1.6L IDI Advise

[dkr]

Hi All,

I am new to VW diesels, but not diesels in general. I have had several Mercedes diesels and have a motorhome with an Isuzu 4BD. I am looking to buy a VW with a 1.6IDI engine for short-term as a cheap beater and long-term to do an engine swap into a Suzuki Samurai. My main issue is these cars do not seem to be easy to find and information seems a bit hard to get at. I would appreciate if anyone could help with the following questions:

- Is there a drivetrain difference between the 1.6L diesel 1980s Rabbits and Jettas?
- What is the top speed for a NA 1.6L engine on flat ground with no tailwind?
- What are new and acceptable compression numbers?
- Are there any tips or guides on this site or elsewhere on buying one of these cars? In general, I am just looking for something cheap that rolls down the road and could care less about paint/body, interior, AC, etc. I have bought a number of used vehicles and am comfortable looking on and working on it myself.
- Are there any common mods I should look for that would decrease the longevity of the engine?

Thanks,

Dkr.

[RunninWild]

The early model engines had smaller head bolts and the blocks were prone to cracking I believe, they  also had solid lifters. The newer heads had hydraulic lifters and the turbo engines came with oil squirters. Other then that I do not believe there were many changes in the design over the years.

No idea on top speed, they should do the speed limit but you will struggle with hills, I imagine it would be fairly similar to the stock 1.3l in the samurai (i swapped an aaz into my samurai) for the naturally aspirated version.

[Rabbit79]

Never owned a Jetta so can't help you out with any sure knowledge on this one, but I think they're mostly the same.
My Rabbit tops out at about 75 on flat ground. 1.6na JK block. Solid lifter head. Stock injection pump and air intake. 4-speed.
Compression numbers are 398 to 483 psi. Or a cylinder to cylinder difference over 71 psi.
The strut towers have a tendency to rust out in wet climates, or so I've heard. I've had 3 Rabbits and never had a problem with that, but I live in a dry climate area. The electrical system can also throw you some curveballs at times.
No idea on mods.
If you're serious about getting one of these and plan on having it for a while, get yourself a Bentley manual, it is well worth the investment.

[Rattlebox]

IDK if we have an actual 1.6d buyers guide. I would check for leaky Injection pump(IP), Timing belt running on the outside of the pulleys and getting worn off that way may be a sign of a worn IP bearing or IM (intermediate shaft) bearing, misaligned accessory pulleys, engine oil diluted by diesel, verify that the cold start feature works.
Of course check stuff you would usually look for on any engine. If you are seriously going to compression test it, beware the the injector lines are fragile and may be weakened by rubbing together. Loosen each line at the IP, then at the injector. After doing your compression test, you have to replace the injector heat shields with new ones. Torque spec for the injector is 51ftlbs. Requires injector sockets.