RIP "Old Blue"

This is a place for us to share progress on and upgrades to our vw diesels.

Moderator: Fatmobile

Fatmobile
Global Moderator
Posts: 7564
Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2002 10:28 pm
Location: north central Iowa

Post by Fatmobile »

The wiring is intalled; rear harness, engine bay and fuse box.

I'll get some pics of the heaterbox mods before I install it.
'91 Golf gasser converted to a 12mm pump, M-TDI.
'84 1.6TD Rabbit with a VNT-15 turbo, still setup to run on vegetable oil.
'84 GTI with 1.7TD pistons and intercooled.
2003 TDI wagon
2000 TDI Jetta.
coke

Post by coke »

I demand pictures.
Fatmobile
Global Moderator
Posts: 7564
Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2002 10:28 pm
Location: north central Iowa

Post by Fatmobile »

Then it's pictures you shall have. :lol:
Here's a picture of the inside, before the heaterbox is installed:
Image
I read on the vortex, while searching for sound deadening, that Ace hardware has rubber/acrylic roof sealer call kool seal. They said it handles heat, sticks to the metal adding mass and absorbing vibrations. That's what the white stuff is.
The '84 has a thick/heavy foam cover that attaches to the firewall. I don't think earlier Rabbits did, I didn't see it on the Fatmobile,... an '83. That's the black stuff.
The door cards obviously haven't been cleaned yet. Get it running first then clean it :) .

Here's the heaterbox mods:
Image
Not a good picture but the light area is a cover for the heatercore. I don't want to have to drain the AC system and pull the box to change the heatercore so I cut a hole in the side that will allow me to remove the heatercore through the side of the box. It's farther from the firewall than the non-AC heater core so it should be easier to remove.

Here's the mod for getting heat to the outside vents.
Picture from inside the vent:
Image

...and a picture from inside the defroster/front vent tube:
Image
I cleaned and coated the dash and thought it was ready to install, but there is a flapper in the dash vent and when I touched it the foam crumbled,.. so thanks to the folks on here who suggested foamies for fixing one of the A2 heaterbox problems. I went and got a few sheets today, so the dash should go on tomorrow.
'91 Golf gasser converted to a 12mm pump, M-TDI.
'84 1.6TD Rabbit with a VNT-15 turbo, still setup to run on vegetable oil.
'84 GTI with 1.7TD pistons and intercooled.
2003 TDI wagon
2000 TDI Jetta.
coke

Post by coke »

Wow. You're really going all out with this project
Fatmobile
Global Moderator
Posts: 7564
Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2002 10:28 pm
Location: north central Iowa

Post by Fatmobile »

Function over beauty.... well it's beautiful to me.
I got the dash mounted today, well it's sitting in place.
It's hard to line it up with the clips.
The windshield isn't glued in so I will wait for a warmer day to fully snap it into place. It should be much easier with the windshield out, right now it's frozen in.
I'm thinking engine bay stuff tomorrow;... get the electrical, coolant and fuel lines hooked up. I'll have to buy some urethane lines for fuel and the vacuum gauge. That vacuum gauge line will be easier to put in place before I set the dash on all the way. So I suppose a quick trip to town is in order.
The little plastic piece that runs along the bottom of the windshield got put back in,... it's been so long since i took it apart I didn't know what screws to use. Looking at the other Rabbits showed them to be torx screws... oh that's what the screws I used to attach the plastic wheel well liners to the fender were for :roll: .
Now the fender liners and lower windshield trim have the right screws.
It's getting close to moving under it's own power,.... instead of me pushing it.
'91 Golf gasser converted to a 12mm pump, M-TDI.
'84 1.6TD Rabbit with a VNT-15 turbo, still setup to run on vegetable oil.
'84 GTI with 1.7TD pistons and intercooled.
2003 TDI wagon
2000 TDI Jetta.
Fatmobile
Global Moderator
Posts: 7564
Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2002 10:28 pm
Location: north central Iowa

Post by Fatmobile »

