# '85 Santana GX5



## Islero (May 12, 2014)

Hi all! at last I am a proud VW owner and member of VWVortex. 

My friend had this old family car that was sitting on his yard for some years, he asked me to try to get it started to move it around and when I made it he finally said "now if you want it, it's yours" 

already at his new home


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## Islero (May 12, 2014)

Tha car had been some 3-4 years sitting completely neglected




























the "JS" 5 cylinder Audi engine was running strong but had a poor start and idle and an exhaust header bolt broken, had to remove the head to fix it


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## Islero (May 12, 2014)

It just took a couple hours to remove the head



















got the broken stud out and replaced with a new one, replaced some injector O rings that were loose and cleaned everything 










some new gaskets on and replaced the front crank seal that was leaking badly


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## Islero (May 12, 2014)

painted some parts that were pretty faded out










It was a real pleasure putting all together again, turning the ignition key and listening thas smooth 5 cyl sound










Got the oil & filter changed, engine temp was a little high so I flushed the old coolant and put a new thermostat


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## Islero (May 12, 2014)




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## Islero (May 12, 2014)




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## Islero (May 12, 2014)

I had water coming inside the car so next thing was to do some minor welding

firewall water drains, both sides


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## Islero (May 12, 2014)

Rear windshield lip 





































I painted with two stage for the first time, turned out good enough for me


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## Cheshire_Cat (Jan 12, 2002)

*Nice! Welcome to the group.*

It looks like it's finally getting the attention it needs/deserves. :thumbup:


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## Islero (May 12, 2014)

Thank you Chesire for your nice words

I've been welding today, couldn't stand looking at that rotten door no more





































trial fit before applying filler



















more to come


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## Islero (May 12, 2014)

More rust repair on the Santana


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## BrentVWAudi (Jul 12, 2008)

Great Job! 
I fantasize about finding a Quantum with 20,000 mile on it that some old Lady drove only to church on the weekends!
I wish I would have kept at least one of the several I had during the 80's! Great cars!


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## Islero (May 12, 2014)

Thanks for your words Kent. They are dirty cheap here in Spain, not a cult car by any means as the Golfs I & II are
500€ for this one (some 430 US $)
http://www.milanuncios.com/volkswagen-de-segunda-mano/volkswagen-santana-127892426.htm


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## Islero (May 12, 2014)

Islero said:


> Thanks for your words Kent. They are dirty cheap here in Spain, not a cult car by any means as the Golfs I & II are
> 500€ for this one (some 430 US $)
> http://www.milanuncios.com/volkswagen-de-segunda-mano/volkswagen-santana-127892426.htm


Sorry, Brent


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## Islero (May 12, 2014)

Painted the door already and buffed the rest of the body, came out better than I expected



















some minor rust still to address but it's ok for now, I'm focused on the roadworthy test for the next week.

Rear tires were there since the 90s, badly cracked. Changed it for some good used ones and trimmed a little bit the paint on rims




























I still need to do some cosmetic stuff (ie painting bumpers) but overall it looks much better now










wish me luck for the test!


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## Islero (May 12, 2014)

Just passed the vehicle inspection test! ha!  

will post some pics later on


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## Islero (May 12, 2014)

I went to the vehicle inspection today, first try came out with unbalanced rear brakes. Went back home to check it out and it turned out to be just the mechanical adjuster for the shoes sticking in closed position, easy fix. Passed the ispection eventually after 5 years

here she is with painted bumpers and inspection passed for one year


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## Islero (May 12, 2014)

Now I have some questions for you, fellow VW owners

digital clock on dashboard does not work, sometimes when I start the car it displays 0:00 very briefly and then disappears, should I get a new one or is it fixable?

I noticed today the radiator cooler fan starts spinning when I push the A/C button (LOL), is that normal? 

One last question. After I flushed coolant, new thermostat and cleaned radiator I see the temp needle is going further the half mark on dashboard, let's say 3/4 position, is it going too far? maybe the radiator covers missing have something to do with this?

Thank you!


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## Islero (May 12, 2014)

Islero said:


> Now I have some questions for you, fellow VW owners
> 
> digital clock on dashboard does not work, sometimes when I start the car it displays 0:00 very briefly and then disappears, should I get a new one or is it fixable?
> 
> ...


Ok, I asked in ather forums too. 

Looks like the clock is an easy swap from another cluster. It could be just a bad contact too, I'll have to check it.

