Golf GTI Mk2

[Spyda]

You hear lots of talk about smaller valves & a different ECU on this forum but I have not been able to find any documentation any where to back this up.

I looked in to it and the RV engine is what they use in California where they have strict emission laws. The computer they use in California is Digi 1 as far as i know, due to the emission laws again. The computer in my aussie mk2 is a DigiII which is the same as in every other mk2. GolfLoon tells me there are some differences in the Aussie ecu and UK ecu but I dont know why a chip cant change that.

I dont see any other way that a RV engine would have less power and less emissions than a PB engine other than a different head and less fuel. Maby the comp ratio is aswell due to the head?

[aliasmk2]

I looked in to it and the RV engine is what they use in California where they have strict emission laws. The computer they use in California is Digi 1 as far as i know, due to the emission laws again. The computer in my aussie mk2 is a DigiII which is the same as in every other mk2. GolfLoon tells me there are some differences in the Aussie ecu and UK ecu but I dont know why a chip cant change that.

I dont see any other way that a RV engine would have less power and less emissions than a PB engine other than a different head and less fuel. Maby the comp ratio is as well due to the head?

.

The ECU has the same part number world wide (except the US), although the last prefix letter changes on randomly world wide for no obvious reason
The chips a dubious, but the existing ECU can be reflashed

I think that I know the car in question from the forum.
Again all of the negative talk is about very superficial parts like the the lights & stripes
If it was a black one I would possibly go for it myself

[VwJunkie]

Hey, the car itself looks in a great condition, apart from the stripe, tail lights and rear window tint which can all be changed back to original. So has anybody seen this car in person before? finding a gti in tassie is pretty hard, i wouldnt mind a vr6 either so if anybody knows of a mk2 or a vr6 in tassie or vic let me know

[Tameth_au]

These are awesome cars and will be a great learning experience for someone like you. Everyone who is having a cry about too little power or too many doors should look realistically about the rarity and respect these cars get down under. I owned one for 5 years and loved it. Do get extractors and good tyres fitted and you'll be pleased. I'm now based in the uk and they do go a lot cheaper over here... if you like rust. This car should only set you back about $5k, especially with the molestation racing stripes.

On test drive check for 2nd gear crunch (change quickly), hesitation to accelerate immediately when you put your foot down and the usual accident damage.

Once you've bought it get used to the belts slipping in the rain causing your electrics to nearly fail, doorhandles breaking, heater stopping working and ridiculous amounts of fun.

Take it easy

[joshyd-mk2gti]

the 2nd gear crunch happens on nearly all of them. i don't think it's anything to worry about.

[mrgolf]

My second gear used to be nasty when cold until I changed the oil with a synthetic gearbox oil. Was great from then on.

[moto]

The head of the aussi model is identical with the european spec cars. I've put them side by side and measured them. Zero difference.

The certain difference is the exhaust downpipe from the head. European cars had a free flow design. We got a fairly restrictive design probably lifted from another VAG parts bin. As someone here said once, this was probably a modification performed by dealers.

In 1991 a lot of european countries did not require catalytic converters to be fitted. So the presence of the cat makes our cars different from many european cars too and retards their performmance slightly.

Finally, in 1991 we could only get 91 octane fuel in this country. The engine management system seems to have been given a slightly different profile to make the cars run safely on low octane fuel.

As someone has already said, change the front pipe and you get virtually the same spec as any european spec car fitted with a cataytic converter. Any retard that has been built into the ECU can be overcome by advancing the ignition timing slightly. Finally, fill it with 98 octane fuel and drive the b*gg*ry out of it.

The main reason people say our cars are slow is because they are driven slowly. The ECU uses fuzzy logic to work out the settings to best suit the driving style. To get top performance you need to train the ECU to deliver it. This is something that can take weeks of enthusiastic driving. Since most people here are law abiding and since our limits are so low, few cars give top performance.

Own it and enjoy it for what it is.

[VwJunkie]

Hey guys,

Thanks for all the info and tips. Parents are having a look at the car tomorow and if its good and we can bring the price down i will bring it back to tassie. I have another q´s, what is the size of the stock exhaust, 2"? Would you recommend buying a full exhaust system from europe or get one custom made in aus, also which would be cheaper as i have seen jetex systems go for around $400...

