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did i get hosed? by wdkingery on 22 Mar, 2011 19:00
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ok guys, i just got a 1985 Jetta diesel for $800. was that a bad idea? no real rust to speak of. previous owner thru lowered it, but threw in the original struts (thank god,) along with a turbo on a manifold? and some period correct hubcaps? all for $800? seemed good to me.
so my question is .. what to do with this turbo? what all does that entail?
another more realistic question would be: what all am i dealing with here? i found out about the governor mod; i'll probably pass on that .. but what else is going on? things to watch out for? is this motor tired? how do i tell? can i just slap a set of rings in it if he wore it out?
let me know what i just bought if you would please.. this is my first jetta/diesel car so .. any info is appreciated!!
Thanks!How the hell do you add pictures?
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#1 by macka on 22 Mar, 2011 19:10
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doesn't sound like you were raped. I will forewarn you though. These cars can turn into money pits in a hurry once you get the bug for modifying. The upside is, that if you have mechanical skills, your wallet will not get too light in record speed.
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#2 by mystery3 on 22 Mar, 2011 19:11
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How bad does it smoke? I bought my caddy for $800 and don't care to talk about how much money I've into it but it's nearing completion, mechanically speaking anyway.
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#3 by wdkingery on 22 Mar, 2011 19:16
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well i intend to keep it as stock as possible; i've got a 12 second late model mustang if i need to get somewhere in a hurry
MPG is the goal.. the more the better, and she's going to be a WMO consumer (i know that's a shock on these forums but try something other than a VW forum and you'll find it's commonplace. CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP is the goal.
smoke: i only drove it a very small amount, but it smoked some (i don't know what color) on initial start up, and doesn't appear to smoke anything but black, and only when you hammer on it it seems. i'll know more this weekend.
if it is tired, can you just drop the oil pan spin the crank and pull the pistons or does the head have to come off or .. what needs to be done to get to 50 MPG? that's the real question i need the answer too. XXX = +++ MPG. what is XXX?
is this a solid lifter motor?
what motor is best.. i noticed there's a billion AAZ and 1V and every other motor that seems to fit in here. where could i find a good replacement tree-hugger model?
how much is a turbo on a manifold worth?
and four drop struts? -
#4 by DieselBalz on 22 Mar, 2011 21:22
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doesn't sound like you were raped. I will forewarn you though. These cars can turn into money pits in a hurry once you get the bug for modifying. The upside is, that if you have mechanical skills, your wallet will not get too light in record speed.
Fer sure.well i intend to keep it as stock as possible; i've got a 12 second late model mustang if i need to get somewhere in a hurry
MPG is the goal.. the more the better, and she's going to be a WMO consumer (i know that's a shock on these forums but try something other than a VW forum and you'll find it's commonplace. CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP is the goal.
smoke: i only drove it a very small amount, but it smoked some (i don't know what color) on initial start up, and doesn't appear to smoke anything but black, and only when you hammer on it it seems. i'll know more this weekend.
if it is tired, can you just drop the oil pan spin the crank and pull the pistons or does the head have to come off or .. what needs to be done to get to 50 MPG? that's the real question i need the answer too. XXX = +++ MPG. what is XXX?
is this a solid lifter motor?
what motor is best.. i noticed there's a billion AAZ and 1V and every other motor that seems to fit in here. where could i find a good replacement tree-hugger model?
how much is a turbo on a manifold worth?
and four drop struts?
I think I can chime in on this one. Having just jumped into this almost exactly a year ago, I can tell ya what you should definitely focus on first, before it gets real expensive, or catastrophic.
The normal stuff first: All fluids, belts, should be replaced, most importantly the timing belt if ya don't know how long its been since the last. That goes, you will need new major motor components.
Inspect Hoses, replace as needed. Special attention to the injector return hoses, mine were rotten and spewing a bit of fuel, causing a bluish smoke. Replaced hoses with windshield washer tubing and teeny tiny hose clips from pep boys. Needed the clips cause the washer fluid lines didnt wanna stay on once the motor warmed up.
GET THE BENTLEY, The FAQ here is your second bible, and the search function is definitely your friend.
For better fuel mileage, make sure the car is tracking straight, taller tires, and do a diesel purge with the Lubro Molly. Thats all stuff you can do cheap.
Breaker yards will help keep things cheap as well, and can even offer an occasional upgrade, in the form of an intercooler off a saab or volvo. Ebay has tons of things for the aesthetic stuff. To include coilovers, lowering springs, and Ive even seen a bag system or two on there. Prices for all the lowering gear depends on what you wanna do. If you wanna slam the oil pan to the surface, coilovers are about 300-1500. Lowering springs around 200 to 600.
Too add pictures of this find, host it somewhere, than copy the link and use the second button from the left, above the smileys.
Welcome! -
#5 by mystery3 on 22 Mar, 2011 22:47
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I think he prefers stock ride height and is trying to get an idea of what the coil-overs that came on his car are worth. What kind of coil-overs are on the car?
This thread explains the differences between hydraulic and mechanical lifter heads:
http://www.vwdiesel.net/forum/index.php?topic=16688.0
You'll want to install the turbo for maximum mpg, provided it's appropriately sized. -
#6 by macka on 23 Mar, 2011 03:43
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If it is already a turbo charged motor, having a spare is not a bad thing. Pricing is funny on these cars, basically parts are sold for what the market will bare. If you want to get more money from the manifold,sell it to a gasser on the vw vortex. These pretty much bolt up to a 1.8 and 2.0 gas engine.
To make it more efficient, you are going to need to get a compression test, and a leak down test and see what your compression numbers are. If they are good, no need to rebuild. Change out all belts and hoses as needed, but definately do the timing belt. Timing is the key to getting good mileage as long as you aren't putting the go pedal through the floor. Guys say run it lean, but factory specs on timing give you the same mileage within .2 miles per tank. Factory specs also keep you from melting stuff if you push the go pedal in all the way.
I'd be careful with the WMO, filter it good and make sure all the metal flakes are out. Our pumps don't like the friction from the micro particles of metal.
Thats all I can think of ATM hope this helps. -
#7 by damac on 23 Mar, 2011 11:21
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I got one less than a year ago for the same price. Here I am $3,000+ later with the car sitting in the driveway.
Parts are kind of cheap but everything adds up. My car looked to be original so I had to replace all suspension/bearings/bushings which wasn't fun on the driveway. Brakes as well to start fresh.
Then I did the fluid change, timing belt, hoses, water pump, etc. while I had things apart.
My injection pump started leaking and I found out the hard way after I yanked it off and sealed it that the main shaft had tons of play. So much so that the bracket couldn't be adjusted to stop the belt from riding off the ip pulley.
So another pump, then I found out when the cold hit that my injectors needed to be rebuilt badly.
I had to yank the water seperator from underneath the car and replace lots of clear hoses for fuel.
New battery, tires, etc.
Mine drove, started and shifted fine. As soon as I got it I filled the tranny with redline mtl fluid and things started seeping. I had driven the car for a couple weeks just fine, then this new oil started leaking between the cases and internally all over the clutch.
So clutch kit and new seals externally for the tranny. I didn't keep my eye on that seeping that continued and the oil dropped low enough to blow up 5th gear. So I got another tranny coming from a member on this forum.
I am now going to check that level at every oil change. -
#8 by wdkingery on 23 Mar, 2011 12:36
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hey guys thanks soo much for the info! i am learning alot here.
once i get it out of the trailer i'll take new photos.
where's a good place for parts? other than the boneyard.. is there a good website ya'll are workin with? i found this qualitygermanautoparts.com site.. what else ya got?
i'd like to get new shifter bushings, and a spare motor so I can learn the nuances of WMO.
what motor/where to get it? he's got the original motor for $800..
By wdkingery at 2011-03-23
By wdkingery at 2011-03-23
By wdkingery at 2011-03-23
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#9 by R.O.R-2.0 on 23 Mar, 2011 13:47
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Those grafix are SIIIIIIIICK!!!
