7/17/07
7/17/07
INDEX:
A1 Platform FAQ - Excerpts from rec.autos.makers.vw.watercooled
Noise, Harshness, and Engine Vibration:
Want to make your car feel ten years younger? Tired of all the noise and vibration coming from your engine compartment? Your problem may be bad motor mounts! The passenger side mount is usually the culprit. To check it out, get a floor jack and place it underneath the engine and raise it up about an inch or so. Start the car and note if the vibration problem is lessened. If so, you've got yourself a shot passenger side motor mount.
Unfortunately, this motor mount is the one that is the most difficult to change, and is also the one that fails the most since it carries the majority of the engine's weight. The best way to get at it is to remove all the housings, pulleys, etc on the front of the engine. Take the opportunity to replace the camshaft drive belt while you're at it, and check to see if your water pump is about to give out, since you can easily change it while all the other belts, etc. are removed.. Before starting, support the front of the engine with a jack or some other suitable material, and avoid getting under the engine while working.
The mount itself is attached with the three 6mm allen head bolts and one hex bolt with a threaded cap. The most difficult one to remove is the rear top one, as the mount bracket interferes with getting an allen wrench on it. The easiest way to get at it is to take a 6mm allen wrench and cut off the short end, leaving a little nub at the end that can then be placed on the bolt. Sometimes this bolt will be loose enough where you can grab it with some needle-nosed vice grips, but don't count on it.
To get the mount out of its bracket, you can use a press, or if one is not available, take a hacksaw and saw the inner steel ring out of the mount in a couple of places, this will relieve enough of the stress to where you can get the mount out easily. To do this, you'll have to take the blade off the saw, stick it through the mount, then re-install it on the saw. Make sure you don't saw into the outer metal ring of the bracket.
Getting the new mount in isn't easy if you don't have a press. I would recommend taking it somewhere to get it pressed in, since you can easily bang up the mount pretty good by trying to pound it in with a hammer. When installing the mount, be certain you have it oriented properly, because once it's in there, it's REALLY in there. If you don't have access to a press, drop the new mount in some ice water, and heat up the carrier by sticking it in the oven. Generously lube up the new mount, grab the carrier (it's hot now, remember), and as quick as you can start whacking the mount into place. Use a block of wood or something to shield the mount from being hit directly by the hammer. You're going to be out there for quite a while hitting on the thing, but with a little persistence, you'll get it.
Noise, Harshness, & Vibration Part II - Courtesy of Sean Greene President /founder Redlineccc
A simple and relatively cheap fix for all of those little buzzes and rattles is to use a product called Dynamat. It is an asphalt based product that has a heat activated adhesive on the one side. This works by lowering the resonant frequency of the offending panel by adding mass to it. I would advise using this in the doors and especially on the roof as most noise is airborne. This product is available at various Car audio shops and there are also alternative products that will do the same thing.
http://members.tripod.com/redlineccc
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Over time, the weight of the door will bend the hinges. This problem is worsened by the fact that most people will lean on the outer edge of the door when it is opened. This is an easy problem to fix.
Place a medium sized socket between the doorjamb and the lower hinge. Close the door enough to hold the socket in place, then gently try to push the door closed. Don't push too hard, or you'll bend the hinge too much. Open the door, let the socket fall out, and then close the door to see how everything lines up. You may have to loosen the striker and re-align it with the door catch, but this is a quick and easy way to make your doors close like new.
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When new, your car door's striker pin has a nylon ring around it that keeps the catch on the door from making metal to metal contact. Over time, this nylon ring wears off, allowing the metal parts to grind together and become quite noisy. The other downside is the wearing of these components makes the doors difficult to shut, and prevents proper alignment between the door frame and the car body.
The simple fix is to replace the door striker pins. They are readily available from German Parts and Restoration, The Bus Depot, or Auto Parts Warehouse. The part number is 321837034. I bought a handfull of them just in case they become unavailable in the future.
