Here's the other type:
632 2005-07-19 19:27:23
Re: 69 Ghia Vert body stuck on (6 replies, posted in Technical)
If there are two bolts still in that are at the point where the body is stuck, I'd say go ahead and remove them. Use a flat ply bar to work your way back from the area where the body is separated. You'll easily be able to see where the hangup is.
The rear wheel bolts are tightened at 230 lb-ft. Add a bit of rust/dirt/corrosion and you're probably closer to 250 to 300 lb-ft needed to loosen them. Try using a four foot pipe slipped over a half inch breaker bar. You should be able to exert the 75 pounds force needed to undo the bolts, however this method usually just results in turning the whole wheel. What you really need is one of the tools made for this job.
One tool bolts onto three of the wheel bolts. A large gear section fits on the nut. Then there's a small gear you turn to multiply the force that turns the nut. This tool is rather expensive.
A cheaper tool is simply a steel plate with a big hex hole which slips over the nut. There's an extention that extends a couple of inches away from the nut. You use a big hammer to smack this. The claim is that this provides more than enough shock torque to loosen the nut.
I've never used either of these tools; I always had success with the four foot pipe. Check any of the VW parts houses' web sites under "tools".
633 2005-07-17 09:52:06
Re: 66 beetle (6 replies, posted in Technical)
Generally I would say that if it's your car you can do anything you want to it. Whatever makes you happy. As a practical matter I also think that you should consider the future. If you plan to keep this for the rest of your life then anything goes. However, if you plan to sell it at some future date you should limit the "accents" to things that can be removed. A car in stock condition is usually worth more than one that's had permanent modifications.
"Accents" such air scoops added to the body or a Mack truck bulldog screwed onto the front hood (I've seen it!), may be going a little overboard. Things like stone guards on the fenders, a passenger side mirror, aluminum rear louver covers, engine dress-up chrome, wheel trim rings, etc. are all perfectly respectable additions.
In short, anything that is removable is fair game; anything that alters the basic structure or integrity should be thought about hard before going ahead.
But, then again, as I said in my first sentence: "... if it's your car you can do anything you want to it." The main purpose is for you to enjoy it.
634 2005-07-17 09:32:23
Re: grinding gears .. help? (9 replies, posted in Technical)
The "Official" way of adjusting the shift plate is:
1 .Move the shift lever into reverse position.
2. Loosen the hold down bolts to finger tight.
3. Move the shift plate firmly forward and to the right as far as you can.
4. Tighten the bolts.
This usually gets you where you want to be but some minor adjustment may still help.
635 2005-07-09 20:54:48
Re: How I learned to post pictures (13 replies, posted in Technical)
At the bottom of this page you can see a "Quick Post" area. Below the white square you'll see three things, the middle one is "[img]tag: on". Click on the [img]tag and you should go to another page where you'll see the instructions for posting pictures, among other things.
If you want to display an image you can use the img tag.
produces the picture which is found at the address http://www.punbb.org/img/small_logo.png
Simply put the full address of your picture between [img]and[/img]
636 2005-07-07 20:16:47
Re: 74 "Sun Bug" (Standard Beetle) Sunroof hardware (2 replies, posted in Technical)
The drive gear is available from several dealers. Try California Import Parts at cip1.com, part number C16-117-374.
The rubber seal glues to the rear of the step on the top rear or the sunroof. The felt seals glue to the opening in the roof, the long seal goes around the front and sides. Make sure it is centered when you glue it in. The short seal glues to the underside of the roof at the rear of the sunroof opening. Put the front deal in first and then fit the rear seal. You'll have to trim the rear seal to butt up to the front seal. Use 3M weatherstripping glue. Put the glue on both surfaces and let it dry. Then press the glued surfaces together. You'll have to get it right the first time.
