Julie's weekend (LONG)

[sciroccos at earthlink.net (Jim Ruffi)]

Interesting story.  We both have troublesome 85 Wolfies now!  There's
strength in numbers.  We have to show them who's the boss.
I found a nice mouse house above the driver's side underdash panel.  Gotta
love old cars that have been sitting.

Mine is running hot.  I think the water pump impeller is a nub.  I have a
new pump, housing and "metal pipe" (Adirondack had it for like $20!), but I
think I'll wait and see what the real story is with my mysterious
disappearing engine oil, as I may be pulling the head.

Drop me a line if you want to share stories.  Good luck with the car!!

Is yours black, too?  You gonna add Intel power to this one?

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Julie Macfarlane" <juliemac57@hotmail.com>
To: <scirocco-l@scirocco.org>
Sent: Monday, October 24, 2005 12:59 AM
Subject: Julie's weekend (LONG)


> Trusting the seller I paid up front for a 1985 Wolfsburg MKII.
> Up at 2am Saturday and on the plane to OH by 5:30. Gack... It was $320 to
> fly from Albany to Cincy, but only $175 to go from Albany, to Cincy then
on
> to Columbus. Go figure... If I flew from there to Dayton would the price
> drop again? (Actually NO. There are no flights from Columbus to Dayton...)
>
> That sweet lovable Scirocco horder Daun, picked me up and away we sped to
> the local DMV (BMV in OH) only to run into a snag in the paper work. Tired
> but still under control I allowd Daun to work out another solution...
>
> Sure enough, when I saw the car, I fell in love. Then smelled the interior
> as it was. Mice had built condo's in the car. As we pulled the carpet you
> could smell mouse pee. ARRRRGGGHHH> What a horrible smell. Stripping it to
> the floor, including the padding got it reasonable.
>
> We through in a seat and took it to have the front end aligned. It
hiccupped
> and almost stalled a few times due to 2 year old gas almost on empty.
> Seems the DS axle was bad and needed replacing as well. Soooo... Dropping
> the car off for the alignment, we (Daun, Brad and I went shopping for an
> axle and other goodiess. Thank god. One axle in stocK!
> Back to pick up the car and was told. No Alignment. Top bearing, tie rod
and
> ball joints too bad to do the job. Ok. That was it. I let out an
expletive.
> I think I scared  Daun and Brad. Sorry guys  :)
>
> Grab the car and back to replace the axle. Removing the axle, it lost its
> balls. Ok so its a female car. Or a eunich. Hey, who wants a car with no
> balls?... Oh yeah. I owned one once  :)
>
> Next morning, after loading the replacement carpets etc in the trunk,
> stopped to bade farewell to the wonderful Yeagleys. Off to get coffee then
> on to 71. I had reasoned that the car would run well all the way home.
Never
> a hickup or a glitch....
>
> About 45 miles from them, the car s gas gauge read 1/4 tank. Holy S**T
> Batman!10 gallons in 40 miles? 4MPG? and the coolant showing low. Low
> power... Ohhhh no....
>
> The car lost power at the light on the exit. It wouldn't even crank. I
> rolled the car to the nearest gas station for a check...  Did I tell you
> that due to HLS, small tools, nail files etc cannot be carried on an
> aircraft? That I was going to do the drive (684 miles) with only a Swiss
> Army knife? Read on dear reader, read on....
>
> I called Daun only to get his awnsering machine. I called his parents
house.
> His mother told me he had just walked in. Thank GOD! I told him that it
was
> either the ALT or the battery that died. In a few minutes, my gallant
heros,
> my guardian angels, were on their way with a spare 65 Amp alt, jumper
cables
> and a volt meter.
>
> There was no power from the blue exciter wire, nor power from the alt.
> Soooo, Brad with his McGuiver talents, rigged a wire from the alt to the
> battery. Still no out put from the alt. Swap the alts. POWER! GREAT!
>
> Belts squeeling. BAD! An hour later, Brad having missed his mothers
arrival
> at the airport, I was on my way again...
>
> If the belts are loose, do not down shift. The belts will slip and the
water
> boil over. Thank god for the gallon of imported water from Canada that
Daun
> put in the trunk (Thanks Cath).
>
> Back on the road again, I made it past another refill with out boil over,
> cruised smoothly to Amsterdam and got off the Thruway. Hummm, Belts
> squeeling again. Well thats ok. Only 2 miles to home. Turned the corner of
> my street, not 1/2 a mile to go.
> Whoops, no belt squeel.
> Whoops the H2O light is on. Damn, lost the belt.
>
> I pulled in to my drive at 12:15 pm, turned off the car and sat in the
calm
> of the night listening to the car out vent.....
>
> I think this car is one of those that will carry me home every time. Will
it
> scare the local Hondas? Well as a very famous man once said, "Remember
> Julie, its not a 16v...."
>
>
>
> Julie Macfarlane
> "Its not just a car! Its an adventure!"
> DSM4 entry: "Masochism: See Scirocco"
> 1981 MKI 2L 16v w 2Y
> Amsterdam NY
>