1993 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF Owners Manual

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The first 1500 km -and afterwards
Running-in
D Uring the first few opera ting hours the en­gine interna l friction is hig her than later on
w hen all the moving parts have b edded
d own . How well this running-in process is
d one depe nds to a considerab le exten t on th e w ay the vehicle is dri ven during the first
1 500 km (1000 miles)
Up to 1000 kilometers
the follo win g general rules apply :
• Do not use full throttle • Do not drive faster than 3/4 of top speed • Avoid high engine speeds
• Trailer towing should if possib le be
avoided .
Attention • New tyres must also be .. run in" because they do not have maximum adhesion at the start. This must be taken into account by driving carefully during the first 100 km_ •
•
New brake linings must also be run in and do not have the optimum friction properties dur­ing the first 200 km. The slightly reduced braking effect can be compensated for by more pres­sure on the brake pedal. This also applies when new linings have been fitted.
From 1000 -1500 km
The speed can gradu ally be increased to the
road or eng in e maximum.
During and after the running-in
period the following applies:
• Do not overre v th e engine when cold ­
eithe r in neutra l or in th e gears .
All speeds and revs given are only valid
w hen engine is properly warm.
r:Gb Do not drive with the engine C!!t) speed unnecessarily high ­changing up early helps to save fuel, reduces noise and protects the envi­ronment -see also page 72.
• Do not let engine labour -ch ange down
when eng ine no lo nger runs s m oothly .
After the running-in period
• On v ehic les with a rev counter* th e maxim um perm issib le e ngine speed is shown by the begin ning of the red zone on
the rev counter scale. The needle of the
c o unter must not mov e into this zone.
E xtreme ly
hig h engine revs w ill be auto­
matically go verned.
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Driving economically and ecologically
Various factors de te rmi ne the fuel c on­
sumption, the bur de n on the environment
a n d the w ear on the engi ne, brake s an d
t y res .
The personal style of driving
Determine s to a g reat extent th e eco nomi­cal asp ect and the e xha u st an d no ise deve l­o pmen t:
r:Q,., Do not warm up the engine with '(!t!5 the vehicle stationary.
At idling speed it takes a very long time until the engine becomes operationally warm. However, in the warm-up phase, wear and the discharge of pollutants is particularly high. For this reason, drive off immediately the engine has started and avoid high engine speeds.
QiP Avoid full throttle acceleration.
N'6t only is the fuel consumption reduced considerably if one accelerates with feel­
ing, but the disturbance to the environ­ment and the wear are also reduced.
r:Q,., Do not drive with unnecessarily '(!t!5 high engine revs -change up as soon as possible, only change down when the engine no longer runs smoothly.
The fuel consumption is for example more than twice as high in 2nd gear than it is in top gear. At the same time, the re­duced engine speed means a reduction in engine noise.
r:Q,., Try not to drive at m aximum '(!t!5 speed.
The fuel consumption, exhaust pollution and noise increase disproportionately at high speeds. If approximately only 3 quarters of top speed is utilised, the fuel consumption will be reduced by about half. Experience has shown that the loss
in time is only marginal.
r:Q,., Drive as smoothly as possible '(!t!5 and look well ahead.
Unnecessary acc eleration and braking must be paid for with higher fuel con­sumption and more disturbance to the environment.
r:Q,., Switch the engine off during '(!t!5 traffic hold-Ups.
The individual operating condi­
tions
N atur ally also affect fuel cons umption .

T he fo
llowing facto rs fo r in sta n ce are not fa­
vo urable to good fuel c on sumption:

• Hig h traff ic de ns it y , par ticularly larg e

t o w ns w ith numero us traffi c lig ht s

• Freq ue nt sto p/s tart d
riving, alw ay s re ­

s ta rti ng a nd warmin g up t he eng ine

• D riving
in heavy , slow moving traff ic in

l o w gear so that the eng ine sp eed is rela­

ti vel y high in relati on to the distan ce cov ­

e red.

r:Q,., One should, therefore, p la n trips
'(!t!5 in advance and try to a void l ocal
traffic and overcrowded motor­
ways.

