64 beetle with some issues...

[justinb]

g'day, just picked up a 64 beetle with a few problems. firstly it doesnt start but has; has (weak) spark, fuel and questionable compression while turning over slowly (6v). Brakes are not working, and can barley find any gears (gearbox? linkage system?). i was wondering where i start and where to go next, eg. 12v convertion? rebuild? new box? cheers

[Ol'fogasaurus]

First into the garage (if you have one then put it up on jack stands if you have them). Fix the driving stuff first before you get it running... is my opinion. Check the fluids in the gear box and the braking system to find out just what you have. If you don't have one then get a manual to guide you through the steps even if you know how to do most of this stuff.

Brakes I would think first as they are relatively easy and trying to check the vehicle on the road is kind of dangerous . You might need help bleeding them.

Assuming the gear box is OK then look at the connection from the shift rod to the trans and also check out the bushing in the tunnel just behind the shifter mounting hole in the tunnel; it is a tight fit to get to it. Remember that the shift rod can be moved forward from removing then accessing the hole in the buggies frame head. If everything is OK then it might be time to get some help with the gear box itself.

Do a ground check on the electronics especially at the woven ground cable from the shock tower to the starter. Also do some capacitance checks of the wires looking for old tired areas and connections. A conversion to 12v is an undertaking so check things out first.

Lee

[ainokea]

If your 64 is 6 volt, your battery is fully charged, your ground strap is solid, and the engine cranks slowly or sometimes not at all, you have resistance in the 2 start circuit wires from the ignition switch to the starter. The ignition switch on a 64 will have 3 wires attached, 30 is power in, 50 is power to the starter, 15/54 is your coil power. one point of resistance is 30 which gets it's power from the light switch. 50 goes directly to starter terminal 50, 15/54 probably is ok. f First part of this procedure is to eliminate the power from the light switch, then run a 10 gauge wire from the ignition terminal 30 to the positive battery terminal. Next cut off the wire to #50 on the ignition switch and at the starter. Next run another 10 gauge wire, without a splice, from ignition switch #50 to starter terminal #50. Make sure your ground strap is installed solidly, and you have rewired a 56 year old resistance infected starter circuit

[Ol'fogasaurus]

I just remembered something.

Wiring on a 6 volt car vs. a 12 volt car uses different gauges so if you have done some rewiring using the more standard wiring gauges (or the wiring is so old that there is a lot of resistance now in the wiring) you could have some problems there.

I just looked this up: (https://forums.aaca.org/topic/63045-wha ... ge-to-use/)

" And always keep in mind that a 6 volt system when running will read approximately 7.2 to 7.9 volts while a 12 volt system will read 13.3 to 13.9 volts if all is operating correctly. Amps is amps no matter what the voltage and that is what the wire needs to be protected for. 6 volts systems always have heavier cable as the lower the voltage the more resistance and larger cabling compensates for this. Look no further then the battery cable sizes between a 6 and 12 volt system." (the source is shown in the URL)

The underline is mine. The battery cable point is correct and in-car wiring also is part of the play hence the underlining. If any of the cables are sub standard then you can have problems and the braided cables have always been a source of them. Also remember than the wiring for the ground must be of the same gauge as for the positive side it supports. Wiring length also it the same as gauge requirement increases as the length gets longer.

I've had 26 Chevs and all but one were 6 volt cars. The same for most of the Fords and one of Studebakers I had" I don't remember if the one with the Cad engine and 4-spd hydro was a 12V conversion.

I hope this helps.

Lee

[ainokea]

What it's all about here is, it's a 56 year old VW with a very common malady in the ignition hot start system of VW's. Start systems on these older and in some instances even newer bugs, bus's, and type 3's can develop hot or cold start problems as a result of wiring resistance. I have had many jobs related to this problem over more than just a few years, not from guesswork but from experience and a good volt meter.

[justinb]

i have got it started after a bit; clean all electric terminals and grounds, charged battery, oil down cylinders seemed to free it up a bit. was backfiring for a while, turns out the distributor was 180 out from the last guy. set the valves, gaped the plugs and changed wires, started right up.
cheers

[Ol'fogasaurus]

i have got it started after a bit; clean all electric terminals and grounds, charged battery, oil down cylinders seemed to free it up a bit. was backfiring for a while, turns out the distributor was 180 out from the last guy. set the valves, gaped the plugs and changed wires, started right up.
cheers

Good job sir.

Lee