Just got a non-running 91 Jetta diesel... need advice!

[maxt]

Allright looks like im back in the vw game once again. Just picked up a dead oil burner.

91 Jetta, well cared for overall, but high mileage and a seemingly bad head gasket. I havent had time to poke at it yet but previous owner says it cranks but doesnt start, and there's some oil in the antifreeze. I've yet to confirm any of it.

Being high mileage (261k), I dont know where I should start. If things are as described by the previous owner, my plan is to check compression, and go from there. My guess is take the head off and replace headgasket and timing belt while im at it.

The car did come with a rebuilt block from a early 80s rabbit, for what that's worth, and a rebuilt rabbit transmission. Can any of that be used on the MK2 later diesel? Any way to test the health of the head/block? I want to do it the right way, but I dont want to shotgun it and rebuild everything.

[AdAm84]

crank on it and check out the smoke if any. this should tell you if its getting any fuel (or oil   ) then crack the injector lines to see if you have fuel going to them.

[maxt]

forgot to update...

got it running, and i've been working on ironing the quirks out. Seems to be doing pretty good so far.  the timing belt was off by a tooth (crank was one tooth forward). I think the belt was just old and stretched.

[maxt]

this one was stretched, and skipped a tooth somehow. new belt right next to the old one, you could tell it was stretched.

[maxt]

maybe has to do with our extreme climate. goes from very hot in summer (110+) to very cold in winter (-30), along with multiple swings in each direction during the seasons and very high humidity.

trying to figure out the belt tensioning setup now for the AC compressor. For some reason the AC compressor belt seems loose, but its hard to adjust the tension as the up/down adjustment tightener doesnt seem to move up/down when i turn the adjustment bolt. grr.

[Bludodger]

Welcome to the wonderful A2 A/C equipped V-Belt Setup  :x  

Besides the adjusting bolt that you mentioned (which does need to be loosened), there should be two 8mm allen head bolts (one on either side of Compressor--one on belt side and the other on the line coupling side) they are equally a pain to get to but need to be loosened to free up the A/C unit. Also there are, I believe, two  (or maybe three) 13mm nuts which are a bit easier to reach and access (again they are on either side of Compressor)--they should be easy enough to spot. Once all these nuts are loose, only then will you be able to adjust the tension on the belt by changing tightness on adjusting bolt you mentioned.

First time I am writing the procedure, so might have something wrong or unclear . In addition, take a good look at your setup and search the archives. If you have any questions, post them here.

For the amount of times I have done this job (in environments ranging from my climate controlled garage with jacks to the busy NYC streets during rush hour --also between shifts at work), its a bit harder to explain than I figured.

FWIW, Some people find removing the water pump pulley an easier way to get Crank/WP/AC belt off the car then detensioning the AC Comp. So once you get it nice and tight (but not too tight-refer to Bentleys for specifics) and the Alt Belt Snaps, the WP Pulley might be your favorite friend.   :wink:

Keep in mind also that some of the above mentioned bolts might have been previously removed by either vibration, shear force, or mechanic choice (why put something back on that was such a pain in the arse to take off). So don't go crazy looking for these fasteners. I have 2 A2 jettas and one is complete and one is only being secure with 2 bolts... which reminds me I need to address this sooner than later.

Hope this helps and have fun...remember keep breathing

[Bludodger]

Oh almost forgot. I am not sure where you went to but,  glad you smartened up and found your way back to VW world  with a diesel.

Welcome Back and Good Luck

[maxt]

thanks for the in-depth description. Funny thing, I removed the 8mm allen head bolts yesterday and loosened the 13mm nuts, but i couldnt get that ac compressor to turn for the life of me. I felt like the adjustment bolt/tensionner was literally laughing at me. I ended up pushing the AC comp up by tapping on it. But even after all bolts were tightened up, the belt still felt kinda loose. I wish I could take out the ac compressor, but the ensuing ghetto rigging required looks even more painful and i just dont have the energy right now.

Oh, I removed all that stuff to replace a bad waterpump. Turns out I couldnt get the top bolts of the waterpump so i had to put it all back together and take off the idle pulley and take it out from the bottom. All is well and shes running good, so im happy. just need a good cleanup.

[Toolbox]

Hey! That Jetta was in my eBay watch list! Congrats, you got a good deal.