hey guys. first post. help me get this pig started! i know a lot about air-cooled and water-cooled VW's, but nothing about the diesels.
here's what i got... 1981 VW caddy diesel. i know it has an injection pump, glow plugs, no battery, motor oil in the fuel filter, no windows, body work done, running gear intact.
i need to know where to start and what to look for. i would add pictures, but it's not an option, apparently.
Use something like photobucket to host images and repost.
You have a parts car it sounds like. If you want it to start get a bucket of parts and get to work. Add the missing ones first, then the ones that need replaced. Get the oil out of the fuel tank and add clean diesel. When you get that far let us know and we can help.
shouldnt have oil in fuel/filter; can foul fuel system with thick oil; sure its not diesel and you mistaking it for oil? in any case if your going to start it, new fuel filter, prime at inlet, new air filter, depending where you live you may need a big battery, somewhere about 700cca is what these cars call for, up north you ll need it, down south you dont need so much, unless you plan on traveling north during the winters.
thank you. i wouldn't have guessed on the battery. makes sense with the compression levels, though. and it is motor oil. i think someone was experimenting with alternative fuels. it had a bottle of diesel hooked up. he probably planned to start it on diesel and then switch to oil. sounds like a mess to me.
that engine bay is huge!, is there a radiator in front? stripped of some stuff, no telling how much is left; no fuel filter on shock tower, does it even have a filter? before you go buying things, like the battery, figure out how far you want to go on this; it looks like you have a lot of work to do, i mean it usually isnt difficult to get these girls started, as long as a few things are going right, you dont have any water hoses, and the hard water line is missing, problem; i wonder where you can find some of the parts you ll need. if even for a good price; not new, your timing belt looks ok, from this far back anyway,,but that water pump looks like sh*t, doesnt look like it was changed with last belt, my opinion, you got a pile of junk there, possible with some work, it can run, if even for a while, you never know, these diesels, if you can start them they ll run, . at least the oil filter looks like a mann. you got your work cut out for you. what did you think you were getting it to when you bought this? and you dont know what a diesel is; well you kind-of-do, we all see the trucks when they pass. if you wanted a project, and have certain goals, like hp, or build your own diesel this or that how, then you got just that, a project car, lots of project, like total rebuild, brakes, suspension included. if your going to keep her and make her work you ll need a bentley.
id part what little of the motor i could, crank may be good, dont know about block, a 1.5 i dont know who would use.
is the engine just sitting on the floor; does the car even have tires?or suspension?slides as it is, that will really work out
radiator is gone. engine is bolted to the trans. and all the running gear is intact. i think that silver can to the right is the fuel filter. parts will come from local parts cars. it is the same as a rabbit from the doors, forward. all of the bodywork has been tended to and it was the cheapest one i could find. i'll be in it under $2,000 including a gas engine swap.
it's really my first time even contemplating the workings of a vw diesel. i just HAD to have a caddy. i was tired of hauling bikes in my 2002 beetle. having a honda streetbike hang out the back hatch of a new beetle sure turns heads, though. i am going to swap the engine out for a 2.0 golf engine but i want to drive it before then. do you think there are any "big money" items that i'm looking at? anything over $200 and i'll just part the engine out.
here is the rest of the truck...
thank you for the help guys but I think i found the problem...
