Author Topic: Sharing my 1.6td project  (Read 18757 times)

September 27, 2023, 09:43:41 pm

as4k

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Sharing my 1.6td project
« on: September 27, 2023, 09:43:41 pm »
Long time Audi/VW owner but new to diesels.  I found this site and have been combing through a lot of topics.  Seems like a great place to learn!
Wanted to share an interesting project that is applicable here but is an Audi.

Back in 2010 an Audi 4000 showed up at a show in Pennsylvania.  It was on a dolly and parked with our club.  I knew the guy who brought it and the car he had was really interesting.  It was a 1981 Audi 4000 turbo diesel 5spd.  I had never seen one of these as Audi didnt make or bring many of the td models here, and if so, most were automatics.  You see more 4000 diesels than these things.  So a lot of us poked around and I took some photos (which become important later), then that was it.  The reason the car was on a dolly was due to a hole in the block but I was never told why.





So years go by.  One of my car friends in Georgia ended up with the car and was going to resurrect it.  He sourced a nice proper CY engine code block and had the original head rebuilt.  He also sent the injection pump to Giles for a rebuild.  The car sat for years inside but not a whole lot of progress was made.  Fast forward to summer of 2022.  My friend asks if I would be interested in it.  I say of course and have it shipped from GA to IN.  Upon receipt of the car, the longblock was in the engine bay but everything else (nuts bolts, brackets, etc) were in crates in the car.  So this was going to be fun.





A few things about this particular car.  Its Helios Blue, has power windows, no sunroof, and has dual radiators (which was an option).  There was also a hand written story from the previous owner on the car but that appears to have gone missing.  I've been told this was a demo car for Audi/VW but I also believe it was some sort of emissions test car based upon the odd EGR set up AND the factory stamps in the maintenance book, along with it doing some 6000 miles in a month. 

Work started on the car immediately but I'll jump ahead and leave the better stuff for later.  Since GA didnt require titles for cars before 1985 it made getting one for this car a bit challenging.  A court order later I was able to title, register, and plate this thing.  Interesting fact is that since GA never required a title the original NJ title is still around.  Neat relic to have along with some paperwork from when it was bought from the auction after VW/Audi got rid of it.

Needless to say this thing was going to be a project.  I'm more of a 5cyl Audi guy but have owned 3 other 4cyl gas models.  The only other diesel I have owned (and still do) is a 2012 dieselgate Jetta.  Thankfully a good friend in our local car club is a VW guy and has an awesome VW caddy diesel truck, so he has been helpful over the course of a year.

I unpacked the car and tried to sort through everything.  Some parts diagrams were tough to find or not available.  A few of the EGR parts are nowhere to be found in any parts catalog.  Pretty much 90% of everything was there, but a lot of stuff needed cleaned or just plain replaced.  Thankfully the engine itself and injection pump had zero miles on them, albeit sat around for a while (pump had all the caps on the open ports).







Lots of cleaning and scrubbing, also seeing where things fit.





Time goes by and so many parts are ordered, installed, rinse wash repeat.  Got everything in terms of gauges, lights, all power windows, and locks working.  My goal was to get the car ready for the show in PA where I first saw the car, but that was May and it wasnt looking good.  I actually had the car running by then but the main radiator needed fixed (that unfortunately took ALL summer). 

So fast forward to a month or so ago.  The car starts ok, gets up to temp great, so I wanted to see if it moved and stopped.  I replaced the front calipers, pads, and rotors.  Rear drums were cleaned but the shoes and wheel cylinders were perfect.  A brake bleed and everything seemed good.
I had an issue after I got the car on the street.  The clutch pedal engaged VERY high, which made the car undrivable.  Add to that the brake pedal was hard.  Car would stop but it took effort.  This is where I'm at.  I ordered a seal kit for the vacuum pump and will install that tomorrow.  The clutch is another story.  I didnt realize there is a measurement for the release level in relation to the clutch cable bracket.  There is zero free play in the pedal so I need to get the cable off and adjust that lever, then start over. 

I'm dying to drive this thing.  Its got such an interesting story.  I reached out to Audi and every damn contact I have but cannot find production/sales numbers for 1981 models only.  I've heard of 1982 and 1983 turbo diesel models but never an 81.  With a 1/81 build date AND the factory build sticker in the trunk it all checks out. 

Appreciate you guys taking time to read this.  Here are more random photos.  I've got a youtube channel (Mike's Virtual Garage) and IG (mikesvirtualgarage) for lots of Audi content, and even a video on this thing.  Looking forward to learning here!

























