'97 AHU into ’81 Rabbit LX

sriner

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 19, 2012
Location
Virginia
TDI
96 Passat TDI
I like the green. I almost went with the same color, but the parts store was out of it.
 

ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
I like the green. I almost went with the same color, but the parts store was out of it.
Home Depot, will likely never run out of Rustoleum.


Like installing an original bug engine...
Looks clean
My buddy used to claim a set of ramps, a floor jack and 30 minutes, was all it took to pull a Bug engine. I doubt installation took much longer.

This may have the easiest install I've ever done. I've done from the bottom before, but the head was attached, which made getting the car over the engine a bit harder.

I also used a hoist. I think the engine bar was easier.

-Todd
 

ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
Not much progress. Prepped some parts for paint.

The starter solenoid screws were frozen. I couldn't get the starter apart to toss in the blast cabinet. Stripped it with grinders and rotary tools, then cleaned it with reducer.






Coolant pipe had a lot of corrosion hiding under the paint. I also found a pinhole. Unsure how the pipe got bent, but the torch, wood blocks and the bench vice fixed it.






It ended up going into the cabinet.




Reblasted headlight buckets that started showing flash rust. The plastic adjusters always end up stripping out. I normally just replace them, but I had an idea and decided to coil them.




The top adjusters have a lot of meat on them and took the coils without issue. The side adjusters don't, and cracked when tapping them. They got beefed up with some Quiksteel, after hitting them with some 36 grit. I'll let them cure then retap and coil.




I noticed the sound deadening on the firewall was soaked at the bottom. I have the deadener sitting on a pinchweld ledge and I have a feeling it's wicking water and the lledge isn't allowing drainage.

I'm thinking I'm going to need to cut it back, allowing a 1" border at all the lower sections. I'm going to need to pull the booster at a minimum. Trying to avoid pulling the engine.

-Todd
 
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ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
Painted the parts I was last working on. The hole in the coolant pipe got welded closed.





I ended up pulling the coiled HL adjusters. Found out the screw is a funky M7x.75. Don't have that coil, so I'll just install new adjusters.


Started on the head. Pulled all the tape and lapped the valves. I didn't go crazy getting 100% of the pitting out. I didn't want to remove too much metal. Everything passed the soapy water test, so I called it good.




Blocked the head to get all of the HG residue and corrosion off. Used a gray scotchhbrite and gasket remover as lube. Moved to soapy water, for the corrosion.






Everything went into the parts washer to ensure all of the grinding compound was cleaned out.




Head got torched and hosed down with acetone. Amazing how much moisture was sweating out of the head.

I'll reassemble, bake in the cook box then paint.... maybe tomorrow.

-Todd
 
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ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
Assembled the head, sans the lifters and cam.

The easiest way I found to get the valve keepers installed is on the press. Keeps both hands free. Tedious job, but it's easier. I cut windows in a piece of .75" black pipe, ground off the burrs and wrapped it in tape to protect the lifter bores. I've never had an issue with this method.




Taped off the head, in preparation for paint.








Called it quits for the day.

-Todd
 
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eMak

Vendor
Joined
Dec 5, 2016
Location
Austin Tx
TDI
00 Jetta, 81 caddy
Very nice work. I love the attention to detail and the fact that you are documenting and sharing it all. The project is looking great!
 

ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
Thanks! Progress has been slow, and I'm getting distracted. I've been planning and researching stereo equipment, already...

-Todd
 

ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
In my 20+ years of Rabbits, this may be the best looking set of headlight buckets I've ever owned.




Resealed the vacuum pump, reassembled and taped off for paint.






Added some leftover Smoke Gray to the aluminum, in hopes to tone it down. I'm after a cast aluminum look. Sprayed a test piece and was happy with the color.






Added hardener, but no acetone or reducer. The paint was thin enough to spray. Cooked it on high for several hours.








The aluminum ended up brighter than I wanted. I forgot that the hardner adds gloss. I can't think of any other reason this happened. Added some more Smoke Gray to the leftover paint.




