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[Smokestack]

Try adjusting the clutch cable. If that doesn't fix it you either have a bad clutch or you're driving it too hard. Any rear main seal that goes out can take out a clutch, regardless of make.

[Random_Task]

http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/1665433129.html
hmm hmm. excuse me? lol

[sad_rocc]

Giving up so soon? 

[rockinveedubs]

i'm not giving up i just want to buy the 83 GTI that Nemesis has for sale. i have some people coming this weekend on sunday to buy it if i feel that the GTI is good for me. there paying $1300. what should i look for on the GTI? it has to be up and running pretty quick cause i need a car for work. is it a good idea to sell and buy the GTI? the buyer is waiting on my Q. i'm looking at the GTI saturday.

[Random_Task]

i havent seen your car, but that gti (no ofense intended to nemesis) which i have seen in person, would not be so user friendly either.

[greggearhead]

I don't wanna kill Nemisis' sale, but with the problems you have had with that pretty much stock Rabbit - this swapped one that was done by someone else (so you don't know its ins and outs yet) would likely be much more than you could figure out.  Maybe not, just seems that way from the stuff you've run into so far.

[Random_Task]

there ya go, greg said it better.

[Smokestack]

Better the devil you know....

I know Nick/Nemisis has been trouble shooting the no run condition for awhile. He knows a thing or two about VW's, so since he's been having trouble with it I know you'll have serious issues with it. If it's not running I wouldn't go for it for you unless you're looking for a project car that you don't need to run. Why don't you swap in a 16v to your rabbit?

[rockinveedubs]

i have that kinda time. plus i want to do all the things hes done so i figured instead of spending thousands to do what i want buy the car that has all the stuff done. what does the issue with the car sound like? anyone have an idea of whats going on? if its the fuel system i had the same problem. thats not to hard a fix.

[Smokestack]

i have that kinda time. plus i want to do all the things hes done so i figured instead of spending thousands to do what i want buy the car that has all the stuff done. what does the issue with the car sound like? anyone have an idea of whats going on? if its the fuel system i had the same problem. thats not to hard a fix.

He used the CIS-Motronic system found in 90-92 GTI/GLIs and 90-93 passats. It's a cobbled together EFI (I don't understand why VW used it in the first place) that rarely works right, has some pretty specific parts and is expensive. If you buy that car plan on spending another $1k for another engine management system. Also, remember everything you just did to your rabbit? Plan on doing all of that over again to this or any new car you get. You are better off spending ~$500 for a used 16v and adapting your current CIS system to it. That's not thousands of dollars.

[rockinveedubs]

yeah probably. damn that car could be real cool too. i want something like that.

[Smokestack]

yeah probably. damn that car could be real cool too. i want something like that.

The only thing it has that is really hard to put on your car is it's missing 2 doors. Other than that it has a 16v engine and some cosmetics. Just keep chugging away with what you have and you'll end up with a car that you'll like. If you give up too quickly you'll never be happy.

[rockinveedubs]

is there someone that knows alot about this injection system? i would really like the car. if there were someone to help me check it out that better understand you should PM me.

[Smokestack]

The engineers at Bosch that made the system are probably your best bet. Really, it was used for 3 years on select cars before it was dumped. No one really had much of a chance or reason to learn much about the system. I got tired of fighting with CIS-Motronic on my car, ripped it out, and converted it to Megasquirt. That's what the majority of people do when CIS-Motronic acts up. It's a crappy system that VW used when they transferred from CIS to multiport injection. You might be able to find the problem, but that's pretty slim. If Nick hasn't found it yet I doubt you'll be so lucky. Good luck though.

[rockinveedubs]

he says all he did ( the way i took it) waschange the fuel pump and that was it. could be what was wrong with my car at first, fuel pump bad, filter clogged and tank crudded up. those are the small things i can think of. what are some of the bigger things that could be wrong?

[Smokestack]

Fuel distributor, differential pressure regulator, computer, wiring harness (gets old, corrodes and resistance changes), O2 sensor, coolant temperature sensor, injectors, air potentiometer, and IAC. I know he was looking for another fuel distributor awhile back.

[rockinveedubs]

sounds like a bunch of jiberish to me. is there a way to check all that stuff?

[Smokestack]

Kinda, but not really. The wiring harness you can check each wire for continuity and resistance, but that takes forever. Most of everything else you have to change out and see if that helps or fixes the problem.

[rockinveedubs]

from what he says its the same thing that my car went through/ it drove fine, slowly started sputtering over time and just stopped getting gas. i changed the tank, pump and filters and it runs fine now. i would hope thats the issue. the wireing s a full harness swap. he wants  $300 to hold the ar till i sell my car though. i really need to think about it. what kind of things could i look for when i see the car?
 

[Smokestack]

There's not much you can really check except for rust and other cosmetic issues without driving it or hearing it run. You'll just have to trust the seller. Personally I don't pay more than scrap value for any car that doesn't run unless I'm just looking for a shell or parts car.

[Barry]

Chris is the man when it comes to sorting through dumb issues on the older VW's, and he is telling you to stay away....

He figured out what was wrong with my mkII after looking at it for 5 minutes... and then go ahead and take a look at his build thread on his mkII.

I'd take his advice. CIS is not just your basic fueling solution (tank, pump, filter) If my 16V ever starts taking a shit, I am putting the SDS sitting on my parts shelf right in. Fuck it... not worth the hassle.

[rockinveedubs]

how much does a system like that cost?

[Smokestack]

how much does a system like that cost?

SDS starts at $1200, but you'll need a fancier version that controls spark as well so it'll cost you a couple hundred more. You'll also need to find all of the other various bits and pieces for the sensors and fueling. Plan on spending about ~$2000 for a full SDS system. You can go with a Megasquirt for ~$1000 (plus the price of a laptop if you don't already have one), but that's going to be a lot more complex for you to install and set up. Either option is probably above your skill level right now and most shops will charge you over $1000 to install and set up a SEM for you.

I have to ask, can you see why I'm telling you to stay with your rabbit yet? I will say that the GTI will be a very good learning opportunity for you, but in a negative way. Regardless of if you get it running it will take a lot more money (a good guess is between $2000-$4000 to get it where your rabbit currently is) and time than you're anticipating and return to you primarily frustration. Take all of the frustration you've had with your rabbit and multiply it by 1000. I would hazard a guess that in the end you will dump that car for whatever you can get (scrap value most likely) and never look at another VW again from the issues you'll run into with it. This won't be the last GTI you'll run across for sale, so don't work yourself up with the thinking that you'll never see another. Shoot, there's another one on CL right now for $1200 that runs.

[Barry]

I picked up my SDS system for $300.... complete system for converting my 92 16V.....

[Smokestack]

I picked up my SDS system for $300.... complete system for converting my 92 16V.....

Yea, but that was used and those don't come around too often. Also, does that include a fuel rail, injectors, lines, and an FPR? That there ended up being half of my budget when I went to MS. He can't really plan on spending that unless he's already bought the system. When I plan a "project" I'll usually make my figures off of new stuff. That way when I find deals on parts I get "free" money to spend on whatever. Unfortunately the "whatever" usually ends up being the "unforeseen expense" fund that stems from abused 20+ year old cars being what they are.