Lack of Umph!!!

[Hungry_Horse_1955]

Right, I’ve had the Country for a month now and have a few things that need to be fixed!

i) Lack of power! There seems to be a distinct lack of power when compared to my old Golf GL 4+E. I know that the vehicle is a lot heavier, but with 8bhp more and lower gearing I thought it would be on a par with the GL. The throttle is very stiff and needs a good hard push to get it to open the second throttle and I need to use the gears a lot more to get anywhere near the same acceleration. Whereas the old Golf used to drive through the local lanes at a comfortable 60mph, the Country struggles to get anywhere near it!

ii) Gear linkage. I have got used to the LHD, but the linkage seems to be very baulky. Is this usual for the Syncro box? 5th gear seems to be a long way off. Does the short throw kit I’ve seen advertised help at all?

I’ve fitted the electric mirrors, but haven’t wired them up as I don’t have any of the rubber tubes twixt door and body. I’ve also fitted some ‘chinese’ door handles (why are they called ‘chinese’? Anything to do with being fitted to chinese versions?). I had a Toad alarm fitted, but am having problems with it. I’ll have to get back to the installers on that! I have bought a GTi ECU, but need to sort out the general tune before I fit it.

Anyone had any experience of these Chip upgrades advertised for £20 odd? I assume that the Country camshaft is designed to give more torque than the GTi version. Does anyone know of any other camshafts available that are aimed more at torque than at power?

The vehicle has a swan neck tow ball fitted, but it is only designed for 1150kg! Can I just swap the swan neck for a 1500kg rated version or does the mounting bracket have to be changed as well?

[ld50]

What sort of motor is in the country by default? I always assumed it was a GU like the syncros but you mention a new ecu?

Is the towbar a standard golf style one which gets mounted to the chassis rails or is it different on the country? sorry if that difference was implied by “swan neck”…

[Chris S]

You have the same motor as I do, I uprated mine with an 8V GTI management computer, this btw is LHD europe mainland only as it has a lambdasonde in the exhaust which no RHD Golf 2 was ever fitted with, this will uprate you to either 107 bhp (with cat) or 112 bhp without cat, I have a chip here which when fitted to the GTI computer gives an extra 10 to 12 bhp so you have somewhere between 120-125 bhp, you can also fit the LHD G60 Syncro manifold & downpipe which breathes better the country camshaft is the same as the 8v GTI.

The ‘Rubber tubes’ are no longer available from VW but you should find some at the breakers yard

[Hungry_Horse_1955]

Thanks for the response guys.

The engine is the 1P version (right Chris?) which I believe from Chris’s other posts is identical to the GTi 8v but a detuned ECU and a Cat.

The car went in for a service yesterday and the guy oiled the throttle spindles which has made a hell of a difference. However, this begs the questions – How long has it been like this? What happened in the previous services? What has it done to the throttle cable? (Stretched and weakened) I haven’t taken it out on a motorway yet so don’t know what difference it has made there, but now does nearer 60mph around the lanes without much effort on the pedal!

I’m not sure what type of tow hook ordinary Golfs have but this mounts behind the valance on the additional chassis member mounted across the rear of the car and then curves under the valance and back up. The shape is a J shape, but for some unknown reason is usually refered to as a swan neck (inverted J?).

I’ll have to check the GTi ECU I’ve got as it is likely to be a UK version. Does anyone know how to tell the difference?

Chris, do you know where the chip you have came from?

If I fit a LHD G60 Syncro manifold and downpipe, do I need to cut it short as the Country engine is lower in the body shell?

In the meantime I think I need to pay a trip to my local VW dismantler to source a few bits.

Yet again, thanks for the help,

[Chris S]

The 1P motor was only available in the left hand drive Syncro,

btw any of these below will do you! or in fact anything listed for the 88 to 91 8v GTI with the motor code PF but only the LHD versions as the British RHD ones were not fitted with a lambda and your Country is

you need either

037 906 022AR
or
037 906 022AN
or
037 906 022CT
or
037 997 022FX

You then fit an upgrade chip and there you are with a 20%+ power increase without getting your hands(too)dirty

[Hungry_Horse_1955]

Right!!

The ‘new’ ECU I have is the 037 906 022 N version, which is the replacement for the GTi 037 906 022 FJ version. These are for the UK, where they (usually) were not equipped with a catalytic converter.

Now, if I fit these to my Catalytic Converter equipped Golf Country, will it work properly?

