my dash vent wire keeps jumping off the pin when i use it... anyone have a nifty fix?
i finally took the toggle switch from under my seat out and ran a wire to a switched source for the fuel pump. now i just need to quit reaching under the seat out of habit!
a bit more fiddling and i have the mpg up to 19 for combined 50/50 highway/city driving. i'd love to get that # to 22, but i'm not really ready to lean out the FI at all.
with all the little fixes, it will finally be something i feel okay about letting my wife drive the car.
working on the little stuff
- vwfye
- Posts: 1010
- Joined: Sun May 21, 2000 12:01 am
working on the little stuff
Notchback mid-engine speedster
Little Giant Killer 3
Little Giant Killer 3
- wshawn
- Posts: 209
- Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2007 6:36 am
Can't help with your dash vent without seeing it but what about trying to put a small nut or something onto the end of the pin? Talking of the dash vents, can you shut of the fresh air from them as I always seem to have airflow through it regardless of where the control levers are?
I think that at some point I am going to have to keep a note of the miles and how much fuel I put in to work out my mpg. The fuel gauge must be wrong as 20 miles seems to equate to half a tank! and 28 litres fills the tank when the gauge shows empty!!
But I have done another of the small jobs to make my car more usable and that was to replace the rotted out window channel in the passenger door. This means the window now goes up as well as down
My next job is to connect the heat exchangers back upto the fan and fit the pertronix unit and coil. Then fix anything for the MoT (UK roadworthiness test) in a couple weeks
My wife stll hasn't driven my 412, she seems more than happy with her Beetle
I think that at some point I am going to have to keep a note of the miles and how much fuel I put in to work out my mpg. The fuel gauge must be wrong as 20 miles seems to equate to half a tank! and 28 litres fills the tank when the gauge shows empty!!
But I have done another of the small jobs to make my car more usable and that was to replace the rotted out window channel in the passenger door. This means the window now goes up as well as down
My next job is to connect the heat exchangers back upto the fan and fit the pertronix unit and coil. Then fix anything for the MoT (UK roadworthiness test) in a couple weeks
My wife stll hasn't driven my 412, she seems more than happy with her Beetle
- raygreenwood
- Posts: 11906
- Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2003 12:01 am
The pin you mean is the one on the little slider bar that has two pins with plastic guides and a spring clip right? The problem is not a stretchy cable. That does not happen generally with this type of wire.
It is either (a) the cable being dry...lube it with autmatic tranny fluid from a squeeze bottle and wipe up the excess....and it will never go dry again.
(b) make sure that the little clamps that clamp the cable covering to the dash and/or the air box are still there. The cable will not functon properly without them being in place. Look for the crimp mark on the cable covering to make sure you clamp the cable in the right spot. If its clamped to far on one side or teh other of the correct spot....the cable gets in a bind. (c) Do this now....cause sooner or later you will need to.
Remove the two slider knobs...pull the hot wire from the slider on the fan side. Remove the screws that hold teh assembly under the dash. Let it swing down on the cables. You can now see the two black plastic sliders. Remove the cable...spring clip with keyhole notches....and pull out the black plastic slider. DO NOT lose the two spacers. Take a dremel and grind off the pin that holds teh cable. Slowly drill a hole straight into the boss and through the plate. Get a self tapping screw whose threaded section is about 1/64" less than the diameter of the hole in the end of the cable. Make sure the hole is not too small. Tap the hole with the screw....screw it it through the cable end....then put a drop of superglue on the threads.
The real problem with these vents is that the flaps have a foam sealing pad that turns to dust. This is a job...but remove the fan housing and the flaps Using a dremel and ehat ever it takes.....clean off all of the foam.
Now....the flaps don't quite close all the way. Its the way they are made. The best way I have found to make new seals....is to cast them out of thick silicone. Grease the opposite side.....put a thick layer of silicone on the flap....just in a ring shape so its not too heavy.....then close it to where it always stops....and let it dry. Then work the action when dry.
It is either (a) the cable being dry...lube it with autmatic tranny fluid from a squeeze bottle and wipe up the excess....and it will never go dry again.
(b) make sure that the little clamps that clamp the cable covering to the dash and/or the air box are still there. The cable will not functon properly without them being in place. Look for the crimp mark on the cable covering to make sure you clamp the cable in the right spot. If its clamped to far on one side or teh other of the correct spot....the cable gets in a bind. (c) Do this now....cause sooner or later you will need to.
Remove the two slider knobs...pull the hot wire from the slider on the fan side. Remove the screws that hold teh assembly under the dash. Let it swing down on the cables. You can now see the two black plastic sliders. Remove the cable...spring clip with keyhole notches....and pull out the black plastic slider. DO NOT lose the two spacers. Take a dremel and grind off the pin that holds teh cable. Slowly drill a hole straight into the boss and through the plate. Get a self tapping screw whose threaded section is about 1/64" less than the diameter of the hole in the end of the cable. Make sure the hole is not too small. Tap the hole with the screw....screw it it through the cable end....then put a drop of superglue on the threads.
The real problem with these vents is that the flaps have a foam sealing pad that turns to dust. This is a job...but remove the fan housing and the flaps Using a dremel and ehat ever it takes.....clean off all of the foam.
Now....the flaps don't quite close all the way. Its the way they are made. The best way I have found to make new seals....is to cast them out of thick silicone. Grease the opposite side.....put a thick layer of silicone on the flap....just in a ring shape so its not too heavy.....then close it to where it always stops....and let it dry. Then work the action when dry.