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The stock A1 valve cover gasket is make of cork with a rubber half moon at one end, and a rubber strip at the camshaft sprocket. Since there are so many joints in the gasket, and since it is made from cork, it is almost assured that you'll have a leak from your valve cover. However, Volkswagen also makes an 8v gasket that is on-piece rubber and it will fit on your head as long as you use the later model longer studs. The easiest thing to do is buy Techtonics part number 198.163. This includes the gasket and all the studs you need, and goes for about $20. You'll be glad you did! |
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One of the odd things about Volkswagens is the fact that unlike almost all other cars on the face of the earth, the radio stays on all the time - which causes plenty of dead batteries. How do you fix this? You find a circuit that is only hot when the ignition is on!
Volkswagen has some pretty simple wiring schemes, and part of the elegance of their way of doing things is the "current track." Ever notice all those numbers by the terminals on all your relays? That's the current track. Here's what they mean:
30 - Straight battery power, always hot
31 - Ground
15 - Power when ignition is ON
50 - Power when starter is engaged
X - Power when ignition is on, but loses power while cranking
So, what you're looking for is something with "X" or "15" on it. One of the best sources is the ignition coil, and VW sometimes even leaves a blank male connector there for you to use. If you don't have a rear wiper, the circuit is still there, so use the fuse position on your fuse panel.
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One of the most annoying things on VW's are dash lights that go out intermittently. The picture below shows the problem - the plastic circuit "board" on the back of the instrument cluster.
I have yet to find a good solution to this problem. What happens is the contact tabs that extend out of the side of the bulb carrier rub through the rather thin copper layer on the circuit board, and the lights go out. The best way to correct the problem is to rotate the dash lights to a different position on the copper circuit. They won't be fully engaged in the instrument cluster, but I have yet to have the bulbs fall out on me. If the copper is badly tarnished, very fine sandpaper can be used to clean it up.
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The OXS light is supposed to remind you that it's time to change the oxygen sensor on your car. Problem is, it doesn't monitor the sensor itself, the stupid thing just comes on after a set number of miles. On most VW's the light is pretty easy to shut off. The speedometer cable will run into a small black box located behind the coolant surge tank. That little box has a white button on it that when pressed, turns the light out!
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On '81 and up US made rabbits, the problem is a little more complicated. First, you have to take the cover off the dash, which is no big deal. As you can see in the picture, at the top left corner of the instrument cluster there are two little boxes. Take a paperclip, bend it straight, and put a small hook at the end of it. Reach into each of the little boxes and hook the plastic tabs inside them. Pull gently forward, and you'll hear a click as they disengage. No more light! |
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After you've done this a couple of times, you'll get tired of it, so here's the trick: There are three patriotic (red, white, and blue) wires on the back of the instrument cluster. Unhook them and the OXS light is forever dark!
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If you are religious about changing your engine oil, there's nothing more annoying than the odometer konking out on you. Unfortunately, this happens to almost all '82 and up US made rabbits. To fix this problem, you can always buy a new instrument cluster, but eventually the problem will come back. What causes this? There is a small gear in the speedometer unit that cracks in half, and the numbers won't go 'round and 'round anymore.
To fix it, you have to take your instrument cluster apart - I mean REALLY apart. Take the whole speedometer out as a unit, pull off the needle, take out the two screws below the odometer, and you'll see the cracked gear - either that or the two pieces of it will come rattling out onto the floor. Use some simple "Super Glue" to put the gear back together, and you're set. I did this over fifteen years ago, and it hasn't broken since.
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Water leaking into your vehicle is a fairly common problem with Volkswagens. Usually water will be found in the rear floorboard of the car. This is caused by water leaking through the doors. If your front floorboard is wet, chances are it's coming in from the front rain tray of the car.
For the doors, check behind the door panel. There should be a clear plastic film that covers the entire inside of the door. If it's ripped or missing, replace it with some visqueen or something of that nature. Also check the drains at the bottom of the door. They are pretty small, and trash gets stuck in them over time. If they are blocked, the bottom of the door fills up with water, and it spills inside the car.
For the front of the car, check the rain tray (you know, that thing right in front of the windshield where the wiper motor is). On the passenger side of the car, there will be a drain, which also has the tendency to fill up with trash. When this drain is blocked, water fills the tray and spills into the ventilation system, or any other hole it can find leading into the passenger compartment. If this doesn't cure the problem, check the doors as mentioned above. If that doesn't work, your windshield is most likely the source of the problem. There isn't a good way to fix this unless you have a new seal installed
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There is always the possibility of introducing air into your cooling system whenever you change hoses, etc. If your radiator fan won't come on, or the coolant blows out of the expansion tank cap, most likely you've got air in the system. How do you avoid this?
