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Rabbit pickup diesel questions
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nick1018
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 6:18 am    Post subject: Rabbit pickup diesel questions Reply with quote

hey everyone I'm new and have some questions about my new 1981 vw rabbit pickup. so the guy i bought it from put a 1.9td engine and 5 speed trans in it, but he took of the turbo so it really just a 1.9. it runs ok but even in 5th the it only gets up to about 65 with pretty hi revs. not sure if it just the gearing in the trans or what.

So i want to either get a factory turbo back on it and sort out the trans. or get a another 1.9td aaz and trans and just drop that in. i was thinking the cost might be close to the same either way. I would really appreciate any input or advice. I will try to post some pics swell. thanks!
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nick1018
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 6:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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veedubman72
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 10:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Super clean truck! Great pick up (pun intended).

Sounds like he de-tuned it to get better gas mileage. Getting a correct turbo back on it would likely be much cheaper than doing a full engine/trans replacement.
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williamM
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 11:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Good point- I would have the pump stroke re checked. 5th gear on an early rabbit anything was like turning off half the motor- but they did get over 40 mpg and hear stories of 55 with the tightest head gasket.

All our turbo diesels were after market and had a very limited motor life and only had rabbit gas performance.
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nick1018
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 7:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

yes, i think he did de-tune it. I have heard the 1.9td's still get really good mpg. the trans has been running pretty rough, I'm not sure what the trans came out of. so I'm thinking about maybe just pulling everything out and dropping in a new 1.9td and trans. thanks for the help, any more info would be appreciated. I'll post some more pics once i get it cleaned up!
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williamM
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 7:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just a real small change in pump timing makes a big performance change. Might save a thousand dollars.
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nick1018
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 8:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I know this is probably a stupid question but how do you adjust the pump timing? or do you mean the electric fuel pump? thanks
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williamM
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

there is a fitting on the pump which accepts a dial indicator. then the mount bolts for the pump are loosened and the whole thing can be rotated on it's mount. These are very short adjustments.

Next you need to find the correct stroke numbers- and slowly rotate engine and watch the numbers on the dial. when they are correct, you cinch it down. Might be a copy in literature section here of the brown diesel service book. If I can find mine I will post up all the details. Sure I've left something out.
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stewardc
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 08, 2014 12:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

For what it's worth, it looks like he also removed the turbo injection pump. It may even have a 1.6 pump. That, pushing into the 2-stage AAZ injectors will run very poorly. Did you try just turning the fuel screw up a bit 1/4 turn should be enough) to see if it runs well? Get that old 5-speed out of there and run the one that came with an AAZ. Mine will run 80mph all day.
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nick1018
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 11, 2014 12:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

ok thanks i will try that. yeah i have no idea what fuel pump is on it. i'm going to start on the engine soon. I just finished replacing the struts. they were completely shot it was just riding on the coils. It rides a lot better now. Also order the lower steering column bearing, mine fell out.
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stewardc
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 11, 2014 3:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, the bearing is a common problem. You might want to invest in one of these like I did.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VW-Mk1-Lower-steering-colu...0761947683
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nick1018
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 16, 2014 8:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

well, i got the steering column bearing fixed today. It wasn't too bad, took about 3 hours. I'm going to get the engine tuned sometimes soon. thats next on the list!
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BigPapaYams
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 14, 2014 6:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Difficult to tell from the picture but I had a similar issue with my '81. Here are a couple of things to check.

Inside the truck, check at the very top of the accelerator pedal where the cable attaches. There is a rubber grommet/bushing that the cable pushes into. Mine was missing and someone before me had M-moused it to run. Grommet available from PartsPlaceInc.com and from Mk1autohas.com.

Need a helper for this one - Under the hood, check to see where the pump arm is when someone pushes the accelerator pedal all the way down. Mine had some slack and when the pedal was to the floor, the pump arm didn't get all the way to the stop screw.

If you haven't already, BUY A BENTLEY MANUAL. It REALLY is a great help. Of course, so is this forum but the book in hand is nice when you don't want to wait (or cannot wait) for an educated / experienced answer from the folks on TheSamba.
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BigPapaYams (aka JAY)
Scotts Valley, CA

1980 Vanagon Country Homes Camper (purchased not running - still not running)
1980 Rabbit Pickup (purchased not running and ugly but good potential) with 1.5L diesel & 4-speed
1981 Rabbit Pickup (my daily driver) 1.6L diesel & 5-speed
2009 Yamaha T-Max scooter (SOLD)
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