VWDiesel.net The IDI, TDI, and mTDI source.
General Information => General => Topic started by: BlackTieTD on August 19, 2005, 05:09:19 am
-
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/ava.gif) 1982 Volkswagen Rabbit Diesel L
Engine: 1.6L Turbo Diesel, MF Code (no modifications except mix of mkI/mkII parts, or missing parts)
Transmission: FF, original (1st 3.45, 2nd 1.94, 3rd 1.29, 4th 0.97, 5th 0.76, R&P 3.89)
Weight: ~1800Ibs
Built: Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania; Tuesday, August 25, 1981
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
LAST UPDATED SATURDAY, JUNE 9, 2007
I put up this post to document some of the changes to the car that I have made, it has been reorganized to detail changes to the car in reverse chronological order.
Spring 2007
May 2007
- installed an 83-84 rabbit/jetta turbo diesel intake and airbox with factory air intake shroud
- installed a mkI diesel upper timing belt cover
- rerouted the crank case vent so it no longer goes to the intake
- installed 1.5L diesel valve cover and oil cap
- replaced vacuum line from intake to LDA (3rd time its ripped, brand new line)
- removed all remaining wiring associated with the transmission including upshift/tach relay
- efforts to continually improve on the relatively reliable electrical system: routed all wiring through one grommet hole into the engine bay as one wiring loom, soldered and sealed longer wires with new connectors for the engine's sensors and the fuel solenoid, eliminated all wiring connectors except the four main 10-pin harness connectors, -ongoing-- next: going to reduce it down to three 10-pin harness connectors (nothing is hard wired, can all still be removed as original)
March 2007
- repaired and simplified the rabbit electrical system for my requirements
- removed associated wiring for: rear wiper motor, rear washer fluid, rear defroster, rear side markers, reverse lights, front washer fluid motor, blower motor, radio, lighter, -ongoing.
Photos from March, 2007:
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/DSC00054.JPG)
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/DSC00088.JPG)
Winter 2006-07
February 2007
- the winter car wasn't working out so wiring work began on the rabbit
- replaced the starter and negative battery terminal connector
- installed from 1984 GLI: ignition lock cylinder, ignition switch, wiper stalk, steering wheel
- replaced all fuses, all bulbs, many relays, and did a good cleaning and inspection of the entire electrical system
December 2006
- the ignition switch fried and killed the starter, i thought the fusebox/wiring was toast and the car came off the road in favour of a winter car
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/rabbitfeb07.jpg)
Summer 2006
August 2006
Wasn't so lucky on August 10th:
(http://www.ontarioads.com/pic/aug10.jpg)
- rear ended on the 404 where it meets the 401
Winter 2005-06
December 2005
- new rear brakes, e-brake cables, and wheel bearings (dec 20)
wooo i survived driving this thing down the 401 all winter! :D
Photos from April, 2006:
(http://img387.imageshack.us/img387/4451/diesel18yl.jpg)
(http://www.ontarioads.com/pic/rab.jpg)
(http://www.ontarioads.com/pic/towhare.jpg)
Photos from January 17, 2006:
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/jan17-2006.jpg)
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/dags.jpg)
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/jan17-2006_winters.jpg)
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/exhaust.jpg)
Fall 2005
- p155/80r13 winter tires mounted on 4.5" wide rabbit steelies
- installed good used blower motor
Summer 2005
I drove the Rabbit until March 2005 but it was getting rough around the edges. Suspension, brakes, wheel bearings. I parked it until July 2005 and drove a rusted-out GTI.
Here it is before it was plated next to the mad-hauler-diesel:
(http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/84/rabrab2xa.jpg)
Here are some photos of the GTI in June '05. These were taken during the last major driving trip of its 21 year life:
photo #1 (http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/june05/toronto/PICT3570.JPG) || photo #2 (http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/june05/toronto/PICT3571.JPG)
The GTI was nice, peppy for what it was, but it was rotted out, kept breaking. The gas prices didn't hinder my decision either, out came the diesel. I cut up the GTI in the driveway and kept what I needed.
Photos from June 2005:
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/june05/toronto/PICT3574.JPG)
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/june05/toronto/PICT3573.JPG)
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/june05/toronto/PICT3578.JPG)
Then the work began....
Installed parts from '84 GTI:
- front braking system (9.4" vented with Kelsey Hayes calipers)
- front suspension with metal strut caps, poly bushings
- control arms
- axles
- wheel bearing housings (with under 2000km wheel bearings)
- grill & snowflake rims
then
- tan vinyl seats from '81 Caddy
- cut out the US dash brackets and put in black dash with woodgrain strip from late '70s German Rabbit
- filled some holes in the body (rear side markers, rear wiper)
- installed Optima Red Top group 34/78 - 800 cold cranking amps
- oil/filter change, 15w40 & oem filter at 194,000km
- put carpet, bumper on. fixed front signals. improved exhaust flow. improved air intake :lol:
- painted 1st half of the car black (Sept 3+4, '05)
Photos from September 8, 2005:
(http://img358.imageshack.us/img358/9811/tdbacksml7hp.jpg)
(http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/4057/picture0022oz.th.jpg) (http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/4057/picture0022oz.jpg)(http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/8364/picture0048my.th.jpg) (http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/8364/picture0048my.jpg)(http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/3185/picture0076uk.th.jpg) (http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/3185/picture0076uk.jpg)(http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/9712/picture0105sn.th.jpg) (http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/9712/picture0105sn.jpg)
Fall 2004
Photos from November 2004:
(http://img313.imageshack.us/img313/4200/rab8es.jpg)
Summer 2004
- interior items removed except for necessities to drive
- small taillights put on
Spring 2004
- 1.5L let go - 1.6TD goes in, thanks to the Dr. (1990 Jetta donor)
- coolant flanges and engine mounts changed for mkI parts
- gasket set replaced incl. headgasket
- rebuilt 0km head
- fuel/oil/air filter
- shift linkage bushing set replaced
- elimination of power steering and air conditioning systems except for extra pulley at harmonic balancer
- retained mkI transmission and hefty starter
- all four cylinders hold 500+psi compression
- previously done to motor: bored .040 over, original turbo replaced with oem unit
- note: exhaust, fuel filter, and air intake were not properly installed. if you're doing this swap and want it done clean find mkI TD parts for these items.
