Diesel newbie looking for some (quick) advice

[Coleslaw]

Coleslaw here from NH, I just found an 85 diesel golf four door that I am going to take a look at tomorrow. I feel like I am a competent mechanic having always wrenched on my own cars and trucks but everything I have owned has been gas. So I guess what I am asking is what should I be looking for when I go test drive this car.

What I know so far

-Timing belt/interference engine according to the current owner this was recently done (10,000 miles)

-The car has about 270K, I'm pretty sure a diesel is supposed to last this long and depending on maintainence it could still have a lot of life left, what are some telltale signs that i may be looking at a rebuild within the next year or two?

-"runs great!"

here's a link to the clist post http://nh.craigslist.org/cto/1642511008.html

I know this is short notice but if someone could give me some info that would be great.

Thanks

[hagar]

Coleslaw : you found a good place to ask , just hope that 82vdub answers. ,

hagar.

[82vdub]

Welcome to the forum.

As a basic test, I would make sure the engine is stone cold when you get there and see how it starts cold. If it's warm, just ask the seller if he just got back from somewhere etc. A lot of cars that have cold start problems people will run before you get there, so you'll be starting a warm car. Also, see how it starts after you've run it for a while.

You can remove the oil fill cap while it's running and see how much blowby is coming out of the opening. There will probably be quite a bit, considering it's age.

Look at the shock towers closely for signs of rusting. That's the weak point in these cars. Also verify how the transmission shifts. Most 5 speed transmissions have been run low on trans oil and the 5th gear gets hot and damages the gear/syncro's. Hard shifting into 1st is common on these as the transmissions wear. The can be buggers to get into 1st gear when cold, or after being run for many miles.

Also look to see if the injector pump (IP) is leaking or not. Ask the previous owner if he's had the IP resealed or not. This will start leaking with the ultra low sulfter diesel fuel with original IP gasketing.

If you do buy this, buy a new fuel filter on the way home and change it. Only time you wouldn't have to change it is if the previous owner (PO) has a receipt for one, and it's only a month old or something.

Good luck.

[Coleslaw]

Thanks for the quck reply

I understand the concept of blow-by but I am wondering how much is too much. Is there any way to test without having experience?

I am trying to learnabout fuel additives, are there any that you would recomend? Also what kind of ratio should be used with these engines?

I guess my real concern is wether or not this is a good deal ($1200) and how much of a project am I getting myself into?

Again I appreciate your help

[coke]

Miles are high. You can usually tell blow by by removing the rubber hose connected to the valve cover to the intake manifold and letting the engine run. Bad blow by will be very evident. Grey puffy smoke with oil deposits in it.


If the engine has had regular maintenance it may be in very good shape. When looking at a potential vehicle to add to my arsenal I usually make sure that the owner doesn't run it for a day or two so its nice and cold when I get there .. If all 4 glow plugs are operating normally, and you can start it relitivley easy (Even though it may skip) but when the cold start advance is pulled out it smooths out, and it doesn't puke enormous clouds of unburnt diesel out the tailpipe you could probably get some life out of it.

Leak down test is the only way to answer all your questions but most people aren't really going to let you haul the fuel system apart to do a leak down test.


After the engine's at operating temperature, it should start fairly effortlessly an hour or so later. Spring to life, as they say. But the only 100% sure way is a leakdown test.

Another thing to check is coolant tank pressurization. It shouldn't pressurize the cooling system after running for 15 minutes or so.

[rabbit_man]

Park on a hill, shut it off and put it in 4th gear. Let it creep forward, it should lurch forward evenly meaning the compression is equalish in all cylinders. Flat ground will work too, you'll just have to push it.

[hagar]

82vdub said " Welcome to the forum." he is good at that , In Dans we have a Loren who does the same..

IMHO that is the most important information for a Newbie.. $ 1200 ? that is a good starting point for a little negotiating.

.hagar.

[Fatmobile]

With that many miles, the intermediate shaft bearings are probably toast.
Which can cause low oil pressure.
Low oil pressure can cause the tuna can style vaccum pump to work poorly.

So check the brakes, if they are bad at low RPMs, maybe not so bad at higher RPMs,
it could be low oil pressure.

[82vdub]

Another thing to check is coolant tank pressurization. It shouldn't pressurize the cooling system after running for 15 minutes or so.

