thinking about purchasing a MkII jetta 1.6 NA

[WrickM]

Hi everyone,
    I am thinking about buying a Jetta with the 1.6idi non-turbo.  I ma trying to think of things i can check to get an overall gauge of what is left in the engine.  Here are some facts about the car
1.6 L Diesel (non-turbo)
5 Speed Manual Transmission
287,978 miles
4 door sedan
Mint green
AC
Sun roof (no leaks!)
Tires are in good shape
Injection pump has been adjusted to give the car more power. (However, this causes it to smoke when going up hills.)
Timing belt replaced June 2008 (approx 15,000 miles ago)

Here is what i know is wrong with it:
Installed 3 new glow plugs (4th one was frozen in place)
Installed 3 new injectors (4th one was frozen in place)
Has an “old diesel car” oil leak
Needs to be plugged in at night or it can be hard to start on cold

obviously the frozen GP and Inj or a problem especially if on the same cylinder.  He says the car needs to be plugged in to srat on cold days so it seems the compression is low. 
Are there any other red flags on these cars? Anything else i should look into?  Has anyone here used Auto Rx with good results in restoring compression? How expensive is a re-ring kit?

I know it's a lot ot take in, but any advice would help a guy with a little know how, but less cash. If i do get this thing i will have more time to cruise the forum and pick up on all the pointers, but i need some help pretty quick.

Thank you.

[clbanman]

AutoRX is snake oil.  I did a test on an admittedly extremely worn engine (gasser).  Compression before and after did not change.

[macka]

AutoRX is snake oil.  I did a test on an admittedly extremely worn engine (gasser).  Compression before and after did not change.

yup definately snake oil. Clean around the frozen injector and glow plug, warm them with a propane torch and rub the base with a wax candle. The heat will draw the wax in and make the frozen parts come out easy.

[WrickM]

I might differo n the snake oil. I did gain compression on my F250 6.9 diesel aftera 2500mile cycle using Auto Rx.

Thanks for the advice on the frozen GP and injector.  That's good stuff.

Anything else about an engine with ~300k on it?

[truckoSaurus08]

Anything else about an engine with ~300k on it?

With 300k, I'd say it's probably close to needing a re-build unless it's been done before. So check compression or if it runs good. I bought my Eco diesel with about 300k and engine work was the least of my problems.
Things I replaced:
Clutch
heater core
Belts
Hoses
gaskets
Transmission ( after replacing clutch, avx tranny blew apart)
injector pump started leaking at throttle bushing (havent fixed yet)
various suspension components ( tie rods, ball joints, struts,)
and much more to come!
So be prepared to work on it.

[theman53]

Yeah...
I think that the engine could be the least or most of your worries. There is one guy on here or maybe the other forum that had over 500,000 miles on one. I bought one that the guy ran castrol 10-30 in it and it had 230ish psi of compression in all cylinders and only 150,000 miles. The oil wasn't a C rated oil, didn't do much for soot etc and he said "its a diesel I only change the oil every 5,000 miles."
So I think it is one of those things it will either be fine or not. I would be more worried about the floorboards after my never ending build. The worst part has been the rust in the floor.

[Baron VonZeppelin]

Welcome to the forum Wrick.

In the USA these 1.6's are the smartest car on the road.
Everybody should be driving them.

The best bet is to buy the best one you can find - that you can afford. If this one is best you can do then go for it.

My 89 Daily D is at about 345,000 and i wouldn't care a thing about selling it even if it had 700,000. I hope to live long enough to get it to 500,000.
If the right guy were to have bought one of these new and kept it wrenched and serviced himself he'd probably get 500,000-600,000 or more before reworking the bottom end.
But most of these have seen several many owners and various forms of neglect.

A skilled 1.6'er could probably wrench this one into starting and running better. IF it is a compression problem thats gonna be an obstacle. But i know a Canadian that drove one through the winter with only 250 avg psi. So you can make things work if you have to, and know how, or aka learn.

Re-ring with bearings and gaskets starts at about $100 for korea/china/tawaiin origin parts. Good stuff is about $200. Pure Best would be about $300 +/-.

Few things to check out:

See if they will allow you to perform a compression test.
Even if its only on 3 cylinders.
500psi is fresh. Over 350 is still a good driver. Under 300 is getting due soon (also known as past due to most).
VW reco is under 412psi - rebuild.

After reaching temperature - if the car still runs way better with the cold start pulled out - than it does with it pushed in - then the timing is low from previous timing belt jobs. You can fix that easy. But most are scared to death to touch one there.

if it doesn't make hardly any difference whether its in or out during overall driving test then the timing is probably pretty close.

After reaching temp - pull oil cap and check the blow by with it running.
Even the better ones will have some expell - Slightly steady/moderate is still okay - steady thick smoke gush is bad.

Check how it restarts when HOT too.
Some have hot start problems of diffrnt origins.

Check how easy it is to roll crank at temperature.
On flat ground push it about what you can muster - roll crank in 2nd - it should fire up instantly. If not - thats another sign of low/lower compression.

And its good to know if you can roll crank your car easy, sometimes you might HAVE to if an electrical problem pops up.

Like Trucko mentions, most of the bargains are sold when they need full extended maintenance performed, and usually various repairs too.

Check the front inner and outer CV boots.
Bounce the car and check the struts/shocks.
Sloppy shifter is cheap easy fix if that feels goofy.

Good luck to you man, let us know if you buy it.

[janb]

Maybe too late but...

I would be concerned about the 'need to plug in heater' as it is likely low compression. NA's can go bad @ 300k, and you might need a bore job (which is VERY expensive when it comes to finding pistons. ($200-$300), they used to be $30). The frozen Injector and Glow might = a new head $400

I would find something rust free and with a good engine.  OR rust free with a rebuildable engine. (I use 'Crazed list' and search TX, (non-coastal) + AZ, NM, CA).

another choice is to find an excellent rust free GLI or GTI and swap in a fresh diesel, it was nice when you could buy a new 'crate' AAZ for $1500, but those days are gone, unless you have a 'Brazil Connection'.  You can still find fresh 1.6s for $2000. Swap from gas to diesel is EZ.

you can get a rust free GLI for $800