Between 1987 and 1992 I was the proud owner of a 1980 VW Rabbit "C" diesel.
This was the last year for the original 1.5L engine (which I understand was derived from the 1.6L gas block of the mid 70's. The only VW diesel so built).
That was a fun little car. Best gas milage I ever got with it was 58+ mpg. I had just rebuilt the engine and was breaking it in.
People used to ask me why it was yellow, and I would tell them becuase it doubled as a taxi in the winter time
This comment stemming from all my "hot rod" buddies being stranded the first time the temp went below 60 degrees or a the first touch of frost hit the ground, and
I was the one they always called to haul them around.
One problem with that engine waas the cylinder head, in particular, the valves.
The engine was a SOHC unit that had the cam working directly against the valves (i.e., no rocker arms).
There were little "spacer" discs that would be installed on top of a cup that that's how you set the valve clearance.
Because the valve springs have to be a bit stronger on diesel engines, this means the valve pushes harder against the cam.
With the rotation always pushing against the valve, eventually the guides wear away and this would cause the valve not to seat properly, thus the cylinder doesn't seal and the engine wouldn't start.
For a while I used to run around with a can of ether in the back, just so I could get started.
According to most owners, this generally happened around the 140K mark, as it did with mine.
A simple head job fixes the problem, but I thought that was a lot of milage back then (hey I was young, what did I know?!), so I ended up doing an in-frame...thus the 58 + mpg tank I got while I was breaking the engine in.
Is this still a problem with VW diesel engines?
Also, are the head gaskets still "notched"? My engine used a 5 notch head gasket.
BTW, my brother is the current owner of my late father's old 1981 VW Rabbit p/u diesel.
I just did an oil change on it the other day.
That was the first year for the longer stroke 1.6L engine. Man, did that bring back some memories.
Elvis