Failing this, has anyone got a suitable GTi ECU for use with a catalytic converter?

[Chris S]

Probably/possibly not, I think I have the correct LHD ECU here somewhere if you want it?

btw, its not so much the catalytic converter as the lambda sonde, as even if the pin out on the ECU/Harness plug is compatable, the UK ECU will not be looking for a lambda sender.

btw you can remove the cats and fit a twin silencer boxes (like mine)or even a pair of straight through pipes if you like. [}]

[Hungry_Horse_1955]

I’ve been down to my local PowerFlow emporioum and had a new Stainless Steel exhaust fitted. I’ve had the existing Cat removed and replaced with a 2 into 1 ‘bit’ and a 2-1/4″ system. I wanted a twin exit, but that would mean chopping the bodywork and I wasn’t keen on letting anyone near the car with a grinder[!], so I’ve got a single exit.

It is a bit louder than I wanted, but hopefully when I install ‘Phase 2’ [], a S/S Rallye manifold and a Hi-flow Cat the noise should be more subdued, but money is an issue at the moment[] so that will have to wait.

My reckoning is that removing the Cat should give me another 5bhp taking it up to 103bhp. I’m definitely going to get a BB ECU, but it needs to be able to be purchased using PayPal and a bit less than the £95 I’ve seen one advertised for at the moment. However, curiosity is likely to get the better of me and I might just succumb to £95[]

The initial drive felt as if the vehicle was more eager to rev and seem to pick up better in the mid-range. I’ve yet to try it on a long run so will see if it has any effect on the cruising speed.

[Audi Doody]

Hi Guys,
HH, forget the lambda, fit the uk GTI ecu and get the chip from Chris and you’re made!!
My fees for saving you £95 is a mere £5 hahaha

cheers Mike

[ld50]

or you could just fit a lambda probe…I’d have thought powerflow would be able to add the slot in easy enough.

I fitted one to mine. For about £12 I got a threaded fitting plate. Drill hole, weld in place…job done. I’d have thought powerflow would have them as off-the-shelf items if they’re making exhausts regularly…

[Audi Doody]

Sorry, clear as mud again, what I ment was fit the lambda probe in the exhaust, just don’t connect it up but its there for later if needed.

mike

[ld50]

so what was the verdict after all that?

get eu ecu and fit a lambda or get a uk ecu and don’t fit a lambda… is that about right?

as well as possibly – get a uk ecu, fit a lamdba but don’t connect it (??)

[ld50]

Given the car’s not feeling too perky, could it also be worth tinkering with the ignition timing?

I dunno if this is the *correct* way to do it but I’ve found on all our cars that experimenting a bit with the timing can put the power-band where you want it, which can transform the drivability of the car.

I know it’s not the most accurate thing to adjust on the 8v but if you mark your start position with punch or small chisel, and then test a mm or two either way and see if it drives nicer. If it improves try a couple of mm further.

My gf’s 6n polo went from being an “unwilling participant” in the driving process to being more like a “puppy on a lead” just by adjusting the timing a bit.

[Audi Doody]

got to agree with that, weel worth a try first. Years ago TSR set up my car on their rolling road, they tweeked the ignition from 6deg BTDC to nearly 10deg BTDC and the car drove so much better and had more power too…
however beware of pinking, any hint of it and adjust it back a bit and try again..do not leave it thinking I’ll do that next week, pinking can kill an engine in no time at all.
if the engine really likes one setting but it pinks a small amount then try using 98/99 octane fuel, that might get rid of the pinking and solve the problem.

[ld50]

For me what works is tweak it to where I think it runs best in little steps, then roll it back half a “step” and that’ll be about right for different weather conditions.

I do run it a tad rich too to compensate, but that’s also so that everything peaks in sync when flat out in fifth… which is where it would normally lean out.

To this day I don’t think I’ve heard an engine “pink” but I suspect you start to lose power before it does so I would have rolled it back a bit at that point anyway.

Since I’m never sure re the pinking thing, I tend to check the plugs after tweaking just in case I missed some obvious leaning out.

Adjusting the timing while it’s running is useful to figure out which direction you might want to try turning the dizzy, but it’s not the same as under load.

That means whilst you can adjust it so that it revs nicely on the drive, it might be a whole different story while driving. Hence working from your current setting and adjust/drive/adjust/drive is the only way to get it right without a roller.

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