gone postal
Veteran Member
PRICE IS $800 FIRM, FIRM, FIRM (I have at least double this much invested in just parts).
Moving in 5 weeks and have 7 vehicles right now. I need to thin the herd down to 3
Clean FL title. Body has just under 160k on it. Interior in honestly amazing condition. Power locks, manual windows, sunroof (best combination in my opinion). Engine is rebuilt. Lots of newer parts - coilovers, A/C, aftermarket radio. There's rust in the rockers and the paint is starting to fade from sitting in the sun for the last few years.
I bought this 5 yrs ago for my commute to Jax and six months later, a cam lobe failed. I installed the coilovers and radio shortly after I bought it, so only have 4 months of actual driving on them. Five months and 15k miles is all I drove it and averaged 47mpg. Literally days before the cam failure, I rebuilt the A/C system with a new OEM compressor, dryer and expansion valve (compressor alone was over $400). The first day I drove the car to work after the A/C is the day the cam failed!! I was so mad I bought another TDI and the Jetta sat for a year. I finally pulled the head and had it completely rebuilt. New cam, lifters, decked .003". Installed new timing belt, water pump, tensioner, etc. Honed cylinders, new pistons and rings. Resealed injection pump head w/ Viton seal. Lot of new rubber hoses, sensors, etc. I eventually got it back together over the course of a year. It was completed just days before I sold my house (my motivation for finishing, b/c it had to leave that garage). I drove it around my neighborhood loop twice - exactly 1.8 miles. It was down on power though - reminded me of a non-turbo diesel. I was moving, so didn't have time to investigate and honestly haven't touched it since. That was 4 years ago. I don't have a garage at my current house, but we're under contract for a new house and will be moving in 5 weeks. I will have a garage again, but have also picked up another project (97 Z28)
I tested compression after reassembly and it is even and high - can't find any of my notes, but I recall it being 500 range. During reassembly, I couldn't find my notes on the vacuum line routing, so possible they're not right. At the time, I also didn't realize how sensitive diesel injectors are, so I just left them on the bench during the year reassembly. Thinking they were possibly clogged and that's my cause of low power, I bought a replacement set from someone on here a few months ago and installed them, but haven't tried firing the car yet. My thought was if it runs better, I may toy with it some more. That was before the new house though!
BAD:
So, besides being low on power and having rocker rust....
* The battery is shot. I had to rob one from my other TDI to start it.
* The exhaust rotted out around the flex section of downpipe.
* I'm also assuming the slave cylinder is bad b/c the clutch doesn't pump up (shares fluid with brakes). Brakes seem to pump up fine, so maybe just bleeding would help?
* Also, I had this posted on Craigslist about a year ago and someone came to look at it (we couldn't agree on a price - I was at $1600 then and he offered $1400.... my pride over $200 is gonna cost me a LOT more!!). Anyway, he was messing w the A/C port (unscrewed it) and all the freon shot out all over him. So now the A/C needs to be charged....
This is a great car for the mechanically inclined, so CONSIDER THIS A PROJECT CAR. If you're not up for that, please don't inquire. MUST BE TOWED
Moving in 5 weeks and have 7 vehicles right now. I need to thin the herd down to 3
Clean FL title. Body has just under 160k on it. Interior in honestly amazing condition. Power locks, manual windows, sunroof (best combination in my opinion). Engine is rebuilt. Lots of newer parts - coilovers, A/C, aftermarket radio. There's rust in the rockers and the paint is starting to fade from sitting in the sun for the last few years.
I bought this 5 yrs ago for my commute to Jax and six months later, a cam lobe failed. I installed the coilovers and radio shortly after I bought it, so only have 4 months of actual driving on them. Five months and 15k miles is all I drove it and averaged 47mpg. Literally days before the cam failure, I rebuilt the A/C system with a new OEM compressor, dryer and expansion valve (compressor alone was over $400). The first day I drove the car to work after the A/C is the day the cam failed!! I was so mad I bought another TDI and the Jetta sat for a year. I finally pulled the head and had it completely rebuilt. New cam, lifters, decked .003". Installed new timing belt, water pump, tensioner, etc. Honed cylinders, new pistons and rings. Resealed injection pump head w/ Viton seal. Lot of new rubber hoses, sensors, etc. I eventually got it back together over the course of a year. It was completed just days before I sold my house (my motivation for finishing, b/c it had to leave that garage). I drove it around my neighborhood loop twice - exactly 1.8 miles. It was down on power though - reminded me of a non-turbo diesel. I was moving, so didn't have time to investigate and honestly haven't touched it since. That was 4 years ago. I don't have a garage at my current house, but we're under contract for a new house and will be moving in 5 weeks. I will have a garage again, but have also picked up another project (97 Z28)
I tested compression after reassembly and it is even and high - can't find any of my notes, but I recall it being 500 range. During reassembly, I couldn't find my notes on the vacuum line routing, so possible they're not right. At the time, I also didn't realize how sensitive diesel injectors are, so I just left them on the bench during the year reassembly. Thinking they were possibly clogged and that's my cause of low power, I bought a replacement set from someone on here a few months ago and installed them, but haven't tried firing the car yet. My thought was if it runs better, I may toy with it some more. That was before the new house though!
BAD:
So, besides being low on power and having rocker rust....
* The battery is shot. I had to rob one from my other TDI to start it.
* The exhaust rotted out around the flex section of downpipe.
* I'm also assuming the slave cylinder is bad b/c the clutch doesn't pump up (shares fluid with brakes). Brakes seem to pump up fine, so maybe just bleeding would help?
* Also, I had this posted on Craigslist about a year ago and someone came to look at it (we couldn't agree on a price - I was at $1600 then and he offered $1400.... my pride over $200 is gonna cost me a LOT more!!). Anyway, he was messing w the A/C port (unscrewed it) and all the freon shot out all over him. So now the A/C needs to be charged....
This is a great car for the mechanically inclined, so CONSIDER THIS A PROJECT CAR. If you're not up for that, please don't inquire. MUST BE TOWED
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