First, when re-filling the system, start by pouring some of the coolant directly into the upper radiator hose, which will directly fill the water jackets of the engine and put coolant right on top of the thermostat. Another trick is to drill a small hole (say, about 1/8") in the lip of the thermostat, which will allow a small amount of coolant to pass through it, which will force air out of the system.
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CIS Fuel Injection Troubleshooting
I've seen the following "troubleshooting" table floating around over the years, so I'll reproduce it here.
| No Start/ Cold | No Start/ Hot | Hard Start/ Cold | Hard Start/ Hot | Poor Idle/ Cold | Poor Idle/ Hot | Backfire/ Intake | Backfire/ Exhaust | Engine Misses While Driving | General poor running/ Lack of power | Engine Runs On | Poor Fuel Economy | CO% Too Hight at Idle | CO% Too Low at Idle | Can't Adjust Idle Speed | |
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Fuel Pump Inoperative | |||||||||||||
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Loose Fuel Pump Elec. Connection | ||||||||||||
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"Cold" control pressure out of spec | ||||||||||||
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"Warm" Control pressure too high | |||||||||
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"Warm" Control pressure too low | ||||||||
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Aux air valve doesn't close | ||||||||||
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Aux air valve doesn't open | ||||||||||||
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Cold start valve inoperative | |||||||||||||
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Cold start valve leaking | |||||
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Primary system pressure out of spec | ||||||||||||||
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Air flow sensor plate stop incorrectly set | |||||||||||
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Sensor plate or plunger not moving freely | |||||||
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Intake air leak | ||||||
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Fuel system leak | |||||
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Injector leaking or opening pressure low | ||||||||||
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Idle mixture too rich | ||||||||
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Idle mixture too lean | |||||||||
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Throttle butterfly not opening properly | ||||||||||||||
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Themo-time switch defective |
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Your Rabbit is now probably over 20 years old, and many of the plastic items under the hood have become brittle due to exposure to heat and petroleum products. From the factory, the vacuum system is comprised of hard plastic lines attached at the ends with cloth covered rubber connectors. The rubber lines can be found with some difficulty, but I have been unable to locate a source for the plastic lines. It doesn't make much sense to put new connectors on a line that snaps in half with the slightest bend.
I was happy to find a supply of 3.5mm high-temperature silicone line that simply connects directly from point to point. It comes in several colors (silver, black, red, blue) and is relatively inexpensive. Ten feet of this item is enough to do an entire car with plenty left over for future use.
The silicone line can be found at High Temp Silicone.
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Anyone wanting a killer stereo knows that the Rabbit wasn't designed to house a good system. The stock speaker mounting points on the rear parcel shelf will hold only the smallest 4x6 speakers, and you are not going to get much sound out of something like that. I took inspiration from the A3 platform cars, which have component speakers located on each side of the rear seat. Believe it or not, 6.5" component speakers will fit back there on your A1 GTI, and it looks pretty cool too!
You can see the mounting points I selected on the picture below. You have to measure carefully to mount the 6.5" speakers, because if you get them too low, you'll be catching the sheet metal behind the trim panel. The perfect spot is just in front of the seatbelts, with the top of the speaker just touching the bottom of the arm rest. The tweeters can go just about anywhere, but if you mount them on the back of the arm rests like I did, they will point right at the back of your head. I attached the crossover to the arm rest mounting points, and there are no rattles at all.
I use these for highs and mids, and I have a bandbass box in the trunk for bass. Sounds great, and didn't cost much at all.
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Keeping Your GTI Spiffy and Clean
Ask ten people what cleaning agents, waxes, polishes, etc you should use on your car, and you'll get ten different answers. Well, here's my advice - take it or leave it. The only evidence I have that what I use works is the condition of my GTI.
WASHES - Just about any liquid car washing agent will do. Don't use dishwashing soap, since it will strip the wax off the paint, and is rough on the finish.
