[vwabbitman]

A little back story first. My grandpa bought a 82 diesel rabbit pickup brand new in 83 that I got in 2002, and still have. That's where I found my love of VW's but the story on how I got the truck is in its build thread. So here's the back story on this car. Around 2004-2005 I rode a bus to pick up a California registered t red mk2 gti 16v in Oregon. It was stock and I bought it from the original owner who just moved to Oregon from socal to retire and hadn't transferred the title to his new address before he decided to sell it. 7 hour drive home with it I got t boned on the passenger side an hour from home(wasn't my fault, other driver was on his phone). Never even had a chance to do anything but realize how much fun it was to drive(mind you this was my first gas VW). Fast forward to now. I've wanted a Jetta since I signed up on here in 2006. In 2007 I decided on a mk3. Looked for over a year for a t red Jetta 2.0 and finally settled for a 96 Golf that's since been parted and scrapped(previous owner didn't tell me about some frame damage and the trans went blew up at just the wrong time). Then a year ago I rode in a friend's mk2 GLI and realized what I really wanted(i hate working on vr6), a t red mk2 GLI. So the search began and I'm happy to say I now own a mk2. I'll eventually turn this into a build thread. But first maintenance and repairs. Drove 5 hours to San Rafael to pick it up. Now I just gotta make it home, but Chico first.

It needs cat and exhaust manifold installed or egr system hooked up to header and cat installed, idle issue fixed and a few other minor things.

So say hello to Moody Myrtle.

Its low enough already.

There's a cat in there somewhere. (Behind passenger seat)

WHEELS!!!

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[vwabbitman]

Rigged a temp fix on the vacuum leaks that were causing the idle issue and drove 5 hours to Chico. Either late tomorrow or early Wednesday driving the final 6 hours home so I can start fixing the previous owners 'fixes'. I'll make a list later of what all needs to be done but it may seem like a big undertaking but it's just a bunch of little things that cause lots of problems.

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[vwabbitman]

Finally made it home a few hours ago. Had some fun on the way.

Like I said its low.

And both my vws.

DUB BUTTS!!!

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[vwabbitman]

Tuesday night I decide to put the old euro plate from my old golf on her.

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[vwabbitman]

yes I know I'm updating everyday or so but I'm so happy to have a Jetta. I've always liked mk2s anyways.

I waxed the front drivers fender and door Thursday and it came out pretty good. I'm heading out now to give the dirty girl a bath and good waxing. I should wash the mk1 too. She's even dirtier.

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[vwabbitman]

Finished washing and waxing it and decided to start making a list of parts I need to grab at the junk yard. Decided to pull the headlight switch out and found this.

add that to the list of **** to fix... Yes that's a brown/black connected to a white/black with a brown poking out, WTF!?! I just need to get on a2resource and figure out what's what and fix it. I think it has something to do with the headlights coming on in both positions on the switch.






We cant forget this mess of fun either.

I'm just gonna grab a obd2 port out of a mk3 in the junk yard and wire it up. No need for a 2x2 adapter and my vagcom will work, I hope.
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[vwabbitman]

Finally waxed it and wet sanded and polished the trunk lid and fixed the sun roof.

Oh and po said she replaced the distributor but I dont think so.

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[vwabbitman]

Apparently the previous owner tried to Jack up the rear using the tank strap mount that on the spare tire well. I pounded it out and had a tank leak spring up next to the other set of tank straps. Fixed the leak temporarily but I don't trust my fix to last longer then to be able to swap the mk3 tank in. Luckily I have a mk3 tank swap I was planning on putting in eventually. Looks like eventually got alot sooner.

Gotta make a decision on the engine wiring harness. Either pull it and fix it, find a decent one in the junk yard or just swap the aba(block and management) from my old mk3 in. The last one is only and option if I can put the 16v head on it which takes more money then I have right now.

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[eloist]

Great thread!
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[vwabbitman]

My friend calls this a beggers build. Very very limited income so most of the parts going on the car are ones I luckily kept from my mk3. Other then sensors and rubber items I have just about everything I need.

On another not I figured out the clunk in the passenger front fender the po seemed to not be to worried about the strut moves up and down in the bushing. I have a set of early mk3 spring caps and bushings and a set of late mk3 caps and bushings. Just gotta figure out which ones will work. I'm hoping the later since they are the beefier ones.

