Time to say goodbye to my MK2?

[Loaf]

I've got a non-turbo diesel MK2 Jetta. The engine has 75,000 (low estimate) since it's last rebuild. The body is in good shape. It runs great, really great. But...
There is a significant rear main seal leak, it needs a new timing belt, the head gasket is leaking, and I think the cv joints need attention. I'm pretty sure there are more major problems yet to be discovered.
This car was given to my wife several years ago by her father, a VW mechanic. He lives in Illinios, so he can give advice over the phone, but no-hands on help. I'll be doing any work on this Jetta myself. I'd be willing to tackle any one of these issuses alone, but this seems like it might be too much time and money to put into the old beater. My experience so far includes glow plugs, brakes, struts, resealing the injection pump on my '98, pulling engines on air-cooled VWs, and miscallany maintaince tasks.
The car is still functional around town, but we need something that can handle long-distance trips again.
I need help deciding-
Do I fix the existing engine? Buy a new engine? Just keep going until it finally dies? Sell the car?

 

[vwnut84]

If you are mechanically inclined enough to pull an aircooled engine, then you are capeable of pulling the transmission and replacing that rear main seal yourself. Timing belt and C/V joints are also cake on this car. You can do the headgasket and timing belt in a day, and then the RMS the next. In a weekend you could have the major issues sorted.

When you say the C/V joints need attention, are they making noises? Having shuddering issues when accelerating? Boots torn?

Parts for these MK2 cars are very inexpensive depending on where you buy them from. I reccomend www.germanautoparts.com for OEM quality parts at really good prices. It sounds to me that for less then $250 in parts and you'll be back in shape.

I would also reccomend getting a Bently manual if you don't already have one. It is the bible for these cars.

I hope this helps, and I do hope you end up keeping it. The MK2's are great little cars.

 

[Tom W.]

vwnut84 nails it, is exactly right. Other excellent parts suppliers are http://www.autohausaz.com/
http://www.partsplaceinc.com/
http://www.vwdieselparts.com/

I wonder why you are leaking around the head gasket? Did the re-builder use new the head bolts? (they are stretch bolts- cannot be re-used).

 

[Loaf]

I am just starting to feel like this is too much work to put into a car over 20 years old. Sure, it's a classic, but it only goes 65mph or so and the fuel milage is not what it used to be when we got the car. How long till it needs an engine overhaul- rings, pistons, valves, etc?
Add to my experience list- a water pump on my 98 tdi, did that today.
Is the best way to do the rear main to pull the transmission? A local friend told me it would be easier to remove the engine and trans as one piece.

 

[Tom W.]

My 1.6 n/a will hit 96 MPH and still be accelerating- It consistently gets 50MPG in 5th gear, 60MPG in the summer. I can load 4 large adults (800 lbs) and still maintain speed going up highway hills, and never have to downshift.

A properly rebuilt/maintained 1.6 will easily go 200,000 miles before the next rebuild- and if they re-sleeved the cylinders instead of just overboring them, you can expect 400,000+ miles before the next rebuild.

If the rebuild was a quality job, you wouldn't have issues after only 75,000 miles.
My engine was professionally rebuilt at some point in it's life, the engine is now in it's third car, and has zero issues.
The only modifications I've made are a larger exhaust and I've modified the pump (advanced dynamic timing and governor mod). - both are relatively simple.

I AM meticulous about maintenence- 100% by the book, only OEM parts. Since my engine is a pre 1985, I have to adjust the valves manually, and check clearance every 10k.

What I'm trying to say, here, is that your engine sounds like it was not properly re-built. When you re-build an engine, you should end up with essentially a brand new engine. In some cases, you end up with an even BETTER engine than new.

Two questions: What is your compression on all 4 cylinders,(cold and hot) and what is your oil pressure (cold and hot) ?

 

[burpod]

*cough* AHU/02a swap :0 if the body is worth it, personally i wouldn't bother doing a piecemeal rebuild of a 1.6 with an 020

 

[Loaf]

TomW- 75,000mi is the low estimate of milage in this engine. I'm still trying to sort through records, but it could easily be twice that or more. The engine was in a 1986 body when my wife first got it, that body rusted out and my Father-in-law transplanted it into the 1989 body. It's been 75,000 since we've had the 1989, but I do not think he did anything other than swap it.
I'm having a hard time believing your first couple of statements (96mph, 60mpg etc), but we both agree the MK2s are great cars and I want to keep this one going.
I'll do a compression test soon, but how do I test the oil pressure?

 

[Tom W.]

oil pressure test

First, go buy an oil pressure gauge- I got mine here:
http://www.harborfreight.com/engine-oil-pressure-test-kit-98949.html

(Harbor Freight, $20) -has worked well for me - I've used mine abt 20 times. Just make sure whatever gauge you get, it goes up to 140 PSI.

Second , locate your oil pressure sensor.
Replace the oil pressure gauge for the pressure sensor, fire it up!
I like to test oil pressure when the engine is cold, and hot. You will be AMAZED at how high the oil pressure is on a cold diesel engine!
I will ALWAYS use Mann/OEM filters because of the extra rigidity of the filter can- designed to handle the pressure.