Troubleshooting a possible new addition.

[lilred86]

I just bought my daughter a 1994 bronco for her first car and the little brat wasn't happy about getting 13mpg so I figured this may be a good opportunity to turn a cute little redneck girl into a vw fan. Lo and behold I happen to come across this physically beat up (except the cloth) Etienne Aigner in midnight blue buried in someones yard, and it's an auto so she can actually drive it. I'm just looking for advice on a few things:

1: The oil idiot light blinks at idle but shuts off when you give it some gas. This could just be the connections needing a good cleaning or the car needing a tune up as it sat for over a year, but I thought I'd ask in case any of you digi people out there know anything I don't. It does idle smooth and quiet and there is no hesitation or sputtering when you open the throttle a little bit.

2: There is light damage on the front passengers side that would require some work. Getting a grille and fender is no problem; a slight ripple on the frame horn is a big concern to me though. I didn't notice any inconsistencies in the lines so I think the frame is still straight. Any info here would be great as I know nothing of body work and don't want to stockpile junk cars.

3: VW automatic transmission? I've never heard good things about these, but I know these older vws are generally bulletproof compared to the newer ones. It did kick into gear quickly out of park but I haven't driven it yet as all 4 tires are junk. I'm going back tomorrow for a closer look and to slap some tires on it and take it for a spin around his yard. This is my biggest concern, as I can throw a new top and the body work at it reasonably cheap. What should I know/look for here? I don't think he'll let me take it on the road as it's not legal.

4: He openly admitted to hacking the holy hell out of the distributor cap and wires. This is pretty much a no-brainer but I thought you guys and gals would know what other hack jobs could be lurking in that engine compartment.

[s2kvondeutschland]

The only one I have experience with is the oil light. Change the oil to 20w-50/10w-40 and you'll be golden.

If you could snap shots of the engine bay I'm sure we could point out any irregularities.

[lilred86]

[CajunSpike]

Yes use a thicker oil to fix the blink light, or perhaps put a new sensor on it.

The auto trannies aren't as bad as later models. One of my cars is auto. Worst thing it does it the 2/3 upshift when its hot..is delayed. They actually seem to be pretty reliable.

The engine compartment looks pretty standard. Can't see anything out of place.

Personally I put new parts on a car like this, just to cover my bases.
Alternator/starter/water pump/timing belt/radiator/brakes all would be replaced because they are critical parts you don't want to take a chance with.

That damage doesn't look too bad. The fender took most of it.
There is a lot of space in the front covered by the sheet metal. It can take quite a hit and not actually do any damage that affects the integrity of the car....like this.

Before


After

[lilred86]

I took it for a spin today. I was surprised at how well the transmission shifted. With that out of the way my biggest concern is the hanging bumper, and a very slight wrinkle on the frame horn. The engine is fine, it started up first thing like it never sat at all. The oil light didn't go on at all today so it was probably just cobwebs. I came to an agreement with the guy to buy it for $450. A good tune up will get this thing purring in no time. Hopefully my baby and I can get the metalwork done ourselves because I'm not looking to drop thousands into her first car just yet.

[lilred86]

Yes use a thicker oil to fix the blink light, or perhaps put a new sensor on it.

The auto trannies aren't as bad as later models. One of my cars is auto. Worst thing it does it the 2/3 upshift when its hot..is delayed. They actually seem to be pretty reliable.

The engine compartment looks pretty standard. Can't see anything out of place.

Personally I put new parts on a car like this, just to cover my bases.
Alternator/starter/water pump/timing belt/radiator/brakes all would be replaced because they are critical parts you don't want to take a chance with.

That damage doesn't look too bad. The fender took most of it.
There is a lot of space in the front covered by the sheet metal. It can take quite a hit and not actually do any damage that affects the integrity of the car....like this.

Before


After

Awesome... that's good to see because you're right: that damage looks much deeper. It looks like they completely missed your bumper though. I could see some complications there but for the price it's worth it. It even has all the super rare trim pieces.

[czastrow]

I took it for a spin today. I was surprised at how well the transmission shifted. With that out of the way my biggest concern is the hanging bumper, and a very slight wrinkle on the frame horn. The engine is fine, it started up first thing like it never sat at all. The oil light didn't go on at all today so it was probably just cobwebs. I came to an agreement with the guy to buy it for $450. A good tune up will get this thing purring in no time. Hopefully my baby and I can get the metalwork done ourselves because I'm not looking to drop thousands into her first car just yet.

thats a great deal for a blue EA even if it needs work. I'd do it in a heartbeat.

[lilred86]

thats a great deal for a blue EA even if it needs work. I'd do it in a heartbeat.

Tell me about it. I could have probably gotten it lower but I felt so guilty that I actually told him what he was sitting on and decided not to haggle.

[tinker6468]

Nice find, glad you got a fair deal and are planning to bring it back to life. I am working on a Nugget Yellow '90 for my daughter now. You can check out my progress in my signature. Keep us posted

[lilred86]

Nice find, glad you got a fair deal and are planning to bring it back to life. I am working on a Nugget Yellow '90 for my daughter now. You can check out my progress in my signature. Keep us posted

This is going to sound like I'm a caveman but how do you all post links with other words like in your sig? I've been reading the "tonya harding" build as you update it btw. Nice work!

[s2kvondeutschland]

This is going to sound like I'm a caveman but how do you all post links with other words like in your sig? I've been reading the "tonya harding" build as you update it btw. Nice work!

Like this: [ U R L ="http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?5505259-FS-FT-Parting-out-mk3-GTI-Edition-in-Illesheim-Mk1-DX-1.8-with-CIS-basic"]My mk3 for sale thread[ / U R L ]

If you delete the spaces around URL to make the beginning [URL and the end /URL], you get this: Like this: My mk3 for sale thread

The forums do it for you as well. Click the globe in the toolbar, paste or type your link and then hit enter. It will then highlight some text. Change this to whatever you want, and hey presto!

[lilred86]

[QUOTE=s2kvondeutschland;75169635]Like this: [ U R L ="http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?5505259-FS-FT-Parting-out-mk3-GTI-Edition-in-Illesheim-Mk1-DX-1.8-with-CIS-basic"]My mk3 for sale thread[ / U R L ]

If you delete the spaces around URL to make the beginning [URL and the end /URL], you get this: Like this: My mk3 for sale thread

The forums do it for you as well. Click the globe in the toolbar, paste or type your link and then hit enter. It will then highlight some text. Change this to whatever you want, and hey presto!

My baby's 1991 midnight blue EA build thread wow.. freaking awesome. I love learning new things. Thanks S2K!

[s2kvondeutschland]

No problem!

[tinker6468]

Now you can go in to the "My Settings" and add your build line to your signature. I often will click on these links as I am ready, searching around for something or sometime just for no reason.

[lilred86]

Well, I slapped my spare set of steels on it and drove it home today and luckily enough it was uneventful (except for having to drive with the top down in the cold). I was afraid the ratty old duct taped top was going to blow off. From what I can tell the first step is going to be to get a new battery in it and throw a top on. From there it looks like the usual suspects: cleaning the grounds, full tune up, vacuum rebuild... I started that today and couldn't figure out how to get the lines that are crimped onto the throttle body off without breaking something. I'm working 7 days right now so the top will keep me busy for a week or so anyway.


...and to do a good cleaning of the interior because it is nasty and moldy in there!

[CajunSpike]

Welcome to the Etienne club!

[lilred86]

Welcome to the Etienne club!

Like the king said: Thank you. Thank you very much. I just hope she likes it as much as I like mine.