Automotive Forums .com - the leading automotive community online! Automotive Forums .com - the leading automotive community online!
Automotive Forums .com - the leading automotive community online! 
-
Latest | 0 Rplys
Go Back   Automotive Forums .com Car Chat > Volkswagen > Rabbit
Reply Show Printable Version Show Printable Version | Email this Page Email this Page | Subscription Subscribe to this Thread
 
Thread Tools
Old 09-29-2005, 08:39 PM   #1
mickytrus
AF Regular
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: toasa, Connecticut
Posts: 50
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
A rabbit deisel purchase-looking 4 tips


Hello,
I am gonna look at a Rabbit Deisel this weekend.
cost about a grand.... 147k miles its an 81....
It apparently from the ad says that it was always
garaged... original owners.....
I am mechanically hip... restored a couple subarus
and domestics as well.... I know some stuff about
deisels that I learned in tech school but, never
haveworked on them... really excited about getting
a Rabbit Deisel.... BUT... I would like to ask you
good folks out there for buying tips... You know
things to look for/watch out for... in buying a
Rabbit Deisel....

THanks, Micky
mickytrus is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-30-2005, 06:53 AM   #2
zagrot
AF Regular
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: panama city, Florida
Posts: 243
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Send a message via Yahoo to zagrot
Re: A rabbit deisel purchase-looking 4 tips

i'll start with my pet peve. there is a sheet metal thing under the front floor boards that most people assume is a frame and will use as a jacking point. usually this will bend the floodboards, which may or may not compromise the structural integrity, but worst of all i hate bumpy floorboards.

if you are looking at a 4 door there should be no problems with the door hinges sagging because the doors are short, but two door models may have hinge problems, particularly on the drivers side.

rabbits may develop a leak around the windshield gasket and the water that enters the cabbin may drip on the fuse panel causing corrosion and many electrical gremlins.

the front engine mount may collapse causing excessive vibration.

the timing belt must be changed at least every 60,000 miles. i recomend that you do this immediately upon purcahsing any vw diesel unless the existing belt is obviously new or there is doccumentation showing the last timing belt service. the same goes for the timing belt tensioner. an ounce of prevention and all of that stuff.....

don't worry too teribly much about the ball joints and tie rods since replacements are cheap. if you shop around you can get a whole set for around $140 or less. the same goes for wheel bearings, but you may have to drop the front steering knuckles and replacement bearings off at a machine shop so they can be pressed into place. not very expensive, but troublesome.

if a vw diesel overheats you can count on head gasket trouble at least. if it is run without coolant the head may not be salvageable. look for oil in the coolant or excessive water vapor in the exhaust when it is cold out. a constant miss at idle is usually not a good sign either, though a faulty head gasket is not the only cause.

glow plug problems are common, but the most of the time the plugs are burnt out. a really good way to tell if the plugs are functional is to put an amp meter on the glow plug bus and turn the ignition on and check the amperage. i can't remember exactly what the reading should be for four good plugs but maybe someone can fill in the blank (my manual is awol). a quick way to check the glow plugs is to turn on the dome lamp and watch it dim a noticeable ammount while the glow plugs are heating. if the dome lamp dims a noticeable ammount that is at least two of four good ones.

this only applies if you do not have access to a real diesel compression gauge:
as a quick evaluation of an engines compression i like to try to start it immediately without allowing the glow plugs heat (this only works if it is moderately warm out side). if it starts without too much trouble then the compression is good enough for regular service, however not starting easily without the glow plugs does not nesecarily indicate low compression as retarded injection timing can cause hard starting. also a diesel can be a pain to start if there is an air leak in the fuel system, or if it just has not been started for a while. be well aware that starting a vw diesel is not like starting a gasoline engine where the gasoline engine just might catch on its last dying crank. if the battery or starter is not strong enough to turn the engine briskly (around 300 rpm) then you may as well count on not driving. ironicaly if a dead battery is the only problem these cars are fairly easy to push start, go figure. and if they refuse to start at all just have someone tow the car at about 10 - 15 mph and release the clutch while in first gear. it works every time, as long as the engine has all of its major parts and the fuel shutoff solenoid is open.

while the engine is idiling at operating temperature pull the crank case breather tube from the top of the intake manifold. if there is very little smoke or, even better, no smoke coming out then you have scored a great find; however a good ammount of smoke does not mean that the engine will not serve well on a daily basis, just be aware that the engine is showing it's age (this will probably be the case at 174K). also a little bit of oil may come out too, especially if there is no splash shield over the cam shaft. you can see the splash shield, or lack there of, through the oil fill hole.

