buyers guide

[90Lx]

Anyone have any advice on purchasing a diesel jetta, I found a 1986 jetta turbo diesel, I was just wondering what kind of things should I be looking out for, when driving it or looking at it?

[LeeG]

VW Diesel specific stuff, ignoring all the other used car stuff to look for:

These engines typically survive to 250,000 miles / 400,000 km

Are all the idiot lights working, particularly the oil pressure warning light.

Head gasket:  Look for oil in the water and water in the oil.  while its still cold, remove coolant cap with it running watch for air bubbles in coolant  Check this again after a test drive.  Look for leaks around the edges of the head.

Be there for a cold start to see how easy it starts.  colder the better.

When was timing belt last changed?  Pull back top cover and look at the belt to see if it looks reasonable.  You'll want to change it if the age is unknown.

Look for diesel leaks around injectors and the injection pump: particularly seal at shaft, seal at cold start lever (between pump and head).  Look for air bubbles in the clear return line

Pull the crankcase vent hose, how much oil is in it?  Does it blow smoke out the hose if you rev it?  Does this correspond with the owners claims about oil useage?

Pull the rubber intake hose off turbo, is there a puddle of oil in it from blowby? Turbo should spin freely, no chips in compressor vanes.  How much play is there in the turbo both axially and radially?

Look at the glow plug heads, do they look new or ancient?  Same for injectors.    Look at V-belts, they tend to loosen.   may give you an indication of how well looked after the car was.

take it for a boot and wail on it.   Too much smoke?  Back up hard with window open, does exhaust smell like diesel soot or burning oil?  Watch for the oil pressure light to come on after a hard run, if the intermediate shaft bearings are shot, it may have trouble holding pressure when hot.

I'm not sure if '86 woudl be hydraulic or solid lifter....valve noises?

If your really serious test the compression and do a leak down test.

These are great engines.  Most trouble free engine I have owned, considering mileage and abuse it gets.

[90Lx]

cool, but it looks like the one im looking at is at the end of its life, its got about 365,000km, so i guess ill just let it pass.

[nkb]

if it was well taken care of it could still be a good buy, my car is heading for 500k fast and it runs perfect and i flog the wee outta it daily.
like leeg posted look it over for the other stuff too and then decide

[Darkness_is_spreading]

358 k still tickin and takes a lickin      

I think my clutch is ready for a change,  time for a nice upgrade maybe 6 puck unsprung  :twisted:  lighter flywheel, 210 mm pressure plate  

These cars are great, so many options to go with,  and they take a beating better than any car that I have ever driven,  and keep your foot off the floor and it loves to be efficient

Plus your car has a built in smoke screen, or a crop duster for those in the country....  

[90Lx]

well in that case ill still take a look at it. This would be a my first diesel car, and my first vw..... well technically 6th vw if you count the 5 Audis I have.

[LeeG]

365k may not be bad, depends how it was used and looked after.  Highway miles really are easier, so if its owned by someone that commutes at highway speeds, that 365k could be more like 200K for a 'town car'.  My car runs as well and reliably as it did when I got it at 245k...just uses twice as much oil.

The overall condition of the car tells you a lot.

[90Lx]

ok so I want to go check the car out this coming monday or tuesday, the turbo is located near the firewall, so when pulling the boot off im just suppose to feel around in there cause i don;t think you can get you head in there? Along with that how much smoke should i expect so see coming out of this car if any?

[LeeG]

you'll need a screwdriver to undo hose clamp on intake boot.   With it off, you can see the intake side of the turbo from above, looking down behind the engine.  If you get your head right into the corner of hood and fender, you should be able to see the compressor wheel.

I would say no smoke at all at idle, and minimal puffs if you are revving it hard in nuetral,  normal driving you shouldnt see any, floored through first and second you might see a bit, but you shouldnt see billows.  Floored on the highway, maybe a slight haze visible in headlights behind you.  Depending where you live, you might want to check on emissions test status.  'round here you can access a cars aircare history online, free with a VIN.