Subliminal
Chief Petty Officer
- Joined
- Oct 21, 2009
- Messages
- 555
Hey guys,
I just have to vent, and really don't know where else to do it, so here goes...
My wife wanted a convertible a while back, and really liked the old school VWs. So, I looked around and found a 91 Cabriolet. Basically, they've been the same forever, with the exception of fuel injection, it's pretty old school.
So, when I bought this thing, it ran, but not much better than a pile of turds.
I replaced a bunch of sensors and finally solved the problem with the catalytic converter. Ran like a top.
Initial purchase $1600. Money in sensors, cat, and tires: $500.
So, we're at $2100 for a car that runs like a top, looks really good (for a VW Cabriolet) and fulfills both of our needs for a convertible: It's 'cute (guess who had that need...here's a hint: It was me. ), it runs good, and it has a back seat and a trunk.
Anyway, one of the first things I changed was the thermostat.
In my mind, in retrospect, that was strike 1.
Reverse cooling and yadda yadda...I had to take off a bunch of bracing pieces for the water pump, down underneath the engine, to get the thermostat out.
This was a first for me...usually, thermostats are as hard to find as...well, they're on top of the engine easy to get to at any rate.
Incidentally, another thing I did while initially going through the car was to 'delete' the heater core. It leaked and is a real PITA to get out. You have to either pretty much disassemble the entire dash or cut a hole in the side of the center console.
On top of that, the switch unit in the dash for all the climate control were broken because the kid i bought it from broke them while installing a stereo...they aren't vertical like a *normal* car, they're horizontal on a board behind the switches. DURP!
But no, that's not even Strike 2...that's just an addendum.
The AC obviously didn't work either...so I decided to delete it too.
This is when I learned about the belts...there's 3 of them. And get this: The alternator is turned by a belt that runs off the AC compressor which in turn has a dedicated belt that runs to the crank. D-D-D-D-D-U-R-P! This is Strike 2, and almost worthy, in my eyes, of a strike 3 just added in. Of course my ac doesn't work, and the pulley squeeks, but can I easily remove the AC? NO! The alternator runs off the AC! AAARRRGHHHH!!!!
So, anyway, the car runs and drives great for a few years...I just leave the AC compressor in and move on...and then my truck breaks down and our 'once in a while' convertible turns into my daily driver.
I jacked it up and looked around underneath, just to be on the safe side. Wouldn't you know that one of the cv boots was totally rotted through, and it was obvious that it was throwing lube.
So, I decided to order a new one, when I saw Rock Auto had a closeout on them and a new axle was $50.
Now, I've changed many a FWD axle, but this one was a pain in the butt. Why? Because instead of a spline that shoves into the tranny, it was bolted to a plate on the side of the tranny. Now, maybe a midget could get in there nicey-nice, but for me, pain in the butt. There are 6 bolts with 12 point hexish but not really torque heads on these bolts. Needless to say one stripped on me (because I didn't have the fancy from-Germany tool and just used a hex head bit) and it took me literally hours to get the last of the 6 out. Strike 3 you crazy friggin' Germans.
And you know what they say:
Strike 1...shame on you, but strike 3...shame on me.
I just have to vent, and really don't know where else to do it, so here goes...
My wife wanted a convertible a while back, and really liked the old school VWs. So, I looked around and found a 91 Cabriolet. Basically, they've been the same forever, with the exception of fuel injection, it's pretty old school.
So, when I bought this thing, it ran, but not much better than a pile of turds.
I replaced a bunch of sensors and finally solved the problem with the catalytic converter. Ran like a top.
Initial purchase $1600. Money in sensors, cat, and tires: $500.
So, we're at $2100 for a car that runs like a top, looks really good (for a VW Cabriolet) and fulfills both of our needs for a convertible: It's 'cute (guess who had that need...here's a hint: It was me. ), it runs good, and it has a back seat and a trunk.
Anyway, one of the first things I changed was the thermostat.
In my mind, in retrospect, that was strike 1.
Reverse cooling and yadda yadda...I had to take off a bunch of bracing pieces for the water pump, down underneath the engine, to get the thermostat out.
This was a first for me...usually, thermostats are as hard to find as...well, they're on top of the engine easy to get to at any rate.
Incidentally, another thing I did while initially going through the car was to 'delete' the heater core. It leaked and is a real PITA to get out. You have to either pretty much disassemble the entire dash or cut a hole in the side of the center console.
On top of that, the switch unit in the dash for all the climate control were broken because the kid i bought it from broke them while installing a stereo...they aren't vertical like a *normal* car, they're horizontal on a board behind the switches. DURP!
But no, that's not even Strike 2...that's just an addendum.
The AC obviously didn't work either...so I decided to delete it too.
This is when I learned about the belts...there's 3 of them. And get this: The alternator is turned by a belt that runs off the AC compressor which in turn has a dedicated belt that runs to the crank. D-D-D-D-D-U-R-P! This is Strike 2, and almost worthy, in my eyes, of a strike 3 just added in. Of course my ac doesn't work, and the pulley squeeks, but can I easily remove the AC? NO! The alternator runs off the AC! AAARRRGHHHH!!!!
So, anyway, the car runs and drives great for a few years...I just leave the AC compressor in and move on...and then my truck breaks down and our 'once in a while' convertible turns into my daily driver.
I jacked it up and looked around underneath, just to be on the safe side. Wouldn't you know that one of the cv boots was totally rotted through, and it was obvious that it was throwing lube.
So, I decided to order a new one, when I saw Rock Auto had a closeout on them and a new axle was $50.
Now, I've changed many a FWD axle, but this one was a pain in the butt. Why? Because instead of a spline that shoves into the tranny, it was bolted to a plate on the side of the tranny. Now, maybe a midget could get in there nicey-nice, but for me, pain in the butt. There are 6 bolts with 12 point hexish but not really torque heads on these bolts. Needless to say one stripped on me (because I didn't have the fancy from-Germany tool and just used a hex head bit) and it took me literally hours to get the last of the 6 out. Strike 3 you crazy friggin' Germans.
And you know what they say:
Strike 1...shame on you, but strike 3...shame on me.
