Need some ideas from ya fellers

[8v-of-fury]

I pulled the diesel out of its winter hibernation early to get a jump start on some of the work needed to be done as it is super slow at work, and i have spent a few days on my butt. I slapped the plates from my car on it, and drove it around all day yesterday it did surprisingly well for 900k and 50hp. Just a few minor issues really..

When I parked it a few months ago the brakes were a little hard to push like manual brakes, i figured it was due to the to rust on the rotors for sittin for three years.. however yesterday when i pulled it out the brakes worked really well (still felt a little rusty rotor like) but not the same as needing to push your foot through the floor to stop it. They were fine for the first half of my trip and all was well, but after parking it for a few hours and returning to it for the drive home.. they were back to being solid as anything. On the drive home the first application of the brakes felt like there was vacuum there to power them, but the next push of them resulted in hard brakes again.. so i assume it is either the vacuum pump.. or.. the connection at the booster seems a little whack... I will try and see if I can't seal the booster or something.. I am sure it is the problem.

Lets talk power. It's peppy and has a great amount of low down torque.. but not much up top at all sadly. I made a pass on someone in 4th gear doing 55mph (just before governor) with a fully loaded car .. but she needs a little more Eh!? I was wondering about the governor mod, I have read all about it on mannnny forums across this introweb. However what I was wondering was this... Stock governor cuts fueling at 2800rpm right? so if you take out this "governorship" and allow the engine to have full fueling at and above 3000, would the engine be able to reach say 4500rpm in 5th gear? or would there simply be not enough torque in the engine to power it that far? because that would be 180km/h lol how about a more feasible engine speed? 3600rpm? would there be enough power after the governor mod, exhaust and intake work to achieve and sustain 36-3800rpm? because that would be 150km/h and as fast as I would EVER need to go.. I would think that 3700 should be very attainable wouldn't you say?

Also I have been trying to think of ways to do an intake setup.. I had a crazy idea in my mind, to do a littttle hood scoop right in front of the grills on the hood for the rain tray... and just run no front cover on my intake, and just have the filter there sucking fresh air in from the scoop? far fetched idea, but an idea nonetheless. I was also thinking of cutting out the center hole on the stock intake box and running a bigger 2.5-3" duct up beside the rad on the passenger side.. Has anyone actually looked on the inside of of an mk1 n/a intake?  the air goes in right at the center and then has to go up to the top of the manifold to go back down and around the back of it.. what were they thinking? they really fixed that design with the mk2 ones that go in and straight down to the cylinders.. Not much upgrades for the intake really is there.. Other then slapping on a gasser one.

Now for the exhaust. I will definitely be going the hollowed out toilet bowl idea for sure, just I can't decide what size to go and then where to dump the exhaust.. more than likely go with a 2.25".. then I run in to the problem of where to dump it and what type of muffler system to use.. a normal restrictive muffler will kind of be redundant when your trying to reduce restrictions right? lol Maybe some sort of cherry bomb turbo or something.. Now to dump it right in front of the driver back wheel or go over the axle and dump it there? I drive a gasser 8v with a cherry bomb right off the down pipe and before the shifter and then it dumps before the tire.. So I am no stranger to the drone, and I think there will be less with a muffler that is not a glass pack lol. I guess I just really don't want the hastle of going over the axle really

What are ya'll thoughts on these little quirks and quarks?

[8v-of-fury]

Jeeeez look at how long that is! Starting to remind myself of Maxfax and his boring long-winded-ness

[maxfax]

Thanks buddy!!    Here's another dose of it!

As far as your brakes..  It does sound like a vacuumesq problem..  Do you have the rotary or diaphragm pump??  Rotary pumps typically last forever, the diaphragm not so much..   Make sure you got no leaks in the line bwteen the pump and booster..  There is also a check valve in the plumbing (on the pump for the rotary, in the line for the other) make sure that is working..  IF all looks good to this point, blame the booster next..


Now for power, governor mod is glorious!  4500 RPM is 5th is probably pushing it though, pretty much the simple lack of torque..  I can attain about 3900 in 5th -- eventually..   That's with an ACH trans and 185/70/13's ...  And not a lot of extra weight in the car..  I have the modded toilet bowl with 2" pipe and a very short glass pack.. I have the opening on the air box opened up to about 3" with a tube going right beside the radiator and behind the grill..  

I've also toyed with the idea of a hood scoop just in front of the rain tray and plumbed to the intake..  My biggest worry would be water/snow getting in there..  If you look at alot of the vintage hood scoops they had some means for the water to be caught and drained before hitting the filter... I'm not saying this can;t be done or won;t work, but you'll want to address that..  I opted to have the "Ram Air"  (LOL) behind the grill.. It's lower than the intake and so far no water issues...

On to exhaust..  I had 2.25 on one of the rabbits with a turbo muffler.. And the current has 2" with a glass pack.. Power is identical between them..  THe one with the muffler is slightly quieter but still noisy when it's winding out..   The only reason I went with smaller pipe on my silver bunny was for additional clearance over the axle.. The glass pack was just me being cheap..  If I had to do it over I might opt for a turbo muffler on it...  

