I just spotted one.....in my driveway!!

[zoot_suit]

just picked up a red 1993 cabby and already love it!! I think i could quite easily get carried away with mods etc just wanted to grab some advice on what to look at first.

It has a weird idle problem but from reading other posts sounds like O2 sensor or vacum leak. I'm mechanically retarded so will need to get my local guy to check it out.

Has anyone done engine conversions on this model?

PS I'm located in Sydney, Australia.

PPS feel free to move this if its in the wrong place.

[Briano1234]

Welcome to cabbyhood. But the PIC police are gonna nail you for not posting pics of your new ride.

[SoCal_Cabby]

congrats...first and foremost before you dig into the idle problem see if the switch on the throttle body is malfunctioning. you will see on the back of the TB there is a little switch, with the car idling press it and see if your idle fixes itself
my 88 jetta coupe has a bad WOT switch and it was the cause of my idling issue

[zoot_suit]

pics is a bit low res, but the car is stock Paprika Red with original top and interior. Only 125K (Km's not Miles) on the clock, 1993 model.

[gull]

When reading other members' posts about fuel injection problems, make sure you pay attention to what sort of system they have. Your '93 will have Digifant, which is very different from the CIS system that's on 1989 and earlier cars.

[kamzcab86]

I love Paprika Red. Why the USA didn't get that color is just...

When reading other members' posts about fuel injection problems, make sure you pay attention to what sort of system they have. Your '93 will have Digifant, which is very different from the CIS system that's on 1989 and earlier cars.

Not necessarily. Australian Cabs are just like Euro Cabs, which means it could have CIS or even carbs.

RE: the engine swap question: Yes, engine swaps are done all the time on these cars. The most common swap is 16V.

[gull]

Ah, my bad. Missed that this wasn't a U.S. car.

[zoot_suit]

The engine code says JH, so I guess it's the 1.8L CIS/K-Jetronic. Not that this means a great deal to me at the moment as I'm still a noob when it comes to this sort of thing.

[eric4321]

Wow that is one nice looking Cabby you found. I amazes me the way the this site can bring together Cabby owners from all over the world. It would be wise for you to learn about your car even if you have someone else doing the work for you. If you don't know anything about your car it sets you up to get conned or riped off. As far as engine upgrades go you may want to ger the one you have tuned and running well first and see if you are happy with it. One other cheap and simple thing I did was replace the stock air filter with a K&N. I was amazed at how much low end power I picked up and it was just about $45 US. Have fun with your Cabby!

[zoot_suit]

Thanks eric4321. I think I will replace the soft top first. It's got a bit of wear, and I think a new black one would look pretty sweet.

I think I'll take your advise on the engine and get it tuned up, maybe cold air and exhaust upgrades. I've been reading up. a lot! everything from the cars manual, forums and I even found an old Haynes service and repair manual written specifically for MK1 Golfs and Jettas. I'm hoping to be able to do some of the work myself.

What can I say. I like this car

[eric4321]

Congrats on reading up on your Cabby! Be carefull with some so called cold air inakes. If yoy don't get cool air in from under the car and just put a short intake pipe in the engine bay you can actualy loose power and cause the engine to over heat. Another thing you should invest in is a Bently manuel. Everyone that has worked on these cars has recomended it. After overcoming my cheapness and buying one I found it is well worth the price. How comon are those cars Down under and is.it right side drive?? Have fun!