Need to fix a few things... Seat Ibiza 1.9 GT TDI

[cyguardian]

Hi Friends,

I 'inherited' my car, a SEAT IBIZA 1.9 GT TDI (I think its a 1998 model) from my parents. I don't know much about this car but I'm good at DIY and therfore I decided to spent a good GBP500 - GBP750 on it to give it a fresh look and hopefully some more power. Its got 130k Kms on the counter and has had no other significant problems other than the diesel pump which was replaced couple of years ago. I live in Cyprus but most dealers can ship to Eurpoe anyway so that shoudl not be a big problem in my project.

A few things have gone wrong lately (small things but still annoying) which I intend to sort out. I would appreciate any advice you have from your tons of knowledge especially on how to go about doing things.


a. Fix the heating/ventilation airflow direction mechanism output knob- right now its stuck somewhere between feet output and windscreen output and wont move. I think the mechanism inside is gone. The fan knob and temp knob work fine.

b. The leds on the dashboard(currenlty orange-red) have gone very weak. I was hoping I could swap them out for some brighter blue ones to match my white dials.

c. Seat belts wont return to their original position after unclipping them. I think the spring/tensioner has gone soft. I need to find a way to replace them as it is very annoying to have to push it slowly back in its slot everytime you get out of the car.

d. Buy a tuning box. If im not mistaken my car is a seat ibiza 1.9 GT TDI 81KW 110 bhp. (Does anyone know how to verify this by looking at the engine). I'm considering various tuning boxes do give it a boost. I saw some retailing for about £275 on the web with an acclaimed boost of 30bhp and some on ebay retailing for much less. Anyone has any experience with these ?

e. Not sure if something can be done for this but the noise from the engine now is much louder than it was 5 years back. I know its only natural but if you guys know any tricks like additional insulation or tightening some screws then please feel free to let me know.

f. Finally after doing all these i might have some cash to spare. I saw some bodykits on the market (ie samurai or something like that) but those are way to expensive and paintjob would add to that even more. Does anyone have any recomendations for my more limited budget.

Thank you guys

 

[Jamin Berry]

a. Dont know

b. My ibiza has a switch thing near to where my light switch is on the right side of the steering wheel that allows me to turn the brightness up and down, maybe you have accidently turned them down?!

c. exactly the same as mine! If you find out how to fix this i would be interested!

d. Dont get one off ebay! they are usually crap. The best place to go is a tuning shop. a remap int he uk costs around 500£ but in a turbo diesel it would make a real difference. You get better performance and better economy considering you rag it abit.

e. maybe something is wrong with your engine? tappets gone or something? MAybe ask a garage if they know wahts up with it.

f. I am well experienced in the world of fiberglass body kits. They are seriously crap. They are hard to fit, easy to break and not worth the money at all! If i were you i would buy Cupra/gti bumpers and get them fitted. They were intended to fit your car atleast!

Jamin
PS, i want a car like yours! less miles, but a mk2 ibiza gt tdi would be nice!

 

[BeezerDiesel]

We didn't get the 110 bhp model in the UK, more's the pity but one of our Euro members will probably tell you all you need to know. Basstard has one, try doing a search under his user name.
Tuning boxes work very well with this engine, if there are no re-mappers in Cyprus then that's a good option.
Don't ruin the classic looks with any bodywork pap, just find some 16'' genuine wheels and shove some spacers on the back. Couldn't look any better than that IMO. One of the best SEATs by far. I have always wanted one!!!
Engine type will be on the sticker in the boot, look for the kW rating on there.
Seatbelts will possibly need replacing, not worth messing about with second hand ones as it's a safetly issue.
Dash lights are always a PITA.
As for the heater, you will need to start dismantling the lower part of the dash to get at the bits, you'll probably benefit from a manual so you don't break bits trying to dismantle them.