Where you have it exit is totally up to you..  Going over the axle is a bit more challenging..  I opted to send it out the back for the additional ground clearance..  That and since I have a 4 door, exiting it out the side is too close the back window and pretty much a NO NO for the annual inspection..

[theman53]

My jetta has the 5 speed and it isn't going yet, but the flat red bunny was a 4 speed. After I did the gov mod, had 2.5 inch exhaust, and the ram air intake on the rabbit it would pull until redline and bury the speedo... I think it will have the torque is what I am saying. I had the 175/70/13s on too.

No clue on brakes as I usually am trying to get it to go, not stop

On my flat red rabbit when I did the ram air I put a really big woman's set of panty hose over the end and let it come back into the pipe about a foot or so. I never had any issues with bugs or water. It wouldn't have helped much if I had hit a bird like I did in the GTI though.

As long as I had a muffler, in most cases it was a cherry bomb, the intake was louder than the exhaust. After modding it got louder but different since it was in the grill, so it was a different tone and better.

[8v-of-fury]

Haha! yes! I knew you'd comment Brett

I have heard many a discussion on vacuum pumps, and have no clue how to decipher the two apart from each other.. lol Does it help if you know the engine is an 81? I know they are different between my 81 engine and the 91 engine, but i don't which is which, you know how it goes.. I hope it is just a leak in the line.. a simple easy fix would be nice eh? (when it is it ever simple though..) Without the check valve working in proper order.. does it mess things up?

The governor mod does sound super glorious. what about 4500 in 4th? then slipping in to 5th at 3400 and riding fifth from 90-100mph.. Pretty much as fast as i would ever need to go 160km/h.. not much use after that lol I guess it's not really top speed I'm too worried about.. more so the ability to go from 50-70mph to pass is what I'm really worried about. if its not doable.. no biggie.. this engine will have to wait for when i get it a turbo Lucas, what did your speedo end at? I think mine goes up to 85-90 something like that..

Hood scoop is very far-fetched idea, and will most likely be sucking in all sorts of crap in and not really being that beneficial eh? I like the idea of boring out the intake box and running a 3" tube to beside the grill. With Lucas' setup of a pantyhose in there to catch some crud

I like the idea of having a 2" exhaust for ease and cheaper pipe.. and will most likely run a cheapo Canadian tire special cherry bomb turbo or the likes.. may even be a big spender and get it something nice lol. Yeah i was driving it the other day with out the front cover on and just the filter.. you could hear it in the cabin, sounded real nice until it hit the de-fueling point lool

I do not have to pass it by any sort of annual inspection, or anything like that after it passes a safety inspection.. it never has to be looked at ever again for the rest of its life. Gotta love Ontario eh LOL. I run a side exit now, and it does not exit from under the car so it is a bit droney.. i think if i actually made the exhaust with no leaks (lol) and exit from under the car it would sound delicious...

3" Intake, 2" Exhaust, Cherry Bomb Turbo/Glasspack, Governor Mod (w/close to solid shimmed Main spring), Spinning 4100rpm and doing 170km/h (on a closed course ), check vacuum line for leaks, investigate check valve for brake booster.

sounds FUN!

Oooh ALSO! the gear shifter is all over the place. 1st and 5th gear are near impossible to find unless you slam it to either side and up to kind of get momentum behind the shifter rods i guess.. I have never had to deal with this,  thumbs up for a new learning aspect to mk1 cars Is it a case of adjusting or replacing all the bushings? It's pretty bad lol there is no detent for 5th or 1st and 2nd gear.. just as much movement in neutral as in gear lol. What to do boys? lol

[truckinwagen]

as far as the shifter goes, get a rebuild kit with all the bushings and relay shafts.
pretty cheap, and will turn it into a new car for sure.

the vaccum pumps look totally different from one onother, the diaphragm ones have a hose that goes back to the block, and the vane ones do not.

usually however, when the diaphragm pumps quit, they just quit, no slowly getting worse, simply no vacuum.

[Rabbit on Roids]

as far as the shifter goes, get a rebuild kit with all the bushings and relay shafts.
pretty cheap, and will turn it into a new car for sure.

the vaccum pumps look totally different from one onother, the diaphragm ones have a hose that goes back to the block, and the vane ones do not.

usually however, when the diaphragm pumps quit, they just quit, no slowly getting worse, simply no vacuum.

i bet your problem is your brake booster. mine used to work intermittently, and after about 4 vacuum pumps, and then taking all of them and building a KNOWN WORKING unit, and swapping it in with the same results. i finally swapped the brake booster. after that it would lift the ass end up off the ground on a good hard stop.

[Smokey Eddy]

after that it would lift the ass end up off the ground on a good hard stop.

Dear lord! I can only imagine what that would look like... lol!