The windshield isn't glued in yet. It's too cold for the urethane.
Since it was warm enough for the ice to melt, I could remove the windshield and line the dash clips up.
I wanted 1/8" urethane for the vacuum gauge line but I had some 1/8" vinyl tubing and used that. That needed to be installed before I could put the dash on completely and I wanted to get that done.
Stores were open today so I got 6 feet of 1/4" urethane tubing for fuel line to the filter, from the filter and from the pump to the metal fuel line heading back to the tank. I also got a can of diesel.
I couldn't get fuel to flow from the tank. Ended up being ice in the line so I took the propane torch to the fuel line and it cleared right up. I put a clear line on the pump "OUT"put and sucked fuel through the system to prime it.
I cranked for awhile with the injection pump unplugged. Then plugged it in and cranked some more with my foot on the floor. It wouldn't start.
I had some wires wrong on the Ford starter solenoid. OK, I got the trigger wire and sensor wire to the upshift light on the dash mixed up :oops: Switched them around and I could still here the glowplug relay click, but not the Ford solenoid,... you know when that clicks. I've hit the manual button on my Fatmobile and had people say, "That doesn't sound good".
Oh, well mistake #2. I forgot to put a fuse in the new space I created in the fuse box, just for the glowplugs. I put that in and CLICK, the glowplugs get power, and as soon as I hit the key it started.
I don't have any oil pressure, batt warning lights on the dash when I hit the key. That might be a relay. ...and it looks like one cluster light is out.
No parking lights, that might be a fuse.
I got the cig lighter to work.
The radiator is in but not hooked up, resevoir is in but lower hose isn't there yet.
It had been dark for awhile when I got it started. Almost gave up and waited until tomorrow a couple times... but hung in there and got it figured out.
No cooling system yet and no alternator so I didn't run it for more than a couple seconds.
Maybe tomorrow it will move under it's own power.
'91 Golf gasser converted to a 12mm pump, M-TDI.
'84 1.6TD Rabbit with a VNT-15 turbo, still setup to run on vegetable oil.
'84 GTI with 1.7TD pistons and intercooled.
2003 TDI wagon
2000 TDI Jetta.
Fatmobile
Global Moderator
Posts: 7564
Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2002 10:28 pm
Location: north central Iowa

Post by Fatmobile »

It starts well.
The heater is working.
All the outside lights are working except I needed to glue the bolts back on the driver's side front turn lens.
Grill is on.
I tried to put the passenger seat from the '86 TD Jetta in it but the adjuster was on the wrong side.
I haven't driven it yet,... no driver's seat installed until all the electrical gremlins are figured out,... I still don't have any warning lights or fuel/temp gauges.
'91 Golf gasser converted to a 12mm pump, M-TDI.
'84 1.6TD Rabbit with a VNT-15 turbo, still setup to run on vegetable oil.
'84 GTI with 1.7TD pistons and intercooled.
2003 TDI wagon
2000 TDI Jetta.
Fatmobile
Global Moderator
Posts: 7564
Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2002 10:28 pm
Location: north central Iowa

Post by Fatmobile »

I got the battery and stock glow plug lights working.
Someone had the instrument cluster apart and put the LEDs in backward.
Fuel and temp gauges are working now that I have a fuse in the radio slot.
Left turn signals blink too fast but both the front and rear bulbs are good.
It looks like the front connector might be messed up.
The right side front turn had a corroded ground connection so the whole bulb holder had to be replaced,... it's working fine.
Front end allignment and windshield install are the big items.
The Jetta seats do fit the Rabbit. It was dark and I was trying the wrong seat. Only thing that needed changed was the seat belt release.
Shifter also needs some fine tuning. Everything is tight, just hard to hit 1st.
'91 Golf gasser converted to a 12mm pump, M-TDI.
'84 1.6TD Rabbit with a VNT-15 turbo, still setup to run on vegetable oil.
'84 GTI with 1.7TD pistons and intercooled.
2003 TDI wagon
2000 TDI Jetta.
Fatmobile
Global Moderator
Posts: 7564
Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2002 10:28 pm
Location: north central Iowa

Post by Fatmobile »

I put the under dash vent tubes in today.
I also got the freash air intake, for the heater, resealed.... damn the foamies I got for inside the heater box are really coming in handy for replacing all the crumbling foam climate control parts.
Real cold day. Good day to test start it and I wanted to see how well the side vent mod worked but it just went "click". I stuck a tire iron down there to jump the starter, sparks flew but it still just went click,... so it's not the switch.
I pulled the starter apart and didn't see any problems so it's probably the starter solenoid. Since it's no good anyway, I'll probably take a grinder to the lip and see if I can pull it apart.
'91 Golf gasser converted to a 12mm pump, M-TDI.
'84 1.6TD Rabbit with a VNT-15 turbo, still setup to run on vegetable oil.
'84 GTI with 1.7TD pistons and intercooled.
2003 TDI wagon
2000 TDI Jetta.
Fatmobile
Global Moderator
Posts: 7564
Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2002 10:28 pm
Location: north central Iowa

Post by Fatmobile »

I got the windshield glued in yesterday and took it down the road today.
It runs great, not much power on the top end. I was going 65 in 4th gear and it wasn't reving too bad. 5th is geared for highway.
This is the first VW diesel engine I rebuilt,... probably 4 years ago, it's the little 1.5.
I didn't drive it much, can't drive 'em all, so this one hasn't been tuned for years. I didn't know much about tuning them then, I am looking forward to checking the injectors and setting the timing by ear.
I'll take my camera on the next drive.
'91 Golf gasser converted to a 12mm pump, M-TDI.
'84 1.6TD Rabbit with a VNT-15 turbo, still setup to run on vegetable oil.
'84 GTI with 1.7TD pistons and intercooled.
2003 TDI wagon
2000 TDI Jetta.
MPalm
Turbo Charger
Posts: 414
Joined: Mon Jan 08, 2007 2:52 pm
Location: Swe

