Does my 88 have small or big ball joints?

[8v-of-fury]

Its a 1988 German built Jetta turbo diesel. Any definitive way to know without pulling one?

[RabbitJockey]

balls - I like them.

Your argument is invalid.

[8v-of-fury]

Innapropriate Travis. Shame on you.

Srsly. Lol looking at getting loaded control arms with poly bushings and a B/J already on it. Need to know please lol.

I am an mk1 guy.

[CRSMP5]

split year... gotta look.. unless you have done a wheel bearing in it.. that also changed...

[R.O.R-2.0]

split year... gotta look.. unless you have done a wheel bearing in it.. that also changed...

^^^

gotta check.. early 88 got the 17mm BJs and small bearings, where the later cars all had the big wheel bearings, and big ball joints..

my money is on smalls tho.. whats the production date?

[8v-of-fury]

This is what I have read. July 87 is small and August 87 is the big.

[R.O.R-2.0]

This is what I have read. July 87 is small and August 87 is the big.

my late-87 Jetta had smalls still... just a warning!

pretty sure 88 was the transition year, not 87..

they did LOTS of stupid crap that year, digifant injection being the worst crap...

[8v-of-fury]

Yeah 88 model year, 87 production year.
Eh.

Digifant is the bomb. I have recently learned EVERY aspect of it.. I love it

[R.O.R-2.0]

Yeah 88 model year, 87 production year.
Eh.

Digifant is the bomb. I have recently learned EVERY aspect of it.. I love it

in the same time period, toyota used a denso-copy of digifant, yet it was 100% bulletproof!

have you ever replaced an ECU, or had the truck not run because of injection problems?

i know digifant pretty damn good i think, and it still bothers me.

[CRSMP5]

 

i watched boss blow up a comp for one one day... bad ground is fun...

88 jetta had westy, mex and germany... add in 16v you had 3 knuckle options.. they started 10.1" brakes that year on gli... also the 88 carat jettas are the sweetest of all carats.. it was a 8v gli basically with really odd color option sport seats... aka tan/gold that match say 85-87 gl delux seats.. but in sport bolsters.. 14" castlelett wheels, 10.1" front, rear disks. but digafuct 8v... by 90 carat were base model..

call it done and upgrade it to the mk3 front stuff.. then you know it the big ball joint..

[8v-of-fury]

Well to wrap this up, my 1988 Jetta 1.6TD with power windows and sunroof (what trim line is that?) had the 19mm Ball joints. Oddly enough, it was the only ones my part guy showed for an 88. I asked for both so I didn't have any hold ups when I had the car ripped apart.