# help with timing on mk2 GTI



## MK2 MN (Jul 23, 2010)

hello, im joey and im new here and new to VW's altogether. i have always been a subaru enthusiast, and currently drive a 2001 impreza RS. 
yesterday i bought my fiancee a mk2 GTI (her dream car), its either a 91 or 92. the previous owner broke the idler pulley in the timing system. the timing is so far off that it will not even run. 

i have 2 questions. 
1. is the 1.8 8v a noninterference engine? or will i be needing to replace bent valves on it? 
2. how would i go about resetting the timing? are the timing gears marked? or will i need to tear it down to set everything to true-top and start from there? (dont have the car in my possesion at this moment so i cannot check the timing gears for hash-marks.) 

thanks for the info, and it seems like you guys have a pretty awesome community here, im glad i can finally be a part of it


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## TheMajic86GTI (Aug 9, 2009)

Welcome....:beer::thumbup:

No its not interference so valves should be ok although some would say otherwise...I would say the only exception would be if the car had head work done to it then maybe yes...

Look in here for ur timing needs...should answer all ur questions..

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?4958577-timing-belt-replacement


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## MK2 MN (Jul 23, 2010)

awesome, thank you!
my fiancee did a bunch of research while i was at work and found out it was noninterference, and the engine is all stock, except i think i spied something newish and bright red having to do with the ignition system being made by MSD 
but i know theres been no head work.

thanks again!

EDIT: wow thats a helpful link, i didnt know that would be so easy! thanks!


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## WaterWheels (Aug 14, 2005)

MK2 MN said:


> hello, im joey and im new here and new to VW's altogether. . . yesterday i bought my fiancee a mk2 GTI (her dream car), its either a 91 or 92.


 *HI JOEY* sorry, just made me think of those AA meetings. You seem to have a grip on the timing thing right now so unless you have more questions I'll skip that. But how in the world could you buy a car and not know it it is a 91' or 92', that just puzzles me :what:


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## MK2 MN (Jul 23, 2010)

WaterWheels said:


> *HI JOEY* sorry, just made me think of those AA meetings. You seem to have a grip on the timing thing right now so unless you have more questions I'll skip that. But how in the world could you buy a car and not know it it is a 91' or 92', that just puzzles me :what:


 
haha i am addicted to cars, so i guess thats quite fitting. 

and as for the timing issue, yeah i got a handle on that now thanks to TheMajic86GTI. 

and well we bought the car for $300, so i wasnt too concerned as to whether it was 91 or 92, but it said 92 on the for sale sign, but it says 91 on the title  
but right now im not too concerned about it, it will be figured out soon enough. 

thanks for the welcome!


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## WaterWheels (Aug 14, 2005)

> i wasnt too concerned as to whether it was 91 or 92, but it said 92 on the for sale sign, but it says 91 on the title


 Check the VIN number. One could be the year it was built and one the model year. A 92' could have been built in the Summer/Fall of 91'. Most times there buying parts goes by the model year, here we have to use the date it was built.


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## MK2 MN (Jul 23, 2010)

Yeah checking the VIN is the next order of business, but that has to wait until I tow it to my garage, so I'm not too concerned at the moment. 

I didn't think about the fact that it couldve been built in 91 and released in 92 though. But would that explain why the title says 91? I'd expect the title to say 92 if that's the model year.


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## TheMajic86GTI (Aug 9, 2009)

MK2 MN said:


> and as for the timing issue, yeah i got a handle on that now thanks to TheMajic86GTI.


 Glad i could help :thumbup::beer:


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## MK2 MN (Jul 23, 2010)

hey majic, where is the plug in the trans you need to open up to see if the timing is set?
and is it the same process for 4eat?


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## TheMajic86GTI (Aug 9, 2009)

Directly on the top of the trans nearest the motor. Should have a green plug on it. Just unscrew the plug and ull see the flywheel and marks...


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## MK2 MN (Jul 23, 2010)

ok thank you.


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## Glegor (Mar 31, 2008)

TheMajic86GTI said:


> Welcome....:beer::thumbup:
> 
> No its not interference so valves should be ok although some would say otherwise...I would say the only exception would be if the car had head work done to it then maybe yes...
> 
> ...


how come other GTI engines are interference? my HT in my GTI will NOT turn over with the timing belt off.. and my ABA, its interference too. the 8v in my 92 jetta (RV code) was also an interference engine. 

non-interference to me, means that the timing belt can snap, cams stop turning, crank keeps going, but the end result is no bent valves. throw a new timing belt on there and set the timing. 

interference to me, means that when the belt breaks, you take the engine apart, and fix all the broken pieces, bent rods, broken valves, cracked pistons, trashed heads, whatever..

i thought that 8v and 16v VWs were interference, with the exception of some low compression engines..


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## TheMajic86GTI (Aug 9, 2009)

Glegor said:


> how come other GTI engines are interference? my HT in my GTI will NOT turn over with the timing belt off.. and my ABA, its interference too. the 8v in my 92 jetta (RV code) was also an interference engine.
> 
> non-interference to me, means that the timing belt can snap, cams stop turning, crank keeps going, but the end result is no bent valves. throw a new timing belt on there and set the timing.
> 
> ...


...

Ive turned HT's and RV's(which was last week in fact) at the junk yards and personally have owned 5 RD code engines from GTI's and they turn fine without the timing belt..My stock 97 ABA Golf is definitely Noninterference. You got to take into consideration that these are old cars and might have had head work done previously and maybe a cam swap....


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## Glegor (Mar 31, 2008)

TheMajic86GTI said:


> ...
> 
> Ive turned HT's and RV's(which was last week in fact) at the junk yards and personally have owned 5 RD code engines from GTI's and they turn fine without the timing belt..My stock 97 ABA Golf is definitely Noninterference. You got to take into consideration that these are old cars and might have had head work done previously and *maybe a cam swap*....


lol, yea, i forgot about that part.. my cams made the valves open way past the deck of the head.

thanks for pointing that out.

come to think about it, i guess the engines i turned over ALL had cams. i feel retarded now..


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