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Engine Specific Info and Questions => IDI Engine => Topic started by: AndrewSE on September 23, 2008, 11:58:13 am

Title: 91 motor swap with an 87 ?
Post by: AndrewSE on September 23, 2008, 11:58:13 am
Ok this is the deal... my 91 jetta 1.6td motor has alot of issues.

I am currently leaking oil from an unknown location that is dripping off the drivers side control arm from god knows where.

I am puffin blue smoke while I drive and can smell the oil burning while I drive.

A buddy found me an '87 1.6 none turbo motor with apparently 215k on it for 350 obo

My buddy has already offered to help do the swap for me.... just not sure if it is worth it or not. my body is fine, but still need tire rods, struts ball joints to make this car feel safe for me.

Just not sure anymore if I should dump this car or repair it.. need some feedback. I paid 1600cdn less then a month ago for this car (I way way over paid)
Title: 91 motor swap with an 87 ?
Post by: arb on September 23, 2008, 12:01:01 pm
If you do the swap, were you going to keep the new engine NA ? I might be interested in the used-up core if you do the swap.
Title: Re: 91 motor swap with an 87 ?
Post by: Doakster on September 23, 2008, 12:23:38 pm
Quote from: "AndrewSE"
Ok this is the deal... my 91 jetta 1.6td motor has alot of issues.

I am currently leaking oil from an unknown location that is dripping off the drivers side control arm from god knows where.

I am puffin blue smoke while I drive and can smell the oil burning while I drive.

A buddy found me an '87 1.6 none turbo motor with apparently 215k on it for 350 obo

My buddy has already offered to help do the swap for me.... just not sure if it is worth it or not. my body is fine, but still need tire rods, struts ball joints to make this car feel safe for me.

Just not sure anymore if I should dump this car or repair it.. need some feedback. I paid 1600cdn less then a month ago for this car (I way way over paid)


If you plan on replacing all that stuff up front it's going to cost you a few hundred in parts, are you doing the labor yourself? Not to mention the cost of an alignment.

If you think it needs all those part up front replaced than at that mileage you probably have a few other things that need replacing, in the front end.

I just did basically the complete front end in my car and the more I took off the more I realized it need new stuff only at 104,000miles.
Title: 91 motor swap with an 87 ?
Post by: burn_your_money on September 23, 2008, 06:37:33 pm
Where do you live?

It's definitly worth it
Title: 91 motor swap with an 87 ?
Post by: AndrewSE on September 24, 2008, 07:18:41 am
Thankz for the feedback guys...

yes I would be doing the work myself with the help of someone who knows how to do this stuff !

@burn_your_money - I’m a stones throw away from you in Brampton!
Title: 91 motor swap with an 87 ?
Post by: kane66 on September 24, 2008, 08:20:52 pm
Before you toss the old motor maybe you should look into whats wrong with the stock one. An unknown oil leak might be serious (blown head gasket) but also might not be. I had a fairly bad oil leek on the drivers side of my car. After close inspection I discovered it was the oil pressure sensor on the side of the head. 8 bucks at the local VW parts place, and 5 minutes of workd and no more oil leak. Your unburned oil smell... are you sure it's oil or could it be unburned diesel. If your turbo is bad, or the timing is off, or bad injectors, or a bad pump could all lead to unburned diesel dumping out the tail pipe. I'm just saying give it a good hard look before you go out and replace things that don't need replaced.

 First thing I would do if I were you is track down that oil leak. Is It coming out of the seal between the block and head, the head and valve cover, the oil filter flange, one of the sensors, or the turbo oil line. Only two of these possibilitys are serious, and only one of them might require changing out the core on the engine (between the block and head).

Anyway good luck and remember that turbo block is the "better" version of the 1.6 VW engine, and it would be unfortunate to pull it out, then find out it would have been an easy fix.
Title: 91 motor swap with an 87 ?
Post by: AndrewSE on October 07, 2008, 11:41:09 am
sorry for the delay !

good info Kane66!

funny thing is it has not dripped a drop in about 3 days now ! nothing nadda ..even with the engine hot ! I decided to look into it further and noticed all the oil is seems to be collecting directly under the master cylinder. There is a thick black tube that connects from the cyliner head and goes down. all the oil is on that and on the drivers side control arm.

I can say for almost 100% no oil is leaking from the head or the block...

No blue smoke as well...

To be honest when I got the car it put full synth retella in thats when everything started (live and learn). Had that in for about 2 weeks and have since put in normal 15w40 retella. the first 4L dripped out in about a week (down to the refill line) topped it off and its been fine.


going to take a pic when I go for break and post it here.
Title: 91 motor swap with an 87 ?
Post by: zukgod1 on October 07, 2008, 11:45:58 am
Sounds like your CCV is just hangin under the car (so is mine).

