BARN FIND MK2 1986 VW Jetta Turbo Diesel

We have reached the level of cars finding us now. A guy we have never met just stopped by and asked us to buy his MK2 Jetta Turbo Diesel. The price was too good to pass. What we didn't know at the time was the value of all the parts he had stashed in the car, including 6 (SIX) totally RAD Pirelli P-Slot wheels!

[@KStewart-th4sk]

I had a 1991 VW Jetta TD which had 698,714 KM on it when some sack ran a red light at probably over 100Km/Hr. totaling it. The car was still running great until that happened----all original except for tires, struts and brake jobs. I had bought it new, drove it daily to work. About a 220KM daily round trip Mon.-Fri. VW manual recommended 8000KM oil changes which i did myself and even with all those miles on it the oil barely dropped. By the time 8K came close, i could add MAYBE half a liter to bring it to the full mark. First VW i ever bought because of the commute---used to be 3 of us, then 2, then just me so i bought the diesel and never regretted it. Bought a used 1986 Jetta TD after that with 210K on it for the commute until i quit the job. Currently over 750K on it, but badly rusted now with low oil pressure, so i only drive it around town---cheaper to run than my truck.

[@tr3wrench]

Sorry you lost one like that. I love these simple little cars. Thanks for watching.

[@C174A]

Would love to see more in this car! Owned many mk2 Jetta’s in my time and the diesels never ever gave me any issues.

[@tr3wrench]

Will do. Part 2 has us taking apart the turbo to rebuild. There is still a ton of oil in the exhaust even without the turbo on. Need to clean it out and run it to see if this engine needs a rebuild. Thanks for watching!

[@crispybacon420]

They're bulletproof. My dad had one when we were kids and when he finally got rid of it it had about 540,000km on it.

[@edgar.montes10]

I have a similar jetta, and it works perfectly, go see my videos on KZbin

[@jantrammelant]

@@tr3wrench if it starts when it is below -10 centigrade. No need to rebuild,if it ain’t broken don,t fix it

[@tr3wrench]

@@jantrammelant was passing raw oil through the exhaust. A bit of top end work and she is good to run!

[@KeystrokeCowboy]

honestly, how many jetta barn finds could there possibly be. It has to be close to negative.

[@tr3wrench]

this whole shop experience has convinced me reality is a simulation that has gone off the rails.

[@golfdriverengel801]

hello, greetings from germany it's a great channel it makes me proud to see a german volkswagen in the usa

[@tr3wrench]

Thanks for watching! MK2 Jettas were EVERYWHERE here in the states back in the 80's and 90's. Hard to find a gasser these days but lots of diesels still going.

[@golfdriverengel801]

@@tr3wrench in Germany, more petrol cars drive around, mostly with the engines 1.3 nz 55 hp, 1.6 pn 69 hp or 1.8 90 hp. did you know that the last letter in the chassis number before the numbers start indicates the place of manufacture? if there is a w there it was built in wolfsburg

[@tr3wrench]

W749825 MF code turbo diesel engine

[@golfdriverengel801]

@@tr3wrench yes it was built by us in wolfsburg

[@KStewart-th4sk]

@@golfdriverengel801 I believe all the Jetta's came from Germany for the North American market until about 1992 maybe? Didn't VW build a plant in Mexico after that?

[@Ataraxia27]

Awesome Video! This weekend I'm pulling my 86 Jetta out of storage. She has been on jack stands since 2001. Will be nice to bring home my 4 wheeled German girlfriend, back from my youth. Hope she don't mind that i'm married with kids.

[@tr3wrench]

Hey thanks for watching. Best of luck with yours. If it is a gasser, go completely through that fuel system before you run it.

[@edgar.montes10]

$$$$$$$$$

[@Redgolf2]

Only clicked on this as I’m about to buy another barnfind one this evening! 🤣

[@tr3wrench]

Awesome. Post some video!

[@Redgolf2]

@@tr3wrench will do, just waiting to collect it, €1,400 of beauty 😉

[@george8718]

Love this one those Perelli wheels-are incredible🦆🦆🦆🦆

[@tr3wrench]

Thanks! the wheels were certainly a nice surprise.

[@watershed44]

@@tr3wrench Those were actually standard on the MK I Golf GTI "final edition" from 1983 in Europe and today they are worth a LOT of money, hope they find a good home.

[@adape0884frank]

I remember that there was one of these parked down the street @ an old man's house. I remember it sat underneath his porch. I remember that I tried to buy his car but and for nothing in world he would sale it.

[@tr3wrench]

almost exactly how we found this one. They guy had replaced it with a 2006 white Jetta TDI.

[@jantrammelant]

This Volkswagens will never die. The only enemy is rust.

[@tr3wrench]

I hate rust

[@jantrammelant]

@@PORSCHE_COUNTRY. here in the netherlands we put a lot of salt on the road when it starts snowing or freezing. And for the rest of the year we have a lot of rain. So our cars are rusting away.