Taped off the starter for paint. Was going to go three tone, but decided on two tone for simplicity.




Need to let the paint cure a bit before I apply tape to the fresh paint.

Finished the day by cleaning the car out. It was starting to be used as a catch all.

-Todd
 
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ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
Not much of an update. Been dreading pulling the engine and other parts to fix the firewall sound deadener issue.

As expected, the lowest area sitting on the pinchweld was soaked and there was wetness on both sides where the strut towers met the firewall. The latter edges were also packed with pine needles and other debris.

Trimmed the sound deadening back, until I reached dry foam. The adhesive was tenacious... spent hours pulling the thin plastic backing from the firewall, then getting all the residual adhesive off. The edges will get sealed with AL tape, then I'll airbrush some color on.




Hopefully I'll get everything back in soon, and get back on it.

-Todd
 
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ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
This weekend was about going backwards. At least it was nice out...




Round 2 will be much smaller and oriented only behind the engine.

-Todd
 
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jhax

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2012
Location
Golden, CO
TDI
96 Passat B4V, ALH engine out of a 2002 Jetta, some IE Rods and ASV Pistons. Nothing drivable yet though
Todd!

I have found the best way to remove undercoating and rust prone areas if you want to go that route. Do a search online for a needle scalier. I found one near me for $35 but passed it up because i found out my dad has one. You definitely have the compressor to support one. Glad to see progress, My ALH is progressing as well. My injectors are out for calibration. I found a wiring harness and ECU from an 03 Jetta for $14 at a local yard. Next big purchase is a LSD. Im going to start learning the ins and outs of body work prep. I managed to find a 90 Golf in the yard with near pristine drip wells and outer door molding as well as fenders for a damn good price. Just got to keep at it you know!
 

ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
At this point, I'd better not have rust issues....

A grinder with a knotted wheel is my tool of choice. I've found cup wheels are worthless. Stringer wheel for getting into tight areas. I'd think a needle scaler would excel in areas the wheels couldn't get into like pockets on a block.

Although nothing got accomplished (other than wasting my weekend and $55 on the hood liner) I feel better that I'm not trapping moisture. I was trying to dry newly found damp areas with a 1600w hairdryer clamped in position. Running for about 30 min, I couldn't hold my hand in front of the hair dryer for long, but the sheet metal in the cabin felt normal. Not the most scientific experiment, but it shows it's doing something.

I'm thinking the exposed edges at the rain tray drains were the POE.

Now that all these firewall holes are exposed, I'm thinking of running my harnesses the traditional way. It'd sure speed the wiring process.

-Todd
 

ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
Yanked the HVAC box from the cowl and washed the cowl out. I wanted to get better paint coverage, in there. There were some areas that were light and it bothered me.

The firewall got cleaned of adhesive, wire wheeled some light rust, then primed.








Tonight, I scuffed everything and airbrushed some color.... took forever.








I didn't go crazy in the raintray on areas that the air box would cover. I have better paint coverage, than the factory supplied.

I need to come up with some type of cabin filter. These old cars would always blow leaves or some other junk at you, when you turned the blower on.

-Todd
 
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ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
Firewall deadening V2.1. Templated and transferred to the hood liner.




Same application process. The only thing I did differently was to not cover any wiring or hose holes. Taped off/sealed all the foam edges, prior to the the piece on the raintray.






This little bit took hours... I feel a lot better with this go around.

Left the HVAC box out and taped off all of the holes. Rain is coming in for the next several days.

-Todd
 
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john.jackson9213

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 14, 2007
Location
Miramar, Ca. (Think Top Gun)
TDI
1996 B4V
Todd,

Please tell me more about the fire wall insulation you are using. Looks like you ripped out the DynaMatt after parts burned thru??

Want to do this on my Jeep Comanche diesel project. Any pointers would be great. Were you able to locate a product similar to what the factories use on the fire wall of newer diesel trucks and cars?

Thanks,
 
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ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
John, it's Dynamat Hoodliner.

