Mk1 Cabriolet - Road to rego, please help!

[beausuf]

Hey everyone,


This isn't going to be a fun thread full of super awesome pictures, it's more of a cry for help with a few queries about a Mk1 Cabriolet. It's my brothers car and we're getting it ready for rego, I will post links to reference material as well as pictures to try and help communicate what the issues are, first off here's the car, it's a 93 Mk1 Cabriolet.



One of the main things to be done would be the ride height, particularly the front. I have a full set of factory Mk3 struts/springs from my mk3 (red car pictured) which I was hoping would be able to swap over but the strut tower bearing/rubber is different.

Suspension
Picture 1 - Left hand side is factory Mk3 with the bearing/rubber from the strut mount. Right hand side is the Mk1 strut (looks to be factory? very similar to the mk3 strut) but with what I am assuming is an aftermarket lowered/stiffened spring. It's some kind of German brand. I am aware that in the picture the top mount on the Mk1 strut is upside down, it's been popped there for a quick picture.

In the red 'contact' area, Is there supposed to be some kind of rubber between the top 'cap' of the strut and the strut tower bearing? As it is now, it's a metal on metal connection which seems odd to me but going off the wear marks it seems like it's supposed to be like this?

Question - would I be able to (highlighted in green) undo the two bolts on the strut tower to remove the mk1 rubber/bearing and put it on top of the factory mk3 strut and install the mk3 unit, or, install the mk3 spring on the mk1 strut to bring it back to a factory height.



AC compressor
Next thing is the AC compressor belt, or lack of. Going off these belt diagrams - http://www.cabby-info.com/Files/Belts.pdf - all of the 1984 - 1993 diagrams display the Sanden compressor below the alternator and there being a belt from alternator to compressor however this doesn't make any sense with what I'm seeing on the car itself, it has the Sanden compressor but it's not in the same positioning (it's above the alternator) and the pulleys don't line up with the alternator, see below




The only pulley that it would seem to line up with is down the bottom end of the motor, see below, based on the belt diagrams this would either be the water pump or power steering pump?



Water housing leak
It also seems to have been leaking a little coolant from the water housing at the front of the motor, see below, my mk3 also had this but I found it quite easy to find the replacement part via eBay UK but for this car it doesn't seem as easy. Based on this registry - VW Engine Codes - Club VeeDub - The car should be a '2H' engine type, based on that info, it doesn't seem to be shared by any other model or build era. My question being, if I can't find a replacement water housing is there any other motors that share the same type? My mk3 has a plastic housing and is of a different design.



Center Console
The car also has a Frankenstein center console, I have no idea where the second part has came from or what it's from but it seems to fit the dash at the top but doesn't coincide with the bottom piece or the shifter, when in park it's right up against the console. From a quick googling and ebaying I've found a couple of consoles for sale but they have a 3x guage set up (from a GTI?) and they don't look as though they will extend high enough to meet the bottom of the dash. If any one has any info on this or is wrecking a mk1 that would suit this please let me know!



Missing dash bits
Dash is missing a couple of small dash light covers, to the right of the dash cluster, I don't even know what needs to go here? Can someone please post a picture of theirs as a comparison.




Weird rear brake problem
Car had been sitting for a few months with some advanti 18" rims on it, parked on a slight angle. As the battery was not in the car, it was popped into neutral and pushed to flat ground, where it stands in the picture at the top, to have a look at the suspension and then to put on the 14" steel rims. Put it back into neutral to push it back to it's resting place and it moves about 20-30 cm before the drivers rear drum locks up and the car won't move (forwards or backwards). It will move the 20-30cm in each direction before locking up. You can hear the spring inside the drum just before it stops the car from rolling. Am I retarded? is this something really basic?

Fuel pump / can't won't start
Very low on fuel so my brother did a jerry can run of 10-15L's about 1-2 months ago (I was not present) put the battery in to try and start it and it will turn over but not fire, dash gauge registers as the tank being completely empty. Car has been parked on an angle but surely this shouldn't affect it to that much of a degree. Added another 5-7L of fuel today, with my head under the car near the tank you can hear the fuel going from the filler down into the tank just fine and there are no leaks any where into the tank, battery in, dash gauge registers no fuel and car won't fire. Prior to being sat for about 6 months the car would start/drive completely fine, I wasn't present for this but was told that spraying 'start ya bastard' into the intake would get it to fire and run and then it would choke up not long after, assuming it's not getting fuel.


That's it for now, any help and guidance is much appreciated!


Thanks,
Beau

[karmen]

re fuel & starting is the electr pump there!
and wired up?
and fuse is in the front under dash?
and does it click and hum when connected?

[Lucky13]

Rear brake problem.
Solution is fit the correct length wheel bolts. They're to long you got in there and getting caught on the shoes. Count the turns, the right amount are 5 turns.

