head gasket question

[deadcaddy]

hi all.
I am new to the forum, and to the diesel world. I bought myself an '81 diesel caddy for the whopping sum of $150, being told that it needed a water pump and glow plugs.
Well, I changed out the water pump, and when I broke the seal for the pump, there was about 9 drops of coolant in the system( :roll: worried at this point).  I replaced it, the thermostat and the timing belt.  When I turned it over, it started pressurizing the coolant reservoir- this is a bad head gasket, right?
Also, am I correct to understand that 2 door rabbit doors do not fit on caddies?
Also, if there are any other dub geeks in the midwest, I'd like to hear from you.  I found a junkyard here with alot of useful stuff(like a few non rusted body panels and diesel motors), so if I can help somebody out, I will

[Kudagra]

If you are pressurizing the cooling system more then like the usual 13lbs then I would say yes, you have a head gasket failure.

I dont have a clue about the doors.

Mid west is nice aint it? Where abouts in the Neb?

[deadcaddy]

actually, I'm not all that fond of the midwest, but it's home.

I am near Omaha, NE.  I saw a guy on here somewhere that is from Fremont, NE, but I don't recall his name.

[Kudagra]

You could go live in Kalifornia for 20 years like I did then you would think Baghdad was wonderful after that place.

me after being in KC for a week..

"Wow...Weather...Im not used to that."

[deadcaddy]

kc isn't bad.
NE isn't really too bad, as long as you like corn and people that take their football WAY too seriously.  I am not so crazy about either one.
What kind of dub do you have?

[Kudagra]

86 Jetta TD lawn orniment. Im doing a ghetto rebuild and jsut getting it running. Yea Neb guys are a little too rabid about football. Living in KC with these losers Ya cant be too fanatic.

[jackbombay]

When I turned it over, it started pressurizing the coolant reservoir- this is a bad head gasket, right?

  If coolant res got pressurised right away, before the engine warmed up,  then you have a bad HG.

[mvptrukin]

Deadcaddy, more than likely it is a bad hg. If you have a source of VW diesel engines you're lucky. Unless you have deep pockets owning a VW involves learning to do the work yourself. If the PO parked it with a bad HG problem this can be a bad thing if coolant entered the cylinders. In my experience antifreeze can attack the rings. You might get lucky I am sure some people will tell you of  diesels they bought and just fired them up the first time but the major problem is owners ignoring head gasket  problem until they quit running, then they park them. Also drain the fuel filter per Bently manual. Did you see any turbo diesels? Also the caddy is based on the 4dr so thats the doors to use but the fenders are all the same. This is an awesome site for VW diesel info but for caddy info go to www.vwcaddyforum.com
                                                                               Pete

[745 turbogreasel]

You can splice the Caddy back just behind the 2doors.
as seen here http://www.vwdiesel.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=4005&highlight=help+diesels
It makes for more leg room.

[deadcaddy]

thanks to all who gave me advice during this little endeavor- with a cloud of smoke and noise, the caddy has risen from the grave.  I got it started Monday night.  Now if I can fix the other thirty problems, we are ready to drive.............. :twisted:
BTW 745- that seems like an awful lot of work to gain a little leg room, besides, it is a rabbit, it isn't supposed to have leg room.  Cool concept though.
Thanks all.

[BlackTieTD]

to make a bit more room without hacking up the truck, find some mkI or mkII height-adjustable seats (mkIII and later won't fit). seats from any scirocco or corrado should be height adjustable and fit on the seat tracks in your truck. you could also try transfering your existing seats to height-adjustable bases.