VWDiesel.net The IDI, TDI, and mTDI source.
General Information => General => Topic started by: wolf_walker on May 11, 2013, 10:34:16 pm
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And started messing with it..
(http://imageshack.us/scaled/thumb/213/img20130508100933.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/213/img20130508100933.jpg/)
(http://imageshack.us/scaled/thumb/195/img20130508101040.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/195/img20130508101040.jpg/)
(http://imageshack.us/scaled/thumb/90/img20130508174104.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/90/img20130508174104.jpg/)
I forgot to take any cool pics, sue me.
I hadn't really evaluated this car till now, the Wife has had it a few years and never driven it much.
Sat for a number of years, rats have been in it, not driven, etc, etc.
So it was interesting.
240K, no rust of note, at all really, straight body other than a slight press in ahead of the front pass side tire.
Dash isn't cracked, all the seat adjustments work (nice!), the factory sub under the drivers seat even works.
Looks like the head has been off, and the trans shows red RTV on it and shifts well and is quiet.
Tires are crap, brakes rusted from sitting, I put an alternator on it, lubed the noisy idler pulley on the
supercharger. Found the supercharger dipstick(finally), spent twenty minutes trying to figure out how to
get it out, found it with no oil at all showing. :(
Did a little reading and bought some royal purple 5w30 syn for the time being, filled the charger up.
Changed the oil and filter, put six gallons of premium in it, an air filter and plugs and did a coursery
check for vacuum leaks(didn't find any), and looked it over for worn bushings/joints/mounts, anything,
nada. Some weeping oil here and there but that's it.
It starts instantly, no smoke, quiet, doesn't overheat, all the fans work, rev's quick, stuck a gauge
on the charger and it taps 6psi instantly and is quiet, so I guess it survived not having oil.
Interestingly, the charger is clutched like an AC compressor, LED in the dash comes on when the ECU
kicks it in, which is most of the time being a 1.6L. It's a spunky little car, drives like a gokart, as tired as that
saying is.
What shocks me, well not shocks but plesantly surprises, is just how well the car has held up for it's age
and mileage, that and the basic engineering quality. I wish VW could have managed this.
I haven't looked at a Corrado up close like this, but my recollection of a mid to late 80's Jetta
does not compare favorably. Bit of apples to oranges I know, and maybe it's just the mid engine
and something different, but still..
Plus it's a ***ing riot to drive.
So, it's a keeper I guess. We have to do some title/registration magic with the state but that's just money.
I'm glad the car survived, and kinda bummed the NA cars are so much slower.
Almost makes me want another sports car, and reminds me what a POS the 986 Boxster is
considering all the advantages it had.
Wonder what a Fiero is like...
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I've always thought the mr2's were seemed chintzy by Toyota standards. I've never owned one but I've driven a few and the engine drone got to me after a while too and the car seemed very lightly built overall. I really like that body style though. It's soooo 1980s!
Fieros seem a lot more solid I think, and were more favorably reviewed by the press at the time which described them as feeling much more controllable and comfortable. The thing is they were designed by GM in the 80s... so a lot of them wound up with the absolute garbage 2.8 liter motor which came in the S-10 (or the old pushrod 4 cylinder that would have come in the same pickup), automatic transmissions and ugly interior colors. But engine swap possibilities abound, with the supercharged 3.8 liter from Pontiacs and the Quad-4 being popular options along with even some v8 conversions. The later models are apparently better, more like a proper sportscar than a converted econo-box, with the last year of production supposedly being the best they made.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ib-jB58GEg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ib-jB58GEg)
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The car looks great! I was looking at buying a MR2 a few years ago, but didn't have the money.
I always thought that the mr2 was the funky, yet reliable and less fashionable cousin of the Fiat X19.
I had a friend who had a 1976 x19, it was a crazy ass underpowered, yet gokart handling ride. With the Fiat issues......
(http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z148/gumball3ooo/x19lateral2ab.jpg)
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I don't have any point of reference with the Toyota, and not much seat time in this one. I saw a TDI swapped Fiero online yesterday browsing around.. :-)
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Fiat X1/9s are fairly common around here. MR2 is a much better car though, in pretty much every possible way.
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Fiat X1/9s are fairly common around here. MR2 is a much better car though, in pretty much every possible way.