[Lucky13]

Dash bits
Those lights are for handbrake warning and I think seat belt

[Lucky13]

Water flange part no, 037121133C. From $28 from the uk.
037121133C | eBay

[roccodingo]

Will be home Mid November and have a load of Mk1 bits. If you have no luck by then get in contact.

Any images you see for aircon are for a LHD car that comes with a factory a/c compressor set up. Aussie delivered cars that were fitted with aircon were made out of one of the contract companies on the east coast and are just pure cheap as junk.

Refer back to first comment if you can't resolve that either.

Fuel pump could be a few issues, cabriolet run a lift pump in the tank then the main pump external. Considering the fuel gauge is not operating you may just have the gauge / pump plug disconnected or damaged somewhere ( check. The earths in particular, brown coloured wires )

Refer back .......... resolve blah.

Console will be a butchered std unit, the aircon clowns hack them poorly to fit the evaporator & fan in

Refer ba..............

Don't loose patience, the stuff is not impossible to fix, you just need a bit of time and some knowledge.

Locking wheel was covered previously by one of the other guys

Your engine code is a JH . Plastic water fitting will need either the late style senders as well or plugs if you use that Flange, look for a good Ali one on clubgti or Vwvortex forums.

Cheers.

[beausuf]

Hey guys,


Thanks for all the replies,

re fuel & starting is the electr pump there!
and wired up?
and fuse is in the front under dash?
and does it click and hum when connected?

Fuse and relay under the dash are fine. Shoved my head under the car where the pump is, the pump itself doesn't make any kind of sound both with they key on and turning the motor over.

Rear brake problem.
Solution is fit the correct length wheel bolts. They're to long you got in there and getting caught on the shoes. Count the turns, the right amount are 5 turns.

I thought they were pretty long when we took them off the car. It originally had rims and spacers. Have swapped them to a set of standard bolts and that's fixed it. Thanks!

Dash bits
Those lights are for handbrake warning and I think seat belt

Thanks, would you happen to have a picture of the dash? Most pictures I can find a big wide angles dispalying the entire interior.

Water flange part no, 037121133C. From $28 from the uk.
037121133C | eBay

Thanks for the link but I don't think it's the right one. I got my mk3 water housing via eBay UK but I haven't been able to find the same one for the Mk1. If I can't find the housing I'm wondering if I can find new seals for it instead. See below for reference picture,

This is the replacement water housing for my Mk3, which is very similar to the ones listed under that part number. Green = hoses in/out and red = sensors/something electrical. So there's a hose connector from the front, left side and bottom right 45 degree angle is the one to the overflow. There's also the two sensor mounts on top of the housing.



In comparison the Mk1 housing Has one hose from the front and left (no 45 degree house for the overflow as it has a separate hose from overflow to radiator) but it has a hose out the bottom of the housing. It then has one sensor mount on the top of the housing, a secondary electircal thingy-ma-jig and then another sensor/electrical on the bottom of the housing. I've tried searching a bunch of different models and year ranges and I can't find a housing like it.

Will be home Mid November and have a load of Mk1 bits. If you have no luck by then get in contact.

Any images you see for aircon are for a LHD car that comes with a factory a/c compressor set up. Aussie delivered cars that were fitted with aircon were made out of one of the contract companies on the east coast and are just pure cheap as junk.

Refer back to first comment if you can't resolve that either.

Fuel pump could be a few issues, cabriolet run a lift pump in the tank then the main pump external. Considering the fuel gauge is not operating you may just have the gauge / pump plug disconnected or damaged somewhere ( check. The earths in particular, brown coloured wires )

Refer back .......... resolve blah.

Console will be a butchered std unit, the aircon clowns hack them poorly to fit the evaporator & fan in

Refer ba..............

Don't loose patience, the stuff is not impossible to fix, you just need a bit of time and some knowledge.

Locking wheel was covered previously by one of the other guys

Your engine code is a JH . Plastic water fitting will need either the late style senders as well or plugs if you use that Flange, look for a good Ali one on clubgti or Vwvortex forums.

Cheers.

RE: Parts - Thanks! I'm leaving the country for 6 months in November so if he still needs things I'm sure my brother or old man will be in contact.

RE: Aircon - Sounds great! Do you have any idea what kind of belt size I would need to put on it? I'm assuming when it's taken to the pits for rego they would pick a missing belt/pulley. In regards to the console, if you have a spare for sale that would be amazing.

RE: Fuel pump - I didn't have much time the other day but did find the 'brown' wire you are referring to, there's that one and another red/yellow wire into the external pump. Seems pretty tricky to get to though, will need to check this out properly when I have more time but from a quick test the pump doesn't make any sounds or humming when the car is switched to 'on' or turning over. There is a 'buzzing' coming from the engine bay after trying to turn the car over?