New dude, old Caddy.

[noR]

Hey all. Introduction time.

Saved a 1982 Rabbit Pickup last week. 1.6L, 5spd. I have no idea what engine code, trans code, or how to find out just yet.

Have shifter bushings and oil filter on the way. 15w40 at the ready. And not much clue for the rest. Still need to look up a how-to on water-seperator. And many other How-to's. I'm a very DIY kinda guy, hopefully that fits in well around here.

First Diesel, I don't know any best-practices. (warm up? yes. cool down? can't hurt.)
I don't know what coolant I should use.

It seems to run great, no problems yet, so time to get proactive. I tightened up the wire(bailing wire?) holding my exhaust off the leaf spring yesterday; today I'm going to get a bigger gauge wire(hanger). Tomorrow I will look for the proper hanger hardware.

I'll save the problems for another post, let's get things started on the right foot.

I'm an active forum participant and you can expect to see me around more often.   Sorry if I don't have anything useful to add at first, it'll take me a while.

[rallydiesel]

Welcome! We're a DIY kind or forum (to the extreme?), so I'm sure you'll fit in.

Lets see some pics of your Caddy!

[noR]

Only gonna show this one until I get some soap, water, wax, & elbow grease on it.



I'm excited.

[burn_your_money]

Nice

Welcome aboard. You say you saved it, was it going to the crusher?

[GEE-BEE]

Welcome aboard !

Great another caddy dude !

[stewardc]

Lookin good !
Welcome aboard.

[Turbinepowered]

First Diesel, I don't know any best-practices. (warm up? yes. cool down? can't hurt.)
I don't know what coolant I should use.

Being an 80s vintage, it's probably spec'd to run G11 coolant, the blue stuff from VW.

Mine ran ~$24 at the dealership for a gallon of concentrate, or about $12 per gallon of finished coolant once you've mixed with distilled. Fairly cheap for the right stuff.

[noR]

Awesome. Thanks man.

It's green stuff now, probably the nasty normal junk.  I'm going to continue it with that for now, I'll wait to flush the coolant system and correct this until a later time. I'm sure I'll tear into it a few times this summer so it probably won't be long.  Thanks for the info though, I'll go G11 eventually.



Vacuum pump is currently on top of my needs list. How reliable are these pumps? Should 1 pump last me for a couple years just fine? Or had I better get 2?


I also want to get started fixing these vent windows.   Siliconed shut, no sign of glue.  One side has the hinges, one is missing half a hinge, and neither side has the swivel lock thing. It's some other clamp style. (guess I need a picture)

I think I'm on the hunt for some drilled glass vent windows? Will any Mk1 vent windows pair up? Or do I need to stick w/ golf/gti?

[GEE-BEE]

I have a set of seals and a extra set of hinges if you need them , vent widows can be had for 75.00 on ebay
these were std on the LX models

New seals are 150.00 per set and new nylon hinges are 38.00 per pair.

let me know
[email protected]

[Smokey Eddy]

As per the water seperator. You can just remove it, tie those two wires to the sensor together and cover them up with some shrink wrap, and get a foot or two of line to make up the distance lost by removing the seperator. no biggie at all. I have  solid pipe and hose clamps on mine. Was causing quite the head ache with my glow plug light in the dash.

[rs899]

There's no factory water separator on a MkI, except for the little drain valve on the MkI fuel filter.

[Familydiesel]

Welcome fellow Caddy owner.  These are a fun ride and I think you will enjoy the simplicity of the mechanics. 

One of the first things I would recommend to buy is a Bentley Repair Manual which will help you become better aqainted with all the systems and how they work, and it has some good wiring diagrams which will be a great help in tracking down various problems. 

Enjoy!

[noR]

There's no factory water separator on a MkI, except for the little drain valve on the MkI fuel filter.

Yup, apparently I was thinking they were the same. Got that cleared up now.  New filter going on this w/e.

...
Makin' progress. Got a paper bently coming.

Got a good weekend coming for some maintenance. And now it's time for me to learn what's up w/this alternator belt squeek.

I adjusted things but don't think it did any good. Either the belt is stretched or the mounts are jacked up. :/ It's an interesting design the top piece. It doesn't look like it'd work.

[Baron VonZeppelin]

Welcome !

Diesel Caddy's are ultra cool, especially these days.
You'll generally find about 4-5 dozen things on these old rascals that can be easily fixed for nothing, up to $10 each. Most will be $1-$5 each.

Some things are 15-20 each. Very few things are over $25.
Amazing how lazy some folks were about sourcing parts for these things in days gone by.
The internet will be your Caddy's next best friend.

Autohaus AZ
eGerman
Rock Auto

just to name a few very good / low price / european or quality manufacturer / suppliers of parts. Cheaper than Big Box stores, and better quality parts, 95% of the time.

Of course, you'll find some close-out type deals on good stuff on eBay as well from time to time. Everything up front is same as Rabbit Car. Out back it is mostly all different from Car. Except rear wheel bearings.

By the time you get everything buttoned up, all extended maintenance performed, all nig-rigged things put right, replace anything that is half worn or more, and new tires - about a grand gets spent. I'm almost done with mine.

Ask me about anything you need before you buy - if you like. Chances are very high I have already shopped out the best bargain for the buck while doing mine.

The alternator belts do stretch. Mine was stretched to the limit of adjustment. Get good belts like Gates Gold.

The exhaust hangers are like super duper rubber bands.
There are 3 different types required. About $1 each.

Exhaust Hanger Count:
Front head pipe - Clover (1)
Front muffler - Figure 8 (2)
Rear muffler - Donut (2)
Rear tailpipe - Clover (1)

I have a bag full of each style, and thats what I ended up using on the Truck.

A guy on eBay has front rotors/pads kit for under $20 right now if you need them. They are the solid type rotor as original. I went with GTI vented rotor upgrade and spent 65 on a kit with pads.

No one place has the best price on everything.
Rock Auto in Wisconsin is usually very hard to beat.
Autohaus AZ in Arizona is a close second overall.

I also have the ticket on the non-existent rear brake hoses.
Everyone who has a listing for them, will send you the much shorter Rabbit Car hose. 8" versus 16-17". Won't work even if you flip the axle and lower the suspension.

On rear brakes, almost all the big box stuff listed for Truck is for Car, or just plain made wrong/bad. Just went through that. But AutoZone is the ticket for good fitting shoes (14) and spring kit (4). Carquest has Wagner wheel cylinders for 10 each. New drums, RockAuto has correct Raybestos for like $22 each. Or source good used 200mm drums from GAS powered Golf or Jetta 1989-1998. AdvanceAuto had new drums for $8 each. But they were the small 180mm. Their shoes had the wrong bend on Ebrake arm, and the springs were for 180mm.

Job #1 is your timing belt. If it is over 8-10 years old, or 50-60k miles, its time (or past time) for new belt and tensioner. Non-clearance engines here, they go down hard if belt fails. Most go down and stay down after that.

Several other cheap upgrades to be had if you have access to 85-92 Golf Jetta in local junkyards.

Blue coolant is neat and groovy. Looks good in a new expansion tank too. But majority of us use the green. We're cheap dates and a buncha sluts mostly.  

[noR]

Hell yeah; alright.

Thanks Baron, I see some good stuff in there, I appreciate the help.

I guess I'm gonna stop dragging one thread out and start making smaller purpose-oriented ones.

Starting w/my clutch issue that's developed yesterday/today.