[Vwdiesel] new old golf & quesitons

[dennis pantazis]

greetings all:

my shopping trip went well today. 6 hours, 3 trains, $300 and 80 miles home.
85 golf. 4dr 5 sp. this was the second cheapest vw i have owned (i once
bought a 69 bus for $10, but thats another story). thanks to all who posted
info last night. i do apreciate it. cold refreshments all around. i missed
that vw smell inside the cabin. gosh its nice to be back.

now that bertha and i are home, there are a couple of things i want to ask:

1. little black specs in the coolant. maybe i am being overly paranoid, but
i recall reading a post in the archives about a governor o-ring going bad
and ending up in the coolant overflow tank. how big and how many bits are
there if this occurs? i have noticed a couple specs of black flaoting, but i
am hoping that its dirt. btw no bubbles at all in the tank with the engine
at low and high idle. is there any other way to check this o-ring?

2. shift linkage. the linkage is sloppy and feels like it could use a set of
bushings. maybe the relay rod too. has anyone attempted this repair at home?
tips tricks?

3. headlights: wow, are they weak. i could not see their reflection on the
vehicles ahead of me. i could see the marker lights though. a couple of
people have mentioned that there are upgrades/conversions available. i am
hoping to  do this on the cheap. any links or faqs somewhere on this?

thanks again.

dennis