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#10 by trav1856 on 23 Mar, 2011 14:05
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ok guys, i just got a 1985 Jetta diesel for $800. was that a bad idea? no real rust to speak of. previous owner thru lowered it, but threw in the original struts (thank god,) along with a turbo on a manifold? and some period correct hubcaps? all for $800? seemed good to me.
so my question is .. what to do with this turbo? what all does that entail?
another more realistic question would be: what all am i dealing with here? i found out about the governor mod; i'll probably pass on that .. but what else is going on? things to watch out for? is this motor tired? how do i tell? can i just slap a set of rings in it if he wore it out?
let me know what i just bought if you would please.. this is my first jetta/diesel car so .. any info is appreciated!!
Thanks!
Ya did good, PP....
I paid the same for one of my Rabbits, and wasn't in nearly as good of shape. The body was straight, but the interior was kinda trashed. -
#11 by Vincent Waldon on 23 Mar, 2011 14:26
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*Terrible thread title for a variety of reasons...* I believe you can change it by editing the subject line of your initial post.
Agreed....let's all remember that folks of all ages, stages, and backgrounds are members here.
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#12 by mystery3 on 23 Mar, 2011 20:34
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Where's a good place for parts? other than the boneyard.. is there a good website ya'll are workin with? i found this qualitygermanautoparts.com site.. what else ya got?
Or you in the US or Canada? I use autohausaz.com for a lot of maintenance parts and such. If you use the search function you can find a lot of info on modified/upgraded parts. -
#13 by wdkingery on 24 Mar, 2011 12:28
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alright the verdict is in and... ::drum roll please:::
The motor is worn out. BOOOOOOOO
i'm guessing rings. i've got a compression tester on hte way, but i really don't even need it as...
she goes thru fuel pretty hard it seems. haven't done an MPG yet, but i sucked the meter down pretty quick on the way to school today.
it starts up with relatively low effort, but it won't do much over 60mph, and it's a bit rough running.. misses and stumbles a bit.
smokes white for the first ten minutes, then goes to an all black soot smoke pretty much all the time, as you have your foot to the floor most of the time
the dipstick tube indicates that it must have been pushin oil out a little bit .. blowby i'd guess. anyone know how difficult it's gonna be to re-ring? is all that i need to do?
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#14 by damac on 24 Mar, 2011 14:53
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Don't write it off so quick. Mine started and drove and shifted pretty darn good when I brought it home. My compression checked out within range but definately not like a new motor. I have slight blowby and between last oil change used a quart and a half of oil. Although I do have a slight valve cover leak to fix I noticed last time I was under the hood so that might be a bit less.
Waiting to do a compression check couldn't hurt to start. For me I knew the car drove ok and that I wanted to keep it so I jumped right into cleaning things up.
Air leaks, fuel leaks, pump timing and worn out injector pump and injectors could be leading to a completely different car!
I cut the water seperator out from underneath the car and put clear lines from the tank to the plastic rails at that point. I also put all clear lines under the hood and a new fuel filter.
Run it and check for air bubbles going into the injection pump. Get a little mirror tool on a handle and check all around your injectors and pump for leaks.
When the weather got cooler my car completely changed and would smoke for 10 minutes white like you are talking about no matter how I timed it. I had to start fresh I decided because the car ran great, so I resealed the pump and got my injectors rebuilt and pop tested. The car was a different animal from the get go. I timed mine by ear and it was easy to do while running. I found a good baseline that I marked for the future and then could easily fine tune it so it didn't smoke and also didn't rattle too loud.
My car is smooth. I "pimped" the glowplug system and it has been as cold as 15 here this winter and I can go out hit the key, let the glowplug light go out and the car starts practically instantly It is a little noisier when cold and as soon as it catches I pull the cold start lever. At this point the car is firing on all cylinders and is smooth and I let it warm up a few minutes then slowly drive off. You can then hear some of the cackle go away and before I hit the freeway I push the lever back in and I am off
I would start here, there are tons of other issues that could be down the road but if you know you want to keep the car you have to start somewhere.
And on the mileage, right now I am getting under a little more than 40 on winter fuel. I also need an alignment. Before the winter hit I was getting high 40's