AC button turns on the electrical fan, this is absolutely normal it seems. And temp gauge at 3/4 is not that bad, I'll keep an eye on that anyways.


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## foxygrandpa (Jun 2, 2012)

Cool car and great work! This reminds me of my 85 audi 4000. How's the interior look after all these years?


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## Islero (May 12, 2014)

foxygrandpa said:


> Cool car and great work! This reminds me of my 85 audi 4000. How's the interior look after all these years?


Thanks! I've seen some trim and other parts are interchangeable to older Audis, nice thing
Interiors are not bad for his age, tipical fading on trim and plastics. Apart from cleaning it I just had to sew the rear seat upholstery 














































I forget to mention, the bottom part of the door panels are missing due to years of moisture, I didnt figured out yet how to fix them


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## Schumo (May 30, 2010)

Watching this :beer:


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## Iroczgirl (Feb 17, 2007)

Islero said:


> Ok, I asked in ather forums too.
> 
> Looks like the clock is an easy swap from another cluster. It could be just a bad contact too, I'll have to check it.
> 
> AC button turns on the electrical fan, this is absolutely normal it seems. And temp gauge at 3/4 is not that bad, I'll keep an eye on that anyways.


I remember these having cluster problems even when new.

Love the progress, keep up the good work! :thumbup:


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## Islero (May 12, 2014)

Hi! didn't do much on my Santana lately, a couple weeks ago I refurbished these ugly looking drip rails





































painted the wiper arms too by the way



















:thumbup:


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## Islero (May 12, 2014)

I need some exterior and interior trim pieces such as chromed mouldings that are no longer available at the dealership, I guess I'll have to look in junkyards but this car is kind of rare to find there...


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## Iroczgirl (Feb 17, 2007)

Islero said:


> I need some exterior and interior trim pieces such as chromed mouldings that are no longer available at the dealership, I guess I'll have to look in junkyards but this car is kind of rare to find there...


Rare to find anywhere anymore. 

But didn't they produce this car in China up until 2009 or so? Might be worth checking online.


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## Islero (May 12, 2014)

Good idea Irocgirl I'II try that, thanks!

Danny


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## IECO (Aug 25, 2014)

*dashboard clock repair*

Hi Islero. In a Quantum 85 I purchased last year, I had a very similar problem with the dashboard clock. If you pull it out, you'll notice there is a little can very visible as part of the electronic circuits. This is an electrolytic capacitor. These usuallu go bad over time (>10 yrs or so). Mine was bad, so I replaced it with one of the same value and the clock went back to work as new. 
Exchanging the whole unit with an alternate is always an option, but I'd recommend you replace the capacitor first as this could very well solve the issue. Good luck !


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## IECO (Aug 25, 2014)

On the fan question, yes it is normal and expected for a properly working AC that the fan will turn on (on low) when the AC is turned on. This is to make sure there's air flow on the AC "radiator" (condenser) that sits next to the actual cooling radiator. You can see this if you follow the electrical wiring diagram for the car. Do you have one, by the way?
Actually if the gas pressure goes above 200-220 psi on the AC, the fan will switch to high. All this is normal, and the fan is turned on through separate circuits to the ones used to turn it on when the motor needs cooling. That is a thermo switch located on the radiator bottom. Has three terminals. and is used to turn on the fan at low or high based on coolant temp. I believe low is turned at around 90-95C and high at 102-105C.

If you have an infrared "gun" thermometer or any other means of measuring coolant temp, check it that way. The dashboard gauge sometimes may shift over time, and may show 3/4 high with a proper motor temperature. 
On my quantum the sensing element was replaced by a factory VW unit that had slightly different resistance at given temperatures (must have been for a different VW vehichle / cluster) and temp on the dashboard showed high, almost 100%. I replaced thermal switch, water pump, flushed coolant and many other things, concerned about the apparent over temperature, Even dismantled the actual gauge to inspect it. And when temperature was actually checked with a thermometer (and many hours and some money had already been spent) I learned temperature was normal and the sending unit was just not the exact one for this vehicle. So hopefully my experience could be of help to you.

Radiator cowls (covers) are important for cooling more effectively, but i don't think are as critical in a moving vehicle. They could make a difference when you are in traffic though, as no covers could allow some warm air to recirculate through the radiator (and the AC evaporator). If possible, replace or build some. 
Good luck !


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