I redid it because it absorbed water... mentioned earlier in the thread. It's open cell foam, so be sure to seal all exposed edges. I used 3M cold weather tape, for this task. I think it's rated for -50° to 250°.

Only tips I can add are to make templates and take your time. The adhesive is very aggressive. I tore the release paper off in sections and reapplied it, so I could concentrate on smaller sections at a time.

I used a small roller, and a small nut driver and screwdriver handles to ensure I had proper adhesion. If I ran my hands over a surface, I wiped it down with prep before moving on. Needless to say, clean all surfaces... the cleaner it is, the better it'll stick.

Take your time and you'll be fine. I did the engine side of the firewall 15+ years ago and it was the quietest Rabbit I've ever owned. I did the interior firewall a while back on my Rabbit pickup and the results were lackluster.

-Todd
 

ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
Vacuumed the car out. It was getting full of pine cones, needles and pollen.

Ran the lighting harness through the firewall, and it motivated me to run the rear lighting harness, also. Baby steps....




Normally, the lighting harness is run on top of the frame horn. I'm thinking of running it in the frame horn and through the lower rad support. It's a little tight in there where the front mount is boxed and where I clearanced for the AC compressor.

I contemplated running a chase through there, prior to glueing the lower apron on, but I got lazy. I was able to get a strand of 18ga wire through, that I plan on using as a pull. I don't think I should have an issue.

I never spliced the Rabbit headlight and parking light sockets to the B4 harness, because I was unsure of the lengths. I'll run everything, remove, wrap, then do the final installation.

-Todd
 
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ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
Let me show you my holes...

Left frame horn and lower rad support. Both holes were added. Yeah, I wanted the oval hole to not be parallel with the pinch weld....






Right lower rad support. This hole was pre-existing and just needed to be opened more.




Deburred everything, blew out the metal chips, then painted.

-Todd
 
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ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
Installed the fuse panel and other needed harnesses to test the front and rear lightning. Everything seems to check out.




Yanked the front light harness and pulled the right side headlight wiring. I figured I'll be relaying the lights, and the left side wiring will be enough to trigger the relays. If it weren't for the turn signal wiring, I could have gotten rid of plug A2.

No clue why VW decided to have these long junction legs. I may cut them out and resplice to get the harness a bit tidier.




Maybe this harness will get finished and permanently installed this weekend.

-Todd
 
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ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
Trimmed those junctions and rewrapped the harness. This took forever. At this pace, I'll be done in a few years...

Fuse panel power and grounds werent completed; I'm still undecided if I'll be relocating the battery.




Replacement turn sockets will be soldered on last. Still need to get the factory grommets in the rad support holes.




Way easier to run, than expected.




Still looks like a mess... I should have taken a before pic.




I suppose I'll work on the engine harness next.

-Todd
 
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ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
Finally welded another layer of spacers on the ECU mount.

On another note, does anyone have an A2 Bentley? I'm repinning the headlight switch, using the Passat harness and a CE2 G/J headlight switch.

The A2 headlight plug has 2 extra wires that the Passat harness is lacking. Gray and Gray/White. I need to know if these are needed.

A2 Resource, says Gray/White (R1) is for the rear fogs.
On the A2 plug, Gray/White is #5
At the A2 headlight switch it's "NSL".

A2 Resource, doesn't show the solid Gray coming from the R plug, at all.
On the A2 plug, Gray is #2.
At the A2 headlight switch it's "58e".

Passat switch does not have NSL or 58e.

Can someone either tell me what these 2 colors are or post a pic of the wiring diagram?

What are peoples' thoughts on chassis ground? Both the fuse panel and ECU have homeruns direct to the battery.

-Todd
 

jhax

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2012
Location
Golden, CO
TDI
96 Passat B4V, ALH engine out of a 2002 Jetta, some IE Rods and ASV Pistons. Nothing drivable yet though
Shoot me a message, I may have one on my computer at home for you. Been a while since I visited the site but it may still be up. The only thing I can think of right off hand for the Passat wiring harness is that the B4s have DRLs (yellow wire in the bay) and options for fogs in the US (wires are there, just needed to get the proper lights).