[theman53]

Yeah the speedo quit somewhere about 85mph, but would still wrap a little. That was the 4 speed. It didn't have much from 55-65, but right around 70 is when it would start to get with it.

The panty hose was a temp setup that I never upgraded. I am tight, so I never bought the outerwares for my 3" pvc. they are common in ATV/dirtbike dealers and there are generic companies as well. They do the same thing, but are designed for it and washable and tougher...but they are usually 20.00 so Pantyhose I went.

[Rabbit on Roids]

after that it would lift the ass end up off the ground on a good hard stop.

Dear lord! I can only imagine what that would look like... lol!

im sure the people in the motor home pulling out in front of me thought it was the coolest thing they had ever seen, any other driver/car would have trashed the whole side of their brand new motor home. so it was either try and stop and risk locking up the brakes and totaling my car, or just total the car anyway from any of the other options i had on the road at the time.

it wasnt like my car was far off the ground tho, maybe a few inches, a foot at most. not like it was doing a hardcore nose wheelie or anything.

[8v-of-fury]

as far as the shifter goes, get a rebuild kit with all the bushings and relay shafts.
pretty cheap, and will turn it into a new car for sure.

the vacuum pumps look totally different from one another, the diaphragm ones have a hose that goes back to the block, and the vane ones do not.

usually however, when the diaphragm pumps quit, they just quit, no slowly getting worse, simply no vacuum.

Is the rebuild kit for the shifter you speak of? $18 CDN not bad..


Or this one from GAP for $18 USD.. also not bad, and comes with new rods as well.


The 81 engine in question has the vacuum pump that has a tube go back to the engine.. Anyone know if I can take the rotary one from the '91 engine and slap it in place instead? and just block of the port on the block from the diaphragm one?

i bet your problem is your brake booster. mine used to work intermittently, and after about 4 vacuum pumps, and then taking all of them and building a KNOWN WORKING unit, and swapping it in with the same results. i finally swapped the brake booster. after that it would lift the ass end up off the ground on a good hard stop.

It is very likely it is the booster that has crapped out, but it is also likely the diaphragm pump has crapped as well.. it is most likely the original one on the engine and has at least 500,000 miles on it (odo stopped at 435k 12 years ago).. and has been sitting the last three-four years.. it is very possible they are both gone. In which case! Where can I get another booster? Mk2's? or only mk1's?

after that it would lift the ass end up off the ground on a good hard stop.

Dear lord! I can only imagine what that would look like... lol!

Thanks for contributing Ed, Edd, and Eddy (did you ever watch that show? LMAO)

Yeah the speedo quit somewhere about 85mph, but would still wrap a little. That was the 4 speed. It didn't have much from 55-65, but right around 70 is when it would start to get with it.

The panty hose was a temp setup that I never upgraded. I am tight, so I never bought the outerwares for my 3" pvc. they are common in ATV/dirtbike dealers and there are generic companies as well. They do the same thing, but are designed for it and washable and tougher...but they are usually 20.00 so Pantyhose I went.

Lucas, I take it you had either the GP or GY 0.71 5th 4 spds? Or was it one of the GC's with a .91 or .97 (depending on date of manuf.) 5th? One of the .71 would have put you at 2700 at 70mph.. probably why it picked up and went 55mph was only 2100 :O Super Cruiser!

I think i like the idea of plumbing an intake to up beside the rad, maybe even put a cone on the end of it and do away with the paper filter in the box.. ?

it wasnt like my car was far off the ground tho, maybe a few inches, a foot at most. not like it was doing a hardcore nose wheelie or anything.

It helped that much eh Kev? wow, that's crazy where you get your booster?

Thanks guys! 

[truckinwagen]

yep, the vane pump will swap right in.

[Smokey Eddy]

Oooooooo I want a shift kit!
If you shorten the lengths of those arms it's like putting on a short shift kit.

[Rabbit on Roids]

yep, the vane pump will swap right in.

the oil pump might be the old style and have too short of a nose. take the vac pump out of your engine and make sure the one going in is the same style drive, and that the depth of the drive slot is the same. early and later motors have different length oil pump shafts. just make sure its the same before you swap it in and start it up and scatter the bottom end because the oil pump wasnt turning.

and about the brake booster, it came out of one of my parts rabbits. one with alot less miles on it. my blue(black) rabbit is also a 500k+ mi rig, and it had its fair share of problems when i got it. my gti also has a bad master cylinder, one circuit fades clear away if you hold the brake pedal down for more than a few seconds at a time.

[theman53]

No No...you want this shifter stuff. I have had this link saved for about a year now...
http://www.4crawler.com/Diesel/ForSale/ShiftLinkage.shtml

Alot to read there.

Also I never looked to se what I had for the 4 speed. It did have 1-4 on the knob, but that could have been swapped. It had decent power at 55 in forth but not like I wanted. I remember you "could" take 3rd to about 65-67 before it sounded like I had better shift before it scats. In 3rd at those speeds it was actually what I would consider fast. Better than the 83 GTI I have now at those speeds...the GTI can't do those speeds in 3rd though.