1.8 8v nom nom nomming oil

[Mk1DUB]

Ok, so the catch can is roughly 1/3 full since fitting it before my last post. I was at full oil 2 weeks ago and was just above minimum on the dipstick yesterday.

I'm using Valvoline 15w-40 oil. Getting blue smoke taking off at lights and smoking on startup. If I rev it straight away it spits oil out of the exhaust (so I assume oil dropping onto pistons from worn valve seals). At this stage I'm thinking of just dropping it into a shop for a leakdown test.

So, what do you guys think? compression test won't reveal much except the overall state of the motor I suppose.. leakdown obviously will show if it's valves/rings/gaskets. With access to two 1.8 8v's for sale at low price (and even a 1.8T for $500), should I just throw one in and risk having a new set of issues to deal with down the road? Just find out what's wrong on my JH and have the peace of mind of knowing it's condition as time goes on? Find out what's missing for the 1.8T convert and piece it together while running the JH with some compression repair additives?

Sorry to continue to be a hassle lads, the woes of mk1 ownership aye?

If anyone in melb has any of these that I could borrow for a day, it'd be a huge help!

air compressor
compression tester
leakdown tester
valve spring compressor
stem seal plier

[sports racer]

There's no point in doing a compression test or leakdown, you already know you have an old engine. Replace it.

Rebuilding your 1.6 is an option but the 1.8 8v is such a better engine and so easy to swap. They would have done a lot less k's than your 1.6 and shouldn't need any work.

The 1.8 lets you fill the car with all your mates and go crusing without it feeling like it has an extra 200kg to lug around. Can't do that with a 1.6.

For now run a thicker oil to cut down the blue smoke. You might also try a different brand of petrol. Don't know why but my old MK1 GTI used to blow more smoke using one brand (can't remember which) than another.

Cheers

Paul

[Mk1DUB]

I have a 1.8 8v JH in it right now, or at least I was told so by the previous owner. It looks right from what I can tell and it's NO slug, that's for damn sure.

What oil thickness would you suggest then? 20W-40? I run either BP Ultimate or the Shell equivalent usually.

As to the age of the motor, I was told that it had ~150,000 on it when it went in, so it could be anywhere between 150 and 170 by now.. or creeping closer to the 200 mark. The replacements I'm looking at have 120,000 on one (was losing oil when last run, but not enough for him to bother fixing it.. could be rear/front seals which I'd do during the swap anyway). The other motor I'm yet to hear back in regards to the price and/or km's travelled.

My concern is that I don't KNOW what the issue is with mine, and it could be a simple stem seal replacement to get it another 40,000k's (if it's not wrecked in other places, which a leak down would show). Otherwise it could be a whole hone of the block with head reco (looking at ~$800) but then I'd know that I have a good 1.8 that's reco'd and ready to go for years to come. Whereas I could be in this exact same spot with either of the other 1.8's and I'd be looking at $800 for the motor+help installing it anyway...

And now here we are... reco my 1.8, put in a 2nd hander and possibly have the same issues in the near future, or go with the 1.8T.

Oh and thanks for the input mate, don't want to seem unappreciative.. this issue is just consuming me at the moment

[XXX-1.8T]

Yes the engine is a 1.8 8v JH and went like stink

[ericcs]

by the sound of it, the fact that your getting blue smoke almost all the time, the whole engine is tired and needs an overhaul. my experience with stem seals is the engine blows smoke on cold start up as oil has seeped down the stems while the engine cooled down and sat for a period. once the oil burn't away, the smoke stopped. there is no way worn stem seals would allow at least a litre of oil to be burn't in 2 weeks.
if you can get a second hand engine cheap, take the punt, otherwise re-ring it and get the head serviced, at it will right for a very long time

[Mk1DUB]

Cheers guys.

@XXX-1.8T - were you the previous owner of the motor before it went into the mk1? if so, do you know what work was done to the head? The guy I bought it from said something had been done in the way of porting but I wasn't sure what.

@Ericcs - I was thinking that it couldn't just be stem seals because of the drastic oil loss but it doesn't smoke after startup except with really hard acceleration from a set of lights. However it does get enough blowby to fill the catch can 1/3 in 1-2 months of regular driving. These could be attributed to stem seals.. since oil would drop seep onto the pistons while idleing and then get burned when taking off... right? same as when it's first turned on, except more oil as it's been seeping longer.

