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« Last post by ORCoaster on February 22, 2024, 11:44:37 pm »
Say you time it up and the engine turns over by hand ok. But it won't start or it smokes like a bad cigar once it gets running.
You might try a compression check on it before you even get to the START PHASE. I say that because it would let you know if you have a cylinder with a valve problem. Diesel engines need a different compression tester than you find at Autozone or ORielys for rent. The good limit on a diesel cylinder would be around the 400 psi mark. Gas engines are much lower. They fire with spark plugs and diesel fire without, because of the higher PSI in the cylinder. But you may already know that.
So say you do a check and one cylinder comes up in the upper 370-80 range. Not good and suspect to me. Time to pull the head. Not a hard job but tools are needed that you may not have. Older engines use torque to yield head bolts that would need to be replaced to get them to go back together. A new head gasket is required, as well as coolant since you don't have any idea if it is good or not. This is just for starters.
You might figure in a new timing belt and tensioner as those might be worn out and you will have them off. A Bentley Manual will pay back dividends here doing this type of heavy-duty work. To repair the head you will need new valves, easily found on Rock Auto or maybe Parts Place. A new head is harder to find and probably would need a machine shop visit to make it right. You will be pulling hoses off the engine and those if badly weathered, rat-chewed, or otherwise brittle will need to be replaced.
Getting a different engine is a crap shoot as well. You could buy one and unless the seller rebuilt it you will be looking at most of the same work but the engine will be out of the car. Big deal, it is still money to be spent and then what do you do with the other engine? How do you get it out?
I ran a diesel Rabbit on Veg oil for about a year and finally just quit doing it as the price for diesel dropped back down to a reasonable level. With diesel up to that high level again it might be worth it to you to find a seller of processed WVO and get your system to work properly. They can be a pain to maintain, and poor installation only equals poor performance. I had mine dialed in pretty nicely and still gave up using it as diesel prices dropped.
I pulled all that stuff and it is in my shed now. I sold the rabbit without it and I likely won't put it on the pickup I now own. I would not gain any savings from doing so and only lose time working on it when I should be doing bodywork instead.
I have done several head/gasket rebuilds on the VWs I have owned but I am mechanically inclined and know what I am doing with the 1.6 engine. It may be better if you are not to shop around for a good diesel mechanic and get a price from them. Labor is super expensive these days for anything from burgers to buildings so I hope you got the car cheaply.
Later
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