Former VWDieselParts.com Forum

Wow, not good news, guys. Have been more of a lurker here than a steady contributor, but was looking forward to getting back into some heavier interactions with my (5) VWs once school gets out, and selfishly anticipating communicating here with some diesel brethren. Wish I had the digital skills to ...

Sounds picky, I know, but... I'd advise buying/installing a good German-brand thermostat. Wahl is a good brand & there are others usually available, likely from the owner of this website. (Out of experience as a former distributor/wholesaler, I would seriously advise against buying the domestic ...

Many VW dealer service techs used to do this all the time, to skip the step of checking piston protrusion, i.e. save time / flag more "flat rate time" for greater pay. :roll: No, most drivers wouldn't notice any effect from the small drop in compression. Theoretically, it could make it jus...

That's a place where an "obstruction" wrench (S-shaped or crescent-shaped) may help.

The 1985 VW Golf/Jetta diesels, and likely the '86 also, came with an electric 'lift' pump in the fuel tank. IIRC they frequently gave problems & at some point VW just eliminated them. That device could also be a source of restriction if it's dead, as could a plugged-up 'sock' type filter around...

Though it's been done with the VW diesels (a lot!), it seems like no one here is certain enough that there are/aren't any problems, to honestly give you a definitive answer. Might want to post your question on https://bobistheoilguy.com/

Re. exhaust: Not earthshaking, but definitely found noticeable power gains on 1.6NA VW Dasher by changing its manifold & pitiful 1 1/8" dia. exhaust system to the manifold & downpipe (approx. 2 1/4" dia.) from a VW Fox 1.8L gasser. The 1.8L manifold's runners seemed to have larger ...

IMO the only thermostats I'd use would be the German units, and even then they'd all get tested by thermometer in boiling water, before installation. Once tested a batch of 10 new-from-the-box brand S---- thermostats for a wholesale customer: 3 were defective! Have also found much more effective coo...

Zpifer, what weight motor oil are you running in your '81 Rabbit? Some of the early VW diesels would jump up to 150+ psi oil pressure on cold start-up. A multi-grade diesel-rated oil might lower the initial cold pressure a bit, and actually even get the oil to all the rotating parts more quickly tha...

Wow! That does seem pretty loud & almost rice-burner 'rappy'. The Dasher wagon had just above that sound level, but only on its way to the muffler shop with just a 24" down pipe straight off the exhaust manifold! Space is tight on the early Golf/Jetta/Scirocco chassis, but maybe a longer gl...

After swapping the exhaust manifold for a VW Fox 1.8L gasser's unit, I replaced the constipated 1 1/8" factory exhaust with 2.25" pipe & 18" long fiberglass muffler on our (1.6L NA diesel) Dasher wagon. Results: Very noticeable improvement in acceleration (need all we can get!). S...

Could be. Trace the circuits on the flex panel, or check the connections in your Bentley manual's wiring diagrams to see if the gauges are dependent on the clock's connector for 12V+ power. An alternative is to check the fuel gauge & temp gauges' supply voltage(s) with a multimeter. IIRC the fac...

Weird! Thought all the reputable filter companies had solved that issue by the late 1970s. WIX is now a subsidiary of MANN+HUMMEL, as is Purolator. Personally, been using WIX #51714 (FIAT-Iveco application; larger capacity than #51191, listed for the VW application) in my VW diesels for many years w...

Yes, push bar/"push rod" part # for the Caddy 200mm brakes are: 331 609 819A (Left side) and 331 609 820A (Right side), while the Rabbit hatchbacks' 180mm brakes take a 171 609 819B (Left side) and 171 609 820B (Right side). BTW the 200mm brakes were also used on the VW Dashers & (pres...

In all around performance, a 1.6TD is a big step up from 1.6na. A VW mechanic friend, who has rebuilt lots of the 1.6 & 1.9 IDI engines, built & tried a 1.9TD in his Caddy, but switched back to a 1.6TD, because there was quite a difference in fuel mileage. He indicated that the 1.9 definitel...