[Vwdiesel] new '86 Jetta

[Patrick Dolan]

I would recommend your first investment to be with Robert Bentley, and you regard this car as a learning experience, rather than trying to justify in on purely economic grounds.  It MIGHT be the best buy you ever had, or just a trade of money for available transportation at some reasonable rate.  I just got a '90 gasser for $100, and let the clutch out while towing it home and voila:  running engine.  Not well, but running.  A compression test revealed two low, so I pulled the head.  Two pistons not going to top of bore!  Bent rods.  Chips out of block.  Sounds bad?  Used rods = $0.  New rod brgs $30.00.  Gaskets, etc. $50 or so.  The oil was by far the most expensive part (I use Delvac 1).  You don't know until you get into it.

----- Original Message -----
From: Terry Briggs <vbriggs at stny.rr.com>
Date: Thursday, March 19, 2009 5:08 am
Subject: Re: [Vwdiesel] new '86 Jetta

> nothing much different in the '86, the ip is a pain to remove but 
> not 
> impossible, other than that it's pretty much like any other na, 
> They do 
> have the fast glow plugs though so be mindful when you buy the 
> replacements. I need to do the glow plugs on my '85 jetta, damn 
> thing 
> doesn't like to start now.
> On Mar 19, 2009, at 4:47 AM, William J Toensing wrote:
> 
> > Found a "new"  '86 Jetta diesel for around $150. The asking 
> price was 
> > $500 but the seller, a graduate student, just didn't want to 
> bother 
> > with it & it is not worth fixing if you are going to pay $100 an 
> hour 
> > for some mechanic to fix it. So, I am going to buy it despite 
> the 
> > wife's objections. Was told it needs a new timming belt, the 
> > replacement of which, I have mastered on other VW diesels. Also 
> told 
> > it needs one new glow plug so will probably replace all 4, or is 
> this 
> > wasting money? Also the car starts but only runs for one or 2 
> seconds, 
> > then dies. Something strange. I heard an electric fuel pump when 
> the 
> > ignition was turned on. None of my diesels have an aftermarket 
> fuel 
> > pump to assist in moving fuel to the IP. Was told this is 
> sometimes 
> > added to  help a weak IP. Anything else I should know about an 
> '86 
> > non-turbo Jetta as compared to my Quantum, Dasher, & Rabbit 
> diesels? I 
> > also noted the gear shift appears loose & can be pulled up & 
> down, not 
> > like my other VW diesels.
> > Bill Toensing, Nevada City, CA
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