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This Golf 4 1.6 might be going to meet it’s maker, front catalytic converter has melted and burnt some exhaust valves. Suspect it had a misfire to cause the meltdown as the spark is poor to intermittent. Shame as it’s a good tidy car and just had a gearbox and clutch. Hoped it would be an easy repair so I could spare the Terrano from daily use.
macabethiel
06-07-2019, 21:29
That looks like serious melt down.
When we first bought our SL it developed a slight front exhaust rattle when hot some 8 months into ownership. Turned out the honeycomb catalytic convertor had come loose in the exhaust box. It was expensive but we bought a new pair of genuine MB cats. That is the only none service expense we have had over 16 years of ownership.
Out of conversation with the mechanic he said with larger engines when this happens the honeycomb rattles in the silencer box and this pulverises the contents so they can end up coming out of the tail pipe over time due to the high exhaust flow.
He said with smaller engines the cats just start to block up instead often bringing the car to a standstill or they just will not start again after a run. I guess if it has been driven over a period of time whilst partially blocked the cat temperature just messed it all up.
A little update on this Golf, over Christmas I was given another almost identical Golf (albeit a 1.4) for spares. Yesterday I had a little time spare and both cars out in the open so I tried the meltdown cars coil packs in the running 1.4 and it would not start. Tried the working coil packs in the meltdown car and it started, even with low compression on a couple of cylinders. :thumb2
I can now build one car out of the two and save the Terrano from daily use to receive some modifications for green laning.:clap
A little update on this Golf, over Christmas I was given another almost identical Golf (albeit a 1.4) for spares. Yesterday I had a little time spare and both cars out in the open so I tried the meltdown cars coil packs in the running 1.4 and it would not start. Tried the working coil packs in the meltdown car and it started, even with low compression on a couple of cylinders. :thumb2
I can now build one car out of the two and save the Terrano from daily use to receive some modifications for green laning.:clap
Lovely Job :naughty
Would be great to see the Terrano out on a few laning weekends with us :thumb2
Lovely Job :naughty
Would be great to see the Terrano out on a few laning weekends with us :thumb2
It was all pie in the sky last year working the low paid job I was doing, I thought the Terrano would have to go at one point but now it can be a workhorse toy. A friend has a Discovery with a few modifications and we have talked about a bit of off road camping this year so once the Golf is a runner I can start spending on a few necessities for the Terrano.
Oh how times change. I had started a new job when I last posted on this thread and 6 weeks later I was furloughed. The Terrano ended up under an artic trailer thanks to a muppet in an X5 but refuses to die so I carried on using it rather than fixing the Golf. I wasn't sure if I would have a job to go back to so concentrated on tidying and preparing my workshop with the possibility of going back self employed, so a third car was not necessary. I did strip the head off though and it has sat for a year.
Due to the furlough, my tame Mot examiber is still off so that counts the Terrano out for an Mot until I can get into it with a Mig torch!
With this in mind, I stripped the valves out to see where the compression was going. Inlets OK, exhaust valves not looking good after a bit off lapping but the seats were OK.The valves were dropped off for refacing and have lapped in well.
Dreading a big bill on gaskets, seals, head bolts and a pair of cam belts with tensioners totalling half the cars value I was pleased to see the belts and tensioner looked fresh. My friend who gave me the car after his son killed it confirmed the car had been serviced and the belts done just before he bought it, that's a result
I have challenged myself to get this car on the road for as little as possible. It had 4 new Michelin tyres, clutch kit and a replacement gearbox just before the cat melted. I'm £40 and some time into it so far, but I sold a friend two tyres off the spares car and I had half a tank of fuel out of it for the Terrano so I'm just about still in pocket.:thumb2
Part of my workshop refurb included buying a DRO for my mill so it's any excuse to use it at the moment so I turned and milled an end for a converted G Clamp to use as a valve spring compressor.
G Clamp valve spring compressor.
solarman216
17-01-2021, 01:17
I like that tool, Rick
I like that tool, Rick
Cheers Rick. I made this one for a car at work to re-shim a pair of steering arms. For the pins I used 5mm drill bit tangs initially as I had no dowels and the joints were so tight they sheared every time. I eventually caved in and cut up a nearly new 5mm Dormer HSS bit and they came undone. I went a bit overboard with the milling as an excuse to use the DRO with the rotary table.
All apart. The forum software keeps rotating the photos!
Little update on the Golf. All went back together OK and runs really well, sailed through the Mot and I have been using it daily for work. Cost sub £150 to repair thanks to the spares car that just keeps giving. I have used and sold a few bits off it, over half a tank of fuel and £13.63 in spare change including an old fiver! It will be a shame to hand the car over to the missus. :lol
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