O bvio usly the fuel consumption is also af­
fec ted by facto rs o ve r w hich the drive r has
n o control. It is for exampl e no rma l for th e con sumpti o n t o increase in th e ,,\linte r or in arduous cond iti ons ( bad roads, trailer tow­ing etc)
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The technical prerequisites
for a low fuel consumpt ion and efficienc y "" ere " built in" at the factory. Particular Im­
p ortance was placed on the lowes t possible
d is turban ce to the enviro nme nt. To retain and make the best possible use of these characteristics attent ion should be paid to the fo llow ing points
~Even those vehicles which do W not have a catalytic converter should be driven on unleaded petrol for the sake of the environment.
~The prescribed maintenance W operations should be carried out exactly as specified in the Service Schedule.
Having your vehicle regularly serviced by a Volkswagen dealer not only ensures that it is always operationally fit, but it also ensures economy, lowest possible burden on the environment and a long service life.
~Check the tyre pressures every 4 W weeks.
Low tyre pressures increase the rolling resistance. This not only increases the fuel consumption and tyre wear, but the handling is also impaired.
~Do not carry unnecessary ballast W in the luggage boot
Particularly in town traffic when one has to accelerate often, weight has a great in­fluence on the fuel consumption. As a
rule ofthumb: For every 100 kg ofweight the consumption increases by approxi­mately litre per 100 km.
~Remove roof rack immediately Wafter use
Particularly at high speeds the increased air resistance makes itself felt consider­ably.
~Electrical consumers should W only be switched on when they are actually required
Heated rear windows, additional driving lights and heater blower consume a con­siderable amount of current. The higher alternator load also increases the fuel consumption. For instance, overa period of 10 hours, the heated rear window will increase the fuel consumption by ap­proximately 1 litre.
~Check the fuel consumption reg­W ularly
The fuel consumption should be checked each time the tank is filled up. By doing this inconsistencies on the vehicle which lead to an increased fuel consumption can be discovered sooner.
• Check the engine oil level each time the tank is filled up The oil consumption depends to a g reat ex­
tent on the engine load and speed. Depend­
ing on the style of driving the consumption
can be as much as 1 .0 litr es/1 000 km .
It
IS no rmal fo r the oil consumption of a ne w
engine to reach its lowest level after a cer­
tain mileage has be en covered . The con­
sumption cannot be properly assessed until
the vehicle has run appro x. 5000 km.
This also applies to the fuel consumption
and the engine output.
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Trouble-free functioning of the ex­haust emission control system is de­
c isi ve for the enviro nment-friendly oper­
ation of the vehicle .
The follow ing points should therefore
be noted:
• Vehicles fitted with a catal ytic con verter
may onl y be driven on unleaded petrol (see
page 82).
• Never drive until the fuel tank
is com­
pletely empty on vehicles with a catal yst.
The irregular fuel supply ca n cause misfir­
ing This allows un burnt fuel into the ex­
haust system. This can cause overheating
and damage to the catalyst.
• If whilst driving, the engine misfires,
loses power and runs unevenly, this could
be due to a fault in the ignition system . In a
case like this, unburnt fuel can enter the ex­
haust system and then escape to atmos­
phere. Furthermore, the catalytic converter
could become damaged due to overheat­
ing The vehicle speed
must be reduced im­
mediately and the defect should be elImIn­
ated at the nearest Volkswagen dealer.
• Do not sw itch
off ignition whilst driving
- see page 38 . •
Do not
overfill engine oil-see page 95.
•
Do not tow start vehicle for more than 50 m -see page 130.
Attention Due to high temperatures which can occur in the catalytic con­verter on petrol engine vehicles in very unfavourable conditions, the vehicle should not be parked so that the catalytic converter can come into contact with in­flammable materials_
Note
Even in the case of a perfectl y working ex­
haust emission control sy stem there can,

under certain engine operating conditions,

be a sulphur-type exhaust smell.

This depends upon the sulphur content
in
the fuel being used.