1986 4kq
1981 4ktd
2012 Jetta TDI

Reply #1September 28, 2023, 10:35:42 am

Dennis Froelich

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Re: Sharing my 1.6td project
« Reply #1 on: September 28, 2023, 10:35:42 am »
81 is the earliest VAG car with a TD I believe...
79 Golf GTD
96 Golf GTD(TDI)

Reply #2September 28, 2023, 02:42:20 pm

as4k

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Re: Sharing my 1.6td project
« Reply #2 on: September 28, 2023, 02:42:20 pm »
81 is the earliest VAG car with a TD I believe...

Oh hey Dennis.  Nice seeing a familiar name.  Come on down to Fort Wayne sometime to hang!!

1986 4kq
1981 4ktd
2012 Jetta TDI

Reply #3September 29, 2023, 08:45:07 am

Dennis Froelich

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Re: Sharing my 1.6td project
« Reply #3 on: September 29, 2023, 08:45:07 am »
Will do. Nice to see faces I personally know.
79 Golf GTD
96 Golf GTD(TDI)

Reply #4October 19, 2023, 04:10:22 am

morgoon

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Re: Sharing my 1.6td project
« Reply #4 on: October 19, 2023, 04:10:22 am »
Great story,

Thanks for sharing with a great write up and pics..

Hope to see more!

Reply #5October 22, 2023, 12:02:49 pm

RabbitJockey

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Re: Sharing my 1.6td project
« Reply #5 on: October 22, 2023, 12:02:49 pm »
very interesting car.

especially because it's an 81, the turbo diesel engine wasnt released until 1983
01 Jetta TDI 100% stock daily
81 Rabbit:TDI-M ported head, Frank06 cam, PD intake, hybrid T3 turbo, Renault intercooler, Syl20 11mm pump, light weight fw, and yellow California Clutch clutch kit

Reply #6December 01, 2023, 10:29:51 am

as4k

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Re: Sharing my 1.6td project
« Reply #6 on: December 01, 2023, 10:29:51 am »
Small update here.  I acquired a new vacuum pump, installed that, and think it solves the hard brake pedal issue.  I took a lot of time to get the clutch cable adjusted.  The Bentley has a measurement for where the release lever should be in relation to the bracket the cable slides into.  That didnt seem too accurate after getting that set.  Having never adjusted one of these it took some time but I think its where it should be.  A quick test just in the garage nets a much better engagement point.  I have not moved the car out of the garage to test the brakes and clutch yet though.
Work will pretty much halt for now.  We are working on moving, which is a good thing (A LOT more garage space!).  So I'll likely get back to this once the car is moved to its new location.

For now, does anyone have any info on the EGR stuff on this car?  There is a bracket that has a rod and a few vac ports that bolts to the injection pump bracket and sits right behind the PS reservoir (pic below).  I cannot find anything on this in parts diagrams.  With this being such an oddball car, who knows.  I didnt add this back since I wasnt going to use any of the EGR stuff.  I can pull the part out and look for part numbers.


I think the car just needs run/driven.  Sometimes it starts and immediately stalls.  Once started it seems to surge (idle goes up and down quickly).  I did adjust the idle and this helped but maybe it needs raised a bit more?  There are a few gallons of fuel in the tank and I have a few more to add and was going to add some Seafoam to maybe clear anything out once I can actually get it moving. 

Thankfully, at this point, the engine gets up to temp fine with no coolant or oil leaks.  I'm really excited to drive it and see how it does.  The actual future of this thing is unknown though.  May hold onto it and drive it to the PA show and be open to selling.

Appreciate this forum.  Been going through a lot of older topics and threads to learn about these!
1986 4kq
1981 4ktd
2012 Jetta TDI

Reply #7December 01, 2023, 10:52:58 am

Dennis Froelich

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Re: Sharing my 1.6td project
« Reply #7 on: December 01, 2023, 10:52:58 am »
Keep us updated please!!
79 Golf GTD
96 Golf GTD(TDI)

Reply #8December 01, 2023, 05:22:11 pm

fatmobile

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Re: Sharing my 1.6td project
« Reply #8 on: December 01, 2023, 05:22:11 pm »
 These old forums are full of great info.
 Sometimes that can kill a forum because after doing a search, there are no questions to ask.

 That thing stuck to the injection pump might be part of a cruise control.
Even though that's not what they look like on a MK2 Jetta.

 Looks like your fuel line used to be clear.
 Since there are no computers or spark, fuel supply is important.
 Nice to be able to easily look at it and see that it is moving and not full of air.

Most of the time, for me, surging is caused by the injection pump or bracket bolts not being tightened down.
That's not usually at idle though.
Tornado red, '91 Golf 4 door,
with a re-ringed, '84 quantum, turbo diesel, MD block

Reply #9December 03, 2023, 10:02:51 pm

as4k

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Re: Sharing my 1.6td project
« Reply #9 on: December 03, 2023, 10:02:51 pm »
These old forums are full of great info.
 Sometimes that can kill a forum because after doing a search, there are no questions to ask.

