Newbie - 1986 MK2 Golf 1.6D NA

[JGVWDiesel]

Hey all, I'm new to the forums as well as new to Volkswagen diesels! I picked myself up an 86' mk2 1.6 N/A for $440 bucks. The engine started up pretty much right away (after getting the battery charged) and it drives well. It's got a lot of issues ranging from small to medium! I came here to get some insight on how and what to fix!

So, I guess here's the problems I'm having:

E-brake - it clicks all the way up but does nothing.
Clutch pedal - Engages/disengages very very high up.
Sunroof is leaky.
Dash lights don't work at all.
It smokes a fair bit at WOT but not much at all anywhere else.
Shifter is loose in its place (it moves around a lot, it looked like the bushings near the firewall?)
Struts/shocks in rear are pretty much shot (I think this is straight forward to replace?)

I look forward to insight and help! Thanks a lot

[burn_your_money]

Hello, welcome aboard.

E-brake - it clicks all the way up but does nothing. - It can be adjusted by removing the e-brake cover. Likely a cable is snapped though
Clutch pedal - Engages/disengages very very high up. Being a 86 I'm fairly confident that it should have a manually adjusted clutch cable. Go in the engine bay and find the clutch cable. Grab it and pull up. It should move about 1/4 of an inch off it's seat on the transmission. Adjust accordingly.
Sunroof is leaky. Either clogged vents or a bad seal.
Dash lights don't work at all. Are you sure the dimmer switch is not turned down all the way? The lights are faint and you can't see them in any light. If not the bulbs are probably all burnt out
It smokes a fair bit at WOT but not much at all anywhere else. Perfect
Shifter is loose in its place (it moves around a lot, it looked like the bushings near the firewall?) Buy a shifter bushing repair kit and replace all the bushings.
Struts/shocks in rear are pretty much shot (I think this is straight forward to replace?) Pretty straight forward. You do not need a spring compressor for the rears. Your body weight will be enough to compress the spring. You probably will need a helper to get the nuts on though. DO NOT attempt the fronts without a spring compressor. You could kill yourself.

You should look into buying a bentley manual. Ebay is a good source or amazon.ca sells them for about $40 shipped.

[JGVWDiesel]

Thanks much for the informative reply! I will definitely look into all of that. I'm going to pick up the rear shocks this weekend and put those in since they're pretty much non-existent feeling! I think for the sunroof i'm going to let it dry really good then put clear silicone on the top to seal it off because I'm not too concerned about using it at all. Shifter bushings sounds perfect.

Now, as for the dash lights, the previous owner has it mostly apart in there. I mean, everything is in place, but under the dash I seen some panels hanging with a lot of relays or fuses in them and quite a few empty spots. I'll take some pictures and post them, maybe that will help to better diagnose whether it's bulbs or simply things are missing?

I think I'll definitely look at getting a bentley service manual, however, they're a bit on the pricey side!

Thanks!

[Dakotakid]

A Bentley will cost you a mere small fraction of what hiring a mechanic to do your work will cost.
If you manage to make some sort of ignorant (I didn't say "stupid") mistake, the cost of the Bentley will be an EVEN smaller fraction of that bill. Go buy the damn book!

[JGVWDiesel]

Yeah, I completely agree with you. I'm searching for a locally used one for cheaper.

[rs899]

Nothing beats a comprehensive paper manual like the Bentley, but this on-line version is pretty good in a pinch:

http://www.dubscene.net/eva2/index.html

[JGVWDiesel]

Thanks, that will be good for quick reference but I'm definitely going to get a Bentley manual. Quick questions, would replacing the shifter/shifter linkage bushings help with 1st and 3rd gear? I find it's a bit hard to distinguish between 1st and 3rd sometimes (even though I can actually get going in 3rd without too much issue!)

[burn_your_money]

Yes it will help.

There is a shifter alignment tool you need. Check the bentley

[JGVWDiesel]

Alright, I definitely need to get a bentley manual this weekend. This weekend I'm hoping to replace the rear struts and get a bentley manual. I'd also really like to get my dash lights going or else its going to be risky driving at night. I have a few pics of what it looks like under the steering wheel (the previous owner must have been messing around quite a bit under there.) does anything seem obviously out of place or missing here?

[rs899]

Like "Burn" said, sounds like you need an alignment, at a minumum.  Also, pull the boot off your shifter in the car and see if the bushing right in front of the lever is bad.  It should hold the back of the rod firmly and not let it flop around.  It's another one of those orange bushings , just like in the front of the rod. If that one's bad, it's a real PITA....

[burn_your_money]

Everything seems reasonably normal under your dash. You have a strange style of wiring that VW only used for 2 years I think. I'm not very familiar with it.

That big metalic strip is your glow plug fuse. It is normally found on the firewall but in your case...

The cluster lights get their power through the headlight switch. It's off the grey/blue wire. If the climate control light and cig lighter work then it's not a power supply problem. It is bad bulbs. They are on the same circuit. Again, I think. I'm not very familiar with that style of wiring harness.

[JGVWDiesel]

Thanks a ton, I'll take a look at those and see what I get. Also, I tried testing the dimmer switch to see if it was working. I pulled the light switch/dimmer switch part out and tested resistance between the top two blades and got infinite resistance. So, I tried jumpering them with a piece of wire and put it back in, still didn't turn on the dash lights. I'm going to go look into what you just said and see where I get. Thanks

[JGVWDiesel]

There's a few blue wires under there, so I'm not sure. When you say climate control do you mean AC? I don't have AC in this. I know my blower works as it blows air around. I also don't have a cigarette lighter.

[JGVWDiesel]

Also, what would I need for the rear end? Is it struts/shocks/cartridge? I'm a bit confused. I've heard a couple different things from different people. One said It's just shocks I would need, another said it's struts, and one said sometimes there's just a cartridge for an existing strut.

[burn_your_money]

On the rears it's just shocks. The fronts have Struts and those can have inserts or not. I don't think the rears come with inserts.

Have a look at the mounting bolt for the shocks (the bottom one). If it is super rusty you should consider buying 2 new ones along with 2 new nuts.

It's also a good idea to replace the strut bushings while you are in there.

The wire is grey with a blue stripe. I think. The link to the bentley should have the wiring diagram and you can check it there.

I meant the lights for the HVAC controls. It should light up green with the lights on. You do have the headlights on for these tests right?