1991 Volkswagen Jetta

GL Sedan

4 - Cyl.

Manual

WVWRG21G3MW211691

Clear

Diesel

1991 VW Jetta Diesel / WVO --- See YouTube Video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRoQ6L4ODv8 You can get over 635 miles per gallon of diesel with this car! About four years ago I converted this Jetta to run on Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO) and have been running it every summer since. A couple years back I used it for a business trip and got over 635 miles per gallon of diesel fuel (35 miles on diesel and 600 miles on WVO). I was reimbursed the full rate by the company for the trip; all 635 miles....I actually made money! The car has two fuel tanks, one for diesel and one for WVO. You start the car on diesel fuel and drive it. As the engine warms up, the engine coolant heats up the vegetable oil. It takes about 10-15 minutes (about 10 miles) to heat up the vegetable oil until it is hot enough (160+) to switch over and run the car on vegetable oil...the longer you drive the more you save. The only thing is you have to switch back to diesel fuel for several miles (or minutes) to purge the veggie oil out of the system before you shut the engine off. If you forget it is very difficult (and bad) to start the engine on cold vegetable oil. I get the used vegetable oil from the cafeteria at work, they save it for me when they clean out the deep fryers. At Christmas time I give them gift cards for the local coffee shop for their trouble...not a bad deal...they don’t have to pay someone to dispose of it and I get gallons of virtually free fuel. I heat the used fryer oil in a kettle, filter it and store it in a 55 gallon drum. From there I pump it into the car as needed. I’ve only been driving the car in the warmer months (April to October) because in the cold winter months I would get to work before the WVO would heat up enough to switch....and because the heater doesn’t put out much heat (that might be because I tapped into the heater hoses to heat up the vegetable oil. I guess I should have tapped off the output side of the heater box to heat the WVO). Anyway, this Jetta worked out so well that I'm now working on converting an old Mercedes. Unfortunately, I need more money to complete the project so I reluctantly have to sell the Jetta. So if you're interested, here is everything I can think of to tell you about the Jetta. It currently has over 201,400 miles on it. Looks great, body and interior in good shape, and runs and drives well. It idles rough especially when cold but smoothes out somewhat when warm. I replaced or repaired many things over the years to keep it in good shape. I have not done any major engine work on it (except I replaced the fuel injectors, water pump, timing belt and starter). I believe that no major work was ever done on the engine. It's getting around 31-34 MPG of fuel (diesel or WVO). The engine has never had a lots of power...could be the engine is getting tired or that it's only a 40 HP (non-turbo) engine. It's hard to say but it just seems to want to keep on going. Everything works, including the manual sun roof (although you have to push the air deflector down with your finger before the sun roof will close all the way), A/C works but it's not real cold (converted to use R134a). Tires are good. The 5 speed transmission and clutch seem fine, except the second gear synchro ring is worn (very common, had this on every VW I’ve had). This is not a problem if you just hesitate a split second when shifting otherwise it may grind a bit (see the youtube video). I tend to hesitate a tiny bit at neutral as I shift through the gears anyway so it hasn't been an issue. The only problem I really had with this car was my own lack of diesel engine knowledge. This is the first diesel I’ve ever owned and the biggest lesson I learned was that ANY air leak in the fuel system will cause a problem. This is because it uses vacuum to draw fuel to the IP (Injector Pump). When air gets sucked in and mixed with the fuel the IP cannot compress it enough to force the injector open. I learned this lesson a few times...I finally used clear plastic hose in a couple spots to see if an air leak was developing somewhere. This solved the problem because I could see bubbles starting to get mixed in and I could fix the leak before it got to be a problem (usually just a loose clamp). I seem to have eliminated this problem since it’s been fine for the last two years, besides I only had this issue on the WVO system the diesel fuel system always worked well. All-in-all this has been a great little car for me. The WVO systems parts I used are all available at auto/truck parts stores and/or eBay. It would be a great car for someone to learn about diesel engines and/or WVO systems. It would make a great father and (mechanically inclined) son/daughter project to make some improvements and/or (eventually) repairs. It’s a nice small and simple car to work on. NOTE: I would not buy this car for your (non-mechanically inclined) son/daughter to drive back and forth to college...it's more of a hobbyist or enthusiast’s car. Here is what I've done over the last four years: Painted last year (door jambs need to be done), brakes on all 4 wheels about 3+ yrs ago, master cylinder, parking brake cables, Struts (all 4), a/c compressor (now uses R134a), accessory belts, water pump, thermostat, timing belt, starter, fuel injectors/nozzles. Note: when I last replaced the injectors the threads on #3 injector hole were a little damaged at the top but the injector went back in OK and torqued down to spec. Things it needs, misc issues, stuff you might want to add (see the youtube video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRoQ6L4ODv8 - It will probably need a battery soon. It’s about 4 years old. (NAPA Gold so it is still pretty strong) -The WVO tank sending unit for the fuel gauge is acting up (available at NAPA). You might want to consider a different style sending unit. I read that a boat style unit works better for the harsh environment in the WVO tank. -There's a slight antifreeze leak in WVO loop by-pass valve, I will get and include the exact valve I used for this (if I have time, I will replace it, but don't count on it). - Seatbelt/ignition interlock issue (I did a temp/permanent fix by twisting the wires together so it's not a problem now). - Left rear speaker buzzes sometimes (just on certain songs...I change the station when it happens;), - Crack in top of dashboard (very common). - No chime/buzzer if you leave the lights on. I think it’s missing the little cube buzzer that plugs into the fuse block. - You might want to add a WVO purge warning alarm to remind you in case you forget to purge the WVO before shutting off the engine. You could also add an automatic cutover to WVO when it reaches the proper temperature. (You can get the parts from online WVO conversion websites or ebay) Please keep in mind that this is a 20 year old car with over 201,000 miles on it so expect that sooner or later something will need to be replaced or repaired. Also...It's been my experience on ebay that the pictures ALWAYS look better than the actual vehicle in person. Overall the car looks really good but it's NOT perfect there are a few minor dings or imperfections here and there. I tried to include absolutely everything I know of or could think of, so you will get a good idea of what you're bidding on....if I think of anything else I'll add it. Feel free to ask any questions, I will try to answer them in a timely manner. Bidders must have a PayPal Account. $500 deposit due within 2 days. Happy bidding!On Jun-04-11 at 03:27:09 PDT, seller added the following information:I've had a few questions on this so I checked the undercarrage of the car for rust and it's like I remembered...basically almost no rust...just starting in a couple spots where the factory undercoat is peeling off. The floors, trunk and the bottom of the doors are all good (no rust) but I did find one very small hole in the middle of the right rear door sill where the weatherstripping meets the sill...almost completely covered by the weaterstripping. A surprisingly solid car for its age!