Trim & Paint
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
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