Justin
 
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ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
Amazing that after an hour of Googling, I can't find a wiring diagram....

Someone was able to confirm that the A2s required power for the dimmer function, which was Gray. I'm thinking if I apply 12v to this, the dimmer will work. If I don't, I don't have dimmable dash lights...

They also said the Bentley did not list a Gray/White, which goes to NSL on the switch.
Another person mentioned NSL= Not Stock Listed... not sure what that means...

Question is still what is Gray/White and what is the terminal NSL. Surely, there must be a need if they went through the effort of adding the terminal...

I'll shoot you a PM. Thanks!

-Todd
 

ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
Curiosity was getting the best of me, so I went to Pep Boys and had them print out the Mitchell wiring diagram.

Seems either the Bentley has a discrepancy or some swapped the Gray/White in.... Mitchell shows it as Green/White. Either way, it's shown as not being used, so it'll get pulled.




I'll add a wire to R3 (unused on the B4) and run it to 1 (Gray) on the A2 socket. Unfortunately, I think I'm going to need to solder into those short pigtails. The B4 terminals are tiny compared to the A2 terminals and I don't think I pulled any of those from the B4 harness.

-Todd
 
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ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
Pushed the engine harness through the firewall. Needed to open the hole about 2mm, to get the ECU plug through.

Not loving all the slack at the fuse panel. I unwrapped the harness to try and figure out a better game plan.






Supposed to be raining all day, so I may go to the store to measure AGM batteries. I was thinking Deka Intimidator 34/78, but I don't like the fact that there's no vent tube. After speaking with Deka, nothing in the Intimidator line has a vent.

-Todd
 
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Steve Addy

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 7, 2002
Location
Iowa
TDI
97 Mk3
Sorry Todd, haven't been here to look at an update for a while. If you still need Bentley A2 wiring diagram LMK, I have one that should cover US, CE1 and CE2 cars.

Steve
 

ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
I figured the headlight issue out, so I'm good there. I'll keep you in mind if I need another wire diagram. Thanks.

Off-topic, do you know if the defroster switch cut out is the same for A1 & A2? No matter what, I have a feeling I'll be splicing, based on the size of the A2 terminals.

I did go to Pep Boys and looked at the Bosch AGM BCI 78. The footprint is ok, but the warranty is only 4 years replacement, with no prorate period. No clue who's making these, now.... used to be Excide.

I've had good lunch with rebranded Deka AGMs, but that was a long time ago. I had a 34/78 and a 94 last around 10 years, each.

-Todd
 

ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
I called Bosch today and got the skinny....

The AGM batteries sold through Pep Boys, with the black/blue case, are still made by Excide.
The AGM batteries in their S6 line, with the gray/black case, are East Penn (Deka).

It seems Bosch has one if the better warranties out there with 4 years. Most other places are 3 years.

I'm not looking to have the clock start while the car is still sitting in the driveway, so I'll probably buy the one from Pep Boys for mock up, then return it. I'll rebuy it, when the car is road worthy.

-Todd
 

ToddA1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Location
NJ 08002
TDI
'96 B4V, '97 B4 (sold), '97 Jetta (scrapped)
Bought some suspension stuff. Screwed around with the worst part. The grime on the strut plates seemed like if was baked on. Tossed them in the blast cabinet.






Quit screwing around and got back to the car. Tried to get the slack out of the harness, but decided to separate and organize it, first. Pulled it from the car and filed the opening a bit more, for peace of mind.... way too tight. Sprayed some paint on the edges.




Lengthened some wires for the GP relay. I want it attached to the steering column, the way the car came.




Everything at the pedal cluster will need to be shortened at least a few feet.

Not sure what I want to do with the MAF wiring. It'd be easy to punch a hole in the p/s and run if through, but I have a feeling I'll be lengthening it to run it from the driver side, then through the core support.

This harness will probably be installed, removed and modified at least one more time...

-Todd
 
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