1981 Volkswagen Rabbit low power

Tiny
DANZER21
  • MEMBER
  • 1981 VOLKSWAGEN RABBIT
  • 4 CYL
  • FWD
  • MANUAL
  • 230,420 MILES
I just bought this rabbit and it seems to me that it, has really low power considering it only ways 2000 some lbs. My car does 60 miles an hour in fifth and has a problem going 60 up hills in fourth. I was wondering if it would be worth it to rebuild the engine or just buy a whole new one, or if it was just because the car has such low power because it is a rabbit.
Wednesday, December 26th, 2007 AT 7:24 PM

1 Reply

Tiny
CWAZYWABBIT
  • MEMBER
  • 7 POSTS
You do not say whether your rabbit is gas or diesel, you should also say whether carburated or fuel injected.

If it is gas, I would do a tune up and pay special attention to the timing. These cars only had 52 to 74 horse power when new.

As far as rebuilding the engine you have to check some things first. Do a compression test, this is the best way to check the health of the engine. Is there excessive oil consumption? Is it knocking or rattling?

If the engine shows healthy and everything checks good, you may be getting everything its got to give.
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Monday, March 24th, 2008 AT 12:27 AM

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