My 1984 MK2 GTi

[ozgti]

I know!

Is the oil cap supposed to bounce when you loosen it? Or does it mean the valve stem seals are on the way out?

[ozgti]

Got the head off.. That was a fun job! Can't get to one of the exhaust manifold bolts, so I popped the clips and took the whole lot out.
Found a huuuuge amount of carbon buildup- almost like rust scale. Cleaned them as best I can.


Problem:
1. The exhaust manifold has 2 cracks in it.
2. The reco head I have has 4 cam caps, not 5 like my original. There is no provision for the 5th cap (between 3/4 cylinder) Will this matter?
3. My new tensioner doesn't have a hex head to tension with, just 2 small holes. Should I change it for a proper one or is there a way of doing it?


What else should I do while the head is off?

[ozgti]

Exhaust manifold coming soon,
Gearshift rebuild kit coming. Thinking about trying to clean up the engine bay.. We'll see how I go for time!

[ozgti]

What does a dropped valve sound like?

[ozgti]

If I have a leak at the exhaust manifold/pipe on an 4 branch, does it sound like a tap tap sound? It seems to go with revs, but it's so noisy I can't tell.

Also, It sounds like my engine has a loose bracket. You rev it and it sounds like something vibrates. I've checked all the brackets and tightened up/replaced the snapped alternator bolts. Could it be an engine mount? My front one is a horizontal mount, not the verticle one most Mk2's have.

[Jarred]

check the exhaust movement for tapping noises, apart from that, you'll have to just try and pin point where it is in the engine bay. Ie have someone rev the car and you listen to find where it's coming from. Noises are very hard to diagnose across the internet.

as for the exhaust leak, get a piece of paper (news paper is good, cause it's light and flexible) and hold a piece up against near where you think the leak is. if there's a leak, it should wiggle around as if you were blowing on it. Other method is to cover the exhaust pipe for a second or 2, with a rag, and listen for an increase in pressure being forced out from the suspected 'leak.damaged' area. slightly harder to do, especially if you have a loud ish exhaust.

hope this helps.

[ozgti]

Thanks Jarred. Would a leak at the manifold/pipe are make a tapping sound?

[Jarred]

potentially, yes. I had extractors come apart (bolt fell out, and slowly worked the others loose) and it started off as a ticking, but after about two days it was pretty noticeable that is was an exhaust leak. (got much louder)

hth

[ryana89]

A diagram of various MK2 exhaust systems

4. Exhaust System

Would a leak at the manifold/pipe are make a tapping sound

My car had a (slightly) 'tappety' sound in the engine bay when the cap on the CO test/tap tube was removed/broken (see below)

[ozgti]

Cool. I don't have the flex joint in mine (bodged it to get it to run) so I'll get the exhaust dude to weld one in when he replaces my magnex rear box.

Edit: I take the cap off and it's not any louder.