 That thing stuck to the injection pump might be part of a cruise control.
Even though that's not what they look like on a MK2 Jetta.

 Looks like your fuel line used to be clear.
 Since there are no computers or spark, fuel supply is important.
 Nice to be able to easily look at it and see that it is moving and not full of air.

Most of the time, for me, surging is caused by the injection pump or bracket bolts not being tightened down.
That's not usually at idle though.

Yeah, I'm a huge forum supporter.  I get that there are other means/groups nowadays, but forums have SO much information that needs to be saved and utilized.
The cruise control for the car is the bellows just to the right of the injection pump.  Its the same as other Audi's I'm use to, so that was easy to find its home for.



Once I get the car running again I'll see if I can get some video about whats going on.
1986 4kq
1981 4ktd
2012 Jetta TDI

Reply #10December 05, 2023, 12:56:48 am

fatmobile

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Re: Sharing my 1.6td project
« Reply #10 on: December 05, 2023, 12:56:48 am »
 The new fuel line shows air in the fuel.
 But air near the filter when it's been sitting can be normal.

Air in the line just before the filter, when it's been sitting, is absolutely normal.
Tornado red, '91 Golf 4 door,
with a re-ringed, '84 quantum, turbo diesel, MD block

Reply #11December 06, 2023, 02:09:18 pm

as4k

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Re: Sharing my 1.6td project
« Reply #11 on: December 06, 2023, 02:09:18 pm »
The new fuel line shows air in the fuel.
 But air near the filter when it's been sitting can be normal.

Air in the line just before the filter, when it's been sitting, is absolutely normal.

I'll get some updated photos/video.  That photo was from May, right before I took the main radiator out for service. 
Appreciate the responses!  :)
1986 4kq
1981 4ktd
2012 Jetta TDI

Reply #12February 02, 2024, 10:34:30 am

as4k

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Re: Sharing my 1.6td project
« Reply #12 on: February 02, 2024, 10:34:30 am »
So, I'll be moving in about a month and this means all the garage contents and cars will be as well.  I dont think I'll get to ensuring the car can drive, shift, and stop as it should before we move, so I'll have it flatbedded to its new home.  Before then I do plan on taking a video for you guys about what this does when I start it up.  In the meantime, this car has no tach, and no 4cyl Audi diesels back then could come equipped with one (at least here in the states).  How would I check the idle speed?  I've seen some older Audi/VW videos with actual dealership diag equipment, but of course I dont have that.  Any insight here would be helpful.  Also, one thing I found out early on is in relation to the crank bolt.  The short block in the car was sourced and rebuilt due to the original having a hole in it.  I didnt think much of the crank bolt until I put the pulleys on the front.  The crank bolt is not accessible for rotating the engine.  This doesnt seem correct.  Does this look odd to anyone else?  I'll check the PN for the crank bolt but wanted to gain insight here as well.

« Last Edit: February 04, 2024, 08:13:00 pm by as4k »
1986 4kq
1981 4ktd
2012 Jetta TDI

Reply #13February 02, 2024, 10:19:28 pm

ORCoaster

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Re: Sharing my 1.6td project
« Reply #13 on: February 02, 2024, 10:19:28 pm »
For a cheap tach, you can get a Tiny Tach.  They have a clamping pickup that goes on the fuel line and uses that as the signal.  You wire it up to 12 volts inside the car and you can check that idle fairly precisely.  I had one on my Rabbit and had it stuck to the dash with double-sided tape.  It was better than nothing. 

Nowadays I have a tach where the clock used to be on the gauge cluster.  I used the conversion thread on this site to make a gasser tach into a diesel one that uses the alternator wire for a signal.  Looks very VW stock.  I have converted plenty of others since and the hardest part is getting the GTI tach as they were not very plentiful.  I recently discussed with a guy on Craigslist that wanted 650, yep Six hundred and Fifty dollars for one.  I passed on that.  I had just purchased two MK1 clusters the week before for 25 each. 


https://tinytach.com/tinytach
« Last Edit: February 02, 2024, 10:21:35 pm by ORCoaster »

Reply #14February 02, 2024, 11:31:09 pm

fatmobile

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Re: Sharing my 1.6td project
« Reply #14 on: February 02, 2024, 11:31:09 pm »
There is also the laser tachs.
Stick a shiney piece to something rotating, and point a laser tool at it.

 The MK2 TD tachs fit some of the busses.
 Maybe it will bolt onto the back of the audi cluster.
 Or maybe one could be swapped from a gasser Audi of the same year, and adjust the circuit like we do with the GTI cluster in the MK1.
Tornado red, '91 Golf 4 door,
with a re-ringed, '84 quantum, turbo diesel, MD block