1980 Rabbit Diesel manual Project

[libbydiesel]

The part that clamps onto the cold start cable, shown in the above picture, should have a little bushing on either side of it so it fits tightly into the cold start lever.  Both are gone in your pic. 

[acidtonic]

Spent some time cleaning up the area around the seals. Didn't want to get any debris or particles around them which may cause it to leak again. All in all that was a pretty simple job.... hardest part was getting the sprocket off, then getting those bolts out. I finally got a much larger screw-driver and sat indian style using my legs to hold the pump from rotating.

No vice or impact tools were needed.... w00t.

Now just to wait until I can put everything back together. More to come....

[acidtonic]

The part that clamps onto the cold start cable, shown in the above picture, should have a little bushing on either side of it so it fits tightly into the cold start lever.  Both are gone in your pic.

Are you referring to those little metal washers that were there around the lever itself? I put everything back that came off it for sure...

Perhaps are you looking for the little washer in the photo north-east of the cover there on the towel? There's one there, then two washers on the left side with one of those washers containing a little "bend" which I assume is what you are mentioning. There was also a little C-clip that isn't showing in the photo which was the first part to come out.

Probably just my bad photos. Do you have a picture of what you are referring to? I already have the pump assembled and wrapped in a garbage bag back out in the garage.

[acidtonic]

I guess I'll simply elaborate on what the procedure was in case anyone was interested in what I did...

1. Made sure cold start arm was set to the most clockwise-position so there was no advance or travel left on the arm.
2. Pulled C-Clip off cold start lever with needle nose pliers.
3. Beneath that was a big thick washer and a curved-thinner washer in the shape of a C below that.
4. Then I removed the cold start advance arm.
5. Then the two bolts around the advance housing cover.
6. Then I removed the metal bracket which limits the travel of the cold start lever and it's washer before the bolt. (Noting it's clocking and position)
7. Finally the cover came off and I was then able to snap photo #1 & #2 of my previous post.
8. Removed the old seal using a small hook.
9. Installed new seal.

Then I just reversed to put back. So the cover went on, then I installed the bracket limiting the cold start arm movement and it's washer, then I put the arm on, then the curved-thinner washer, then the big thick washer, and finally the cold start arm went back on in the correct clocking (fully rotated clockwise against the bracket limiting travel) and then the C-Clip was put on over that.

Then I just flipped it over and did the other side and took the photos with the spring and 2 metal shims installed above it. That side was much simpler.

If I'm missing a part or something let me know before I put it back on the car.... Thanks for the observation and time

[ORCoaster]

Yes you are missing parts.  That y shaped lever needs two nylon or plastic bushings in between the lever itself and that round piece that the actual solid cable goes through and then gets tightened on by the screw.  The cable lock should float in the center of the Y lever.  Otherwise you are loosing cable travel as that part shifts from one side to the other in the oversized hole. 

Catch my drift?  Bushings would take up the slack you currently have in the system.  Well, maybe not if you cable isn't currently attached.  But once it is it will bang from side to side rather than take a rotational route as the lever does its work.

Let me see if I have a pic somewhere.  Dang no can find.  I found some nylon ones that only needed a slight bit of internal filing to make them work for me.  OD was perfect.  Hardware store, 30 or so cents a piece. 

[TylerDurden]

[TylerDurden]

PS, I mighta hacked a sleeve with some large heatshrink on one of my IPs. Reduced the floppy factor.

[libbydiesel]

Here's a pic of the actual bushings.



They are a VW part.  I have not been able to get them from Bosch but they are still available new from VW.  Part # is 068130337.  Mk1 Autohaus has them for $5 each.

http://www.mk1autohaus.com/Diesel-Cold-Start-Aid-Bushing_p_6583.html

Busdepot wants $4 each:

http://www.busdepot.com/068130337

[acidtonic]

Phew, I was thinking you meant something on the other side of the arm.

Yeah I noticed when I took the cable off that it had some play. Figured that was normal. I'll find where to get these locally and grab one at lunch.
Appreciate all the help guys

[love.the.smell]

The wiper motor may be ok.  The Bentley manual has a thorough method for determining the fault in the wiper system.  My wipers used to operate very slowly then one day they just stopped.  I started going through the list of things to check.  The final diagnosis was a bad fuse/relay panel or bad wire between the panel and the wiper motor.  I jumped the wipers directly from the battery (with a fuse!) and they worked like champs!

I'm getting ready to figure out the problem and fix it right.  I'll keep ya updated.

[acidtonic]

Okay I got everything all buttoned up and ready to go.

