Volkswagen Repair Manual: GTI, Golf, Jetta: 1985
Service to Volkswagen owners is of top priority to the Volkswagen organization and has always included the continuing development and introduction of new and expanded services. This manual has been prepared with the Volkswagen owner in mind. The aim throughout has been simplicity, clarity and completeness, with practical explanations, step-by-step procedures, and accurate specifications. This Volkswagen GTI, Golf, Jetta repair manual covers the model years 1985 through 1992, gasoline, diesel, Turbo diesel and ECO diesel models. It includes the Golf and Jetta GL, Golf GT, Jetta GLI and Carat, 16-valve models and Wolfsburg editions for the United States and Canada. Fundamental automotive concepts, including explanations of basic troubleshooting, safe and effective workshop practices, and tools. Complete tune-up specifications, plus troubleshooting and repair of the electronic ignition system and knock sensors. Engine and cylinder head service, repair and reconditioning, including Turbo diesel and ECO diesel. Troubleshooting and repair of CIS, CIS-E, Digifant I and Digifant II fuel injection systems and the CIS-E Motronic engine management system. Emission control tests, repairs and adjustments, including testing and replacing the oxygen sensor, and resetting the OXS warning light. Automatic and manual transmission maintenance, troubleshooting, adjustment and repair, and manual transmission rebuilding. Full suspension and steering adjustment and repair, including power steering. Disc and drum brake reconditioning and repair, plus troubleshooting and repair of the Anti-lock braking system (ABS). Body adjustments and repairs, including sunroof. Complete electrical system troubleshooting and repair, including electrical current flow diagrams. Comprehensive Volkswagen factory tolerances, wear limits, adjustments, and tightening torque specifications.
31 The MkIV sold between 1997 and 2003, and heralded the introduction of the first all-wheel-drive Golf. 32 It came in three-door, five-door, five-door wagon and three-door hatch guises. 34 The MkV sold between 2003 and 2008, and heralded the return of the three-door GTI to Australia. 35 The wait for a new MkV Golf GTI in Australia stretched out to more than a year at one stage, and forced VW to import the five-door version to satisfy demand. 36 The MkV also saw the introduction of rear multi-link suspension, as well as a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. 37 The engine in the Golf R, though sharing the same EA888 engine code, features a stronger cylinder head, hollow exhaust valves and a bigger radiator. 39 The R was not the first 4WD Golf with a GTI engine, though. The 1989 Rallye Golf was a 5000-unit limited edition variant with a supercharged G60 four-cylinder engine with synchro 4WD. It was based on the Golf MK2 but came fitted with square headlamps, colour coded bumpers and semi-angular extended wheel arches. 40 Clark Plaid was re-introduced into the Golf GTI lineup from MkV onwards but was inexplicably renamed 鈥楯acki鈥?for the 2016 MkVII Golf GTI. 41 The inside surface of the Golf MkV was supplied unpainted, to save on manufacturing costs. 42 The initials GTI possibly stand for Grand Turismo Iniezione (Grand Tourer Injection) but no one is 100 percent sure how or why the three letters were chosen. 43 The MkVI sold between 2008 and 2012 and was hailed as a manufacturing triumph for VW, whose cost-per-unit on the previous car was way above the industry average. However, the MkVI鈥檚 twin exhausts were, according to company sources, an expensive indulgence insisted upon by then-VW chief Martin Winterkorn.
Engines are shrinking. From econocars to supercars, from pint-size roadsters to full-size pickups, engine downsizing is happening across the industry. This is not a sad story. While those output losses are not negligible, they have been largely offset by new transmissions with additional gears. A standard six-speed manual鈥攆inally! 鈥攐r optional eight-speed automatic has replaced the 2018 Golf's five-speed stick and six-speed autobox. Even better, despite the loss of power and torque, acceleration from a stop keeps pace with the last automatic-equipped Golf we tested, a 2018 Golf SE. The 2019 car reached 60 mph in 7.6 seconds (versus 7.7 for the 2018 model) and matched its predecessor in the quarter-mile at 15.9 seconds, its 88-mph trap speed lower by 1 mph. As with most other modestly powered cars, the 2019 Golf had us hammering the gas pedal pretty often during everyday driving. But unlike most other modestly powered cars, the engine didn't thrash and scream in protest when we did so. Nor did it boom at low rpm, as we observed in Golfs with the 1.8-liter and automatic combo. Only at the very upper reaches of the rev band does it start getting loud.
Generally, the 1.4T is uncannily smooth and quiet in most of its operating range鈥攁 few times we had to check the tachometer at stoplights to see if it was running. Our test car was a base Golf S model and rode on 195/65R-15 Bridgestone Ecopia EPA422 Plus tires, which could partially account for its 177-foot stop from 70 mph. That's eight feet longer than the 2018 Golf SE required; it weighed 158 pounds more but was fitted with more aggressive 205/55R-16 Hankook Kinergy GT tires. Despite its modest rubber, the 2019 Golf clung to the asphalt with 0.84 g of lateral grip, which is a tick more than the 0.83 g we observed with the 2018 car. That tiny improvement at the skidpad understates the impact a lighter nose has on handling. While we have long touted the Golf's steering as lively, it now feels even more eager to change direction and offers genuine tactility transmitted through the steering wheel's thin, leather-wrapped rim.
It also continues to track as well at high speeds as an Audi costing twice as much. Otherwise, the car remains pretty much the same unpretentious yet upscale offering it has long been鈥攕ame perfect seating position, same excellent outward vision, same Costco-friendly cargo-carrying capability. A mid-cycle facelift for 2018 straightened what few curves the Golf's exterior had left and upgraded some interior bits and pieces, leaving the seventh-generation Golf as dapper and aspirational as it has ever been. The Golf S sure doesn't feel like a stripper. Although it lacks a sunroof, heated seats, automatic climate control, navigation, satellite radio, and certain driver aids such as lane-keeping assist and active cruise control, life with the base Golf S is far from bad. You still have to twist a key to turn it on鈥攌eyless access and push-button start arrive with the SE鈥攂ut it does come with paddle shifters, cruise control, comfortable mesh fabric upholstery, and a sophisticated touchscreen infotainment system. A pleasing mix of surfaces and textures show that much thought was put into this car's interior design, with contrast stitching spiffing the place up a bit. There is some bad news to report, which is that prices have climbed by nearly a grand for 2019, severely lengthening the payback period for any fuel-related savings. That said, the standard equipment list has grown to include forward-collision warning and automated emergency braking, as well as blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. The 2019 Golf represents net improvement in a car that has been a regular on our 10Best Cars list. At the very least, this car is good enough to make the subject of engine downsizing much less troubling.