I guess the cool part is that everyone is trying the mid-engined thingamadealie..
Considering the year difference - Fiat 1974 vs Mr2, the Toyota wins.
But the Fiat has the classic Gruppo Bertone feel and design.
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I wouldn't kick the fiat out of bed, but I suspect repair / resto cost and resale go to the other guys.
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Having owned a Fiat, they're remarkably cheap cars to own, if you're doing the work yourself. Prices are going up though, and the supply of them (and parts I would assume) is going down. I used to own a 124 Spider. I bought it for $300 with a failing transmission, replaced that and sold it for around the $2000 I had put into it. A lot of the parts were very cheap, and of Eastern European origin, and I found the quality to be acceptable. Very little was of Chinese origin. It was a fun car but the engineering and build quality left something to be desired.
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I've looked at spiders and MG's and such pretty recently. One large drag is I'm in CA, so smog for anything that isn't ancient.
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Smog exempt is 75 and older. Mine was a 75. I guess I have a hard time seeing an 80s car as a true classic but we are coming to that point. Much time has elapsed since then.
I had considered doing a FI swap to the spider, which I think would make it a lot more drivable. Biggest problem was the electrics, go figure, and temperamental carburetors. There was like a 30% voltage drop between the battery (in the trunk) and the rear tail lights, the current had to do a full round trip back there, through the ignition switch and many connectors. It was honestly a fun car but the open top convertible genre just isn't for me. If I had kept it, completely rewiring it with a better designed system (I couldn't believe the wiring on that car was designed by someone who called himself an engineer) that might have actually made it a good car.
If you want Italian, I would suggest an Alfa though, much better resale value than the Fiat, and nicer cars overall. GTV prices have gone through the roof in recent years, and I think that the Alfa Spider is soon to follow. A '75 had a poorly regarded mechanical fuel injection system (which sounds funny considering the kind of cars we drive) but I think a fuel injected motor swap, from a later Alfa, into a pre-75 car would be a huge upgrade, albeit at the expense of originality.
Both were way ahead of their time for the era despite their problems, featuring 5 speed transmissions, twin cam engines, rear disc brakes and good handling.
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Seems like most of the Alfa's and 124's and such I come across cheap are smog era.
I'd love to megasquirt an old Triumph or Alfa, I even see those kinda cheap still,
but I don't think BAR will be ok with that even if they run cleaner.
I really want my AAZ in a Scirocco, and was told it is possible to arrange an inspection
and have a title re-classed as a diesel somehow, but I'm sure it isn't cheap.
And naturally there aren't jack for Rocco bodys out here somehow.
I swear there are more Caddy's than anything else, there's at least six inside
fifteen miles of here.
I dunno, I'm bored. Maybe it's motorcycle time finally.
Playing with the MR2 has made me mechanically restless.
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I bought a brand spankin' new MR2 when they came out in '85. Paid an astounding $12,700 for a red one with sunroof. Loved that car, until I needed to work on it. IIRC it had 22 coolant hoses and I changed 21 of 'em.
When it failed to start in '96 I unloaded it to a friend. Bad move, as it was a pretty easy fix. I think the Fieros are crap- then and now. These were very well built for the time.
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I really want my AAZ in a Scirocco, and was told it is possible to arrange an inspection
and have a title re-classed as a diesel somehow, but I'm sure it isn't cheap.
That sucks.. I just re titled a Jetta from gas to diesel, and it was a free form online sent to my governments emissions department. Done.
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Yeah, California is a beautiful place with a lot going for it. Unless you want guns and 80's cars apparently.
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^^ You CA guys can probably build yourself a "halfway house" car rehoming business. I can't tell you how much I drool over BMW e24 and e28 CL ads in CA, but the costs of spiriting one away from there are fairly high. Any takers?
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I would strongly consider doing just that if I had more capitol and/or a place to put em.
I have resources for transporting cars(but it still isn't cheap), and wouldn't be above getting a truck and
trailer for it if it was a viable biz. There are some really, really killer deals on
niche market cars out here. Cheap stuff that regular folks want.
Pretty much every forum you see the "man if that was
on the east coast" and "no rust!" comments. Stuff does rust here, and the sun beats it up,
but it's not nearly as bad as back east, especially NE.
