was a pile of shit, it was beautiful to look at and sit in. Everytime I opened the hood I would just cringe at the thought of working on anything in that bay.

[gtdragon980]

^ the guy actually mentioned something about that non interference stuff. Sounds good to me if thats true! But im going to check the car out tomorrow and if everything checks out okay, i'll be taking home the MKII.....or will i just get another e30....hmm..

[Stanley Rockefeller]

^ the guy actually mentioned something about that non interference stuff. Sounds good to me if thats true! But im going to check the car out tomorrow and if everything checks out okay, i'll be taking home the MKII.....or will i just get another e30....hmm..

With old cars, I find its' just best to stick with what you know and what you comfortable with (which may mean going e30 again).

IMHO I avoid all VW's of the golf and jetts flavours unless it has a warranty and is from the german built variety. AFAIK the jetta you are referring to was mexican made and not as reliable.

[mr.vang]

a civic will suite you better. gas saver, reliable and you have VTEC.. lol

[88e30ix]

a civic will suite you better. gas saver, reliable and you have VTEC.. lol

X2!

I have this and its a money pit!When you think you are done spending money, something else comes up that you just have to buy to make it perform better!
Here is what I am talking about!

http://s105.photobucket.com/albums/m202/fofu6269/?action=view&current=VID_20100930_134946.mp4

[b*saint]

ooooo gli. so cool. gotta goto waterfest.

The 8v is non interference.

[herbivor]

I had a low mileage Mk2 GLI. While it was fun to drive, it was a cheap piece of crap that always needed work. When you work on 'em you realize how cheap they really are compared to E30s. That I was the only car I had that was a true money pit. I would buy a used Honda Fit if you want something cheap, good on gas, and reliable.

[beeasy]

Check for rust on the strut towers and floor pans etc.

[Sagaris]

I had some MK1's, MK2's, and an MK3 , CIS, CIS-E, Digifant, Motronic, all of it.

The good news is they are simple and cheap to repair.
The bad news is that you get really sick of working on them and not being able to rely on them.

[hi0982000]

I had a 88 mk2 golf and i drove the piss out of that. All over New England. 1400 mile trips every 3 months for college and that thing never missed a beat. Sure i put some money into it. CV axles, Tune up parts, front A arm bushings, timing Belt. But the cost per mile was so cheap because i got parts from Foreign car part and rock auto whenever i could. Even at the zone the parts are dirt cheap compared to the e30. I would buy another one if i could for a daily to work on the e30. I was lucky enough to have the digifant tho so that could be half the reason for my good luck. If you drive it and look it over and its not falling apart im sure you will have good luck.

non interference = Free Wheeling
Had to clear that up.

[der affe]

The HT motor should be an interference motor. It is the same as a GTI 9.5:1 IIRC.

CIS is not all that bad, it is just different than what most are used to dealing with. He parts are more expensive to replace, but plentiful used and met seldom wear out. Fuel pumps are stupid $ for the main, but the transfer pump is around $40. I recommend replacing it if it has not been already ( there is also a recall for them. That means go to the dealer and get it done for free!) If the transfer goes out, it will kill the main that is big $.

There is a gromett that goes into the valve cover for your PCV/idle air motor. They are seldom replaced and a common source of leaks. They must be bought from the dealer and will come out of Germany so you will have to wait about a week for it.

Not all GLIs came with recaros esp not the 8v.

Your GLI is made in Germany.

I spent a lot of time and $ modding A-2 VW's. If you have and questions feel free to ask.

Also, if your front motor mount is broken (most likely ) you can swap the later hydrolic mount in if you get the bracket from the wreckers. That mount costs a fraction of the correct one. Save your old one though, I.used to make custom urathane centers for high HP motors and I could make you one if you need it.

[der affe]

Headlight switches go out if you up grade the headlights and bulbs without doing a direct power wiring up grade. I used to keep spares in the car after I switched to H-4 lights. After I changed the wiring to direct power with relays of course, no more problems and about 50% brighter lighting.

The electrical portion of the ignition switch can be an issue if you use some Finkey after market one. Use a Bosch or Hella one or buy them from the dealer. They are the same as bug, bus, type III, rabbit, 944, 924, 914, karmann Ghia, fox,
GTI, Jetta and some Audi like the 4000 and 5000. For that reason they are in the $30-ish range from the dealer VS $20 aftermarket

[gtdragon980]

Well I contacted the owner today to go see the car and he said he found out today it has a headgasket problem!! But, all the responses about how its a money pit and the reliability has got me thinking of going back down the e30 route and just picking up a 318i or maybe a 325e..just seems like it would be better down the road since i have experience with these.