[Vwdiesel] 89 Jetta NA diesel experience?

Fri Apr 16 22:38:02 PDT 2010

Hi Ray

I  just use a commonly available 12v automotive relay (bosch  if I can find
one), shielded spade crimp connectors, 16g wire, 12g for supply, a circuit
breaker (fuse if you like), and make it up as I go along.  Terminate the
ends with the fancy crimp and heat shrink connectors that have the lower
melt point interior so they fuse to the wire jacket.  Don't know the brand,
but they are semitransparent thicker, and blue, and look nothing like the
apply-and-rot ones we used to use.

The relay comes with a connection diagram.  Run a fused heavier wire from
the battery to one side of the relay contacts (the not moving side of the
points) on the side of the points that close when the coil is powered, run
wires to your lights you wish to supply power to.  On the coil, one wire
from the controlling source to one side, the other side of the coil to
ground.  Done.   I like to push the protection back, and solder the wires on
under the hood stuff, then slide the plastic spade protection back.    

Rather than use all spade connections, the correct shaped plug block used to
be readily available with leads already installed.  That's why I liked the
Bosch ones, they came with a plug the relay just plugged onto, you could
tinker with the relay in the dark, and change it, and get it back on right,
not have to get each wire plugged in right each time.

Keep it neat, make your harness, protect the wires, you're done.

Easy stuff really.  For my purposes, all those premade "painless" wiring
kits are not really necessary. It's really not that hard to make it look
professional, tape to wrap a harness is cheap, so it doesn't have to look
like someone dumped a pot of rainbow spaghetti under the hood.  If you want
both ends to come out just right, leave the wires a tad long, anchor one
end, and wrap from that end, adding, and subtracting wires as needed, then
trim the ends to fit after the harness is wrapped, or at least tied off
every 3-4 inches.  If you have a collection like mine, you have a spool of
the right size wire for each circuit, and cut each one off as you terminate
it, wasting nothing.

-james

From: raymond greeley [mailto:rgreeley2 at hotmail.com] 
Sent: Friday, April 16, 2010 9:13 PM
To: jhsg at sasktel.net; vwdiesel at vwfans.com
Subject: RE: [Vwdiesel] 89 Jetta NA diesel experience?

Hello James and all, just a question or two.

How does one know that he is looking at a german built vw.

second. the headlight conversion, I am interested in such a 
swap. How would i know the type of relay and is there a wire
harness available with the lights you mention.

ray

> Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2010 09:04:03 -0600
> From: jhsg at sasktel.net
> To: doyt at buckeye-express.com; vwdiesel at vwfans.com
> Subject: Re: [Vwdiesel] 89 Jetta NA diesel experience?
> 
> Doyt.
> I had a td 89 german production Jetta.
> 
> Just buy it.
> 
> That has to have been the best chassis they ever made from the longevity
and
> robustness standpoint. It handles well, corners well, never gave me a
> minute's grief. I sold it with original motor, at 560000km, and for all I
> know, it's still going. The only motor work ever done was 2 cam followers
> at 570000 (still by me for the second owner), and the usual maintenance.
> Hands down, the best car I've ever owned.
> 
> There are a couple weak spots. The usual leaking windshield killing the
> fuse panel/ glow plug relays thing. I built a silicone dam so if moisture
> ever got that far, it was diverted... BECAUSE, the plugs on the relay back
> are kind of flaky, and are subject to corrosion. In fact, that would be
the
> first thing I would do, is de-battery it, and pull the fuse panel, remove,
> clean, and dielectric grease each plug on the fuse panel back. Second
> would be to install relays on the headlamps, particularly the high beams,
> but the lows aren't hurt by that either. This pretty much turns the
> headlamp circuit into a signal wire only, which will head off any
resistance
> heat- fuse block melting to wiring harness plug issues.
> 
> On that note, the DOT headlights do indeed suck, and are worthy of a Yugo
> award. There's no help for them, maybe glass ones from China, but they
have
> to go, they're dangerous, horrid light polluting POS. I acquired a gti
> style conversion grill that housed the 2 big 2 small round headlamps. 100w
> in the small driving lights, 80/100 in the big high/lows make for good,
safe
> night driving. There's lots of deer here, and without light, you hit them.
> You can use them to remove paint from your garage door too if necessary,
> just park close, and hit the high beams...
> 
> Hope you get it. The A2's are a wonderful car.
> -james
> 
> 
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: vwdiesel-bounces at vwfans.com [mailto:vwdiesel-bounces at vwfans.com]
> > On Behalf Of Doyt W. Echelberger
> > Sent: Thursday, April 15, 2010 6:37 PM
> > To: vwdiesel at vwfans.com
> > Subject: [Vwdiesel] 89 Jetta NA diesel experience?
> > 
> > I have an opportunity to acquire a German-production 1989 Jetta na
> > diesel
> > at 97,000 miles, and would appreciate input from owners of similar
> > vehicles
> > regarding characteristics and eccentricities of the model.
> > 
> > My own experience is with TD Jettas and na Rabbits from the middle
> > 80's.
> > They were relatively responsive cars.
> > This one doesn't feel that way.
> > 
> > I wonder if I could (safely) improve performance a little bit by
> > swapping
> > in the turbo from my 85 Jetta TD, and run it with the na injector pump
> > (because the special TD pump from the 85 is leaking and would require
> > an
> > overhaul.)
> > 
> > I drove it for about 20 minutes and found it to be alarmingly
> > underpowered
> > for pulling out into traffic and accelerating to highway speed. It
> > sounded
> > like it was reving really high while cruising in 5th gear at 60mph. And
> > the
> > sound level was high at all speeds. The ride was very good and the
> > steering
> > and handling precise, with good braking and a working emergency brake.
> > 
> > A part was missing from the module that adjusts for altitude....some
> > kind
> > on aneroid device that included what looked like a vacuum advance that
> > you
> > would normally find on a distributor. I saw the picture, but the device
> > was
> > missing from the vehicle.
> > 
> > The heater and blower worked, but the AC was only slightly noticeable
> > at
> > Max setting.
> > 
> > Wipers, horn and lights all worked....no bad glass, interior 9/10. Ext
> > 8/10. Several rust spots...one at lower edge of windshield driver
> > side,
> > one the size of a fist below the door sill on the driver side.
> > 
> > Tires look 9/10 but might be old. The car was towed behind a motor home
> > for
> > much of its history. It has a set of tow bar eyes welded into the front
> > bumper, and a rear trailer hitch for a trailer that weighs about 150
> > lbs.
> > 
> > Real cash value estimate would also be appreciated.
> > 
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
> > Vwdiesel mailing list
> > Vwdiesel at vwfans.com
> > http://www.audifans.com/mailman/listinfo/vwdiesel
> 
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