'85 VW Golf Diesel

[JRM]

I picked up a '85 golf disel with 285K mileage for $42 at a yard sale, owner said it became way to hard to start so they made it into a dog house (dont ask) Anyways, everything looks intact overall becides the major clean up i face. What should I look for as i get this thing ready to start? I am going to drop all fluids before i attempt to start it as its been sitting for 2 years. I did find 5 quarts of 30w hidden all around the inside of the car, so that leads me to beleive it may have low compression due to worn rings resulting in hard staring?? any thoughts?
thanks!
PS, its only a daily driver to work...he he god im going to feel stupid driving this thing

[KERMA]

First, flush all the fluids, I think you have the right idea about the general common sense stuff.

I would check the fuel system, especially the pump timing and the check the injectors condition- No doubt the injectors are all crudded up. Get em pop tested.

Chances are, if the injection pump is still good, "new" injectors will work wonders. They are cheap, too, and readily available at salvage yards. Same with the injection pump. They are everywhere.

Of course, if the compression is shot then obviously the motor is bad. BUt chances are it is just the fuel system. Make sure there is no waterin the fuel!! Especially the fuel tank. :cool:

[JRM]

Thanks, Its hard to keep from biteing my toung when spending money on a $42 car, how would i check the injector timing? Im new to mechanical injected diesels... i only have experence in psd's. What is the normal run life of one of these tiny engines?

[JRM]

not sure if im a disel fan.... I found some small plastic tank under the car by the fuel tank, its leaking so i didnt mess with it much but the leaking fuel had no water in it smile.gif I also found a canistor under the hood with a plastic drain, so i drained fuel from it and again, no water. Tried to fire it up, but no go. I loosened one fuel line to a injector and there is no fuel pressure/or spray coming out of it when i turn it over at full throttle. I tried useing starting fluid ( nebor said it could run away as there is no air restruction and blow up? ) and it only gave a clunk here and there when useing starting fluid. I am going to check the valve clearence next, as i only feel compression when i use starting fluid, other than that it turns over very easily almost like a gasser with the plugs removed.

[john bertges]

i worked for a vw repair shop and most of the cr and ck diesels had over 200k on them most needed valve jobs or broken timing belts as for checking the pump and cam timing there is a pin that lines up the pump and the valve cover has to come off to line up the cam then loosen the cam sprockets with the crank at tdc adj belt tension the cam sprocket
if your engine turns over real easy check the timing belt if broken or remove the oil filler cap have some one turn the engine over to see if the cam turns

[JRM]

IT RUNS!
A friend came over and noticed that the glow plug heater light is not lit on the dash, so the pre-heat function isnt working. We pulled it down the road behind my ATV and withen a few blocks it fired up! Talk about SMOKE!!! It produced a white smokescreen so thick i could not see behind me, after 5 min of run time it turned into a blue diesel smell smoke but still very heavy! It idels when warm, and re-starts but only after excessive cranking and the engine rev's itself up right when it fires then comes back to idle. From what I describe from the excessive smoke- It it rings, injectors, or injector pump?
Thanks, Joe

[jbplock]

JRM,

I had an 85 VW Diesel that I bought brand new. I sold last year with 180kmi on it. Best car I ever owned (sometimes I regret selling it). It still had 400psi compression and ran like new when I sold it. Ditto's on all the advice above - especially the timing belt and tensioner! (it's a zero clearance engine). The only time mine ever started hard was when the glow plugs burned out. When the glow plugs aren't working you'll get white smoke for a while but it will clear up once the engine warms up. If it's still smoking white after it's warm that could be rings/valve guides as you said. Another common glow system problem is a blown glow plug fuse. It's an aluminum fusible link (about 2 inches long) under the dash. The fuse is in a plastic fuse block and held in by two screws. They tend to disintegrate into a powder with age. A compression check will tell you a lot and help you decide if it's worth putting any money into. Also the little plastic tank under the car you referred to is a water separator. Best to leave it alone if it's not leaking much. Once opened, they are very prone to leaking. The canister under the hood you referred to is the fuel filter. The valves on the 85's also had to be checked every 7.5-10kmiles so not a bad idea to check them too. If they are out, there are shims to adjust. (Also I think I still have a radiator if you need it)
smile.gif

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[DogDiesel]

Well,
I haven't posted on this site for six months; I parked my 1 ton Chevy 6.5 because of high fuel prices. Since I have nothing needing towing, and I filled both the dam tanks at $122.50; said that thing could sit...

Anywho
But I drive my VW pickup daily. That P.O.S. has been getting solid 40MPG for the last 22 years. Now for some advice.

