[Vwdiesel] new old golf & quesitons

[LBaird119 at aol.com]

In a message dated 11/7/2002 1:57:34 PM Pacific Standard Time,
dennis at pantazis.org writes:

> 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 floating, 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?

  The only governor o-ring I can think of has NOTHING to do with coolant.
It's injector pump related and although it's not an o-ring this sounds like
the GM-Roosamaster pump syndrome.  Failed flex ring.  Never heard of
it in a VW.
  If they're just floaties then it's probably just that.  Carbon or oil specs
could
be from a blown or previous blown head gasket.
>
>  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?

  Bushing kit can do wonders sometimes.  They're cheap.  There's an upgrade
on the shift linkage that runs around $100.  It uses a different ball and
bracket,
on the bottom.
>
>  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?
>
  The best solution isn't all that cheap.  The DOT lenses spread the light
all over the place instead of putting it on the road.  E-code (European)
lenses
do a MUCH better job of putting the light where it counts.  I've seen kits
as low as about $250.  That's really not bad considering that replacement,
crappy ones are $90 each or so.  It could be that yours got water in them
and are dark?
     Loren