240D's are a dime a dozen here, boatloads of 80's Euro sports cars, Alfa's, Triumphs,
Fiats, etc. It goes on and on, and the domestic cars that aren't rusted, boy.
Hell I think just buying stuff that failed smog might be worth something, move em
out of state.
I'm firmly of the opinion that CA has a long term agenda designed to remove old
cars from use here. Between the smog and reg fee's and un-reg non-op BS and
the offering to buy cars that fail smog (and trash em), it's all perfectly geared to
get everyone in newer BS cars. I see a lot of pre-smog stuff here on the road, classics
and such, and a lot of new stuff, but not a lot of in between (80's). Not hard to see why.
Near as I can tell it's going to cost $1500 to register and smog the MR2 here. Wouldn't be worth it
if it wasn't a SC car. NA's are all over in nice shape for $2500ish.
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It's one thing to put your own capital at risk and another to become a consultant and provide clients with a honcho service. You may not be able to make a killing that way, but still could be enjoyable and lucrative....
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A Yugo was little more than a Fiat re-badged... I'm no FIAT fan either. The X1/9 did crash really well due to some quirky laws that never made it on the books (but FIAT did make the car to pass those laws) but the added weight and crap engine killed its performance.
The Fiero 2.5 had a different head setup than the S-10's..I have one in a Jeep (Fiero) that I bought (already in it). Its way better than the POS 2.8.. Mine has a 2 barrel, mallory ignition, and headers, so its probably putting out 110 HP (about as much as you'd want to get out of it). Given the gears of that Jeep (5.38) its way more motor than the RPM range/speed can handle. What would really be nice is a SD4 engine in a Fiero (my valve cover says SD4 as does the intake. SD4's put out over 200 HP (some way more) from the same design (2.5 liter GM).
I would prefer the MR2 over both... Better yet the next Generation MR2 supercharged.
Why VW hasn't sold a little spyder with a TDI in it is beyond me.. I bet done right it could get 60+ mpg...and low 0-60 times...maybe because they don't want to ruin Porsche's market with a fast and cheap VW?
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I really want my AAZ in a Scirocco, and was told it is possible to arrange an inspection
and have a title re-classed as a diesel somehow, but I'm sure it isn't cheap.
That sucks.. I just re titled a Jetta from gas to diesel, and it was a free form online sent to my governments emissions department. Done.
We could retitle a mkI or II jetta easily enough so long as all the emissions related bits were in place and functioning, but those were offered in both gas and diesel formats. The difficulties arise when trying to swap engines into cars that the cars never had them from the factory ie: diesel scirocco builds, late 2002 1.6td swaps etc. The pre-smog models are always more expensive and usually have better looking bumpers.
There are a couple of tdi and aaz powered corrados here in California but I think there were many hoops through which the owners had to jump.
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I really want my AAZ in a Scirocco, and was told it is possible to arrange an inspection
and have a title re-classed as a diesel somehow, but I'm sure it isn't cheap.
That sucks.. I just re titled a Jetta from gas to diesel, and it was a free form online sent to my governments emissions department. Done.
We could retitle a mkI or II jetta easily enough so long as all the emissions related bits were in place and functioning, but those were offered in both gas and diesel formats. The difficulties arise when trying to swap engines into cars that the cars never had them from the factory ie: diesel scirocco builds, late 2002 1.6td swaps etc. The pre-smog models are always more expensive and usually have better looking bumpers.
There are a couple of tdi and aaz powered corrados here in California but I think there were many hoops through which the owners had to jump.
There is nothing particularly illegal or even difficult about doing that in CA. The basic requirements are... the engine is supposed to be newer than the car, the engine is supposed to have the emissions equipment specific to that engine installed, the engine must be from the same "type" of vehicle (meaning you can't use an L8000 dump truck engine but anything under 1/2 ton pickups is the same class) and must be EPA approved for highway use. This last part, I think legally precludes the use of AAZ engines because they were not sold here. Additionally, you can't put a 3 cylinder Kubota engine out of a small skid loader, it was an "offroad" engine. These are all federal laws, by the way, and apply to the entire U.S., but California just happens to be among few places that bother to enforce them. But a 1.6 TD from a 1984 Jetta in a 1982 Scirocco meets all these requirements and would be acceptable.