- also put on 14" steelies from 1990 Jetta TD
Winter 2003-04
- plates, insurance
- height adjust Scirocco front seats put in, and rear bench
I purchased this car in December 2003 from the second owner. Its original 1.6L diesel powerplant had been replaced with an earlier 1.5L. After looking it over top to bottom on a hoist I bought it certified. :)
Photos from December 2003 (first day with car):
(http://img317.imageshack.us/img317/6519/back22wy.jpg)
(http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/8479/top9wd.th.jpg) (http://img404.imageshack.us/my.php?image=top9wd.jpg)(http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/7705/corner5mp.th.jpg) (http://img405.imageshack.us/my.php?image=corner5mp.jpg)(http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/9248/frontcorner0cf.th.jpg) (http://img217.imageshack.us/my.php?image=frontcorner0cf.jpg)(http://img334.imageshack.us/img334/3751/front5kh.th.jpg) (http://img334.imageshack.us/my.php?image=front5kh.jpg)
Shortly after purchasing the car, I discovered it is a Black Tie Special Edition, one of a limited number offered for one year, 1982 USA/Canada market.
(http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/782/blacktierabbited021bd.jpg)(http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/4057/blacktierabbited057px.jpg)
Classy :lol:
-
excellent, sounds great and fairly similar to my mk1 GTD :D
love to see some more pics!
also I'm just wondering, why did you eliminate the power steering and air conditioning?
as they're two things I'd love to have aon a mk1 as we never got them over here :(
-
i saw your thread about your GTD, very nice :D
i wish we could find big van intercoolers easily over here. your's is a nice fitment too.
about the power steering/AC:
with any car, i tend to be obsessed with simplifying the system, and dumping un-needed weight. the less parts there are to break, the better. although peppy, my little TD rabbit does better with less weight to haul around. acceleration, braking, handling... all get better everytime i dump some weight. i don't really mean to eliminate every non-essential system in a car, but that usually happens.
power steering, just don't need it in a sub-2000Ib car. furthermore, i prefer the feeling of the road with manual steering.
AC, only an issue for about 2 months out of the year, and for those months i'd rather cruise with the windows down and the sunroof open anyway.
i'll be eliminating the remainder of the oem heating and ventilation system soon. this, along with eliminating the coolant overflow, will simplify the cooling system and keep the coolant only under the hood (none going into the interior). i plan to work out my own solution for winter heating and windshield de-fogging. normally i only use oem parts, but the mkI HVAC system is garbage. :cry:
-
i've been having some starting issues over the past week. the battery seemed very weak and like it wasn't charging. it would start maybe 1 in 10 times.... 9 in 10 i was stuck jumping it :?
so i went out a bought an optima red top last night. got the group 34/78 for its higher cold cranking amps (800 vs. 720 in their other batteries), and more reserve and capacity. car fires up immediately now like it should, just hoping its not the charging system at fault. i tried putting the old battery on a charger and that didn't do squat (wouldn't charge to full anyway) so i'm thinking that this new battery will solve my issues. it was pricey but worth it in my opinion.
i added a list of needed parts to my original post above.
-
Sounds like you got your hands full. It will be one sweet ride when your done.
The down pipe will make a huge difference. At leas it did on my 91 TD Jetta. I had a 2.5" made. With Giles pump and the exhaust opened up the jetta really scoots now. :D
-
thanks for the reply. i just want to get the car setup nicely so i can enjoy it instead of working on it all the time. it will be a process but i'm hoping with a little $ injection the project will move along.
once all the issues are sorted, yeah for sure, giles pump! i know these motors can move with an overhauled pump, and i've got the rabbit down under 1900Ibs now. should be fun.
who made up your 2.5" downpipe?
-
A friend of mine made it. He is into the rice burner cars. He made his own intake for his Nissan. Told me he would hook me up with a custom intake if I wanted to go to a T25 turbo. It is something to think about I guess. He also wants to hook my jetta up with an intercooler. He works at the metal fabrication section here in the Air Force and has a nice set up of his own. He made my down pipe by cutting out pie slices to make the bend. To me a ton of extra work but for him it was no big deal. Once I get it installed I will take some pictures of it. I'm hoping he will be done with it by this weekend. :D
-
wow, those are some fabrication skills i wish i had!
i'm trying to get someone to make me up a 2.5" downpipe for mkI TD but i'm having zero luck so far. i planned to make one myself from mandrel bent pipe but i just can't seem to find the time. [edit] something like this:
(http://www.hostdub.com/albums/veeman_album07/dp_6_finished.jpg)
yesterday i changed the oil and some other small stuff. i also discovered that the big intake pipe from my GTI works perfectly to move my air filter up into the grill right next to the rad. air intake now gets a direct shot of air through the grill.
(http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/9712/picture0105sn.th.jpg) (http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/9712/picture0105sn.jpg)
-
went camping friday night, did some canoeing saturday morning, picked up some rattlecans of black paint on the way home and worked on the diesel until sunday night.