WAX - I use Meguiar's paste carnauba wax. In between waxing, I use their "Quick Detailer," which is a liquid wax in a spray bottle. Both leave a wonderful shine that lasts about a month. One thing to remember - use a soft sponge or similar to apply the wax, and cotton terry to remove it. Always use clean towels. Removing wax with a smooth cloth (such as a cloth diaper) or anything made of polyester will scratch the paint. Another great product is Speed Shine from Griot's Garage.
PAINT CLEANSERS - There is a wonderful product out on the marked called "Magic Clay," which will clean about anything off the paint of your car. It's hard to find, but if you ever see it, pick some up. This stuff works miracles - it will remove hard water spots and other stains. Griot's Garage makes a paint cleaning clay that when used in conjuction with their Speed Shine product, works great!
CARPET/FABRIC CLEANSERS - I use Resolve carpet cleaner, which can be bought at any store. It will take just about anything out of the carpet using a "spray on, wipe off" process. Very little scrubbing is required, at it will even take CV joint grease out of the fabric. Once again, Griot's Garage also has a great Interior Cleaner product that will take just about anything out of fabric and is completely color safe.
VINYL/LEATHER PROTECTANTS - I have used Armor All and Son of a Gun for years with no problems. You'll hear a dozen people say that both products suck, and it's just a personal opinion. Meguiar's is now making a product called "Clean, Shine, & Protect" which blows everything away. It is a cleaner/conditioner, so it cleans the dirt out of the vinyl but still leaves a semi-gloss finish. It smells like leather protectant, which is probably what it is. At least it doesn't smell like dog doo like Armor All does. After 23 years, no cracks on my dash!
GLASS CLEANER - Forget Windex. If anything just use ammonia and water in a 1 part ammonia, 5 part water mix. I've been using a Turtle Wax product called "Clearvue Professional," which is the best window cleaning agent I've ever found. Pick some up at Wally Mart and give it a try.
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As anyone who has messed with Volkwagens knows, there is a great deal in common from one model year to the next. This certainly applies to some of the relays that are hidden below the dash of your car, since many A2 relays will fit an A1 car.
First, if you don't have intermittent wipers, you can replace the front wiper relay with one from a car that does have them. You won't even have to change your wiper switch! Pull the steering wheel off, pull off the wiper switch assembly, and note that there is a small plastic tab preventing the switch from being pushed down instead of the usual up! Pull out that plastic tab, and there you go. You can even get more into it by replacing your relay with one of the newer relays that has a programmable time delay!
If you have a rear hatch wiper, most likely it's the kind that only wipes when you push the wiper stalk. During a good sloppy snowstorm, you'll burn up most of your washer fluid quickly. A2 cars had a similar relay to the front intermittents. You push the stalk once, it wipes once, waits a bit, wipes again, and keeps it up until you push the stalk again. Well, the A2 relay is a direct swap for the relay you have now.
Is there any noise more annoying that the seatbelt buzzer on a Rabbit? Some folks would venture that the doo-dee-daa noise that the newer VW's make is even worse, but I think it's kind of cool. Well, the relay from the newer VW's will fit in your Rabbit. The newer relay can be identified by the little speaker that is partially hidden behind the slots at the end of the relay. Make your old Rabbit sound a little more like a new VW!
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I don't know if anyone else has had the problem of the horn intermittently honking, and getting more frequent over time, but the problem is the screw in the steering column that holds the block for the relay contacts and wiring harnesses. As it works it's way out, it makes contact with the horn contacts ,so every time there is any movement in the steering wheel, the horn honks.
Joshua Verdon 2-1983 VW GTIs
The good news here is the steering wheel is easily removed (just be sure to mark the orientation before you pull it off so it will be centered when you put it back) by removing one nut at the center of the wheel.
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If you're interested in smoking your tail lights, I just did mine for $8 and am quite pleased. I can't take the credit since I was informed of the budget method on some other VW page, but can't find it or I would direct you there. Anyway, go to a hobby shop and buy a little spray can of transparent black enamel for model window tinting. I beleive the brand is "Model Masters," and top it of with the enamel clear coat of your choice! I couldn't find this in my town of Bloomington, IN ,but found it in Louisville, KY with no problem. It gets darker with every coat,. I used the whole can and they look good! They could even be darker, but the lights shine though great!