nearly forgot. origional '81 diesel pumps have a tendancy to leak between the aluminum case and the distributor head (that thing with four metal pipes attached) when running on low sulphur fuel because of the type of o-ring material used (so said the pump technician that i interrogated). ask if the pump has ever been rebuilt and when. if the pump has never been rebuilt you may consider replacing the pump shaft seal at the very least because a leak there will very likely cause a timing belt failure. a pump shop can be persuaded to do this for a nominal fee, you just have to be stern with them, and maybe carry a stick so you can pull a cartman (that's a bad timmy) when they say that they will only rebuild the entire pump. if you feel up to replacing the seal yourself you can read the part number from the front and have a seal supplier crossreference the part number for you. there is a neat little tool for removing and installing this seal while the pump is in the car. it is not too expensive, and if you plan to keep a vw diesel for a few years it will probably come in handy more than once (theoretically you could also make money with said skills and tools, but i've never seen two diesel vw's in a close proximity and adveratising is expensive). if the o-ring at the rear of the case begins to leak it will not cause a catastrophic failure and you have a little bit of time to get a replacement or rebuild job lined up before it becomes unbearably messy. by the way, the external appearance of the bosche ve pump suggests that you can just remove the four screws that retain the distributor head and pull it off to service a failing o-ring, but don't even consider doing that. in fact, don't dream of it, or even look at the part in question if you can help it, it might disrupt the "voo doo" that goes on inside.


hope this helps
zagrot is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2005, 06:36 PM   #3
supervisor1886
Banned
 
supervisor1886's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Vancouver
Posts: 619
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Re: Re: A rabbit deisel purchase-looking 4 tips

while the engine is idiling at operating temperature pull the crank case breather tube from the top of the intake manifold. if there is very little smoke or, even better, no smoke coming out then you have scored a great find; however a good ammount of smoke does not mean that the engine will not serve well on a daily basis, just be aware that the engine is showing it's age (this will probably be the case at 174K). also a little bit of oil may come out too, especially if there is no splash shield over the cam shaft. you can see the splash shield, or lack there of, through the oil fill hole.

[/quote]

Did you mean it is supposed show the amount of blow by in the engine?
I assumed that. i have seen some severe cases on 6 bangers by Volvo when the copression was so low with the oil and comp rings failind that the crank case was so pressurized that it would burp oil into the air cleaner through the PCV hose.

Also the emissions test is a great way to tell the condition of the engine, even if people try to play with timing.
supervisor1886 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2005, 08:03 PM   #4
mickytrus
AF Regular
Thread starter
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: toasa, Connecticut
Posts: 50
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Re: A rabbit deisel purchase-looking 4 tips

Hi, thanks for the response. Sorry about my delayed response. I forgot my password and user name.... I will I could blame it on old age......
I will keep all this in mind. I am going to start a new thread. on my new scenario.... I hope I can continue talking with you good folks... see my next
thread if you would... I would be much appreciated.
mickytrus is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-13-2005, 05:59 AM   #5
zagrot
AF Regular
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: panama city, Florida
Posts: 243
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Send a message via Yahoo to zagrot
Re: A rabbit deisel purchase-looking 4 tips

yes, i was refering to blowby when i said that some smoke might come from the crank case breather hose and i meant small dropplets of oil, a burp of oil is definately a bad sign.
zagrot is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-17-2009, 10:15 PM   #6
81rabbitdiesel
AF Newbie
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: quincy, Washington
Posts: 1
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Re: A rabbit deisel purchase-looking 4 tips

Hello,
I'm looking for help here. I just bought a 81 rabbit diesel that has over 230,000 miles. Everything seems to work fine, however when I removed the air filter box and took out the filter, I noticed that there was some oil on the bottom. When I started the car I noticed that there was some white smoke coming out. What can I do to take car of this problem. Any help would greatly appreciate it. Thanks
81rabbitdiesel is offline   Reply With Quote
 
Reply

POST REPLY TO THIS THREAD

Go Back   Automotive Forums .com Car Chat > Volkswagen > Rabbit

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:23 PM.

Community Participation Guidelines | How to use your User Control Panel

Powered by: vBulletin | Copyright Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
 
 
no new posts