Full Version: NPC..Any 1986 VW Cabriolet owners
Going to look at a 1986 VW cabriolet.. Anything to look for. Trouble spots,etc. The car has 116,000 on the clock. Thanks in advance.
Front strut towers and floors at seams love to rust on the rabbits.
It will need a fuel pump relay. Even if you think it is OK, even if the owner says it is OK. Unless there is a receipt that shows it was replaced within 12 months, replace the relay. Same with the fuel filter. Replace it or risk burning up a VERY expensive fuel pump.
Check the idle quality on the engine- the mechanical fuel injection is really sensitive to vacuum leaks.
Look on the side of the head to see if it is a H head or not. Hydraulic cam followers will never need adjusted, solid followers need done quite often and they require shims.
Shift linkage on MT cars is a real prone-to-wear area.
Floor boards rust out.
Check for signs of the windshield leaking, pull a couple relays off the fuse panel to see how the connections look- the fuse panel is a problem area and I have had to replace it on 3 out of my 4 Rabbits.
Check the front frame rails for signs of damage, the battery will leak acid onto the frame rail and damage it (never heard of that before...) or they might show damage from an accident.
Check operation of all the lights. VW used a lot of common ground points that were screwed to the body, lots of connection issues present themselves.
Check the operation of the cooling fan. Just start the thing up and idle it for about 10 minutes. The cooling fan should cycle on and off. If not, then it most likely needs a temperature switch- copper thing on the side of the radiator right by the battery. Very common problem and the less mechanically-inclined run a toggle switch to it. Switch is only about $16.
Check the alternator belt for trueness- there are 4 different alternators and it is common that the wrong one is installed and the belt won't quite line up. Tends to throw itself off if run like that for too long.
Intermittent wiper operation is common to be iffy. All the way down is intermittent, up one is off, up 2 is low, up all the way is high.
Heater blower switch is a common issue, mostly caused by the blower motor bearings failing and overheating the switch. Check operation of the fan and listen for funny squeaking. Maybe even pull the plastic piece off from over the fan and look for leaves and crap.
Heater control valves leak coolant.
Heater cores are a pain to change.
Keep in mind that this thing is a 25 year old cheap car made to last 10 years at most...
Check the idle quality on the engine- the mechanical fuel injection is really sensitive to vacuum leaks.
Look on the side of the head to see if it is a H head or not. Hydraulic cam followers will never need adjusted, solid followers need done quite often and they require shims.
Shift linkage on MT cars is a real prone-to-wear area.
Floor boards rust out.
Check for signs of the windshield leaking, pull a couple relays off the fuse panel to see how the connections look- the fuse panel is a problem area and I have had to replace it on 3 out of my 4 Rabbits.
Check the front frame rails for signs of damage, the battery will leak acid onto the frame rail and damage it (never heard of that before...) or they might show damage from an accident.
Check operation of all the lights. VW used a lot of common ground points that were screwed to the body, lots of connection issues present themselves.
Check the operation of the cooling fan. Just start the thing up and idle it for about 10 minutes. The cooling fan should cycle on and off. If not, then it most likely needs a temperature switch- copper thing on the side of the radiator right by the battery. Very common problem and the less mechanically-inclined run a toggle switch to it. Switch is only about $16.
Check the alternator belt for trueness- there are 4 different alternators and it is common that the wrong one is installed and the belt won't quite line up. Tends to throw itself off if run like that for too long.
Intermittent wiper operation is common to be iffy. All the way down is intermittent, up one is off, up 2 is low, up all the way is high.
Heater blower switch is a common issue, mostly caused by the blower motor bearings failing and overheating the switch. Check operation of the fan and listen for funny squeaking. Maybe even pull the plastic piece off from over the fan and look for leaves and crap.
Heater control valves leak coolant.
Heater cores are a pain to change.
Keep in mind that this thing is a 25 year old cheap car made to last 10 years at most...
Look at the filler for rust - The pipe up under the wheelarch, get your hand up there.. Mine rusted out and filled the tank with rust and mud :evil:
Thanks guys! I knew I would hear what I needed to hear! 
70-914 gave you a great rundown! We had an '89 here for several years that was my sister in-law's former car, and it definitely had gremlins in the heat & A/C systems and idle circuit. 2nd gear synchros were also shot with ~115K miles on the odo. It seemed like a decently made car overall and was fun to drive compared to your typical Japanese econobox, but was so 'used' that it was not worth dumping any time or money into it and we eventually gave it to a friend who was in a jam and needed transportation.
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