Eric
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I live in Norway, and we are bothered with rust problems a lot!! The fuel pipe from the filling cap down to the tank rusts on the Mk I !. Given the climate, it is a matter of time. This will make a hole just inside the filling cap, and will result in water and dirt getting in to the fuel tank, and eventually in the rest of the fuel system. I have previosly owned a '83 GTI, and I had to replace the entire fuel system from the filler pipe, to the injectors. (Costly !!)
If you're going to buy a Mk I golf, check for this problem first. I now own a '87 convertible with the same symptoms, it just hadn't caused any serious damage yet. I have now changed the filler pipe, and drained the fuel tank. (Lots of water and dirt!!)
Hope you put this out on the maintenance tips, given the right (wrong) climate, it is important.
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This applies to Westmoreland Rabbits with air conditioning.
You know the problem - you can't slide the temperature lever through its entire range of motion, or you can't move it at all. If you've never taken the assembly out to look at what the problem was, here's a pic:
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Here you can see the how the mechanism is guided along by "ridges" in the
plastic. What happens is either the heater control valve in the engine
compartment gets tight, or the control cable becomes sticky, and the pressure
required to move everything overwhelms the plastic. In addition, the plastic
tabs on the sides of the mechanism - the ones that screw into the dash and
hold the entire assembly in place - break of, leaving the mechanism rattling
around in your dash, slumped over to one side. It's not a good design,
and unfortunately the part is no longer available new. So, after calling the salvage yards and ordering what was supposed to be the correct part, I was instead sent the controls to a non-AC car. I had to come up with a different plan. It isn't pretty, but it works. |
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First, if your brackets are broken, the easiest thing to do is fabricate a new bracket out of some sheet metal. I just cut until it looked about right, and then used the opposite side as a guide as to where the mounting holes needed to be drilled. Next, peel part of the front cover off (it's glued on and will peel off like a sticker) and drill a couple of pilot holes. Use these to screw your custom bracket onto the back of the assembly. |
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Now, how to repair the broken ridges on the lever guides. Mine wasn't
all that far gone, so I only had two small chunks that had broken off. I
simply found some 1/16" flat plastic, cut and ground it down to size, and
then glued and pop-riveted it into place. You will have to recess the
pop-rivet into your plastic plug a bit as the clearances are very tight between
the lever and the plastic, but it will fit. It looks something like
this when completed:
If your ridges are completely gone, you can get a flat peice of 1/16" plastic about 5"x1" and cut the entire guide groove into it (a router would probably work good for this, or at least a dremel tool. This can be pop-riveted on top of the assembly underneath the lever, and would make a permanent fix to the problem. After you've done all this, lube the assembly and work the levers to make sure you have no clearance issues. Be sure to determine the original cause of this issue. In my case, it was the cable, which can be replaced for about $5. |
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A/C fan only works at highest speed
Watercooled VWs have two circuits that control the climate control blower motor. One that supplies 12v directly to the motor (which gives you full speed), and another circuit that goes through a series of resistors that gives you the slower settings. If you have two speeds - off and full blast, your resistor pack is likely defective. Troubleshooting is complicated by the fact that none of the repair manuals have wiring diagrams for Westmoreland Rabbits that reference anything to do with air conditioning (the exception being the 1981 model year).
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In cars with a/c, almost everything is more difficult to work with, but in this case you're in luck. The resistor pack is mounted to the right side of the center core pod, on the passenger side of the car down in the footwell. It is behind an approximately 3" x 10" panel. Don't bother trying to find one new, they are no longer available and nobody has them in stock. Likely the resistor coils are still in good shape with no breaks in the wires. This is because there is a thermal fuse in line with the wires, which blows out and prevents the wires from melting from thermal runaway. This fuse is the cylindrical doodad that is connected between the far left and right terminals. The reason your fan doesn't work is because the fuse has blown.
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These fuses are available at Radio Shack, and cost about $1.50. They are located in the bins with all the other fuses, and there are several temperatures available. My research indicates that the OEM item is rated at 150 degrees celcius, so just find one that is close to that rating. Remove the old fuse, and solder in a new one, and this should restore normal fan operation. |
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Have any "quick fixes" of your own? E-mail them to me at keith@rabbitgtipage.com.