(http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/4057/picture0022oz.th.jpg) (http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/4057/picture0022oz.jpg)(http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/820/picture0038dj.th.jpg) (http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/820/picture0038dj.jpg)(http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/8364/picture0048my.th.jpg) (http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/8364/picture0048my.jpg)
as you can see, i painted the formerly-silver hatch, and everything below the swage line.
going to try to finish the rest of it next weekend... but i'm happy with it for now. the back end looks much better all in one colour.
i was going to go through the process of a proper paint job, my friend offered to shoot the car for me if i prep it... but i'm going to save that for another car we're working on. :mrgreen:
-
i updated the original post with some more info and a bunch of photos. :)
(http://img383.imageshack.us/img383/5214/picture0094li.th.jpg) (http://img383.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture0094li.jpg)
engine shots still to come! (i know thats all you guys care about, rightfully so)
-
it's tempting:
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/june05/toronto/PICT3577.JPG)
-
scully, you asked me at the last meet what i want to do with the interior.
its not a huge concern for me, as soon as i have a complete interior in there one of my friends will break some plastic clip or one of my dogs will put a claw through a seat :lol: regardless, i've been trying to pull together some of these pieces. not easy!
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/rabbit/olddash.jpg)
-
(added Dec '03 pics to original post above)
(http://img317.imageshack.us/img317/6519/back22wy.jpg)
vs.
(http://img358.imageshack.us/img358/9811/tdbacksml7hp.jpg)
vs. (added jan 19th)
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/jan17-2006_ass2.jpg)
-
whats up with the tail lights. how does one accomplish that?
-
master acid, find:
- cabriolet taillights
- female spade connectors/heat shrink tube
- metal sheet to fill two holes
- welder
- grinder
- filler/primer
- paint
mkI rabbits/golfs came this way from the factory 1975 through 1980.
-
looked at a 1994 TD Golf and a stripped 1979 Rabbit (german) yesterday and managed not to buy either!! :shock:
so instead i went home and worked on the diesel a little...
fixed the coolant leak that popped up on the main coolant flange and <drum roll please, its been a long time coming> replaced the faulty blower motor... car now has the hot hot heat. i've now replaced that blower 3 times, and it has been broken more than operational over the history of the car. i bought 2 this time so i have a spare for that cold january morning when the bearing seizes again. :lol:
coming soon... less rattles, more squeek!
edit: did anyone catch SCCA G prod on speed channel at 1pm yesterday? (sunday nov 27). a rabbit finished 2nd.
-
looked at a 1994 TD Golf and a stripped 1979 Rabbit (german) yesterday and managed not to buy either!!
Congratulations on your new found restraint....you must be proud or dissappointed :lol:
-
:lol: hahaha i knew that was coming from you red rabbit!!
-
yesterday i switched front bumpers, rigged up different front signals, crimped up a couple of jumper wires to go from 2 brake lights to 4. safety first. now on to adding horn, rear defroster, rear view mirror.
i also got 2 new winter tires last week... p155/80r13 (i have two other good winter tires already... no i'm not running summers on the back :lol: ) these new pizza wheels are going to cut through the snow like butter, can't wait to get them on the car, will be a big change from the rubbing 195s.
rolled over 200,000km last week.
-
i've been struggling with my insurance rates since the fast and spurious crowd ruined it for us under-25ers...
well today i signed with a new company and am happy to report a 75%+ decrease in rate. yes, not a typo, i'm paying at least 75% less to insure my car next year than i did this year.
personally i think the whole industry is a scam. i have never caused an accident, nor made a claim in which i was any way at fault. yet i still paid more per month for insurance than what i normally pay to buy a car.
i had to post and announce, i'm kind of shocked. :cry: :cry: :cry: <thems happiness tears
-
yeah, insurance is a scam. i moved 100 miles away from my old home when i bought a new house. my insurance went from $120 a month to $26 a month.
-
first cold day in january, sure enough, blower motor seized again. :lol:
new pics from january 17th and 22nd at the new pad in toronto:
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/jan17-2006.jpg)
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/jan17-2006_front.jpg)
p155 winters on 4.5" wide rims, great for snow
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/jan17-2006_winters.jpg)
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/dags.jpg)
wanted to get fancy for the photos so i stuck a dash in
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/dashy.jpg)
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/exhaust.jpg)
-
departure
(http://www.ontarioads.com/pic/towhare.jpg)
following too close
(http://www.ontarioads.com/pic/follow.jpg)
arrival
(http://www.ontarioads.com/pic/pickup.jpg)
new younger sister
(http://www.ontarioads.com/pic/yep.jpg)
-
Hey,who stole my Jetta ?????
Now,I know ! ;)
-
how many guys does it take to steal a volkswagen? three, and one to supervise.
we got a couple odd looks from people. :lol:
first thing my buddies say "ohhhh... nice. any bets how long until the dash is out?!" :roll: not this one!
thanks chris.
(http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/2904/yep26km.jpg)
(http://www.ontarioads.com/pic/94jet2.jpg)
-
unfortunetly my rabbit was rear-ended on the 404 south last thursday, august 10th. it was in stop and go traffic so the damage was minimal, and i wasn't injured. i heard the BANG before i saw the civic with special body pieces cut off the person behind me as traffic stopped. he failed to notice the stopping of the traffic i suppose until i got in his way. i have been leary about driving the rabbit on toronto highways for this reason. i'm glad that a) it wasn't serious b) its fixable c) i'm not hurt d) nor was he e) i'm leaving this BS town behind me and only returning to visit. apologies to you torontonians... but i'm sure that even life-long residents can see the place going downhill fast. :(
i'll have that purple mkIII jetta pictured above on the road soon to take over beater duty over winter. now i need to decide if i should fix the rabbit, or move over to a german built such as the mkI GLI in my driveway, or a mkI scirocco.
i hope this won't be the end of this thread, but time will tell!
cheers to everyone i haven't seen in a while :)
-
That sucks big time...glad to hear your OK....but the crappy drivers are a GTA thing, not just T.O.....anywhere from Oshawa to Hamilton and north to Barrie, lousy drivers are the norm.....wish the govt would crackdown these losers.....