637 2005-07-07 08:58:33
Re: 1999 VW Diesel Beetle Broken Water Pump Pulley (3 replies, posted in Technical)
You should be covered for manufacturing defects regardless of warranty. Once they tolk you that the factory should take care of costs involved in repairing it. If they try to hardball you, just mention "attorney", "court", "sue", etc.
Of course, as Clancy indicates, your first course of action should be through manufacturer customer representives and zone managers.
What year is your car? What kind of power train warranty did you get?
638 2005-07-05 16:54:41
Re: draw on battery (2 replies, posted in Technical)
Those circuits are "hot" all the time, even when the ignition is off and the key removed. Remember the four ways have to work when the car is off and the interior light has to light when the door is opened. You apparently checked the hot side of the fuse block.
If you give a year for your car it would be easier for someone to check a diagram and give more meaningful advice.
639 2005-07-05 16:47:32
Re: where is the gas cut off solenoid on the 30 pict 3??? (2 replies, posted in Technical)
Right hand side looking forward.
Picture one here shows the solenoid as a silver-yellow cylinder sticking out of the carb. This solenoid is sometimes replaced by a jet marked g55 (as seen in picture two). THe solenoid stops the flow of gas to the carb when the ignition is turned off. It's not really needed unless the carb is in bad shape and leaking. if you have one it should be wired through a jumper from the electric choke terminal, or any connection that is "hot" when the key is on.
640 2005-06-30 14:17:23
Re: hit clutch pedal w/foot, feels like cable disconnected/broke? (4 replies, posted in Technical)
First, when the pedal pulled back towards the seat, the cable end unhooked itself from the clutch rod hook in the tunnel by the gas pedal. You'll have to remove the entire assembly to hook it back up again.
Second, the problem with the tab on the bottom of the clutch pedal itself not engaging the stop MAY be more involved. If your floor is rusted away at that point the only fix is new metal. If the floor is relativley sound, you may be able to shim the stop plate up with a large washer. I forget now what keeps the stop in proper orientation; maybe the bolt just loosened up and the stop rotated a bit. If that's the case, just tighten the bolt.

Good Luck,
641 2005-06-28 07:09:12
Re: Good deal? (10 replies, posted in Technical)
For $700 I'd have grabbed it up right away. If what you were looking for is a daily driver and the car is mechanically sound, what difference does it make what it looks like? Anyway, the "rat" look is in now.
642 2005-06-26 19:16:30
Re: Really Nice Air-Cooled as Daily Driver? (9 replies, posted in General)
So, my question is this: If I was to spend around 10 grand on a Karmann Ghia coupe, ideally 1967-1969, could I obtain a car that, if regularly maintained, would be as practical as a "new car"?
I would want something that was as functionally close to a "new car" as possible: (reasonably) low road noise inside the cabin, mechanical reliablility, decent a/c, enough power to not get run off the freeway(though I'm no racer). Is this a pipe dream?
Thanks for any thoughts!
rs
1. Low Road Noise. These cars don't have a hundred pounds of soundproofing, especially between the engine and cabin. You will have a greater noise level than modern cars, but that's part of their charm.
2. Mechanical Reliability. Thousands of people drove these as everyday transportation for scores of years without a great amount of maintenance being necessary. Not having computers that automatically adjust for wear, there is a bit of regular fiddling that is necessary. The carb has parts that gum up and need to be cleaned up once in a while. The fuel pump has a diaphram that will, over time, decrease in effectiveness and require replacing. The valves go out of adjustment regularly and need to be readjusted. The sparkplugs must be replaced periodically. Points need to be adjusted periodically. The brakes are just adequate and will need adjusting regularly. As long as these items are relatively close to spec, everything sould run okay. Many modern cars can go 100,000 miles without maintenance. With VWs you might expect 5,000 to 10,000 miles before having to attend to something.
3. Decent A/C. You're kidding, right? They don't have A/C, although for a couple of thou, you could probably have a workable one installed. A/C in a VW is obtained by opening the vent windows all the way to catch the air.
