Buying
Mk2 Scirocco buying guide pt2
Engines
Engines are shared with thousands of other vehicles from the VAG range, so are of good pedigree and long lasting. The straight four 8-valve Scirocco engine can run well into 100,000 miles before a major overhaul is necessary. Long life is made easier by regular oil and filter changes (around every 5000 miles). Oil filters should have a non return valve -genuine VW filters always do.
GTX
Bottom ends are extremely strong and only fail in isolated cases. The cylinder heads are similarly hard wearing but can often suffer from valve-stem oil seal failure, identified by blue tinted smoke from the exhaust. Mk2′s until mid 1984 have solid lifter tappets which can make their presence known by become noisy and clattery, regular oil changes will help to keep them in check but adjustment or replacement is possible with the right tools. Post mid 1984 the tappets were hydraulic. The Cambelt should be checked every 5000 miles and replaced every 60,000 miles. Maintenance is fairly straightforward with most service parts easily accessed. The cylinder head and oil sump can be removed with the engine in situ. Routine servicing should be carried out around every 6000 miles.
Check all coolant items. The radiator should be in good shape with little damage to the fins and not leaking. All hoses should be free of splits. Hoses are easy to obtain and replace. Water pumps are usually hard wearing but can fail, look for telltale crystalised coolant around the outlets and coolant weeping. Thermostats are located at the bottom of the water pump. Antifreeze should contain corrosion inhibitors and be used all year round, with flushing and refilling every three to five years depending on vehicle usage.
Exhaust
Up until mid 1984, exhaust manifolds are connected to a downpipe via six bolts, ensuring that replacing a downpipe is fairly straightforward. Post mid 1984 VW decided to clamp the manifold in place with two clips, which can be a nightmare to replace without the correct tool. Genuine VW systems are long lasting and the system itself consists of a downpipe, a middle box, an over-pipe that clears the rear axle and a rear box. Connections, clamps and rubber hangers ensure easy replacement. Manifolds do have a reputation for cracking but this may be exaggeration in practice.
Transmission and Drive Gear
The four and five speed rod-change gearboxes are well documented to be very hardwearing. Synchromesh can be a tad stiff with first and second gears from cold but should be ok once the car has warmed up. If persistent, a gearbox rebuild may be on the cards. Sloppy gear change can be rectified by replacing the nylon bushes that are at the pivot points of the selector rods. This is an easy DIY job. Clutches can last beyond 70,000 miles and well into 100,000 miles. A slipping clutch will be the most obvious sign that it needs replacing but a crunchy reverse selection may be a sign of poor clutch adjustment. › Continue reading
Mk2 Scirocco buying guide pt1
Mk2 Scirocco
Launched in March 1981 in Europe and reaching the UK in mid 1982, the second generation of the Scirocco stretched the coupe with a hatchback concept further and was designed in-house by VW. The chassis was taken directly over from the Mk1 Scirocco meaning that the wheelbase and track dimensions remained the same as the outgoing model but the body was enlarged giving more room inside and increased luggage space: 14.6 cu ft with the rear seat in place, rising to 42.2 cu ft with the rear seat folded. Aerodynamic design was improved with the Mk2 Scirocco having a drag coefficiency of 0.38 (an improvement of 10% over the Mk1) with the high rear spoiler being an integral element to slippery shape. More details found in the design history article.
Specification
The Mk2 was subject to specification and trim changes regularly throughout its life but the alterations were largely cosmetic. In the UK, initially three models were offered, the CL, GL and GTi, all with single wiper and small rear spoiler.
The CL had a 1457cc capacity carburettor engine, four speed gearbox and 155×13 tyres. The CL specification included cloth interior, laminated glass, rear wash/wipe, heated rear window and three speed heater fan.
The GL was powered by a 1588cc 70bhp carburettor engine with a 4+E (E for ‘economy’) and 175/70×13 tyres on 5 inch alloy wheels. In addition to the CL it was equipped with fog lamps inboard of the main headlamps, headlamp washers, seat height adjusters, internally adjustable door mirrors and velour interior.
Mk2 GTI
The GTi was launched with the 1588cc 110bhp fuel injection engine with a top speed of 117mph, surpassing the contemporary Golf GTi. Standard equipment included an oil to air cooler, ventilated brake discs, anti-roll bars front and rear, five speed sporting ratio gearbox, 5.5×13 ‘nine spoke’ alloy wheels, sports seats and oil temperature gauge. Unlike the GL the inner lamps on the GTi were additional high beams, with fog lamps hung under the bumper. The GTi was also identified by the legend ‘SCIROCCO’ lettering underneath the spoiler on the rear screen.
In 1983 the Scirocco was given the new range of higher torque engines from VAG and increased specification: the CL gained the 1595cc 75bhp engine, 4+E gearbox and 175/70 tyres; the GL the 1781cc 90bhp unit, anti-roll bars and alloy wheel width was increased to 5.5 inches; and the GTi the 1781cc 112bhp fuel injected engine. The GTi also gained a tilt/slide sunroof, split folding rear seat and MFA computer that monitored average mileage, journey time, oil temperature and external ambient temperature amongst other things. The oil temp gauge was therefore changed to a volt meter on the GTi. Late 1983 also saw the introduction of two windscreen wipers replacing the mono wiper across the entire range. › Continue reading
Mk1 Scirocco buying guide pt2
Suspension and steering
Mk1s on test track
Suspension consists of Macpherson struts with wishbones at the front and trailing arms at the rear. Springs can snap is rusty and the dampers are oil or gas filled. Make sure the formers are not leaking. Check the suspension top mounts for signs of fatigue, if they are hard and brittle and the car crashes on bumps then its time to replace them. Rear top mounts have a much easier time and very rarely need replacing.