-
i hear that
(http://www.ontarioads.com/pic/aug10.jpg)
:oops:
hey i'm real glad he missed those taillights :lol:
-
That really sucks about your car, come move up here :D Althogh there are still lots of piss-poor drivers up here to
Hopefully we can get together again some time soon, I want to check out your car again, and I'll probably be in my rabbit this time :D
Look what I have
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v603/burnyourmoney/Scirocco/Picture011.jpg)
-
hey tyler nice pic :lol:
move up there now you're talkin.
the driving in toronto has been getting out of hand lately. a lot of accidents lately i'm just sick of the environment. having to drive during rush hour in toronto is not something i would wish on anyone.
when are you coming down in the new ride?? do i remember right, 1.6TD? fancy blue GTI interior?? :lol:
hey how's them digits holdin up?! :|
-
Digits are fine thanks, palm is ugly
see. 3 stitches :(
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v603/burnyourmoney/32c67cca.jpg
I haven't touched that rabbit yet, its next after the jetta.. plus I need to get the engine which is in Hamilton, and the exhast which is in TO
-
i'm in toronto right now and the shop is in hamilton. let me know if i can help you out, i'll only have the rabbit (hauler) on the road for about another week.
nice hand :lol:
my buddy almost sheared the tip of his middle finger off when we dropped a GTI engine/trans on it. not pretty!! never heard someone yell so loud in my life. :lol:
-
its been a half a year, time for an update...
-------------------------
THE STORY
sometime in december i was driving about 5 km from my house and noticed a whirring sound from what i guessed was the transmission. bad deal i thought, noise is getting louder... hopefully i can make it back home. louder, louder... cars shuts off about 3 km from home. pop the hood, melted negative battery terminal connector. awesome.
got it home, checked electrical quick. seems fine so i put in a new terminal connector, try to start the car and it becomes apparent that the starter is damaged. it turned over but sounded completely wrong, and slow. of course i tried and tried until the starter roasted completely and wouldn't make a sound. drop the hood... deal with this tomorrow.
next day pop the hood, negative connector melted again. i came to the conclusion that it was caused by a neglected fusebox below windshield leak. drove a mkIII into february and then opted to get the rabbit back on the road.
-------------------------
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/rabbitfeb07.jpg)
i think it was burn your money who suggested that it may just be the ignition switch, and the bells and whistles went off. i really appreciate the help some of you have given me. i replaced the ignition switch with a $10 one from altrom and burn sent me a used starter. redid the negative terminal connection again. my little brother helped me do the starter, first time working on cars, he's 14. was damn cold too. once those went in and i remembered i needed to power the stop solenoid, car fired up. blew a ton of smoke, then quickly settled back into the good ol' rabbit i know and love.
VIDEO (http://www.voiddesign.com/video/MOV00002.wmv) you will want to turn your sound down.
there were still a ton of nagging electrical issues most of which i solved thanks to help from you guys: http://vwdiesel.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=6832
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/rabbitfeb07_in.jpg)
the car still isn't starting quite as smoothly in the mornings as i would like... so i still need to change to 0w40 oil for remainder of cold weather and test glow plug resistance to see if any (or all) are bad
the windshield has always leaked a little bit, and by now i've had enough. i should have fix it years ago. does anyone know if an '82 US-built has a glue-in type windshield?? need to remove old windshield, grind off surface rust and paint. then buy correct seal and install new windshield.
-
the windshield has always leaked a little bit, and by now i've had enough. i should have fix it years ago. does anyone know if an '82 US-built has a glue-in type windshield??
-remove old windshield
-grind off surface rust and paint
-buy correct seal and install new windshield
A 82 US built will have a glue in. You can switch to the seal type and do it all yourself, I did. You just need the seal and glass from a car with a seal, like any German car. I did this to my rabbit, sprayed it with a hose until I was positive it didn't leak. Not too bad of a job at all.
-
tyler: is the glass from a seal car different than a glue in car? i could search this but i know you know. is either seal still available new?
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/rabbitfeb07_mauly1.jpg)
spent a brief time on the car over the weekend and replaced all the components on the steering column, except the column itself (turn signal stalk, wiper stalk, ignition lock cylinder and switch, wheel), with the parts from a 1984 GLI. they were in better shape, the lock cylinder had been replaced, looks recent, so it feels like brand new now. worthwhile job for any old VW. FYI the german-builts and US-builts can directly swap these components. 84 jetta and 82 rabbit anyway. fits right up, elec connectors are the same.
ok try it now
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/rabbitfeb07_mauly.jpg)
i did the change for the better lock cylinder, but trying a different wiper stalk (tried one from an 81 cabby too, it fit) didn't get the wipers working correctly. wiper motor is working when jumped, must be the relay. need to find a spare and will probably set it up to have some delay settings if i can manage.
the car starts better in this warm weather now so i won't bother testing the glow plugs until later... cooled off again this morning but i don't think it will last like this.
beginning to turn my attention now to brake work (had a blown booster since last winter - great braking!). i want to switch to a boosterless system to see how i like it but its tough to find the parts. if anyone knows where i can get a manual brake setup for a mkI please let me know. 17mm master cylinder i believe.
i hope this thread is giving some insight into owning a diesel rabbit. i can't think of a better car to drive daily. :mrgreen:
-
lanny: the glass from a glue in car is bigger then a seal type. I've heard that they are both still available new. German, US and pickups all have the same style glass, all will fit each other with the correct type of seal. I'd imagine cabbys are the same.