I was able to stick a thick 1ft socket extension bar in one of the cam sprocket holes such that it would lie down flat on the side of the head. Then I removed the cam locking plate and held the tool down to keep the sprocket secure while I broke it free. Worked like a charm. Then I put the cam lock back in.

After that I got the belt back on and it took me a few tries to get it such that the crank was still at TDC after the belt was tensioned. On the 3rd try all the slack was on the camshaft side and tensioning the belt finally left the crank alone and turned the free-turning cam sprocket instead.

Now I understand why they say to loosen the cam sprocket. It was impossible to get the belt over it without taking it off. So I took it off, then I was able to hold the belt on the sprocket and slide it back onto the camshaft. And of course the time that it tensioned correctly was the time the belt rotated that sprocket instead of the crank.

I then removed the cam lock and injection pump locking pin and started rotating the engine clockwise (facing the drivers front tire from the passenger side of the car). I didn't need to use any tools to rotate the engine since I noticed that the alternator fins could be turned by hand. Due to the V-belt on the alternator providing some leverage it would turn the crank. So next time you need to turn the engine manually try just using your fingers on the alternator cooling fins. Worked like a charm.

I turned the engine over probably 5 or 6 full revolutions because I was paranoid. I felt no resistance other than a "variable" resistance and the sound of air compressing as it was hitting the compression stroke. Still with only my hands I was able to turn it over without any strange noises or  "stops".

While turning the engine over I never had to force anything. The rotating force required was the same that I felt while turning it over to find TDC at the beginning before I pulled the belt and pump. I think that means I'm good to go but I still haven't tried starting it yet. Figured I'd post here and make sure and then wait until tomorrow since it's now 9pm and too late to make a big racket next to my neighbors bedroom window.

I think I found the issue with the vacuum loss too. The hard plastic thin hose running from the T-fitting on the (water/vac pump?) up to the passenger side firewall appears to have cracked. I think that goes inside the car and likely is used by the HVAC system. I'll get a rubber join piece and stick it back together.

I didn't get any pics because it's quite dark out but I'll take some tomorrow. So does it sound like I'm safe to prime the pump and try to start it? My plan was to use a funnel and pour diesel into the fuel injection pump then  leave the injector nozzles cracked and crank until I see fuel, then tighten and try to start it. I assume this will be a difficult start so I plan to plug the block heater in too so it's nice and toasty.

Sorry for the long winded post guys. Thanks

[vanbcguy]

Sounds like you've done everything just right. 😊 What did you time it to?

[acidtonic]

Sounds like you've done everything just right. 😊 What did you time it to?

That's always good news . Mine is the 1980 without the yellow dot, so according to Bentley I should be at 0.86mm plus or minus 0.02mm.

I was curious if I plan to run bio/wvo/etc if there's a setting that's the best for tolerating other fuel sources? I can see myself playing with other fuel sources in the future and my gut says to not try using the "improved performance" setting of 0.98mm. I guess my gas engine knowledge there is that advanced timing is only for high octane but it makes more power and better fuel economy slightly. Not sure whether that matters on diesel when switching between various fuels. I'll have to research that more.

I'm excited to try starting it tomorrow, but also quite nervous. Don't want to break anything.

[vanbcguy]

Diesels don't have to worry about detonation so the gasser logic doesn't apply there. Generally the base timing specifications have been chosen with emissions in mind, in particular NOx levels which just happen to increase with advance. The other nice thing with diesels is most things that improve performance (other than adding fuel) also improve economy. A little bit more timing advance is one of those things.

Someone else will have to chime in on the alternative fuels. I could see SLIGHTLY more advance helping though the VE pump will add more advance on its own when thicker fuel is used.

[TimpanogosSlim]

isn't it more that the factors that cause detonation in a gasser are essentially the same factors that enable the diesel cycle?

WVO differs from biodiesel mostly in that there's still the glycerols attached to the oil. And it's not mixed with methanol. And it has water in it. And bits of potato and the colonel's 11 herbs and spices. I'm not excited about WVO.

Waste engine oil is enticing as an adulterant because it's also free/cheap but the stuff that turns it black, some of that is probably pretty abrasive.

Spent ATF is a good diesel adulterant too, but the friction modifiers can be problematic if you use too much.

I am intrigued by the idea of setting up a polishing tank and dumping all my WEO, WATF, and maybe even some old frying oil in it, and running it through a regular diesel filter / water separator and then a sub-micron depth filter until it's reasonably clean, and then adding it as up to 20%, in the summer. I'll never get the money out of it that i'd put into it, but it's still an attractive concept.

I am under the impression that the most common brake fluids are glycol based, so all they would do is make you smoke more.