I know you meant 15 seconds, not minutes When you start a stone cold car, if you remove the cap on the overflow jug on the coolant system, if there's pressure inside the cap after running for a very short time period, this is a sign that combustion gasses are getting into the coolant system. Bad head, head gasket, block, or something along those lines.

[Coleslaw]

I went to look at it and tried to check over everything that you all had warned about.

It cold-started just fine also warm/hot started great

blow-by was evident but no grey smoke

the transmission shifted great 1st through 5th

strut towers were bullet proof

I even gave it the hill test and it rolled forward slowly and what seemed to be equally each "lurch"

What really amazed me about it was how clean this thing is, I just got rid of my 95 Tacoma and that truck was rusted and rotted everywhere. This old dub only has a few spots on the lower doors, the rockers are solid and the undercarrige is in great shape. So obviously I bought it

I gave it an oil change (diesels have some dirty oil) and a new air filter. The fuel filter will be in tomorrow. I'm running 10oz of "Diesel Kleen" per tank of fuel.

There are some cosmetics/convenience things that do need to be addressed.

I would love to find new door seals for it

Doors and keys
This car came with a pile of keys, 2 ignition keys 3 for the drivers door 2 for the hatch, and 3 for the passenger door. Two of the doors open hard and one wont open at all. Is this a common problem? What should I do about it?

The speedo is very... "wavy" and is off by about ten MPH (too fast) It also has a humming/fluttering noise over 25 (15 actual) mph, has anyone ever had or heard of this problem, or is this just one of those turn the radio up kind of things?

Lastly I love this little car 40 something mpgs and alot of character, its a real head turner, I think i'll have her for quite some time.

[82vdub]

Congrats on the new VW ownership. When you change the fuel filter, you'll need to pull fuel through it to the IP to make sure the filter is pretty full of fuel to keep it running. Running the IP out of fuel can make these things very difficult to start. So, do your best at prefilling the new fuel filter.

The wavy speedo is likely from a sticky speedo cable. A new cable will likely fix that issue. Not sure if the 10MPH off issue will be resolved. If the speedo is always off 10MPH no matter how fast you're going, the needle is set on the peg wrong. If it's an approximate percentage off at any speed, that could be internals to the speedo, or a transmission swap.

Check the trans fluid. Don't just remove the plug and fill to the bottom of the plug, it needs .5L more fluid than that. Buy a legit Bentley manual to service the car yourself and definately check the condition of the timing belt. That's crucial for a new owner.

The fluttering noise you'll need to give more data on what it is etc before probably anyone can say anything about it.

[Brit101]

Welcome to the forum Coleslaw.

Regarding all your keys. They can all be keyed the same at a locksmith. Or I know of a Jetta set that is all new locks with two new door handles for $29. If they don't have them here, contact me.

A DIY from a reliable source suggested this method, I have yet to try it. The lock cylinders can be removed from the door handles. Ignition keys inserted into the lock cyl. of the door handles once they are out and Dremel the pins so they are flush with the top of the cylinder. I have never done this but got it from a reliable source.

The locksmith will replace the pins with the correct ones instead of grinding them down. Here the locksmith will charge $20-30 per lock to make them all the same.

Regarding the door that won't open, look at this post.
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=4801444

If you feel like tinkering, remove your latches and clean them out with solvent. The grease is long past it's prime, not functioning at all. Then put fresh grease in to lubricate them. Sticking in a flat screwdriver int he bottom slot will aid in the R&R. Explained in the manual.
Suggest you get one quickly, written by Robert Bentley.
Same with the door handles. If you are not familiar with their removal, post a question here.

[Coleslaw]

I love this car!

http://s886.photobucket.com/home/coleslaw_NH

New fuel filter, although after I was finished I read about the use of ATF when filling the filter, and I wish i had found out sooner

I found a great resource within 20min of my house who calls himself the "AUTOMAHN" he has a yard full of MKIIs and is full of advise. He set me up with the mirror and the two rear door handles for 30 bucks.

I fixed my speedo just by taking it apart and spraying some penetrating oil in the tube. But I think it is still 10mph off.

Where is the best place to purchace a bently manual?

[bscutt]

Looks pretty good. Try eBay for the manual or Bentley may still sell them new.

[82vdub]

You may try calling Jack, the owner of this forum (http://www.vwdieselpart.com). If Jack doesn't have it, try Amazon.com.

Does this guy down the road have any rear door panels that I'm looking for? (viewtopic.php?t=9350)