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Author Topic: 1.6 TD went bye bye🙄Need Help  (Read 2590 times)

January 17, 2019, 12:37:31 am

Msanchez22

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1.6 TD went bye bye🙄Need Help
« on: January 17, 2019, 12:37:31 am »
Alright well I’ll try and make this as short as possible. I’m new to all this and this is the first VW I own. I have a 1981 1.6 td rabbit pickup. Not to long after I bought this I was driving home and it seems like I was experiencing a runaway diesel. It started accelerating like crazy and there was white smoke out of the exhaust. I was able to shift it in neutral pull over and shut the ignition off. It turns off and when I pop the hood i was surprised with what I saw.

There was oil everywhere! It was all over the engine and on underside of the hood. It seems like the oil had came out of the crankcase valve/breather  ( i think that’s what it’s called) because it was popped/ opened a bit.  I towed it back home and never tried to start it again. I took it to a shop to get it diagnosed and all they were able to tell me was that cylinder 4 had no compression at all and the rest were fine. At that point I was down a couple hundred dollars so I took it back home and wanted to wait to get work done on it.

 I’m a college student and money is pretty tight.I’m now thinking of what to do, I was wondering what could’ve gone wrong and whether the engine could still be good enough to rebuild it or if it’s better to swap another engine?
« Last Edit: January 17, 2019, 02:53:04 am by Msanchez22 »



Reply #1January 17, 2019, 01:43:56 am

fatmobile

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Re: 1.6 TD went bye bye🙄Need Help
« Reply #1 on: January 17, 2019, 01:43:56 am »
When you write in one big block, it's too hard to read.
 Please hit return every once in awhile.
Tornado red, '91 Golf 4 door,
with a re-ringed, '84 quantum, turbo diesel, MD block

Reply #2January 17, 2019, 11:54:22 am

ORCoaster

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Re: 1.6 TD went bye bye🙄Need Help
« Reply #2 on: January 17, 2019, 11:54:22 am »
No compression in the #4 cyl means tons of air into the bottom of the engine, blowby.
 
Tons of air in oil reserve area means it will come out the top of the engine at the head, reverse flow from normal gravity feed.

Oil up top gets taken off by the hose off the valve cover and goes into the big airbox with the holes in the bottom that ends up in the intake of all the cylinders.  So yes runaway could commence.  Lucky you could just turn the key and shut it off.

So at this point you of little money will need to dismantle the head to make the decision to keep and repair what you have or shop for a whole engine you know little about and hope it doesn't perform likewise.


TD in an 81?  That would have been a major modification as they didn't come that way till a few years later.  Trust me, I am putting the same on mine slowly. 


Once you have the head off you can see how much damage there is in the cylinder and if a simple over bore will do the truck justice or not.  If it is indeed a true TD and has the oil squirters in the lower part of the block it has more value to save than if not.  Block should be stamped in the back with something other than CR. 

If it was mine, I would be rebuilding it.  Cost of a TD engine is high and finding one is not rare but somewhat difficult.  Save your pennies and nickels, stop drinking and going out to eat and maybe by summer you will have what you need to rebuild. 

You did say you were a college student, time to learn something that will do you a bunch of  good it you intend to keep the truck.

Reply #3January 21, 2019, 10:44:15 pm

fatmobile

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Re: 1.6 TD went bye bye🙄Need Help
« Reply #3 on: January 21, 2019, 10:44:15 pm »
Weird.
 A runaway doesn't shut down when you turn off the key, because the engine is running off the engine oil.
 A runaway belches black smoke not white.
,.. but there was oil everywhere when you opened the hood,...
 but runaways burn the oil, they don't spray it everywhere.

 All I can suggest is clear fuel lines.
White smoke to me means air left over after the burn,... maybe a bad injector, retarded timing or air in the fuel.
 Possible it jumped timing.
It usually only happens with the injection pump, not the cam.
Check the timing.
 Could bad timing cause no compression in a cylinder?
Hmmm I don't know,.. maybe.
Tornado red, '91 Golf 4 door,
with a re-ringed, '84 quantum, turbo diesel, MD block

Reply #4January 22, 2019, 01:35:38 pm

Hobbs

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Re: 1.6 TD went bye bye🙄Need Help
« Reply #4 on: January 22, 2019, 01:35:38 pm »
where are you located?

Reply #5January 22, 2019, 09:29:46 pm

Msanchez22

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Re: 1.6 TD went bye bye🙄Need Help
« Reply #5 on: January 22, 2019, 09:29:46 pm »
I live in California's central valley. Prior to this incident, it did smoke quite a bit of white smoke so maybe it had to do with the injection pump? I was already thinking of just tearing apart the engine and rebuilding it in a few months, is there maybe something else I should check for beforehand? Also the previous owner added a turbo and I believe the engine is a NA. If I was to rebuild it what are the pros and cons of keeping the turbo compared to taking it off?

Reply #6January 22, 2019, 10:36:16 pm

ORCoaster

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Re: 1.6 TD went bye bye🙄Need Help
« Reply #6 on: January 22, 2019, 10:36:16 pm »
Taking the turbo off has more Cons than Pros.  You would lose the extra HP, have less efficient combustion, and no fun.  I would be for leaving it on.

Sounds like you need to spend some time in dismantle mode.  That generally doesn't cost any money.  Unless you don't own metric tools or a Bentley manual.  That should be the first investment you make, the first mod you do and might even be something you can find for under 50 bucks. 

IF you dismantle it to see what was going on there please don't leave it in pieces.  At least lay the head on the block and put in a few of the head bolts.  I just cringe seeing these open pistons in the pictures on Craigslist and the statement about needs a head gasket.  Well that and a whole bunch more since it sat like that for years and now you think slapping a gasket on it will be simple Simon?  Not so bucko.

 

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