I've done it and it was relatively painless. Your results may vary.
From what I've been told, at the DMV, any DMV employee can access the screen in their Reagan era computer system that changes the motive power for the vehicle. Finding one, who knows how and will do it, is the largest hurdle, and somebody is supposed to look at the car and fill out a "Verification of Vehicle" form and make sure everything is ok. In practice, I have not heard of any of them trying to verify compliance with the above, and I think it's an issue that comes up more with people doing gas v8 swaps and such where the information on the emissions sticker no longer matches what's found in the car, and the car is still subject to smog checks, in which case they refer you elsewhere.. I would volunteer as little information as possible, and I wouldn't attempt it in the bay area (maybe try Siskiyou county), but I don't think an AAZ or an m-tdi would throw up any red flags, VW engines all mostly look the same, as long as you don't open your mouth and say it's anything more than a diesel engine from a similar car as this one.
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I'm mostly just spoiled, in NC if it's older than 95 nobody cares.
In OK, pretty much nobody cares.
One of the reasons I deal with old cars is I don't have to bother with many clerical expenses or hassles.
This is less true here apparently.
This non-op crap is another good example of cali-brand BS.
As is the lack of safety inspections among all the assorted bloated fees and emissions
checks.
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Up here we have AirCare, though that is on its way out. AirCare seems to be really hard for a 1985 Honda to pass but reasonably easy for a 1967 Dodge, at least in my experience. The testing is relative to the year of the vehicle so older cars are easier to get through, generally speaking. Over the past decade or so I guess they decided that too many klunkers were passing and they tightened up the standards but a reasonably well running vehicle will pass ok. For a non-computer vehicle the hardest part seems to be the idle test - if the idle is at all unstable it generally isn't going to pass.
On the diesel side though it's trivially easy. If you manage to fail a pre-ODBII diesel then you deserve to fail. The test is just an opacity test - they go through a driving course on a dyno which includes some full throttle acceleration, you have to have less than 30% opacity across the test. No cat check or anything like that. Actually 1995 is the last year for non-ODBII so you can see why I'm keeping a 1994 body with Jezebel. M-TDI (or any non-computer engine) isn't an option 1996 and later.
ODBII vehicles just get plugged in and checked for codes. Since ODBII has been around for so long now though (and ODBII cars will go in to limp mode if they're failing their own internal checks bad enough) our emissions program is being scrapped at the end of next year. Basically nothing fails anymore - someone finally realized that there were more emissions being generated by cars idling in the lineup to be tested than from vehicles that were actually failing.
One thing I will say though - you see LOTS of brand new tailpipes and mufflers on otherwise total beater vehicles around here!!
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My buddies back east are stuffing TDI's in early 00 GTI's and OM617's in Jeeps and 4BT's in Suburbans. I'm jealous.
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My buddies back east are stuffing TDI's in early 00 GTI's and OM617's in Jeeps and 4BT's in Suburbans. I'm jealous.
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Considered moving?
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Just moved here last year. Not my idea, good schools for the Wife though so I'm stuck.
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According to bajacalal getting a swap "bar'd" isn't too difficult. I might have to do some research on the necessary hoops and look for a mkI rocco shell and some stock bits to revert my engine to stock appearance.
I was just being an ass, I've not spent enough time in the SLO area but from what I've seen it's a nice part of the country for sure.
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Its a pretty place here, mild weather, happy people.
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I would strongly consider doing just that if I had more capitol and/or a place to put em.
I have resources for transporting cars(but it still isn't cheap), and wouldn't be above getting a truck and
trailer for it if it was a viable biz. There are some really, really killer deals on
niche market cars out here. Cheap stuff that regular folks want.
Pretty much every forum you see the "man if that was
on the east coast" and "no rust!" comments. Stuff does rust here, and the sun beats it up,
but it's not nearly as bad as back east, especially NE.
240D's are a dime a dozen here, boatloads of 80's Euro sports cars, Alfa's, Triumphs,
Fiats, etc. It goes on and on, and the domestic cars that aren't rusted, boy.
Hell I think just buying stuff that failed smog might be worth something, move em
out of state.