Quite often this
can be remedied by select­

ing another brand of fuel or, filling up with

unleaded premium petrol.

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Brakes
General notes
• Brake lining wear depends to a la rge ex­
t e nt on the operating conditions and style of riving. On vehicles which are used mainly
n town traffi c and stop/start conditions or are driven hard it may be nece ssary to have the thickness of the brake linings checked by a Volkswagen dealer in be tween the in­
t er vals given in the Ser vice Schedule. On 'ehic les with brake pad wear indicato r, worn front pads w ill b e indic ated by a wa rn­Ing lamp -see page 48.
• Change down in good time when driving
d ownhill , in order to make use of the engine
braking effect. This relieves strain on the
brake system . When the brakes are appl ied
d o not keep them on conti nuo usly, apply
a n d release alternately.
• Under certain
operating conditions, for
ex ample after driv ing through water, after
h eavy ra in or after washi ng the vehicle the
braking effect may be reduced by wet, or in linter iced-up brake discs and linings -the
brakes must be dried out first by applying th e footbrake. The
fu
ll braking effect may also be reduced
when vehicle has been driven for som e
tim e on heavily salted roads witho ut using the bra kes, because th e layer of salt on
discs and pads has to wear off first.
Attention
If a front spoiler or full size wheel trims are retrofitted, it is necess­ary to ensure that the flow of air to the front brakes is not re­stricted -otherwise the brakes can overheat.
Brake serve
Attention The servo is operated by vacuum which is only generated when en­
gine is running. For this reason the vehicle should not be allowed to roll with the engine switched off.
When the brake servo is not working because, for example, the vehicle is being towed or be­cause a defect has occurred on the brake servo itself, the brake pedal must be pressed consider­ably harder to compensate for the absence of servo assistance.
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Anti-locking brake system *
The AB S plays a major part in i ncreasing the active safety of the vehicle . The big adva n­tage when compa red with a conve ntional brake system is t hat even when braking
hard on a s lippery road surfac e the bes t
poss ib le ste erabili ty is retained for the road
cond it io n because the wheels do not lock.
H
owever o ne mus t not expec t the ABS
sys tem t~ sho rt en the brak ing dis ta nce in all co nditions. When driv ing on grave l or o n
fr esh snow cove ring a slipp ery surf ace, I.e. when one shou ld be driving very care fully In
a ny case, the s topping distance may even be slightly longer
How the ABS system works
A n automatic check is made when a speed
of approx. 7 km/h is reached,. When this
hap pens a pumping no ise can be heard. W
he n the tu
rning speed of a w heel reac hes a leve l which is too low fo r the ve hicle speed
and it ten ds to lock , the brake pre ssu re to
t his whee l is r educ ed. On the fron t axle the
b rake press ure is regulated fo r eac h wheel
ind iv idually, whereas on the rear axle, the
press ure is regulated fo r bo th wheels at the
sam e tim e. As a result the braking effect IS the same f or both rear w heels and the driv­ing stabi lity is reta ined as f a r as po~sible. This regulating process makes Itself known by movement .of the b~ake pedal and is accompanied by nOises. This is do ne deli berat ely as a warni ng to the
driver that a wheel or the wheels a re In th e
lock ing range So that the ABS can r egu la te
effec tively in th is range the brake peda l
must remai n depressed -on no account
should it be pumped l
Attention However the ABS system cannot overcome the physical limits. This must be borne in mind par­ticularly on slippery or wet roads. When the ABS com es into the control range the speed must immediately be adapted to the road and traffic conditions. The increased amount of safety avail­able must not tempt one into tak­ing risks.
If a def ect occurs o n the ASS It is indicated by a warni ng lamp -see page 49.
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Trailer towing
The vehicle is intended main ly for the trans­
portation of persons and luggage but it can, with the appropriate technical equipment,
also be used to tow a trailer.
Technical requirements
• If the vehicle is suppl ied with a factory­fi tted towing bracket, all that is technically
a nd legally necessary for trailer towing wil l
have been taken into account.
• If the trailer to be towed
