Just purchased a 1997 2.0L GTI 8v as a winter runaround and i have got a couple of issues

[johnt4321]

Hi, i am new to this forum so if i am asking questions that have already been discussed i am sorry.

I have just bought a 1997 2.0L GTI 8v as a winter runaround, my wife runs a BMW 5 series and in all honesty it will probably not even be able to get of the drive in winter. The Golf has a couple of issues, firstly the rev limiter is at roughly 5000 RPM instead of the red line, the crank sensor wiring is bared but i have seperated it and taped it up but it still has the 5000 RPM limit, secondly all of the instrument cluster is working except the speedo and the mileage reading, the speedo sits at 0 and the trip is on but does not count up, the petrol gauge might wander a little but this might be normal. If anyone can advise which direction to take i.e. distributor, crank sensor, ecu, speedo drive, clocks etc it would be appreciated. I am fairly handy with a multimeter and i am used to tinkering with a 20 year old BMW trackday car.

[Crasher]

The rev limit being 5K means that a fault is stored about the relationship between the crank speed sensor and the distributor hall sender. First of all, fit a new crank speed sensor then get a fault code read done, have the codes printed and cleared then read again. More than likely it will just require the distributor to be moved so that the setting is within spec but you need someone who knows what they are doing to achieve this.

[johnt4321]

Crasher thanks for getting back to me, is the wiring to the crank sensor repairable or will i be chasing myself in circles later on, from what you have said even if i repair the wiring/replace the crank sensor i still need to clear the fault before the car will rev freely even if the distributor is ok? thanks, John

[Crasher]

No the sensor wiring is not repairable and a new “white box” sensor from GSF is not very expensive although I would suggest you try and get a Hella or VDO branded sensor, genuine VW ones are daft money. If the distributor is correctly aligned, it should rev to 6700rpm even with a code stored if I remember rightly but I am not sure, I don’t think I have ever tried it. To set it up without a diagnostic computer would be extremely painful, if not impossible.

[johnt4321]

Thanks, i will pick up a new sensor this week and get it fitted then i will tackle the distributor. Any suggestions regarding the problem with the speedo?

[Crasher]

There is a test function on the panel which is accessed by switching on the ignition, pressing the trip recorder button and keeping it pressed down whilst switching the ignition off then on again, actually starting the car for this test as it needs to move. Operating the trip recorder button again whilst in test mode you can scroll though eight functions with test 6 being the number of impulses sent by the speedo sensor, which is approximately seven per revolution of the wheel. If the impulses are shown and the speedo does not move, the panel is faulty. If there is no pulse, the first check is to see if there is ignition on power between the two outer pins at the speedo sensor plug (pin 1 black and pin 3 brown/white) and if there isn’t, establish why. Secondly, the continuity of the wire between the centre pin (white/blue) wire and the instrument plug pin 27 should be checked. If these wires and power feeds are OK, it may be a faulty speed sensor.

[johnt4321]

Thanks, put the crank sensor on and a new cambelt, the old belt had slipped causing the timing to be out, car runs all lot better now.