The suspension can be invigorated by replacing the top mounts and the wishbone and rear axle beam bushes. The bushes do have a shelf life and take a lot of punishment. Replacements are cheap and wishbones can be purchased already bushed, otherwise a press is required to remove and refit the wishbone bushes. Rear beam pivot bushes will always require a press to replace them. Bushes can be upgraded to poly replacements if originality is not hugely important.
Steering should be light and precise and it is worth checking wheel alignment and tracking before consigning the rack to the bin. The rack itself is long lasting but if steering is sloppy it may need replacing. Steering rack mounting bushes can also perish and will benefit from being replaced. No Mk1s left the factory with power steering.
Fueling
Petrol consumption figures are quite frugal, even in the injected models. 35mpg is easily achievable, meaning not much of a headache at the pumps. All Mk1s will run on unleaded petrol. Most owners recommend putting super unleaded in these older cars as the higher octane rating is kinder to the engines.
When buying a Mk1, always try to ensure that the car is started from cold. If it hesitates to fire up and idle smoothly during warm up suspect the carburettor or on injection models the cold start valve (5th injector). On carb models the original auto-choke Pierburg or Zenith units can become troublesome with age and many vehicles have had their replaced with the simpler and more efficient Weber carburettor with a manual choke. Both carb and fuel injection models should idle at around 900rpm once past the warm-up period. Misfiring on fuel injected cars is more likely to be tired spark plugs or faulty HT leads rather than injection system problems.
Throttle response should be smooth and without resistance -if it isn’t smooth inspect the condition of the cable and the mechanism at the carb or throttle body.
The weak link of the mk1 fuel sytem is the metal filler neck which runs from the rear quarter to the tank. Due to the proximity of the wheel arch this area is a notorious rust trap as the rear wheel throws salt and muck and road debris against the filler neck enabling corrosion to take hold and eventually pit the neck with holes, leading to contamination of the fuel. › Continue reading
Mk1 Scirocco buying guide pt1
TS -pre launch '73
Introduced in 1974 and based around the floorplan and mechanicals of the Volkswagen Golf, the handsome Scirocco coupe was actually launched six months before the Golf to iron out teething issues before commencement of the high volume hatchback. More details found in the design history article.
Specification
The first incarnations of the Scirocco were driven by the new VW/Audi 1571cc overhead camshaft engine coupled with an all-synchromesh 4 speed gearbox or 3 speed automatic driving the front wheels and fuelled by a carburettor. Like other German cars of the 1970s, Sciroccos were relatively well equipped, the first 1974 TS models sporting 13″ alloy wheels, quadruple halogen headlamps, twin two speed wipers, reversing lamps, rear heated window, reclining front seats with integral headrests, full carpeting and a centre console all as standard specification.
In mainland Europe, the Scirocco was also offered with VW’s smaller block engines, initially the 1 litre unit and later the 1.3 engine. Externally these cars are identified by large square rectangular headlamps rather than the quad round lamps and 13″ steel wheels. These are few and far between these days.
For October 1975, the engine capacity had been increased to 1588cc and for aerodynamic reasons the twin windscreen wipers were replaced with a distinctive single arm that swept the entire screen. This would be a Scirocco feature and be carried over into the early versions of the Mk2.
In October 1976, for the 1977 model year, the TS was replaced by the GLS. The GLS was mechanically identical but featured interior and trim revisions of vinyl and cord upholstery (replacing the tartan of the TS), part carpeted door cards, laminated windscreen, tinted windows, standard rear wash/wipe and revised control stalks, steering wheel and ventilation system. Externally the GLS carried a plastic front spoiler.
'76 GTI
A year later major external revisions were made to the indicators, wrapping them around the front wings and the addition of plastic bumpers that reached the wheel arches (replacing the chromed metal units with thier shorter end caps) and black B-pillar trims. On the continent, the exciting new fuel injected version Scirocco, the GTI, had been released and was available as a left hand drive import in the UK until the right hand drive version arrived in 1979 known as the GLi.
The GLi was powered by the same 1588cc fuel injected engine found in the Golf GTi and was reckoned to be as good, if not better than the Golf, due to the Scirocco having a lower centre of gravity and a more slippery shape. The 1979 GLi was joined in the UK by another fuel injected model, the Scirocco Storm that was a top of the range model featuring leather sport seats and door cards, plush carpeting that continued into the boot and a black instrument panel. Externally it was identified by flatter versions of the GLS alloy wheels and a large front fibreglass airdam. Both GLi and Storm also featured the GTi front ventilated brake discs. 1979 also saw internal revisions for the GLS, replacing the seats for cloth covered versions with headrests and revised patterns. › Continue reading