has a 7 pin plug, an adapte r cable can be used whi ch IS ob­
tained from a Volkswagen dealer.
• Volkswagen dealers have
all the necess­ary information on the In stallation of towing
brackets and the fitti ng of a heavy-duty cool­ing system. The installation should there­
f ore be done by them .
Operations instructions
• On the Golf saloon with a factory
fitted towing bracket* the removable ball
coupling will
be fitted. Fitting/remo ving in­
struc tions and instructions on correct stow­age of the ball coupling in the spare wheel
well can be found in a linen bag in the ve­
hicle luggage compartment.
•
On the Golf estate with a factory fitted
towing bracket* the remova ble ball coupl­
ing is stored inside the vehicle next to the
spare wheel, together w ith instructions on
fitting.
• Pitching movements between towing
vehicle
and trailer can be reduced by hea vy­
duty springs and shock absorbers on the
rear axle. If these springs and shock ab­sorbers have not alread y been fitted at the
factory, they can, in many cases, be service­
installed by a Volkswagen dealer.
• The permissible trailer weight -see
page 144 -m ust not
be exceeded on any ac­count.
• If the the trailer weight
is below the
permissible maximum, a correspondingly
steeper gradient
can be climbed. •
The given trailer weights
are only appli­
cable for altitudes up to 1000 m above sea level. As the engine output and thus the
climbing ability drops due to the decreasing
air density , the weight of vehic le and trailer
must also be reduced by 10 % for each
further 1000 m or part thereof.
• Where possible make full use of the
maximum permissible drawbar weight
on ball of the towing bracket -see page 144 ­
but do not exceed it.
• While observing the permissible trailer
and drawbar weight, distribute the load in the trailer so that heavy objects are as nea r as possible to the axle. The objects must
also be secured so that they cannot slip
about.
• Check the ty
re pressures on the towing
v ehicle, and adjust for full load conditions,
and also check the pressures on the trailer
• T he headlight settings, should
be checked w ith trailer attached before mov­
ing off and adjusted as necessary. On vehicles with headlight beam control it is on ly necessary to turn the knurled disc in dash in the appropriate directIOn .
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Driving instructions
To obtain the best possible handling of ve­
hicle and trailer, the following should be
noted :
•
Try to avoid driving w ith an unladen ve­
hicle and a loaded trailer. If this cannot be
avoided, only drive
slowly to allow for the
unfavourable weight distribution .
• As driving stability
of vehicle and trailer
decreases when the speed increases do not drive at the maximum permissible top speed in unfavourable road, weather or wind conditions -particularly when going
downhill.
In any case the speed must be reduced im­
mediately the trailer shows the slightest
sign of snaking . On no account try to stop
the snakin g by accelerating.
• For safety reasons one should not drive
faster than 80
km/h (50 mph). This also
applies in countries where higher speeds
are permitted. •
Al
ways brake in good time. If the trailer
has an overrun brake, apply the brakes gen­
tl y at firs t then firmly. This will avoid the Je rk­
ing caused by the trailer wheels loc king. Change down before going down a steep
hill so that the engine can act as a braka.
•
When a lon g climb in a low gear with ex­
tremel y high engine revs must be nego­
tiated at exceptionally high ambient tem­peratures the coolant temperature gauge must be observed. When the gauge needle
moves to the upper end of the scale, the
road speed must be reduced immediately
If nevertheles s the warning lamp flashes,
stop
immediatel y and allow the engine to
cool off at id l ing speed for several minutes.
• The coo ling
effect of the radiator fan can­
not be increased by changing down, be­
cause the speed of the fan is not dependent
on the engine speed. One should the refore
not change down even when towing a
trailer as 10ll g as the engine can cope with­out the vehicle speed dropping too much .
General notes
• It is advisable to hav e the vehicle ser­viced between the Insp ection in tervals it it
is used frequently for towing a trailer .
• The trailer and draw
bar load figures on
the data plate of the towing bracke t are for test ce rtific ation only. The correct figures
for the vehicle, which may be lower t han
th ese figures, are given in the eh icle docu­ments and in this manual.
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