Re: Misc Questions

[Shawn C Meze <skerocdriver@juno.com>]

On Sat, 31 Jul 1999 01:08:01 -0700 (PDT) archive@porknet.ml.org (Toby
Reed) writes:
>Hey,
>
>I just got an 87 16V and came up with some questions that listers 
>might be able to help out with:


Congrads dude!



>2. The grommet/gasket around the key cylinder in the hatch has cracked 
>and fallen off from old age. Is it necessary to replace it to repair 
>leaks? 


If that is where your leaks are comming from, sure. Mines been tore up
for as long as ive had my car, note to self, buy new lock gasket seal,
and it doesnt leak from there. 


>If so, where could I find a replacement gasket? I'm thinking if I don't 
>get something before the rain comes I'll just caulk the inside around
the 
>lock cylinder (and hope it works)... Anyone else had this problem? If
you
>removed the gasket, did it look better or worse?


Dont caulk it. Just get the right part and do the job right. It doesnt
cost very much to replace and only takes 20 minutes to do. 



>4. My passenger seat rocks sideways when you sit in it and go around a
>corner or something. I think maybe its just missing some bushings or
>something... where should I look?


You will have to removce the seat to replace the teflon bushing that goes
on there. Its a white piece that slips over the rail and clips onto the
rail. They get old, fall off. Fairly common. Not expensive and is another
easy fix. 


>5. The car I have is missing some interior trim pieces. Is there a
plastic
>piece that covers the fuse panel or are you supposed to see the fuses 
>and relays from the drivers seat?


There sure is! Theres a tray that sits there. 2 pieces and does a good
job of hiding all the ugliness thats under the dash. 


>6. Under the hood there is a metal-cased factory relay just in front of
>the battery fastened with a special bracket and two screws. Anyone else
>have one of these? What's it for? 


I think we ALL have one of these. :)
I dunno what its for right off the top of my head. Im sure its something
important.



>7. Accustomed to riding around in my friend's GTI, I was disappointed 
>to see that Sciroccos lacked the "oh shit" handles found in GTIs. I was
>thinking about a transplant but now I'm wondering if there is any metal
to
>drill into above the headliner in that area.


I installed one from a Passat. You will need to drop the weatherstripping
and peel back some of the headliner to see where the safe place to drill
2 holes. If you miss, you drill thru the roof. Not a good idea.  


>8. What is up with the funky windshield washer controls?!? Up, Down, 
>Push, Pull... nothing short of turning the ignition off will stop the 
>windshield wipers (!), whether it be the wipers front or the one in the
rear. 
>Could someone please explain this? I'm usually really quick to get used
to
>different controls in different cars, but this one is really elusive.


Thats rocket science. If you didnt get your doctorate in rocket science
them you are required, by Scirocco lore, to turn your car over to the
first guy who correctly answers most of your questions.... hm,, oh
lookie, thats ME! heh.
OK, if you move the arm fully down thats the intermittent wiper feature.
Its never quite fast enough to be effectice or its raining too hard to be
of use.
Up one and that is the OFF position. 
Up one more and thats the low speed.
Up all the way and thats high speed.   



>9. I think my back-up light fuse/relay/bulbs might be dead. Do the
back-up
>lights come on when the ignition is at "run" but the engine is off? 


Yes however the transmission must also be in the reverse gear.


>10. I'm used to a carburated stick shift, where I clutch-started the
>engine just for fun whenever I was on a hill. I haven't tried this yet
in
>my rocco, but I hear it can damage the engine or transmission. Any
>comments on this? What if I'm in the middle of a desert and my battery 
>is dead? Just how bad for the engine is it? Do I need to hotwire the
fuel
>pump or something?


You must have enough voltage to run the FI system. With the key on, you
can bump start the car. 


>11. Do I need to pull the steering wheel off and/or remove part of the
>dash to take off the steering column covers?


No. You can if you want, its one of those optional things. 



>16. My rear wiper makes a ton of noise compared to the front ones. Are 
>all of them like this? Part of it is probably that I was running it dry.

>(Oh well, the blades are shot anyways)


Not all ofthem. 


>17. How hard is it to change the shift bushings? Maybe I just need to
>adjust the linkage, but its a little hard to get it into 2nd 
>sometimes.

Not hard to do at all. 


>18. Are armor door plates needed on the Scirocco? 


Nope. 


>20. I had the wheels off when I swapped tires and took a look at the
>brakes. It looks like the pads are glued instead of bolted on. Is 
>there a trick to changing these?


They change like any other scirocco. The previous mechanic put something
on them to make them quiet is all. 


>21. The car has 124k miles on it, is there any reason to switch to
>synthetic oil? I don't have any noticable oil leaks at present but I'm
>afraid if I switch the thinner oil may start to leak out of the 12 year
>old seals, but at the same time I'd like to keep the engine parts
>lubricated well. What should I do?


Whats this? 21 questions? Gads dude, you been saving these up all week or
something? LOL!
DO NOT switch to synthetic. The risk of leaks is great. 


>22. Where could I buy accessory switches that match those in the dash 
>for the headlights, emergency flashers, etc? I'd like to put an
oem-looking
>switch in for fog lights or a three-position (two on, one off) switch 
>in for a special circuit i designed. Too bad there's only room for one
:P

Junkyard.
Dealer.
VWP.

Phew, I need a nap. :)
good luck dude. I hope somebody else can answer your questions that I
missed. 


              Shawn Meze
86' Jetta GLi           82' Scirocco GTi
The Fastest, Quickest, Cleanest and
best looking Scirocco in all of San Diego!
http://www.Geocities.com/MotorCity/Speedway/1308/index.htm

___________________________________________________________________
Get the Internet just the way you want it.
Free software, free e-mail, and free Internet access for a month!
Try Juno Web: http://dl.www.juno.com/dynoget/tagj.

--
To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe scirocco-l" to majordomo@scirocco.org.
If you experience other problems, email: scirocco-l-probs@scirocco.org