calling all jetta experts..

[quaddriver]

am looking at obtaining a 90 Jetta 'wlfsburg edition', 1.8L, 5spd. AT a local small dealer, he wants $1G, I offered $1G out the door with tax and a plate. Drove it, no smoke, oil leak around some half-assed valve cover. idles fine, seems to have as much power as you can expect from a 1.8L. seems to have some clutch left, steers straight....

is there anything I need to know about this breed of car? I have a shop so im not exactly illiterate, but have never owned a VW. also, the exh. sounds like it has a leak - but does not, sort of a ball-bearing-in-coffee-can rattle at idle- is this normal?

if I want to install a cruise which is the VSS wire?

any and all help appreciated

[boschmann]

The A2's were some of the most reliable years, although they are getting old now. There are some problems with the AT's, particularly the final drive (differential). The noise you hear could be a heat shield or the cat (more common). That car should have a cable driven speedo therefore no VSS.

[quaddriver]

wont there be a vss signal for the ECM? to set spark table etc....

[quaddriver]

Well I got the car. I drove it 85 miles after I changed the oil at walmart and got new tires for it and filled up - I like the fact that the needle barely moves.

so I got a few questions . 90 jetta 1.8 5spd - how many gallon gas tank?

expected oil pressure (I might put in a gauge)?

is the engine really that rev happy? I noticed at 70mph it pulls just under 3600rpm which is gonna take some gettin used to....but it is gutless below 2500 - makes u miss my thirsty v8s

also, the valve cover was leaking so off it came, there is a plastic baffle, but it was just sitting on the cam carrier studs....is it supposed to be nutted down?

also, between cyls 3-4 there is no cam bearing there, just the boss is cut into a V shaped saddle and there seems to be a reducer nipple to shoot oil all over the head. is this right? I checked, its not a missing cam carrier....it is not machined flat, no provisions for a cap, no holes, nuttin. First time I ever saw something like that.

[boschmann]

Fuel tank capacity is 14.5 gallons. The camshaft bafflle is not bolted on, and there is no journal between cylinders 3 & 4. The older heads did have one there, but I think it was deleted to provide for a better oiling system. The RPM's are definitely designed to run higher than normal V8's, but there's plenty more even after 3600, GTI's rev even higher at highway speeds as they have different transmission gearing. There is no speed signal to the ECM, you would have to use a mechanical cruise unit.

[quaddriver]

Originally Posted by boschmann

Fuel tank capacity is 14.5 gallons. The camshaft bafflle is not bolted on, and there is no journal between cylinders 3 & 4. The older heads did have one there, but I think it was deleted to provide for a better oiling system. The RPM's are definitely designed to run higher than normal V8's, but there's plenty more even after 3600, GTI's rev even higher at highway speeds as they have different transmission gearing. There is no speed signal to the ECM, you would have to use a mechanical cruise unit.

well I used 2 nuts and loctited the cam windage on to keep it from rattling. redline seems to be 6250 on the tach....Im used to getting gears before that, but the more you go the smoother it is.

have an idea on the oil pressure spec @ rpm?

there seems to be a 6mm plug on top of the filter boss I was gonna remove and put in a line for a real gauge

also, what weight oil do these things take? I had walmart put 10-30 in, as I didnt want to drive it on 'old' oil that who knows who put in when.

the front brakes were a 2B (barely) so I got new bendix pads (which are >16B - they exceed my gauge) and the rears are 6B so she is good there, I also tossed on rotors, with my new hi-vol discount I get rotors 40% off which made em like $10 each - or about what it costs to turn the others. the old ones were .450 which is like 11.45MM so there is room to cut up to .030 off each side - or two cuttings, but for the price screw it.

right now I have prolly the only jetta with a chevy 'competition orange' valve cover - I cleaned all that up and seal her good, steamed the motor, im hoping this car pulls in 30mpg - is that reasonable?

lastly, when I start it, the cam followers make a hell of a racket - until I rev the engine and squirt some serious oil up there. there appears to be no adjustment....should I run a heavier oil? (I would not be surprised if the spec was not 20-50)

thanks for the help.

as for the cruise, Ill use an electronic one from audiovox (ccs110) but use the glued magnets option for VSS. I found tach and BOO so hooking it up is cake.