Check the 50 amp fuse. Trace the wire from the glow plugs to the fire-wall. Remove the plastic cover. There is a thin metal fuseable link, that sits between two phillips head screws. In a jam, I use scissors and cut one from a beer or coke can. The cost new about $2.50. Pays to keep an extra one in the glove compartment. When you turn the switch off, then turn it back on, for a second glow plug cycle, you tend to burn the fuse. I'd do this--then-- check the glow plugs. You have to remove all the wires from each of the plugs, cause they are all hooked together, if one still has continuity, then you read that. I have had to replace one set in this VW pickup, and a couple of other sets in other VWs. Double glowing will burn them.

While others may tell you to adjust this or rebuild the engine, these VW diesels tend to wear out the body or rust out before the engine dies. Any valve adjustments I've reshimed on VWs were negligable to performance, yes they improved peak performance, but nothing like you are talking.

Good luck with your $42 car.

Wayne

[GregCrabb]

I once bought an '80 Rabbit for $150...it had a warped head due to a faulty water pump and it overheated...
so I just put a new head on it with new injectors and glow plugs...and with a diehard battery the darn thing ran. It started in 0 degree december and still got 43 miles to the gallon. I sold it later for $500. I still have my timing pin and cam centering tool...somewhere :confused: But that engine took a lot of abuse before I got it...and it still started right up. Good luck...for $42, you cant' go too wrong.

[JRM]

Thanks for the tips guys, I spent a few hours wandering the local vw salvage yard and found that in '85 they changed the entire car, pre 85's had some very odd fuses and such. I found a '86 golf exactly like mine, but most parts were missing. I checked my fuse box and the 10A fuse that runs the glow plugs and upshift indicator is ok...but still no power the the glow plugs and the upshift lite doesnt work. Is there still a 50A fuse on the firewall? I still have to find a dipstick and dipstick sleeve as its all missing and it ****s major oil from the hole in the block :(

[JRM]

Found the fusable link, what a pain to get to! and yep, it was dust... I used your trick and put plumers tape between the screws and turned on the key, still no pre-heat light but the plumers tape got super hot so i tried to start it and it started up! The manual says the pre-heat lite will not lite up on a warm engine, so i wonder if a temp sensor is out causeing it to think its a warm engine?
And Blowby, ya I removed the oil fill cap when it was ideling and it almost seems more exahust came out the cap than the tail pipe! The tail pipe exahust has what my dad explains as "1950's worn out logging truck engine smell" I translated his commet to "the engine is not burning the fuel efficiently" But the thing sounds cool and can pull the hill by our home faster than our 02' civic!

[ 05-20-2003: Message edited by: JRM ]

[ 05-20-2003: Message edited by: JRM ]</p>

[D-max Man]

There should be a "Cold start handle" on the left side of the dash (Kind of like a choke). If it is hard to start, try pulling this out. It will cause it to smoke more but it does help with cold starts. (it also works great to get rid of tailgaters)

I had an 85 Jetta diesel, ran great until a hose blew and she over heated badly enough to crack the head. I decided that with over 200,000 miles on her, I wasn't going to fix it. (I only paid $950.00 for it and I put over 40,000 miles on it)

[jbplock]

Dittos on the cold start handle. I forgot about that. When it's pulled out it slightly advances the timing. smile.gif

[JRM]

it actually starts better if its not pulled out... i talked to a few VW guru's and they all say its just the injector pump timeing creating the smoke, and one says that there is a new 1.9L diesel that drops right in and its Fast with hydrolic lifters and all!! I would like to keep this thing a budget bace car. How hard is it to get the pump timed? The screw is still wired together with the factory wire, is it hard to adjust it?

[jbplock]

I used to have my timing adjusted when the timing belt was changed (ever 60kmiles). The guy I took it to had a special VW timing tool. Seems like it used to cost me about $200 for new belt, timing, and valve adjustment. smile.gif

[JRM]

I just got it titled and all, Took it into town and the ammount of smoke we are talking is rather extreame as i cannot see anyone in my review mirror when i hit a hill. it levels out on the flats but dam! Also, it smokes on downhill downshifts so im thinking rings. I found a shop that can install valve guiles and grind the valves plus shave the head for $300 and I can oversize the bore plus do rings and pistions and a complete lower end berrings for around $500 so I may head that direction. That would get me a good running work rig for under 1K

[jbplock]

JRM,

Sounds like a good deal! I just remembered something that happened to mine that you may want to check before laying out the money. There is a suspension support under the engine (kind of shaped like a dog bone) that the lower control arms attach to. These are known to rust from the inside out. If it lets go when you're driving it can cause a lot of damage as well as an accident. I caught mine before it broke but it was close. I found one from a California junkyard that was like new. If your car has been driven in winter salt I would check it closely. It was a common problem around here (in upstate NY) smile.gif

[GregCrabb]

You mentioned the new engine that just drops right in...I've seen them on ebay...matter of fact, there's one on there now...but it's more than $1,000
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33615&item=2417847466

[tom.mcinerney]

I'd have the head carefully checked for cracks into the coolant passages-many of these high mileage heads need replacement/can't rebuild.
There are two glow plug systems "slow-glow", and "fast-glow". The slow takes longer each start, but are far less prone to burn out. The type of glow plugs must match the Glow Plug Relay, which senses engine temp (from a sensor in the engine) and controls the timing of the glow cycle. If the points in relay are burnt, glow less effective.
The inj pump timing needs set with dial indicator screwed into pump for reasonable accuracy. They start much better with cold start pulled out if timing close.
A place in Auburn , Michigan["Parts Place?"] sells heads new for 1/2 dealer price, also engines ,lots parts.