I think I have a set of rear suspension from one of my parts cars, it seemed good before I cut it up. I have the brake setup you need as well but they are used parts, kinda scary. You should come up and ransack my 2 77s for parts, mind you I've already done this so there isn't a whole lot left.
So you don't need a wiper motor anymore eh?
BTW because of you I figured out my car has intermittent wipers, that's exciting news :). So yes, I do have the relay you need
-
the temperatures dropped way off last night. its still -22C as i type this...
and the rabbit won't start! damn i should have checked the glow plugs and changed to the light oil. or at least plugged in the block heater! now i'm late for work due to rabbit neglect. (http://www.kustomcoachwerks.com/forums/images/smiles/eusa_eh.gif)
-
made it in to work......
tyler i PMed you about that stuff.
-
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/DSC00034.JPG)
it warmed up to about -10C (should be easy to start at that temp) but the car still doesn't want to start. i think the starter is tired. going to probably pull the one out of the mkIII and install it tonight to see.
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/DSC00036.JPG)
-
got the car started with the help of a battery boost.
recorded with the camera phone while i warmed it up before an oil change. tyler edited it down, thanks man VIDEO (http://www.voiddesign.com/video/Rabbit2.WMV)
got the heavy oil out and got the 0w40 rotella synthetic in. this oil is great for cold starts and canadian tire carries it.
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/DSC00040.JPG)
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/DSC00044.JPG)
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/DSC00048.JPG)
-
it was colder this morning than yesterday (about -13C), but the car started. only thing different is the 0w40 oil and perhaps a little more juice in the battery.
i haven't been able to get my electrical tester to tell me how many amps the glow plugs are drawing, or how many ohms of resistance across each one. i'm sure i'm just doing it wrong or have it on the wrong setting. when i figure it out i'll post the procedure :lol: the only completely reliable method of checking glow plugs that works every time for me is to observe them physically warming up. either with the injector out (if messing with injectors anyway) or by removing the glow plug itself. they should glow orange when hot if good. if uncertain, put the tip near some snow.
-
got some good weather yesterday -- good time to do wiring. i began eliminating circuits that i don't use, things such as the rear wiper motor and washer fluid... a bunch of other stuff that went no where like the blower motor wiring (i've replaced the motor 4 times, trying something else now).
more of the camera phone:
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/DSC00051.JPG)
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/DSC00052.JPG)
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/DSC00054.JPG)
the 17mm manual brake master cylinder is still available new. i found it through altrom ( http://altrom.com/cdn/partscatalog/partsDetails.aspx?CarMakeCode=VW&CarMakeName=VOLKSWAGEN&CarModel=RAB01&CarModelName=RABBIT&CarComp=BRAKES&CarCompValue=1500 ) - costs more than the power MC! 99% sure the brakes lines will have to be redone for the new MC. not looking forward to this job. i have a spare booster i could put in, that's all that is wrong currently, but i'd like to try the manual brakes.
-
car has been starting smoothly, no issues since oil change.
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/DSC00088.JPG)
i took some of the above videos out to free up server space.
tail lights - the grey connector that runs to the rear of the car typically has 10 wires in it. the 5 important wires:
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/DSC00085.JPG)
black w/ green: right turn
black w/ white: left turn
black w/ red: brake lights
grey: tail lights
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/DSC00081b.JPG)
purple: fuel level sender
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/DSC00082.JPG)
that does not include reverse lights. the taillights on this car don't have reverse lights.
i've found that a lot of rabbits rust out where the factory wires are routed, the floor on the driver side of the car. pull up the carpet in your mkI and check to make sure it hasn't started. sometimes the first indication of rust here is when it has poked through the rocker and then its a bit of work to fix.
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/grey.JPG)
pin #13 on the gauge cluster connector (purple wire) is critical to the gauge cluster functioning. the purple wire runs directly to the radio fuse. so if you don't have a radio, don't just go pulling that fuse out, or you won't have power to the cluster (LED indicators, coolant temp, fuel level).
if you're going to remove wiring from your VW, do it the reverse of the way that it was installed. all the connectors have little clips that allow you to remove wires without cutting them. if you do this, you will be able to go into your junk wiring pile and retrieve items that you may want to reinstall in the future. the pin #13 problem took minutes to fix because of this approach.
its a pain having to put everything back and make it all functional again when i'm done working for the day so that i can get to work in the morning -- but it gives an opportunity to test the new configuration in a daily situation to ensure proper operation.
if you need any help with rabbit diesel wiring, especially US-built, send me a PM.
-
Here is a photo of the inside.
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/luxo1.JPG)
The past couple times I drove the car it got hotter than normal. At a couple ticks before red I shut it down. Did that twice but its a bad idea to drive it like that. Lower rad hose was cool so I guessed thermostat. (sorry the phone got set to black and white)
That elbow on the bottom there has two bolts take them out and yank the old thermostat out.
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/thermo1.JPG)
Compare old and new. In this case they were identical.
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/thermo2.JPG)
People say to boil water and test the thermo first but I didn't do that. Maybe its a good idea that you do. Put it in the water and it should pop open at 87 deg celsius, I guess thats what this 87 is for.
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/thermo3.JPG)
Clean up all the shiny parts for a good seal.
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/thermo4.JPG)
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/thermo5.JPG)
Stack up the new o-ring and thermostat.
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/thermo6.JPG)
Shove in hole. bolt it up.
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/thermo7.JPG)
Some other parts from the cooling system that I removed while the coolant was out.
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/debris.JPG)
I changed the rad. Most hoses were replaced, a couple inspected and put back.
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/wagen.JPG)
Between mkI and mkII turbo diesel, there are two main differences in the water pipe. They are more or less interchangeable but its always nice to use the correct parts.
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/waterpipe1.JPG)
This is what i've found in my experience, there are probably variations:
mkI (left)
has one inlet on the waterpump side, and a 2-to-1 hose is used to transfer coolant between the waterpump / heat exchanger and the pipe. The mounting tab on the waterpump side is pointed toward the engine, and meets up with the long starter bolt. This hose was taken from Rabbit GTI engine. The pipe from a 1.5 rabbit diesel.
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/waterpipe2.JPG)
mkII
has two inlets on the waterpump side and uses two normal hoses to transfer coolant between WP / heat exchanger and pipe. The mounting tab points forward to meet up with who knows? I have never used that tab. Pipe and hoses 1990 Jetta TD dealer replacements. This pipe is flattened out in one section to clear the oil filter. It seems like it would reduce flow. The mkI pipe is full diameter all the way through and works fine on the 1990 1.6TD engine.
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/waterpipe3.JPG)
Cut up and painted.
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/hillbilly.JPG)
Changing the thermostat didn't fix the overheating or the small leak that has developed recently at the waterpump. Next I will try changing the water pump.
-
Today I changed the waterpump. Took out the alternator and its bracket. When the 3 bracket bolts are out, there is 1 remaining bolt holding the WP. You might want to pull off the thermostat housing and thermostat to drain the coolant or it will run down the front of the block.
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/DSC00068.JPG)
Here you can see the alternator bracket. There are two bolts at the top tucked underneither the injection pump, and the one shown in the photo. All 13mm.
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/DSC00081.JPG)
This one is leaking and it could be the cause of overheating. Notice the build-up on the hose connection area of the housing.
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/DSC00071.JPG)
Disassembled and cleaned up the housing. Its cheaper to buy the pulley side of the unit and reuse the old housing. Clean up the hose connections, o-ring and gasket mating surfaces at least. I spent a while cleaning up the housing so it is similar to new in all but appearance. Its a metal casting with no moving components.
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/DSC00073.JPG)
Pulley has three 6mm allen-head bolts. New gasket and 2 new o-rings for this job.
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/DSC00078.JPG)
New v-belt, 38", and re-installed tensioned to about 2mm of deflection when the belt is depressed on the top face shown.
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/DSC00080.JPG)
I parked facing uphill and refilled the coolant through the upper rad hose, then through the rad. Squeezed the upper and lower rad hoses and worked out any bubbles from the system. I changed to a reservoirless rad, my old rad had a pinhole.
Took the car for a spin and it still gets within a tick of red within about 10-15 minutes. Tried it a few times bleeding out any bubbles between each run, and it still gets hot. There are no more bubbles in the system that I can detect. The lower rad hose remains cold even as the temperature gauge is almost in the red. No rad fan coming on. At this point I am going to try another thermostat from the dealer. I might have to wait until Thursday when parts is open until 8pm. It seems likely that its the thermostat :?: and the dealer is a good place for those.
-
I replaced the thermostat today with another brand new unit from the dealer. Tested it first and it opens properly. But the car still overheats!!
The lower rad hose remains COLD even though the engine is on the last tick before red. The waterpipe that has its port directly above the thermostat in the waterpump, is HOT. Very hot. So if the thermostat works, the water in the pipe directly above the thermostat is HOT, why isn't the thermostat opening?
The rad remains relatively cool, with the rad cap off the coolant in the rad is about the temperature of soup to the touch...
I worked out a bunch of air bubbles and filled the car facing up hill. Filled through upper rad hose first, then the rad.
I don't think the coolant is circulating through the rad but it makes no sense to me at this point why not......
-
looks almost like we should join forces on this to figure out wtf is going on!
today i drove the car... and i gave it a good run and got the temp right up there! stopped in driveway, left engine running. at first rad was lukewarm... i could put my finger on it and not get burnt. about 20-30 seconds later i touched it, and it was nice and hot... could burn my finger after 2-3 seconds of touching it. still, fan did nto come on.
temp gauge still in the area that my rad fan would normally come on.
so at idle the coolant circulates through the rad, but not at driving speed. i'm also thinking that when the coolant was circulating through the cold rad, it didnt reach the proper temperature to kick on the fan, so thats cool. the fan did kick on for me when i was doing the lubro moly diesel purge though, so i know it works, and i confirmed where the gauge sits (halfway over from center of the gauge).
this cooling system issue is such a PITA!
-
To determine that the thermostat is not opening, that the temperature gauge is correct (or close), and to ensure that I can get to work tomorrow, I put a cut up thermostat in the car. Doesn't overheat now, stayed cool, so I put a pizza box over 2/3 of the rad. Test drove to work, running well :lol:
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/DSC00001.JPG)
Their was serious coolant moving through the rad visible with the cap off as soon as I started the car. I think I must have had a horrible airlock somewhere. I did notice the rad level drop off considerably after the car was running for a few moments.
Going to drill a hole in the new tested thermostat and try that...
-
Good call on brutalizing a thermostat, I'm glad that worked for you. Don't run the car too long like that because the oil will not get hot enough to evaporate the water in it which will lead to serious problems. Not to mention that your mileage will suffer.
-
hmmm i hope thats my problem too... dealer t-stat! i didn't check mine... i thought their quality control tested them already at the time...
hopefully i just have an airlock somewhere in the system!
-
It seems that as soon as there was no thermostat in there, the airlock was able to purge itself. The coolant was definitely not circulating through the rad before with the proper thermostat in. I figure this must be why people drill their thermostats, to purge air, so I'll try that. I'd rather not do this because it will take longer to get the car to operating temperature, but I hope that this will no longer be a winter-driven car so I'll see how it behaves in the warmer 6 months of the year. Will be the 5th time dropping the coolant in a few days :lol:
What I don't understand is why it started overheating in the first place. I hadn't messed with the cooling system in a year or two, it wouldn't get airlocked out of the blue. I guess the thermostat or waterpump was the original problem, but then the problem became an airlock after the initial problem was solved.... :?:
-
What I don't understand is why it started overheating in the first place. I hadn't messed with the cooling system in a year or two, it wouldn't get airlocked out of the blue. I guess the thermostat or waterpump was the original problem, but then the problem became an airlock after the initial problem was solved.... :?:
That does sound logical. I always drill a small hole in my thermostats, you hardly notice the increase in warm up time. I think I used a 1/8th drill bit
-
i wonder if it would be worth splicing in bleed screws... to bleed out the air that way?
-
well i went out today and ran the car up to temp with the cap off. i revved the crap out of it (probably 3000rpm or so... MY EARS!! :lol:) and funny... the thermostat did NOT open at 87C (last year it opened at 86.5.. thats when it started dropping) then it reached 88C, and then i started squeezing the rad hoses to try and get some flow... and then the temp started stabilizing... i ran it for another 2-3 mins and the temp did not rise.
i'm letting the system cool down with the cap still off, then i will take it for a drive!!! damn i hope this fixes this PITA problem!!! i do NOT think it's my water pump now. if it was just bubbles i should have just fixed that in the first place... damn!
-
do you notice the coolant moving out of the small overflow hose?
i put a reservoirless rad in the car which surely wasn't the wisest move, but at least i can physically see the coolant moving vs. still with the rad cap off which is mainly just good peace of mind.
i covered up most... here i'll go take a pic:
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/rain.JPG)
i covered up most of the rad... just a slit top left above the white part of the pizza box folded over. depending on how i fold that flap the car will cool differently. :lol: doesn't take much!!
i love the pizza box mod. it has to be the final touch of the hillbilly beater rabbit :lol: :lol: :lol: ...but i think i better clean it up a little :lol: [/url]
-
hmmmm pizza box mod!!! delicious pizza inside, and a clever way of recycling! :lol:
one thing i noticed was very good flow from the little hose going to the top of the reservoir. when i revved it up it was spitting out more coolant, so i think that my impellar isn't slipping...
i don't think i've lost much water, but i'll probably end up adding more distilled as i've lost 1/8 of a litre or less. not much but oh well.
-
It sounds like the waterpump in your car is fine. For peace of mind it really isn't that big of a job... but why fix what aint broke?
-
well i got my cooling system up to temp again and at idle it could hold its temp day and night... fan kicks on accordingly. driving on the highway, the temps creep right up, and its creepin me out!!! argh!!! i will see about getting the system bled out professionally... this sucks!
it does seem to help though.. running without the cap. it takes longer to creep up now so i think i've almost got all the air out. patience i guess...
-
jtanguay hold old is your rad? Have you tried back flushing it? Even if nothing comes out you are still helping. Most of the crap in there is really fine silt that you can't see.
-
jtanguay hold old is your rad? Have you tried back flushing it? Even if nothing comes out you are still helping. Most of the crap in there is really fine silt that you can't see.
the rad is probably original... i should have taken the hose and flushed it that way... i will try that when we get some nicer weather.
-
Just a little rad fact. Did you know that the temp difference between the rad inlet and outlet should only be about 10 degrees? I imagine if the tubes are restricted, you would have a greater drop as it has more time to cool. I found this out when I was looking at my overheating problem. Drove up a big hill, temp @ 230. I got my IR temp gauge, and sure enough, inlet 230, outlet 220.
In a functioning cooling system, the temp is just further down the scale, dictated by the thermostst.
-
well guess what boys... i was able to turn my water pump pulley with my hand today... and the belt does seem kinda shiney...
so i'm going to be changing the belt probably tomorrow, as i think it might take me a little while to do (just tightening the alternator system, theres one bolt way down by the a/c compressor that stopped moving... it seems really seized in there good...)
if it's just a slipping belt, then i will be SUPER happy :D and finally be able to take advantage of the a/c
-
good to hear jt. doesn't seem too serious.
thanks for the info jimfoo.
i took a break from working on the rabbit as the cold and snow returned. but today its a blistering 20C out. i will likely get back to it shortly....
GO RED WINGS!
-
yea its funny to see that the water pump has less than 45 degrees of belt contact... leaves it very prone to slippage i guess.
-
i suppose that's why the tension spec seems so high on that belt. v-belts provide fairly good friction between belt/pulley faces relative to their size and considering that they are not toothed. a lot of people say that about the contact angle but it's never been a concern for me. some day i'll work on the numbers on that.......... :lol: not today its effin beautiful outside. i'm goin for a drive.