4. Enough Power. Most stock VWs can run in the 65 Mph range, give or take depending on the year (HP) and they won't get there in 12-15 seconds. More like 22-25 seconds. Also, negative power (braking) is a consideration. The stock brakes are FAR less efficient than modern discs. You MUST drive with your head far ahead of the car to avoid surprises.
In short, you won't get a "New Car" but you will get a car that is a hell of a lot of fun to drive and will be faithful for a long time. Very few things fail spontaniously and completely. You'll learn that you can avoid major problems by simply paying attention to the little changes that signal that something needs attention. On the positive side of maintenance, the cars are so simple and basic that anyonyone with a minimal amount of ability can adequately fix, adjust, repair and maintain a VW.
643 2005-06-13 19:43:42
Re: Newbie Opportunity (6 replies, posted in Technical)
If the floor is gone to the extend you describe, it's almost certian that the heater channels are gone too. I would expect that you'll be replacing the whole bottom 6 inches or so of the body. This is not a job for an amatur. For a convertable there are extra considerations to keep the body aligned. You can expect about 60 to 80 hours of work at $40 to $60 per hour.
If it's a pre 1958, go for it. For an after 1972, forget it. Anything else depends on the overall condition of the rest of the car - the interior and the top. It may or may not be worth it. Considering that a grade four convertable from the '60s may be worth $6000+, don't put more into it than it's worth, unless you really like it
644 2005-06-13 19:31:59
Re: 74 Beetle Sunroof help (7 replies, posted in Technical)
The crank is held on with a screw. There shoould be a plastic cap visible on the bottom of the crank. Pry that off and you'll see the screw.
The cables that operate the roof are steel with a heavy wire wound in a spiral around them. These cables cross each other above the crank. The crank has a gear attached which engages the spirals on the cables. When you turn the crank, the gear pushes or pulls on the cables through these spirals thus opening or closing the roof.
Typically what goes bad is that the spiral wires on the cables wear away or break destroying the ability of the crank to have any affect.
After the crank and gear are removed, the roof can simpy be pushed to the rear to open, or pulled to the front to close.
Removing and replacing all the parts is almost impossible to describe verbally. You will absolutely need a diagram found in one of the books described in previous replies. Be very careful when removing the plastic parts as some of them aren't available and the ones that are are very expen$ive.
There are also four drains that must be cleaned out after the roof has been removed. The rear two are at the rear corners of the sunroof pan. They connect to hoses which run back behind the side windows and down behind the side panels to the bottom or the rear quarter panels. After taking off the running boards you should see the small holes where these hoses drain. About the only way to clean these hoses and drains is with compressed air directed up through the bottom drains or down through the tops. If you're redoing the headliner it is easier to get to the hoses and blow them out.
The front drain hoses start at the front corners of the pan and run down through the A-pillers. These can also be cleared out with compressed air.
Incidently, the seals around the sunroof itself are cloth covered metal. They are not intended to be waterproof and will not prevent water from getting in. They are intended to prevent air and dust from getting in. The design is such that any water getting in should be carried off by the drains
Good luck ![]()
645 2005-06-08 10:07:34
Re: VW beetle door hinge pins (2 replies, posted in Technical)
Eastwood's tool, or one similar, is the only way to go. I would strongly advise against using an impact hammer or air chisel as that will likely only bell the end of the pin making it nearly impossible to remove by any means. Same thing with a big hammer and a punch. Also, this will almost guarentee that you'll bang up the corner of the door when the tool hits against it - which it will do, no matter how careful you are.
Soak the pin for several days with PB Blaster or other penetrating oil, then use the tool to press it out. It's the ONLY way to do it.
Many older body shops have these tools available that, If you ask nicely, maybe you could borrow. You'd only need to get the pin out at the shop, then put it back into the top of the hinge just enough to hold the door, and drive back home to do what you're doing there.
David H