sitting engine

Hi folks , I am looking to buy  a GTI mk1 its been sitting for 5 years , aperantly it ran great before it was parked , any idea if I should bother with it ? would it be a headache ? If i decide to get it . should I just add gas and oil , or is there some procedure that I should follow before I crank the engine ??? thanks alot

try turning over the engine by hand 1st, by the crank.
then you can try it with gass, etc, clean up the dizzy or place a new cap on.You could do a pressure test too.
Be sure not to run it for to long as the cambelt may snap causing mucho dammage

I would only consider it if the body work was good and rust free . Engines are ten a penny and cheap to fix body work is not .

benji said

Be sure not to run it for to long as the cambelt may snap causing mucho dammage

The 1.8 is apparently a non interference design, meaning the the valves do not contact the pistons if the belt snaps…
Not sure if this applies to the 1.6.


Pour a little engine oil down the bores (Through the spark plug holes) and turn it over by hand a bit. this should help lube up the internals before attempting to fire it. It will smoke for a bit if you do this though.

The rings may be seized into the pistons meaning you will not get compression so it may be worth checking this first. This is most likely if any of the induction system has been removed allowing moisture into the engine.

When I bought mine it hadn't run for 11 years, and it runs sweet as a nut now (fingers crossed etc!)

I replaced the following before I tried starting: -

Oil
Coolant
Spark plugs
HT leads
Dizzy cap
Rotor arm

I risked the cambelt it came with, but if you have the time I'd recommend you change this too, as others have said.

I'd also recommend you inspect the fuel filler neck and fuel tank for rust - if in doubt replace the neck and flush the tank, before you risk clogging up the fuel system with rust.

Finally, check the spark timing, and the condition of the fuel pump and injectors before you start - my injectors were fine, but the pump was knackered!

Having said all this, VW engines are very strong and built to last - people regularly run them to 200,000 miles without too much trouble, so it should be ok.

HTH

Rich

THank you for your help. ITs just that here in Canada its so hard to come by MK1 , and its got the ugly interior , ugly front end , with square lights , It defenitely needs a new paint job , overall it needs alot of money. I am only buying the car for $600 which is not too bad I think , like i said these cars are very  rare, I hope its worth it .  Thanks again guys I really appreciate your comments



cheers,

nery

600dollers, how much is that in english pounds...anyone?

a few canadians on here mate, mught be useful
Topless Rabbit Forums-VW Cabriolet owners and enthusiasts

hth

sim0n_parker said

600dollers, how much is that in english pounds…anyone?

?285  8O

theres also the vortex: http://forums.vwvortex.com/ which is quite simply massive and has loads of canadians on