-
well i changed my belt... old one looks really shiney! maybe i didn't tighten the belt enough but the temp still creeps up too high for me...
i also had a chance to spin the water pump... it's making a nice squeek so the bearings are shot... i also noticed that the old belt must have either been worn down to hell, or too big... the belt i bought was so tight, that even when it was at the shortest point of travel on the adjustment, i still had to turn the key to get it to fit!
i will try tightening it a bit more and see what happens. my worst fear is that the water pump grenades like the one in our van did... now it does seem to be cooler around town if that's worth anything... but when i'm driving hard it still creeps up. i am also noticing some sort of drag on the motor... maybe thats the water pump finally doing its job :oops: :roll:
-
so the bearings on the current waterpump are squeeling? man i'd just pull that thing off there and put a new one on. its really a simple job. check out those pics i took, its as simple as that. :)
-
I'd definitly get that replaced quickly as well. Nothing worse then being stranded somewhere because of a problem that you were going to fix later
-
aw man... i've got a TDI that will be complete in the next few weeks... maybe my water pump will survive long enough...
just a quick question... if i do change the water pump on this motor, it won't be the full housing, thats for sure... do i still need to remove the a/c compressor to get at it? i almost feel tempted to take the motor out and do it that way... :lol:
-
thinking about this issue more... it seems as though the belt stretching and tightening has worn out the bearings on the wp... because i had issues with the alternator pulley flying off due to an overtightened belt... probably a crappy tire special... :roll:
-
well i've made my decision... going with the good ol crappy tire thermostat as a temporary band aid until the TDI is ready to take its place. i may consider changing the wp itself... if i do however, it will only be the pump and not the housing (not because i'm cheap)
-
if the WP is squeeking and you are doing the thermo anyway, a cheapie WP is only about 40 bucks. main issue is the AC or whatever in the way, not sure how easy it is to get to the bolts then. there's probably a way.
-
yea... this is such a PITA... i think i will spring for the crappy tire special WP and just do it! i'm definitely re-using the not even a year old coolant though... :roll:
-
i found it wasn't worth the hassle to re-use the coolant. i have 'natural rust preventatives' (see also: oil) on my engine, and so unless you clean the general area around hose connections and such, the oil finds a way to slightly contaminate the coolant. i also do this type of work without a jack or anything, just on the ground since there is plenty of room.
basically it would be a big piss off to try to re-use it so i just bite the bullet and pay the $7 per fill ($14 a jug, takes a 1/2 jug per fill -- you don't have to drain the entire engine of coolant).
this really isn't a bad job once you've run through it once. just go step by step and let us know if you have any problems. send me a PM if you want.
things to get:
WP (sans housing) $40
gasket, 2 o rings (should come with WP) free
belt (the one spec'ed for my motor was too long??? i ended up going back and getting a 38 incher that had the same belt profile) $12
coolant $14/2
dealership thermostat, $28
nice weather, free
i'd test the thermo in a pot of boiling water. just toss it in there, come back when its near boil and it should have popped open. i would also recommend drilling a small hole in it (1/8"??). in my experience the main hassle was getting the thermostat to open. i still have that gutted thermo in my car. do whatever you can to purge air pockets and make sure the thermo is opening so you aren't stuck wondering after you go through all the work.
despite all this BSing, believe me, not a huge deal once you get going. just hope that AC doesn't cause a problem.....
g/l jt.
-
thanks for all the help! the a/c with the duracool refrigerant is pretty good. i wouldn't expect the compressor to last too long, but we'll see.
i'm pretty sure the goof who changed the belt previously put on an oversized belt, and then adjusted the tensioning system right to the end, along with the alternator adjustment right to the end... i'm sure that's why it looked like my wp pulley had 30 degrees or so of belt coverage... and probably why the belt is all glazed, and my wp is making weird squeeks..
i will definitely try the thermostat in some boiling water, but i will just end up re-using it since it was new a year ago. from my tests it seems to open right on the dot 87C. (thermometer in the expansion tank)
just pisses me off a bit though... i'd love to finish the m-TDI and throw that in, and then replace the WP, and tighten everything up accordingly with the engine outside of the car.. maybe clean it up before i sell it too!
-
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!
well it was just the thermostat... I checked it with boiling water... and guess what! at boiling point, the thermostat opens a little... i bought a 160F one at crappy tire because it's only temporary and will be exposed to summer temps anyway... that thermostat opens WAY more than the OEM one.
way to go for german quality :roll:
lesson of the day: don't trust a thermostat to work just because you paid so much... :roll:
so reporting back... i drove the crap out of the car (but not too hard... kept smoke down) and i drove pretty fast too down the highway... temp gauge sits at a little more than 1/4.
well i'm very very happy that i didn't have to change my water pump. it almost looks like i need to remove the crank pulley to get at one bolt for the pump... and removing the a/c compressor is easy... but lining the bolt holes up for re-install is a PITA!
so there you have it! now lets hope i didn't do too much damage from running at nearly 100C on some *rare* occassions :oops: she still runs alright!
-
nice. no more pulley squeak?
got back last night from a short camping trip with 8 or 9 buses. there was a splitty there for a couple hours but mostly bay windows and one 94 eurovan.
i hope to keep moving on the rabbit and get some meaningful work done (it could use some bodywork attention...been driven a few winters now)........but its going to be hard not to focus on the bus now that camping weather is here! :shock:
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/DSC00017.JPG)
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/DSC00021.JPG)
-
funny enough the water pump only squeaks with the belt off... makes no noise when engine is running (possibly because the motor is that loud...)
the squeak is more of that rubber on rubber type sound... and is more of a feel... as if it could use some oiling or something...
i even checked the impeller for being loose, and she's tight!
i'm really glad that the issue is fixed, although i should have chose a hotter t-stat... this one is a little on the cold side (i thought i might as well get colder just in case something is screwed)
but at this point anything is better than overheating... my a/c works really good too! puts a nice draw on the car! :lol:
-
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/may30-3.JPG)
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/may30-4.JPG)
(http://www.voiddesign.com/pic/may30-1.JPG)