1981 volkswagen rabbit pickup

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Another thing to do on any vehicle that has been sitting that long is to make sure the air cleaner is clear of mouse nests, etc. If you can get clean fuel to the injectors, the engine is turning over, and the engine is getting air chances are it will start. Make sure the exhaust pipe is pointed away from your house and anything else you value as a diesel that hasn't been run in awhile will often spew black smoke and nasty black goop out the exhaust when it first cranks up.
 
NOT recommended by the book, but try a shot or two of starting fluid to get things going. If the fuel supply
is good, she'll keep running
 
I'm gonna go on record here to say DO NOT USE STARTING FLUID IN A DIESEL.

Wanna see what happens if you've got one good glowplug that gets a whiff of ether? Be my guest. But please don't ruin a cool old Caddy diesel with it.

If it won't start, remember you only need three things to start a diesel: compression, fuel & injection timing. Each of those should be fairly simple to check. Check the cold start handle on the side of the pump to see if it moves freely.
 
Originally Posted By: scurvy
I'm gonna go on record here to say DO NOT USE STARTING FLUID IN A DIESEL.

Wanna see what happens if you've got one good glowplug that gets a whiff of ether? Be my guest.


Starting fluid is hard on ANY engine, but its not going to blow up if it hits a working glow-plug. If it did, all the stubborn glow-plug tractor engines that hundreds of farmers have used starting fluid on would have turned to shrapnel years ago.
 
Originally Posted By: finalyzd
So I recently received this truck for free and would like to bring it back to life. Its a turbo diesel..


Cool little trucks, but I thought these were all NA diesels?

Joel
 
I DID say NOT recommended by the book, but starting fluid a common thing to do with recalcitrant diesels.
Of course, don't go nuts with it.
 
Originally Posted By: scurvy
I'm gonna go on record here to say DO NOT USE STARTING FLUID IN A DIESEL.

Wanna see what happens if you've got one good glowplug that gets a whiff of ether?

Right around 1981, I worked next to a place that had a fleet of highway tractors, and I got to watch them try and start those beasts every morning: one guy would spray ether into the intake stack, while another guy would crank the engine. It took some time, but eventually the engines would come to shaky, clattery, smoky life. There was a reason why those rigs didn't get shut down until the shift was over. Diesel technology is much better, these days...
 
I used to own a Rabbit diesel and despite its reputation mine never failed to start on its own, even in below-zero weather. Run the glow plugs for a minute or so and it would fire right up. I don't recall ever using starting fluid. Cheapest car I ever owned. Bought it for $200 with a broken odometer that read north of 150,000 miles, drove it for two years commuting 120 miles per day getting 50+ mpg, then sold it back to the guy I bought it from for the same price $200. No maintenance other than an occasional oil change at a cheapy lube.
 
If you're going to use some sort of starting fluid (still NOT RECOMMENDED!) either try WD40 or hold a gasoline-soaked rag over the intake. Both can help a recalcitrant older diesel start in cold weather and have detonations that are orders of magnitude less harsh than ether. Many folks that have used starting fluid now have 'ether babies' that won't start any other way.

Or better yet, aim a heat gun into the intake - no chemicals necessary!

Making sure the glow plug bus bar is getting voltage and the resistance of each GP would be an excellent place to start. FWIW, when my wife's diesel Beetle burned out a glow plug it was painfully obvious which one was bad when I put the Fluke on them... 0.7 ohms, 0.9 ohms, 27 megaohms, 0.8 ohms. One of those things is not like the other! Use a dab of nickel-based anti seize when re-installing them so you'll always be able to get them back out.

TDIClub might be a good place to start if you want more advice for getting an old Caddy running.
 
Originally Posted By: scurvy

Or better yet, aim a heat gun into the intake - no chemicals necessary!


+1
 
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