Post by MPalm »

Sweet!
Must be nice to cruise down the roads with it, considering the poor litte rabbit looked more like a jigsaw puzzle than a car when it was stripped down :shock:
Golf IV TDI -98 330000km
Fatmobile
Global Moderator
Posts: 7564
Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2002 10:28 pm
Location: north central Iowa

Post by Fatmobile »

I took it into town for the first time,... as I just got into town it started slowwing down, I pushed the clutch and it killed.
I pulled into the high school parking lot and saw bubbles in the fuel line.
The vacuum gauge didn't show a restriction so I pulled the rear seat and looked in the tank,... it was emtpy.
I hiked a couple blocks to a diesel pump and borrowed a can.
Filled it up and was on my way again.
The fuel gauge showed it just hitting reserve so I'm going to have to fix the fuel gauge.
The speedometer was working but the odometer wasn't. I pulled the cluster apart and was expecting to find a cracked gear, I found no gear. Was the previous owner trying to keep the mileage down?
Either way I grabbed a broken gear off a parts cluster and did my fix on it:
Image
I cut the tubing with a tubing cutting, this crimped the end down a little tighter, then filed it with a rat tail file until it was the right internal diameter to slide tightly over the gear. Then I cut it off, and did the same to the other side of the gear,... no glue required, it presses firmly onto the shaft.
The odometer works great now but I'm going to have to pull the cluster again to see why the trip meter isn't working
'91 Golf gasser converted to a 12mm pump, M-TDI.
'84 1.6TD Rabbit with a VNT-15 turbo, still setup to run on vegetable oil.
'84 GTI with 1.7TD pistons and intercooled.
2003 TDI wagon
2000 TDI Jetta.
82rabbitdiesel
Diesel Freak
Posts: 164
Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2007 5:25 pm

Post by 82rabbitdiesel »

Fatmobile wrote: Here's the heaterbox mods:.. so thanks to the folks on here who suggested foamies for fixing one of the A2 heaterbox problems.
can you let me know exactly these are? is there a name brand or can you post a pic? i want to fix my vents, the foam is long gone.
Carlos Galvos wrote: The steering wheel(81VWRabbit L) is pleasant to grip, and the instrumentation is cleanly and logically laid out in a manner one would expect from a fine European car.(posted on EBAY)
82 Rabbit Diesel, 2" lift, "45 mpg average"
Fatmobile
Global Moderator
Posts: 7564
Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2002 10:28 pm
Location: north central Iowa

Post by Fatmobile »

I found out about foamies by doing a search on here, in the general fora..
They suggested going to Walmart for foamies. They were back by the material dept.
I really like driving this car.
The heat works great... I went to the windshield place and got another windshield trim piece that I had ordered. I told the guy I got the windshield put in and pointed to my car. He siad, Well that's a BEAST".
I said,"Yes, yes it is". :D
It might be the color(s), or the beafy towbar coming out the front bumper that gives it it's beastyness. The bassy resonance of the roof without a headliner certainly adds to it when it growls by.
Still lots of stuff on the "to do" list but it's on the road with it's zippy 1.5 and I try to fix something on it every day.
Great time of year for ebrake slides 8) :lol:
'91 Golf gasser converted to a 12mm pump, M-TDI.
'84 1.6TD Rabbit with a VNT-15 turbo, still setup to run on vegetable oil.
'84 GTI with 1.7TD pistons and intercooled.
2003 TDI wagon
2000 TDI Jetta.
Fatmobile
Global Moderator
Posts: 7564
Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2002 10:28 pm
Location: north central Iowa

Post by Fatmobile »

I tried to start it the other day and one glow plug was bad so it wouldn't start.
Got that changed, while the block heater warmed it up. It started but the alternator light wouldn't go out,... so I had to swap in another alternator.
The exhaust was salvaged from another car. It was crimped where the clamp was and it wouldn't slide fully together in front of the axle. I took that down and had them expand it a little. Fits great now.
The heaterbox mod works great. It's nice to have heat on my left knee, it makes me laugh. :lol:
It's usually cold near the door.
'91 Golf gasser converted to a 12mm pump, M-TDI.
'84 1.6TD Rabbit with a VNT-15 turbo, still setup to run on vegetable oil.
'84 GTI with 1.7TD pistons and intercooled.
2003 TDI wagon
2000 TDI Jetta.
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