My Canadian Caddy

[mulberrytdi]

hey guys, so ive decided to dive head first into the mk1 scene. Last week i picked up this 1981 VW Rabbit Pickup LX. it has the n/a diesel, and 5 speed manual trans. The P/O was an older guy who has owned the car since the late 80's, and bought it from the original owner. It is originally a BC car, and im totally in love, everything is stock, nothing has been touched, no hackjob wiring, no ugly body mods, just bare bones mk1 vw goodness. i have a couple pictures, but my camera died midway through the shoot. ill be updating as much as i can, but here she is.




so im dealing with this brake issue, the car got a new master cylinder and vacuum pump in may, then got some work done on the front breaks, since then, the pedal builds no pressure when the car is off, and when the car is on, you pretty much have to floor the brake to slow down. its literally the only thing wrong with the car mechanically. i bled the brakes, farthest from the master to closest (wheel wise), no difference, if any of you guys have input, it would be greatly appreciated.

[canexrabbit]

nice caddy and another in the canada wooooo

[BEATER_BUG]

welcome to the Canadian Caddy Club. Mines an 81 Base model.
If you push the brake pedal hard to the floor does it stop well? Is the pedal hard to push in? this sounds like a brake booster issue more than an air in the system problem.

[mulberrytdi]

well it doesnt really stop well at all, but the pedal does seem pretty hard to push, ive been relying on using the gears to slow down when i do drive it, but its pretty sketchy.

[TyeGTI]

For some reason I thought Cabby's were never sold in Canada. All the ones in the country were imported from the USA. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[benjaminobscene]

congrats on the truck. you could possibly have air stuck in the master cylinder if it wasn't bench bled properly before the install.

[mulberrytdi]

So i got the camera charged up, and took some pictures of the interior. pretty mint i'd say. i got new drums and shoes as my stock ones were past the max diameter, got the master cylinder bled and brakes bled. the shop who did it (i had no time after work to do myself) says the vacuum pump is the culprit. The pedal sometime pressurizes, most of the time it will and then let go, but it feels alot better now. Anyway, onto the pictures.

[tangerine_coupe]

Nice caddy! Red interior looks guuurd!

[canexrabbit]

For some reason I thought Cabby's were never sold in Canada. All the ones in the country were imported from the USA. Correct me if I'm wrong.

i think that ths might be true because mine was imported from the states and all other ones that ivv seen in canada were in miles too

[mulberrytdi]

so i decided to throw on a set of snowflakes i had from my mk2, it really changed the look of the truck for the better. this god damn brake issue is still there, the front calipers drag now, but only some times, its both front brakes, which i think may be the proportioning valve, if these even have them, if you guys got any ideas? i'd look into it but i just havent gotten my damn bentley manual yet. ill throw some pictures of the snowflakes on, went to a local vdub show & shine last weekend.

[canexrabbit]

My truck the front passenger caliper would stick sometimes randomly ,it ended up being the master cylinder , in your case I woiuld thing that's it's the purporting valve if both fronts are sticking. Do they stick or slightly drag?

[mulberrytdi]

both fronts drag, sometime lightly sometimes pretty noticeably. i checked under the hood, im guessing the proportioning valve is the piece lower down on the strut tower, under the master? are these ones adjustable or is it one where if its messed you need a new one?

[c4sp3rs]

Put those crazy winter tires on the rim yet?

[spa]

The proportioning valve limits pressure to the rear brakes, not the front. The fronts are unregulated from the master cylinder.

If the front brakes are dragging, it could be a master cylinder not returning. It could also be pushrod adjustment going into the master from the pedal, if yours is adjustable that is. It could be too tight, and when the brakes heat up, the pedal is keeping a constant pressure. It is supposed to have a little slack.

Also check the check valve in the brake booster line. It could have a leak, or it could be leaking internally, causing a loss of assist.

Nice Caddy btw! It looks like it could be a bit of a handful in the body stage though. Any plans for that?

[mulberrytdi]

Put those crazy winter tires on the rim yet?

tires are still sitting in the basement, havent gotten to em yet hahah

The proportioning valve limits pressure to the rear brakes, not the front. The fronts are unregulated from the master cylinder.

If the front brakes are dragging, it could be a master cylinder not returning. It could also be pushrod adjustment going into the master from the pedal, if yours is adjustable that is. It could be too tight, and when the brakes heat up, the pedal is keeping a constant pressure. It is supposed to have a little slack.

Also check the check valve in the brake booster line. It could have a leak, or it could be leaking internally, causing a loss of assist.

Nice Caddy btw! It looks like it could be a bit of a handful in the body stage though. Any plans for that?

ill look into all that, the car just got a new master, rear shoes and drums, and the whole system pressure bled, but ill check the pushrod and booster line.

as for the body, im gonna drive it as is for now, and eventually redo the whole thing, the rust isnt too too bad, just a couple spots that need attention. my hands are full right now with the gti getting that thing back on the road.

thanks for the tips!

[mulberrytdi]

also, im concerned about my front calipers too, theyve never been touched, and the pistons and their boots seem a little worn. Without the brakes applied it seems like the piston is out, because you can see very shiny metal on the side, like its applied. ill try to get a picture tomorrow if the weather permits, but if the calipers are sh*t would they be letting fluid push the pistons out when they shouldnt be?

[mulberrytdi]

so i went out and took some pictures, first off, the ol' heart of the beast


now, i took a couple pictures of the vac pump. from pictures ive looked at, and research, the pump looks good and all there.


