Sunday, March 29, 2009

Vacuum lines to nowhere

So I have solved the mystery of what the vacuum lines were for. They were part of the cruise control system, which is why they went to both the clutch and brake pedal. Activating either one should disable the cruise control. Since I hardly ever use the cruise-control in any vehicle, and would likely never use it in the Scirocco, I’m just going to remove the lines, and the associated control box and pump if I can find them.

I have also discovered that the charcoal canister, part of the emissions system is not there. The line that goes to it is just loose in the engine bay. So I think technically my car should not have passed emissions, even though it passed all the tests. I don’t think I ever need emissions again on it given it’s age, as long as I don’t try to register it here in Oregon. We’ll see. Perhaps that part will turn up somewhere else.

I’ve removed all the coolant tubing (most of it anyway) and some of the fuel air distribution system. I’m hesitant to start taking the fuel lines off because that will make a mess and send fuel everywhere. However, most of the electrical lines run under the fuel distributor, so I will need to remove it and the fuel filter to access and replace those electrical wires. I also think I need to remove it to get access to the shift linkage, which is the another area known to be looser than I’d like.

I did manage to remove the steering column, so I just need to find a source for those parts so I can reassemble it without that dreadful wobble it had. The bearing that holds the rod inside the column has been sitting loose at the base of the rod since I bought the car. It needs replacing to make the steering feel tight again. Possibly more work needs to be done to the actual rack, but just fixing the column will be a big improvement.

• Posted by jfs at 17:13:48 in Scirocco
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