 

[cyguardian]

Thanks guys. Small update on the above

a. I already dismantled the whole dashboard heating section, Found the gear that snapped. Bought a second hand from ebay. Waiting to be replaced as soon as it arrives. So this I consider done. I might need to oil the cables that control the ventilation direction cause they seem quite stiff and that is probably the reason why the original gear snapped.

b. Its not the switch thing for the dashboard leds. I have that on max and is still dim. Anyone know how much of a hassle it is to replace the current leds with blue ones and where I can order some ?

c. I agree with BeezerDiesel. i will change the seat belts. I only need the tension mechanism though as the belts are in v. good shape. not sure if they come separate though.

d. I created another thread for this tuning option in TDI tuning section of the forum. I think I will go for a remap with REVO. I found who does them in Cyprus. If anyone wants to help me on this please check my other thread in TDI tuning

e. I might ask the garage next time it goes for servicing. Does the engine sit on any mufflers that might have gone hard or anything ? Any more input on this would be great

f. I think I am not going to change the exterior looks yet as I agree with BeezerDiesel that the classic look is quite good. Only thing I might swap is the mesh at the frond but at a later stage. Remap I think will suck the budget.

g. I noted one more fault today. The clock memory and trip counter keep loosing their memory every time i switch the car off. This is only for the right led display under the revcounter. The left on under the speedometer is ok. Any ideas ?

 

[Brummy]

your last point 'could' be a faulty or low charged battery.. I had a similar problem with my Mk2 Cupra and since replacing the battery have had no issues with this at all

 

[cyguardian]

If the battery was going bad, wouldn't I have porblems startin the car way before the trip computer had any issues with a dying battery. I mean if my battery has enough power to start the car every morning, is it possible that it doesn't have enough dosh to keep the trip computer alive ?

 

[BeezerDiesel]

If the battery is on it's way out then it could very likely, as Brummy says, knock the settings out when starting the car. The mileage is stored differently to the rest of the computer in an attempt to stop fraudsters messing with the mileage readings. The battery takes a good bashing when starting a Diesel car, and unlike in the UK where we get cold weather to show up a knackered battery in all it's glory (usually when you're running late for work), you Cypriots don't have that dubious luxury and the battery would show a more gradual degeneration.
Try putting the key in and only turning it so far as the warning lights come on and see if the computer is wiped, if not, click it to start the engine and see if it wipes itself after the main battery hit of turning the engine over.

 

[cyguardian]

Thanks guys. Update

a. Heating Controls: The replacement part arrive today from ebay. I will swap it out for the broken one this weekend. I will try to take a couple of pictures and make a new thread as I think it will help anyone with a similar problem in the future. I need to find out how I can re-grease the cables that control the air ventilation outputs. Anyone has a clue, how to take these out?

b. Weak leds in dashboard: Still no progress on this. Anyone know how much of a hassle it is to replace the current leds with blue ones and where I can order some ?

c. Re-tuning the TDI: I received a v. reasonable quote from the REVO dealer in Cyprus. I think I will go ahead with this as soon as wallet permits. This remap should give the car a fresh breath of life. Also thinking about putting in new 16" alloy wheels. From what I've read so far in these forums 16" is the ideal size for the MK2 as any larger would cause a rough ride and troublesome handling.

e. Engine Noise: I noticed that the actual engine noise inside the car is not that much. It is some sort of vibration/rattling noise at the back of the car that amplifies the whole noise and makes it noticeable. Anyone had a similar issue ?

f. Exterior looks: In addition to the new alloys mentioned above I'm still looking to swap the mesh at the front. Maybe add a REVO badge or something (if I find any) in addition to the GT TDi badge thats already on there. Any recommendations/advise guys ?

g. Trip Computer: I think BeezerDiesel and Brummy were spot on with the battery issue. The weird thing is that, since then the trip computer never lost its settings since. Maybe the battery is indeed on gradual degeneration but still has some life in it. At least I'll know what to do when this happens again.

 

[Ieuan-J]

Hello, with regards to the rattling at the back of the car, take your spare wheel and jack out of the boot and see if it still persists... if so check the back box/silencer/centre pipe braket... and if it still rattles check exhaust heat shields... hope this helps

 

[F2 Ed]

You don't need a tuning box. Do the evry mod for about £2

Works VERY well on them