BUT (theres always a but) i took this picture, which from pictures ive seen, there should be a yellowish, off-white ball, where this piece is


im not sure if someone broke it and thought to jimmy rig something, or if certain 1.6d's got this instead of the ball. also, i disconnected the hose at the booster to feel for vacuum, and felt almost a fluttering of vacuum, no constant vac, and didnt know if that was normal, to finish off, i took a picture of my pedals, because of the 3 different levels they're on. since someone brought up maybe the pushrod being too tight, would it bring the pedal down as to depress it? anyway, heres the picture. (notice grip tape, because racecar)


any help or information would be greatly appreciated.

[baja_beetle]

Rebuild kits for your vacuum pump are cheap and easy to install. Can't remember where I bought mine from but so cheap that I bought a couple extras for whenever I need them next.

[Phil0]

[owen__]

x2

[smaky]

I love very much Caddy it was pleasant, I will watch.
How with spare parts all is at you available in shops?

[mulberrytdi]

i guess i could update here, got new drums and shoes for the rear, and got them all good. The vac pump is the problem, ive been looking, but havent gotten many leads. It snowed here now, still rippin the caddy, actually goes good in the snow, and the cab warms up really fast! not much changes on the caddy though, hopefully find a storage area for it soon.

[sikknasty28]

better put it away before it starts to rust!

[baja_beetle]

Here is where I bought my rebuild kits. There are a couple valves that can fail as well but most of the time its a rip in the rubber.
http://www.ecstuning.com/Volkswagen-...cal/ES2137029/

[mulberrytdi]

anybody ever order parts from www.partsplaceinc.com? i stumbled onto the site searching vacuum pumps on google. they seem to have alot of parts for vw's. even have 2 styles of vacuum pumps. im gonna try ordering one, just wondered if anyones been on this site.

[Phil0]

anybody ever order parts from www.partsplaceinc.com? i stumbled onto the site searching vacuum pumps on google. they seem to have alot of parts for vw's. even have 2 styles of vacuum pumps. im gonna try ordering one, just wondered if anyones been on this site.

Yes, two peeps and I have. 4 orders. 3 shipped fast and as advertised. 1 never showed up and took 90+ days for the refund. 75% with a standard curve = Good. I just think they dropped the ball on it with some employee turnover. I've used worse sites to get the odd part.

In Summary, always start with http://www.mk1autohaus.com/, if Ben has your part he always ships fast and he's on Vortex. Otherwise, partsplace is good.

Moogie got real original carpet!

Camel: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-Vw-Rabbi...item337c95f362

Red: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-Vw-Rabbi...item337c95efc0

[mulberrytdi]

so guys, i just picked up a vac pump from an 84 jetta td. its definitely a different type, and looking at the two, im not quite sure if this is gonna swap over. heres some pics.
new one


one in there now


the first thing i see, is that the one i have has 2 hoses, one going to it, and one going to the booster, and the one i picked up only has the one going to the booster. The second, although i cant see it, is the gear at the bottom, i read some are different, i dont know if it will swap right in? what would i do with that smaller hose going to the block?

Also, the pump in there now was rebuild about 50,000 km ago, is that enough km that the diaphragm got a hole in it and is causing me bad brakes? Im not sure what interval these get rebuilt, or get holes in them. thanks.

Any experience with this guys? i wanna know if it wont work before i start tearin stuff apart. Thanks

[mulberrytdi]

also, im looking through my pictures, i find this.


my mind tells me that the arrow should point the direction of where the hose goes? towards the booster not the pump? could this be the root of a problem? i dont know if its been touched before, not by me though. thanks again

[ArsenicPants]

The new vacuum pump you have is the updated style, it swaps in as a direct replacement
The older pumps have a habit of breaking, as the diaphragm inside gets brittle and splits. You can buy kits to repair them, but the updated vacuum pumps don't need servicing at all, so it's a worthwhile upgrade
The arrow on the vacuum line should point toward the pump, not the booster
You're most likely having problems with vacuum because the old pump needs to be rebuilt with a new diaphragm
The little yellow thing you mentioned about missing is a check valve, and yes there should be one somewhere inline before the booster. It keeps pressure from bein lost when the pump slows down or stops

Also yeah, caddies were never sold in Canada
Unless some dealership brought it up special back in the day. It's most likely a Washington car
Still, looks great, I like the progress!

[volks trippin']

woooo Canada!

nice truck! gotta love the diesel.

just like Arsenic (Ben? sorry I'm bad for forgetting names ) said the pump should swap over no problem. they look different but the gear mesh with the intermediate shaft is the same. same shaft as a gasser I believe .

good luck & cheers

[mulberrytdi]

k thanks guys, so with the replacement, what happens with that other hose, from the pump to the block, does it just remain there not hooked up to anything? this new pump doesnt have somewhere for that hose to connect.

[ArsenicPants]

That hose is just a crankcase vent. You can leave it open and vapors will just drift out into the open air, plug it up and rely purely on the vent in the valve cover to properly vent the engine, or you can connect it either up to the existing PCV on the valve cover (which recirculates back to the intake), or to an aftermarket catch can

I would connect it to the PCV

[mulberrytdi]

thanks!

[Phil0]

That hose is just a crankcase vent. You can leave it open and vapors will just drift out into the open air, plug it up and rely purely on the vent in the valve cover to properly vent the engine, or you can connect it either up to the existing PCV on the valve cover (which recirculates back to the intake), or to an aftermarket catch can

I would connect it to the PCV

Sorry for the lack of knowledge, but how difficult is it to get the exact replacement part? Won't we go to our local salvage yards Monday and try to find him one? Or can he post in the parts classifies?

[stewardc]

It's really nice to see another Cannuck Caddy on here. Our winters were a real threat to longevity, especially here in the salty east. The truck looks like a great find. I especially like the wood dash. Keep up the good work and enjoy it.