Thanks, Stef

[GOLFBALLS]

The head of the aussi model is identical with the european spec cars. I've put them side by side and measured them. Zero difference.

Hey moto, my old mk2 GTI was an ex UK k-jet with the EV 8 valve engine. It went MUCH harder than my current Aussie spec RV car.
The head on the EV engine does have bigger valves than the RV but i don't know about other eng codes??
But you are totally spot on with thrashing the car to make it go better.
My Aus GTI used to sputter and carry on anywhere over 3500rpm. One day after driving my boss' Cordoba which absolutely flew, he told me it goes well coz he thrashed it on a daily basis. So, I decided it was time to show my GTI who was boss and i drove the tits off it for a month!
Now it goes better More power, better fuel econ, and no sign of coughing even up to 6200rpm.

As far as exhaust goes, if you spend $400 on a Jetex system from the cat back, its not going to do much apart from make lots of noise. You can get noise for $250.
Do it right and replace the downpipe with your $400. Changing to a high flow cat wont hurt either if you have some extra cash. Thats where the most of the restriction is.
Hope that helps.
Cheers,
Wade

[Golf Loon]

Yeah I agree with Wade Moto.
Kjet UK heads definately have much bigger valves and go much harder.

[aliasmk2]

Yeah I agree with Wade Moto.
Kjet UK heads definately have much bigger valves and go much harder.

Can anyone display this using ETKA,
otherwise it is just hersay, as we keep going on about how terrible an Australian car is but no one has any proof to back up their retoric
Its like people on this forum crapping on about the ECU being different to one in sunny old pommy land, which has been proven to be a complete load of bollocks
Just because someone drops in from another country does'nt mean that they know what they are talking about

[static1800]

Given that mk2 1.8L engine range from 85-115hp there has to be head difference between engines. The RV is rated at 100hp according to the Bentley, not sure if the US got the exhaust system we did on this engine though but i'm pretty sure they had cats given California is hard on emissions.

Here we go just found valve diameters in the Bentley, HT, RD, RV and PF have 40mm intake 33mm exhaust all of which have 100hp where as the GX and MZ engines have 38mm and 33mm with 85hp and 90hp. Keep in mind the Bentley only seem to show US engines but it's a start.

[Golf Loon]

Can anyone display this using ETKA,
otherwise it is just hersay, as we keep going on about how terrible an Australian car is but no one has any proof to back up their retoric
Its like people on this forum crapping on about the ECU being different to one in sunny old pommy land, which has been proven to be a complete load of bollocks
Just because someone drops in from another country does'nt mean that they know what they are talking about

I`ll take a pic of the two kinds of heads Ian

There are 3 kinds. The p*ss weak aussie ones with the tiny valves, the larger head ones as found on US cars and digi Mk2s in the UK and the big manly Kjet valves as found on the first (and best) Mk2s.

ECU is definately different too.

If you plug a pommie ecu into a standard aussie RV engine, it overfuels. If you put it into a worked motor with a big valve head and good downpipe, you are flying.

[aliasmk2]

Given that mk2 1.8L engine range from 85-115hp there has to be head difference between engines. The RV is rated at 100hp according to the Bentley, not sure if the US got the exhaust system we did on this engine though but i'm pretty sure they had cats given California is hard on emissions.

Here we go just found valve diameters in the Bentley, HT, RD, RV and PF have 40mm intake 33mm exhaust all of which have 100hp where as the GX and MZ engines have 38mm and 33mm with 85hp and 90hp. Keep in mind the Bentley only seem to show US engines but it's a start.

So does this mean that an RV head has big valves?

[aussieg60]

I had a quick look out of interest, and as far as I can see that 85 model differ to 86 later with same engine codes as per below.

Year 85
EZ, HM, EV, GZ, GU, HV 98.5mm EX.V
98.7mm IN.V
GX, HT 91.2mm Ex.V
91.9mm IN.V

Year 86, 87
GX, RD, EZ, HM, EV, GZ, GU, HV, RF, RG, RH, RV, RP, PN, PB, PF, EZA
91.2mm EX.V

RD, EV, GZ, RG, PB, PF, GX, EX, HM, GU, HV, RF, RH, RV, RP, PN, EZA
91.9mm IN.V