It's all in the timing......

[Stannum1574]

Help. My sons and I have just completed installing a mk3 Golf 1.8 litre engine in our Mk1 Golf Cabriolet. I'm no expert mechanic so it's been a great learning experience for all of us but we've hit a brick wall right at the last hurdle. Is that a mixed metaphor?

The Mk3 engine we've installed was originally a fuel injection motor and therefore had no vacuum advance on the distributor being fully electronic engine management. We've used our inlet manifold and Weber carb from the out-going Mk1 engine on the in-coming Mk3 engine and therefore we had to install the distributor from the Mk1 engine in order to have vacuum advance. I've never removed and replaced a distributor before and I think we've totally ruined the timing on the Mk3 engine. We tried to do it really carefully and follow the instructions in the workshop manual, but when we got it finally fully installed and plumbed/wired in this afternoon it won't start. It struggles to turn over and won't fire at all. I'm no expert but it really sounds like a timing issue to me.

Assuming that it is a timing problem how do you get the timing right again if you've managed to stuff it? Help, please help. This has been a long project and we are now three very disappointed men.

Thanks for any help, David.

[mikinoz]

I'd be willing to offer my advice, but as I am merely also a no expert mechanic - I am going to wish you all the best and encourage you to keep at it and let us know how you go! I am sure the cheers when you do will be worth the perseverance.

[Peter Jones]

Turn the motor by hand to get piston no1 to top dead centre.

There should be a mark on the flywheel that'll get you close, then use a screwdriver down the no 1 spark plug hole while turning the motor by hand to find the exact top of the stroke.

Now that you're at TDC on the firing stroke for no1 you can set up the dizzy.

The dizzy rotor should be pointing at the corner of the block, if it's not pull the dizzy out rotate it and put it back in.

Once you've got he dizzy back in and the rotor's pointing at the corner of the block you rotate the body of the dizzy until the mark on the rim lines up with the rotor.

That mark, the position of the rotor and that post on the cap correspond with cylinder no1.

That should give you a starting point.

[Stannum1574]

Thanks very much for the detailed advice Peter. We now have it running. It took a bit of mucking about to get it to fire but it runs now. Still running like a pig, but next chance we get we'll get the timing light on it and hopefully have her running sweetly. Thanks again.

[Peter Jones]

Cool, glad to hear you got it up and running. The 1800 is a great motor for a MK1.

[Golf Loon]

Just saw this thread, glad she is alive.

With regards to the running like a pig, check for vacuum leaks and make sure you have a reducer, or a smaller return line from the carby. Otherwise the pump sends half the juice back to the tank and it will never run right.

Get it running and turn the dissy to the left to advance the timing and left to retard, if you go too far either way it stalls. Slightly to the left of the middle of the sweet zone is the best spot.

Also check your leads, dissy cap, rotor and plugs.

Hope she is running well now, I agree with Pete the Cordoba engines are the best easy upgrade for a mK1.

[GRN_VAGN]

smaller return line from the carby. Otherwise the pump sends half the juice back to the tank and it will never run right.

Did not know that, I got same size lines for it all!!

I replaced mine with all 8mm stuff, so will a 6mm return line be enough?