I'm firmly of the opinion that CA has a long term agenda designed to remove old
cars from use here. Between the smog and reg fee's and un-reg non-op BS and
the offering to buy cars that fail smog (and trash em), it's all perfectly geared to
get everyone in newer BS cars. I see a lot of pre-smog stuff here on the road, classics
and such, and a lot of new stuff, but not a lot of in between (80's). Not hard to see why.
Near as I can tell it's going to cost $1500 to register and smog the MR2 here. Wouldn't be worth it
if it wasn't a SC car. NA's are all over in nice shape for $2500ish.
NY is nowhere near the $1500 price. Get a PO Box in Nevada, and register ur cars there. You might get ur balls broken for keeping an out of state car @ your residence. Come to Brooklyn. We have so many visitors from PA, NC, SC, VA that coincidentally park their Caddys, BMW's, Cayennes and other pricey carts and SUV's on the streets and in the project parking lots. And I wonder how many are illegal to boot. NY isnt far behind CA in raping the average taxpayer. So do what ya gotta do . Good Luck.
Stay safe, stay well. Jimmy.
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Any thoughts of putting a 1.6td or aaz in a mr2?
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Lots, or a fiero, which has been done. But it's the wife's car, so...
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Hey! Those things are great little cars. The next generation mr2 definitely stepped up the game alot, but lost the 80s quirk. I've always wanted either one though.
My first car was an 85 Fiero GT... Fun to drive? Yes. Practical in any way? No.
I probably averaged 20 mpg driving conservatively, worked on it every single weekend, constantly wanted to light it on fire for leaving me stranded somewhere or embarassing me on a date. Snap oversteer almost killed me once. Basically horrible in every way.
That being said, I nearly cried when I sold it. And I still keep my eyes peeled for one on craigslist. It was the car that taught me how to work on cars and gave me my first taste of a performance vehicle (Not a very good taste lol.)
The later models got updated looks and the 88GT (last year) got an updated suspension design many believe was ripped off of lotus. Handling and stability were much improved and it was supposed to be the suspension that was given in the beginning. (in the beginning they basically took the GM x car fwd chassis turned it around backwards and bolted it to the back end.)
Anyway, an 88gt with the aforementioned 3800SC engine or one of the other great engine options makes for a wicked ride... See Below for a highly modified one:
(http://www.westcoastfieros.com/forum/uploads/Car2Lo/2011-06-23_092550__rbs1.jpg)
However the MR2 is more practical in almost every way. Better mileage, faster, more reliable. It's what the fiero should have been.
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That about sums it up on the Fiero.
This little red MR2 has a TON of miles on it and is in remarkably good shape, and not due to obsessive maintenance.
I was pretty impressed.
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Yeah sorry looking back that was a bit of a rant!
From what I understand the supercharged mr2s are somewhat hard to come by nowadays. I'd love to see what becomes of this thing ! Keep us updated if it stays out and about.
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I changed some fluids and did a little tuneup and wash a month or so ago, buzzed up and down the neighborhood and it seemed to run well.
I think the TPS needs adjusting, and it needs to be driven as much as anything. Otherwise it ran and drove pretty well.
I think my pickup handles pretty well, and despite driving a lot of sports cars at work the last few years, the MR2 is pretty
vocal about it's intended use. Neat stuff. Will get it back on the road eventually.
It makes me want an early Scirocco.
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Thought I was looking at one of these today. But nope. FIAT x19. Weird how I never noticed these cars back then
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I never would have paid this thing any attention either, and while it is short on personality compared to euro stuff, it's
got a lot of merit. I'd seriously consider buying a NA version if they weren't doomed to being slow unless one puts
a ton of effort into them. Maybe I can weasel this one away from her eventually. And paint it non-red.
In other news, since our collection of cars isn't motley enough, I bought an 89 E150 conversion van last week...
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Just wondering how roomy is the interior?
I'm 6 ft 2 inch about 195 lbs - but find a lot of car interiors don't fit for head room - or make you feel claustrophobic - ie; wife's 96 Tercel, a bmw z4 ( top of head is above windshield)
Although mk1 jetta with sunroof and gti seats works, tr6 ( with sagging seat bottoms :))
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It'd probly be snug. Headroom isn't bad, but it's a get down in-to car for sure.
I'm just under 6' but skinny and it fits perfectly fwiw.