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[damac2004]

did you find that motel 6 as disgusting as i did on the inside? i was stuck when i visited a couple months ago so went to sleep, but there were also allot of people hanging out, smoking and making noise into the night and in the rooms. i will never go back there

 

[vwabbitman]

It was barely acceptable. All I really cared about was getting the car home and not killing my mom in the process. I drive slightly crazy and she was trying to follow me in that green pos Ford truck in the first few pics.

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[A2jettafreak]

So typical of GLi's ive had so many all of them leak from the O ring on the distributor.


Awesome reminds me of my old ones.

Defenite keeper!

 

[vwabbitman]

So typical of GLi's ive had so many all of them leak from the O ring on the distributor.


Awesome reminds me of my old ones.

Defenite keeper!

Funny thing is the po says she replaced the entire distributor with a brand new one. I'm gonna try replacing that o ring.

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[vwabbitman]

Just a quick update. I'm going out soon to swap the leaky tank out for the mk3 tank. I'll take lots of pics and probably write a diy. Yes I know there is already one but it's lacking in the picture department.

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[vwabbitman]

Well last night I swapped tanks and found out the mk3 pump was not working. Took it out last night and tore it down a little bit. Justst now got my dad to look at it and it apparently was seized up but we think we got it broke free. Gotta test it in a can of gas before it goes back in the car. Let's hope I don't have to dip into my beggers budget to much.

Also camera died halfway through the tank swap. It's pretty self explanatory once you get started but I'll get some pics up later.
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[vwabbitman]

So my dad and I got the pump running again and I put it back in the tank only to not have fuel at the distribution block. I feel really really dumb. I thought the filter was plugged from sitting in my old golf for 5 years with fuel in it. The filter wasn't the issue. Realized that when I popped the hose off on the engine side of the filter and got hosed. Had the lines swapped on the distribution block. Well she runs now. Just need to clean up and go for the obligatory test drive. I'm learning...

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[vwabbitman]

Last night I decided to pull the busted broke drivers door panel. What I found was good bad and ugly. Electric lock actuator, front window channel laying in bottom of door, activ harness missing a few wires and can't forget it looks like the po took tin snips to the door to clear space for the actuator.

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[vwabbitman]

Finally got a game plan.
Before smog I need to remove header and old cat and install stock manifold, down pipe and 'new' cat and reconnect egr and connect a obd2 connector to 2x2 wires. Buy and install full shifter rebuild kit. Then I can smog it.
After smog the plan is timing belt, water pump, replace all sensors and seals including head gasket and replace hacked up engine wire harness with an unhacked harness. Replace missing dash bolts and refresh suspension and brake components with parts from my old mk3. Swap rear subframe and motor mounts for subframe and motor mounts from old mk3.

And after all the maintenance is taken care of I can start on body and interior upgrades like smoked lights and rewrapped interior and 3 point seatbelt swap.

All that while slowly building my aba/16v with the charger I want. Somewhere in that plan is a aba serp swap, mk3 ac swap and tilt and slide power Sun roof. Pretty much my plan is to have everything under the hood be mk3 and ready for the aba/16v to drop in with stock aba management.

Paint wise I'll try and clean up the og paint but I'm thinking of painting the roof black and finding a black hood. There's alot more I'll do but that's what I can think of right now. It's gonna be alot of work and hopefully rather cheap besides the aba/16v which is the most expensive part. Yes I have the knowledge and tools to do all that myself thanks to my dad and vortex. Really the only things I need to buy are shifter rebuild, stock engine wire harness, ac compressor and parts to put 16v head on aba. I have just about everything else.

All that while using it as a daily driver. I guess it's a good thing I'm out of work on temporary disability. Lots of busy weekends otherwise. And if your wondering why I'm fixing the stock motor when I'm planning on putting a aba/16v in the reason is I want to make sure everything else is in order so I'm able to swap motors in a day or two and it may be a year or more until it goes in due to money and I'll be restoring my mk1 at the same time.
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[vwabbitman]

Finally fixed the wire harness hack job under the throttle body adjusted the idle switch and reconnected the intake air temp sensor. She's running better. Now to get it on the lift so I can put stock manifold down pipe and cat in. After that it's shifter rebuild and then smog.

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