If I can find a low K 1.8 8v for cheap, then I'll just do the swap one day with my uncle who's offered his help for free (makes it far more realistic for me to do a swap rather than servicing the JH).

GeorgeMk1 has a 1.8 8v carbed but it was losing oil when he took it out and he never found out the cause (said it may be rear seal which would get done in the swap anyway). Another lad in vic has a low K 1.8 8v but hasn't replied with price yet. right now it could go either way, unless I find a really low k 1.8 8v for cheap...

[sports racer]

You've probably got worn piston rings which means new rings and a rebore of the cylinders. You'll need new pistons too so it's getting expensive to get your engine fixed. Why not go 2.0 from a MK3 or Audi, lots of them at the wreckers.

They go better with 1.8 heads though so you'd need to get your head reconditioned. Throw in a hot cam while you're at it to really get the Golf moving.

Just thought I'd add to your confusion.

[XXX-1.8T]

Cheers guys.

@XXX-1.8T - were you the previous owner of the motor before it went into the mk1? if so, do you know what work was done to the head? The guy I bought it from said something had been done in the way of porting but I wasn't sure what.

@Ericcs - I was thinking that it couldn't just be stem seals because of the drastic oil loss but it doesn't smoke after startup except with really hard acceleration from a set of lights. However it does get enough blowby to fill the catch can 1/3 in 1-2 months of regular driving. These could be attributed to stem seals.. since oil would drop seep onto the pistons while idleing and then get burned when taking off... right? same as when it's first turned on, except more oil as it's been seeping longer.

If I can find a low K 1.8 8v for cheap, then I'll just do the swap one day with my uncle who's offered his help for free (makes it far more realistic for me to do a swap rather than servicing the JH).

GeorgeMk1 has a 1.8 8v carbed but it was losing oil when he took it out and he never found out the cause (said it may be rear seal which would get done in the swap anyway). Another lad in vic has a low K 1.8 8v but hasn't replied with price yet. right now it could go either way, unless I find a really low k 1.8 8v for cheap...

I was the second owner. The first owner was the one that put the JH engine in. Car ran like a dream and hauled ass. Not sure what happened after that. Car was passed around like a cheap whore so since i sold it had 4 or 5 owners Hope someone gives it the love it deserves

[Mk1DUB]

@XXX-1.8T - Well I intend to drive it semi daily for the next 2 years and then take it off the road while I derust, paint, and tidy up the little beast. Until then I need to get it running reliably.

I've looked at the 2.0 with 1.8 head switcharoony, and I'm interested... but there are so many variations that it's hard to know what to work with and what will be reliable. I've sourced a 2E (2.0 8v long block) with 52,000k's on it for only $340 and I could probably grab a cheap 1.8 8v head to throw on it (so I don't have to get mine reco'd and can just do the swap). From my understanding I can use my 4 speed 020 tranny and the 1.8 head should mean the exhaust/intake bolts up just fine.

My concern is that running the 2E on my 32/36 carb could be a bitch... All of these conversions I've seen are running on EFI, with the exception of skilled motorsports enthusiasts running it on carbs... don't suppose any of you have some input in regards to this? Other issues will be with the distributor. Apparently I can use my mechanical dizzy and just have conservative timing to protect from knocks (getting into territory that I know NOTHING about)....

So, anyone got some insight into how I might go about doing the hybrid swap with carbs? I'm also worried that my radiator won't connect right up, the 90mm vs 100mm driveshaft (dunno what I've got and what I'll need), possibly fouling the exhaust because the 2E is a longer block (unlike the audi bubble block 2.0 8v), and whatever else could go wrong haha.

I'm assuming everyone is going to tell me that I can't possibly have everything together and do the swap in one day and that I should just dive in feet first and work it out as I go (which is a problem because I need to drive it haha).

Maybe I should just cough up for a 5speed 020, linkages, driveshafts and eyeball the coolant hoses etc and see what I'm missing before I throw it in... Even after having all the bits and bobs though, I've heard people having serious issues with the fueling... scary **** for someone who had done almost nothing mechanical until owning this mk1.

My brain is going to explode, trying to figure this out

[ericcs]

just put a 1.8v carb head on the 2E and put your manifold and carb on it. the 32/36 can easily be jetted to suit, as these carbs came standard on 2L escorts and even mid 80's 4.1L crossflow fords.

if you use your 4sp box, your 90mm flanges will be ok, and they're interchangeable if you choose to run a 5sp!