[@Redgolf2]

Hydro locking happens with motorcycles too if they fall over 🙈

[@amigi5001]

My first car (in Germany) was a 86 New York Jetta 2 that a friend crashed 😢 Since then I am searching for replacement for 23 years…

[@tr3wrench]

They are out there, mostly diesels left but some pretty cool swaps exist.

[@chrisroop]

What was the reason for cracking the injectors? Im about to pick one up next week. Just curious

[@tr3wrench]

If there is any air between the pump and the injectors, it is almost impossible for the pump to overcome. In this case, there was still fuel in therr and it came right out. If you change the pump, you definitely have to do this to get a prime.

[@YouTube_KydenScout546]

Man I would love to have the gauge cluster off of that to put in mine

[@tr3wrench]

If it is just the tach you are after, you can replace the clock with a tach from a diesel cluster.

[@galileofig]

These issues don't impress me. I bought my first car in 1992, a 1985 Jetta for $5000 (looks exactly like in the video), after 5 years I sold it for scrap because: A serious break fluid leak I had to pay $5000 to fix, the clutch was incredibly hard to press, driver window wouldn't roll all the way up, passenger door handle wouldn't work, rust underneath caused all carpet to get wet for days after a rain then cockroaches nested somewhere because of the water, gasoline leak next to the tank, steering wheel incredibly hard to turn, a piece of plastic part of the manual transmission broke causing to miss-shift breaking the gear box and transmission had to be rebuilt. There were more issues but those are the ones I remember. I never bought a German car again.

[@tr3wrench]

They certainly had their issues but remember these things only cost about 8K brand new! Pretty good basic transportation. Thanks for watching!

[@watershed44]

@gailileofig So you bought a USED car that someone didn't take care of and you're blaming the car? LOL Someone else abused it, and didn't maintain it and your bought their problem. Hopefully you'll learn from your ignorance.

[@MDC2020]

Ok heres my question are these MkII Diesel Jettas worth saving?

[@tr3wrench]

Not financially, but I have a soft spot for them so….

[@craig9843]

@@tr3wrench wish vw still made them that way. diesels were my favorites. I still own a 1996 Passat TDI.

[@watershed44]

@@craig9843 Bingo, The MK I , MK II, and MK III were true VW platform vehicles after that they were using an Audi designed platform for all Golf and Jetta models. The first two iterations were extremely simple cars, very durable, and very easy to repair and maintain, the third one was just a bit more complex, but still durable and easy to repair and maintain. I have an MK III, Golf GL with a manual and it is still a very fun car to drive, gets decent MPGs, and has been very durable, with the reliability being excellent. The MK IV wasn't too bad a car either, but anything after that are too complex, not very reliable, and expensive to repair and maintain.

[@craig9843]

@@watershed44 it’s so hard for me to think of anything out there these days that I would want to buy. Now I have a 2019 Toyota RAV4 which so far has been reliable.

[@watershed44]

@@craig9843 People laugh at me but cars made after the late 1990s in general have no soul, no character, and don't give you that connected to the road feeling that many cars from the 1990s and especially earlier give you. I had a 1984 Rabbit GTI I bought brand new that was an absolute joy to drive, and was reliable, cheap and easy to repair and maintain, and unfortunately someone stole it back in 1995! I never recovered it and would have never parted with it otherwise, I hope the old girl is still somewhere out on the road today. I truly did LOVE that car.

[@SpikeArrowood]

❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@tr3wrench]

Planning Part 3 now. Gotta get the TR3 chassis out of the shop ASAP!

[@nevincaulfield]

My parents car growing up. Exact... could possibly be the actual car

[@tr3wrench]

From Annapolis? This one was from the original owner. Wayne. Can’t remember his last name.

[@AJKILLA121]

Can I buy one P-slot wheel off you?! I have 3 on my 87 coupe

[@tr3wrench]

Absolutely. Are you local to DC area? Could meet at the shop or we can ship

[@azizabouljir1657]

Good jip

[@tr3wrench]

Still on the road here in Annapolis

[@spinner4life2]

I'd put my money on a failed turbo

[@tr3wrench]

Ended up bring valve seals! We rebuilt the turbo too. Car runs like a top now. Thanks for watching.

[@goodtimes1536]

failed turbo

[@tr3wrench]

Failed and failed again

[@vytautaskrivickasigreengro8862]

Mehhh :/

[@tr3wrench]

So the MK2 content seems to be the most loved here. Never would have guessed that but hey the people want what they want 👨🏻‍🔧

[@vytautaskrivickasigreengro8862]

@@tr3wrench yeah man, maybe you are right. In europe we are drowning in this mk2 models, especialy diesels, its on every corner. Maybe in america its more rare. Hope you build your own soon.