When it's running is there allot of air coming out of that hose? Is it clear or colored?

If you cant see under the car good enough just remove the oil fill cap and see what's coming out. There will be air coming out the issue is how much and is it colored..

How does the car run as it is?
Title: 91 motor swap with an 87 ?
Post by: AndrewSE on October 07, 2008, 11:58:50 am
updated my post before yours...

zukgod1... to be blunt ... no idea what you are talking about  :roll:

ok this is what I can tell you... when I take the oil cap off when I turn the engine off it smokes a little white. Maybe the amount of a lit cigar.

aside from this the car runs fine... only getting about 550 Kolimiters  a full tank, but the injectors more then likley are shot to hell.

still lots of pick up left in her and I do need to get the ball joins and struts done.

btw: is it common for the throttle cable to click once in a while. I noticed it sits on a metal niple and it clicks once in a while or when i turn.

Thankz again guys... little lost when it comes to cars but really want to learn ! been reading alot of stuff.
Title: 91 motor swap with an 87 ?
Post by: zukgod1 on October 07, 2008, 12:08:33 pm
How much air is coming out when it's running, don't car about turned off. Guess I should have been more specific sorry.



CCV = Crank Case Vent, it's suppose to go to the intake somewhere either before the air filter or in later models the intake mani it's self.
It's not uncommon to unhook them and let them dangle to prevent the air filter getting nasty or runaway.
Title: 91 motor swap with an 87 ?
Post by: AndrewSE on October 07, 2008, 12:48:26 pm
here are my picks... yes i know my engine is nasty looking.

[/img](http://img114.imageshack.us/img114/6179/img0003wr2.jpg)

[/img](http://img389.imageshack.us/img389/9127/img0002eh6.jpg)

(http://img114.imageshack.us/img114/42/img0001vn5.jpg)
Title: 91 motor swap with an 87 ?
Post by: AndrewSE on October 07, 2008, 01:01:53 pm
so in the top picture (top right) right under the cylinder is the oil collection.


the other pic is a close up shot.
Title: 91 motor swap with an 87 ?
Post by: zukgod1 on October 07, 2008, 01:55:15 pm
Ok your CCV isn't vented to the air..

How about the amount of air coming out the oil fill cap when running?
Not really the amount but if it's colored once the engine is warm.



Then TAKE THAT THING TO A CAR WASH AND BLAST THE EVER LOVIN CRAP OUT IT!!!!!!

Dang man!!  Thant's nasty!!
Title: 91 motor swap with an 87 ?
Post by: AndrewSE on October 08, 2008, 06:32:08 am
Last night before I got into the car I check the amount of air coming out and it seems to be a good amount pumping through. Did not notice any colour, but it was not fully warmed up.


Yeah I agree it is nasty… ashamed I bought this thing the way it is. I would never let a car I have owned go this bad.

The PO thought it would be smart to pour oil over the engine and store it over the winter. I've just had the car for a few months and never got to the engine was due to other small things going wrong.
Title: Re: 91 motor swap with an 87 ?
Post by: burn_your_money on October 08, 2008, 09:48:04 am
Quote from: "AndrewSE"
Ok this is the deal... my 91 jetta 1.6td motor has alot of issues.


That's not a 1.6 TD. It's a 1.9 TD. It could be a 1.6 bottom end, but that pump is from a 1.9 so most likely the whole motor is a 1.9.

How close are you to Williams Parkway?
Title: 91 motor swap with an 87 ?
Post by: AndrewSE on October 08, 2008, 11:09:49 am
about 30min give or take traffic.

1.9??? I though this thing comes with a 1.6?

does this mean the engine has been swapped before ?
Title: 91 motor swap with an 87 ?
Post by: burn_your_money on October 08, 2008, 05:31:34 pm
Definitly a swap. My friend lives at 410 and williams parkway. If you want, send me your number and I'll call you when I'm over there and can have a look at it for you. Or drive it over to my place
Title: 91 motor swap with an 87 ?
Post by: AndrewSE on October 09, 2008, 07:30:20 am
for some odd reason I thought you said winston chirchill..

I'm just 15 away from 410 and williams..

pm sent with my number.
Title: 91 motor swap with an 87 ?
Post by: burn_your_money on October 09, 2008, 04:36:10 pm
cool beans. PM returned.

I almost wrote glen erin, if that counts :lol:
Title: 91 motor swap with an 87 ?
Post by: AndrewSE on October 15, 2008, 07:13:17 am
So I did my engine wash and she is looking nice!

btW: I saw a sweet '85 Jetta Diesel last week on my way home up Dixie!

the gent fixed her up nice.