[JRM]

thanks for the replys, I have been driveing it at dark but still got pulled over for the smoke, nearly got a ticket ( portland Oregon is more liberal than china ) But honestly the smoke is extreame...but it has changed from blue to a more greay when its floored and it doenst use much oil.

JbPlock:
""There is a suspension support under the engine (kind of shaped like a dog bone) that the lower control arms attach to. These are known to rust from the inside out. If it lets go when you're driving it can cause a lot of damage as well as an accident. I caught mine before it broke but it was close""
Do you mean the huge support that litterly everything attaches to? If so mine is so coated in oil due to the missing dipstick its fine;)

[boatman 45]

Hi,I havnt read all the posts,and therefore dont know exactly where you are with your car.I have 6 rabbit diesels,2 pu diesels,and 1 1986 golf that my wife drives and gets 50 mpg with.If your car needs an overhaul,these things are easy in chassis.I think I did mine for about 700.00.First of all send the head out for a valve job.Install a set of rings,rod bearings and main bearings.I replaced the oil pump with the cast iron type instead of the aluminum.(I had a high mileage engine lose prime once when I was changing the oil).There is a baffle from vw that fits under the valve cover to help with windage that is a must for any vw diesel.You dont need special tools for the cam timing.A deep socket that fits snugly in the pump gear,and a flat piece of steel for the cam that fits snugly in the groove.You can expect about 100,000 miles of service from a re ring.You can also buy a hose kit that has every water hose in it,which would be a good time to do.Oh,by the way,your engine must have new head bolts installed.They are torque to yield bolts and cannot be reused under any circumstances.Finally,one more thought here.When you send the head out,the machine shop is going to tell you the head is no good and cannot be used because of cracks.Tell them to do the valve job anyway.Most of these heads are cracked,and it doesnt hurt a dam thing,as long as you had no coolant loss problems before teardown.

[jbplock]

JRM

"Do you mean the huge support that litterly everything attaches to?"

That's the one... Sounds like yours is in good shape. The salt here in upsate NY is what destroyed mine. The one I got to replace it was also soaked with oil and once I cleaned it up it was like new. smile.gif

[JRM]

You guys have been most helpful, I have posted at other VW diesel fourms and have had no help other than draining my oil will abruptly stop my smokeing problem.... Anyways
I have been batteling a oil leakage from the dipstick so i picked up a new dipstick pipe and all seals, it has not stoped the leakage from where the dipstick meets the block- oil simply gets blown past the o rings... it even gets pushed out the top of the stick resulting in a quart of leakage every 15 minutes! The Crankcase pressure is so great the PVC tube on the valve cover cant handel the ammount causeing it to push oil out the dipstick!! is this normal for high mileage diesels???
Not sure if its the rotor pump or injectors but it also misfires and normaly wont start when cold. Glow plugs are new and working perfectly.

[tom.mcinerney]

i think you need a compression test. it sounds like your pumping into the crankcase; not normal. Probably deranged head--maybe blown headgasket allowing compression from one cyl to vent into case via other cyl.
A shop called 'Parts Place Inc', Auburn Hills MI, sells used longblocks $300-700. Blocks rarely fail. They sell used/rebuilt heads $400(suggest avoid). Also new heads $500 (great buy). All other parts. (248-373-2300) (888-432-3548).

[JRM]

can a normal gasser compresson tester work? Those injector holes are huge. Hmm, a new head is expensive and a new 1.9L complete engine is only $2K

[GregCrabb]

No, I don't think a regular gas engine compression tester will work...when I rebuilt my rabbit, I had to buy a special diesel tester due to the higher compression ratios...and it came with 2 adapters...one for the VW fuel injector hole and one for the GM glow plug hole...I still have them...somewhere :rolleyes:
I got them from JC whitney catalog

[JRM]

what did it cost for the rebuild? I am thinking $200 for the head to be done, $50 for each complete pistion, $100 to bore the block $100 for the gasket kit $100 for berrings and $200 for injectors??? and another $100 for something that will pop up=$1,000 bucks

[GregCrabb]

I managed to get it all done for about $700...but that was back in 1994...things are higher now :rolleyes: