Picked up my 66 about four weeks ago.
It was in the brake shop for about three of those.
It has been converted to 12 volt, but perhaps not very well.
I can get it to start, but it won't stay running.
Replaced the battery. Replaced the coil.
It has gas.
V belt seems to be tight-per the John Muir book.
Oil was leaking when I got it, but not anymore.
Still has good oil levels.
I really need this car to start working ,ore reliably, or my wife will want me to get rid of it.
Help!
Kyle
Help!
Help!
Hi Itskyle.
I believe you will get things running smooh. I have been there and not too long...and this cat has a wealth of advice.
Do go through posts I've done. I believe you will get a number of hints on what you could check...
A question that begs to be answered is that of H-Moto....so have you since the last?
I believe you will get things running smooh. I have been there and not too long...and this cat has a wealth of advice.
Do go through posts I've done. I believe you will get a number of hints on what you could check...
A question that begs to be answered is that of H-Moto....so have you since the last?
Update on Help!
Believe the problem to lie with the charging system on the battery.
Once I get the car started, it immediately dies if the battery cable is removed.
Going to try swapping out the generator brushes.
What do you guys think?
Once I get the car started, it immediately dies if the battery cable is removed.
Going to try swapping out the generator brushes.
What do you guys think?
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Blue Baron
- Senior Member
- Posts: 879
- Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2009 8:34 pm
- Location: Tampa, Florida
Replacing the generator brushes is never a bad idea, but as long as the generator light in the speedometer goes out when the engine starts, the brushes are working and you're charging.
The only parts necessary for a 12 volt engine conversion is a 12-volt alternator or generator with regulator, a 12-volt coil, a 12-volt choke element in the carb, and of course a 12-volt battery.
It's extremely difficult to diagnose a problem when the only description is "car doesn't run."
Have you done the full tune-up as h~moto advised? (Plugs, points, timing, wires, cap, valve adjustment, etc.) We can't advise you further until we know the basic tune-up has been done. It's all described in your Muir book.
The only parts necessary for a 12 volt engine conversion is a 12-volt alternator or generator with regulator, a 12-volt coil, a 12-volt choke element in the carb, and of course a 12-volt battery.
It's extremely difficult to diagnose a problem when the only description is "car doesn't run."
Have you done the full tune-up as h~moto advised? (Plugs, points, timing, wires, cap, valve adjustment, etc.) We can't advise you further until we know the basic tune-up has been done. It's all described in your Muir book.
12 volt vs 6 volt confusion
Hey all,
I thought I had it fixed. Replacing the brushes allowed for me to idle all of the gas out of the tank. No, I haven't done the tune up. I don't have the appropriate tools equipment nor time for something too involved, and may have to seek a professional for that.
It is still doing it, though. There is, for me, some confusion about what parts should be 12 volt and what parts should be 6 volt.
I got 12 volt brushes. They seemed to it really snug.
I didn't pay much attention when ordering the coil, I got av6 volt coil.
I know that the system got inverted (albeit poorly done) to 12 volt. Because of the battery.
Fiddled with the carb a little bit before I got it running last time.
It couldn't be the fuel pump, right? If it idled all of the gas away, I bet that that is still operational.
The fan belt looks snug. It is leaking an exorbitant amount of oil? But I check the levels before starting and it checked out ok.
Is overheating a possibility? I have noticed steam curling out of the top of the carb when I removed the air filter to squirt up starter fluid in there.
Maybe I should put back in the old coil since that wasn't it.
Let me know,
Kyle
I thought I had it fixed. Replacing the brushes allowed for me to idle all of the gas out of the tank. No, I haven't done the tune up. I don't have the appropriate tools equipment nor time for something too involved, and may have to seek a professional for that.
It is still doing it, though. There is, for me, some confusion about what parts should be 12 volt and what parts should be 6 volt.
I got 12 volt brushes. They seemed to it really snug.
I didn't pay much attention when ordering the coil, I got av6 volt coil.
I know that the system got inverted (albeit poorly done) to 12 volt. Because of the battery.
Fiddled with the carb a little bit before I got it running last time.
It couldn't be the fuel pump, right? If it idled all of the gas away, I bet that that is still operational.
The fan belt looks snug. It is leaking an exorbitant amount of oil? But I check the levels before starting and it checked out ok.
Is overheating a possibility? I have noticed steam curling out of the top of the carb when I removed the air filter to squirt up starter fluid in there.
Maybe I should put back in the old coil since that wasn't it.
Let me know,
Kyle
Before you try repairing the car, it needs to be determined what you have. Because the previous owner put a 12 volt battery in the car does not mean that the vehicle has been converted to 12 volts. A previous owner of my '59 beetle adjusted the fan belt by placing thicker gaskets between the generator and the generator pedestal! I would look at certain parts on the car to see if they are 6 or 12 volts. My first look might be the generator to see what is stamped on it. You will need to remove the generator strap and maybe a small mirror to see the number. A believe the number should have a 7V in it for it to be a 6 volt.
The brushes should not be snug. If you prop the spring out of the way, the brushes should slide easily in their track.
Before you seek out a "professional", make sure they are knowledgeable on air-cooled VW's.
As far as not having the appropriate tools, you do not need much to get the job done. Read your Muir book about tools. Muir is right about not needing a timing light.
The brushes should not be snug. If you prop the spring out of the way, the brushes should slide easily in their track.
Before you seek out a "professional", make sure they are knowledgeable on air-cooled VW's.
As far as not having the appropriate tools, you do not need much to get the job done. Read your Muir book about tools. Muir is right about not needing a timing light.
12 volt vs 6 volt confusion redux
There is some sort of 12 volt to 6 volt box in the trunk.
I can provide a picture of that if people would like.
There is also an external voltage regulator hooked up to the fan shroud assembly. It is aluminum or some other bright grey metal.
I plan on taking it to a shop known for vw repairs in nearby Mooresville. My mistake was taken it to a regular chain shop for the brake job. Not only did they have the car forever, I am not convince they did a good job on the brakes. They feel like they still need bled, and also they completely ignored the e brake. Not only that, but they charged me an exorbitant amount for the work that they had performed.
When I meant snug, I meant that they were taller than the original ones considerably. This kind of makes sense because it did indeed look like the ends of the brushes were worn quite a bit. They were not any wider than what I had removed.
I think I will put the old coil back in the car. I have no doubts now that it was a 12 volt coil, for I had seen pictures of brand new ones on the Internet and they were all a similar blue with yellow and orange stickers and markings over it.
The idea to clean up the engine bay to see exactly what I have is a good one, but I am wondering where all of that oil is coming from. Perhaps it is leaking out of the air filter? It just kind of las on top of the carb right now. There is some sort of ring, clamp, and screw system to tighten it on, but I am not certain if that was OE or not, so I didn't tighten it too much, and, even with that, the air filter will come right off of the car if you lift up on it.
Kyle
I can provide a picture of that if people would like.
There is also an external voltage regulator hooked up to the fan shroud assembly. It is aluminum or some other bright grey metal.
I plan on taking it to a shop known for vw repairs in nearby Mooresville. My mistake was taken it to a regular chain shop for the brake job. Not only did they have the car forever, I am not convince they did a good job on the brakes. They feel like they still need bled, and also they completely ignored the e brake. Not only that, but they charged me an exorbitant amount for the work that they had performed.
When I meant snug, I meant that they were taller than the original ones considerably. This kind of makes sense because it did indeed look like the ends of the brushes were worn quite a bit. They were not any wider than what I had removed.
I think I will put the old coil back in the car. I have no doubts now that it was a 12 volt coil, for I had seen pictures of brand new ones on the Internet and they were all a similar blue with yellow and orange stickers and markings over it.
The idea to clean up the engine bay to see exactly what I have is a good one, but I am wondering where all of that oil is coming from. Perhaps it is leaking out of the air filter? It just kind of las on top of the carb right now. There is some sort of ring, clamp, and screw system to tighten it on, but I am not certain if that was OE or not, so I didn't tighten it too much, and, even with that, the air filter will come right off of the car if you lift up on it.
Kyle
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Blue Baron
- Senior Member
- Posts: 879
- Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2009 8:34 pm
- Location: Tampa, Florida
The latest...
I am never, ever, taking it back to Midas again.
The paint special goes on until the end of August.
It will start, run, and idle forever until it is out of gas.
Driving, it will drive for about a mile or so, then stop, like it is out of gas even though there is gas in the tank.
The local vw shop cleaned out the jet in the carb but never test drove it because of the brakes.
The coil is 12 volt, as is the one I replaced it. The conversion looks like they used some sort of 12 volt to 6 volt downconverter for non engine type parts, like the coil. Not sure but I think they kept the original starter and ran the 12 volt lead to it.
I am sure I am going to have to bleed the brakes again. How soon before you press down on them should you get resistance?
Also, it pulls to the right when braking. Not much, but some.
I think I'll try cleaning out the carb this weekend, and also investigating the fuel pump, which doesn't appear to be OEM, unless for some reason, VW decided to have all of their fuel pumps manufactured in Brazil in 1966.
The vehicle is missing its pre-heater hose, and the other hoses could do with replacing.
Speaking of the cooling system, should I be concerned with any holes in the fan shroud? They look like maybe they were used to mount stuff at one point and time.
I couldn't find the add-on fuel filter in back. Do you guys think that the only way fuel is being filtered then is by the filter in the tank and the filter in the carb?
Is it possible that the downconverter box is no longer down-converting to 6V? I'm just curious.
Can anybody also shed me a reminder on the dome light? Up is ON, all the time, middle is ? and down is ?
The reason why I am asking is because I think that it may be in a short status, or maybe just the door open switch.
If the downconverter box is no longer down converting, every 6V electrical contriviance is getting 12 V. Would this include the sensor in the gas tank?
Going to call out to a buddy of mine today, to see if he can help me with the vehicle this weekend.
Will let you guys know, how it goes.
Email me or PM me about Midas, if you want to hear about it.
The paint special goes on until the end of August.
It will start, run, and idle forever until it is out of gas.
Driving, it will drive for about a mile or so, then stop, like it is out of gas even though there is gas in the tank.
The local vw shop cleaned out the jet in the carb but never test drove it because of the brakes.
The coil is 12 volt, as is the one I replaced it. The conversion looks like they used some sort of 12 volt to 6 volt downconverter for non engine type parts, like the coil. Not sure but I think they kept the original starter and ran the 12 volt lead to it.
I am sure I am going to have to bleed the brakes again. How soon before you press down on them should you get resistance?
Also, it pulls to the right when braking. Not much, but some.
I think I'll try cleaning out the carb this weekend, and also investigating the fuel pump, which doesn't appear to be OEM, unless for some reason, VW decided to have all of their fuel pumps manufactured in Brazil in 1966.
The vehicle is missing its pre-heater hose, and the other hoses could do with replacing.
Speaking of the cooling system, should I be concerned with any holes in the fan shroud? They look like maybe they were used to mount stuff at one point and time.
I couldn't find the add-on fuel filter in back. Do you guys think that the only way fuel is being filtered then is by the filter in the tank and the filter in the carb?
Is it possible that the downconverter box is no longer down-converting to 6V? I'm just curious.
Can anybody also shed me a reminder on the dome light? Up is ON, all the time, middle is ? and down is ?
The reason why I am asking is because I think that it may be in a short status, or maybe just the door open switch.
If the downconverter box is no longer down converting, every 6V electrical contriviance is getting 12 V. Would this include the sensor in the gas tank?
Going to call out to a buddy of mine today, to see if he can help me with the vehicle this weekend.
Will let you guys know, how it goes.
Email me or PM me about Midas, if you want to hear about it.
You say it will drive for about a mile or so, then stop. After it stops, is there any difficulty getting it restarted?
Dome light: If your car is a hardtop it should be: Up is operated by door switch, middle is off, down is on.
There is no fuel filter in the carb, if your fuel pump is original it should have a filter. How to clean it is shown in the "Maintenance Service" part of your owners manual. If you don't have a manual you can download one from thesamba.com. Click on "Owner's Manuals" under the "Technical" tab. There are three manuals available: Deluxe US version, Deluxe non US version, Standard (1200A).
Your gas gauge should be cable operated, not electrical.
You may want to invest in a multimeter, also known as a VOM (Volt-Ohm meter). An analog one is very inexpensive and can tell you what kind of voltage is coming out of your downconverter.
Dome light: If your car is a hardtop it should be: Up is operated by door switch, middle is off, down is on.
There is no fuel filter in the carb, if your fuel pump is original it should have a filter. How to clean it is shown in the "Maintenance Service" part of your owners manual. If you don't have a manual you can download one from thesamba.com. Click on "Owner's Manuals" under the "Technical" tab. There are three manuals available: Deluxe US version, Deluxe non US version, Standard (1200A).
Your gas gauge should be cable operated, not electrical.
You may want to invest in a multimeter, also known as a VOM (Volt-Ohm meter). An analog one is very inexpensive and can tell you what kind of voltage is coming out of your downconverter.
Help!
Hi Kyle,
I highly suspect you may be having Carburetor Ice forming.
This is a situation caused by blocked heat riser. The heat riser tubes are located beneath the manifold tube (the place where the carburetor sit). They circulate hot air from the exhaust to ensure that the carburetor is kept warm enough to avoid ice formation in the carburetor that chocks fuel from going down the manifold.
Symptoms you may check on, the car would run for some time then stall (as you say- as if the car is out of gas) and after some time, you are able to start and drive off and then experience the same yet again.
I did experience the same and thanks to this forum (and for this particular matter, Hercdrive who taught me on this). You could view the post on the following link and get a helpful photo there as well
http://www.1966vwbeetle.com/Forum/viewt ... ght=#10033
All the best.
I highly suspect you may be having Carburetor Ice forming.
This is a situation caused by blocked heat riser. The heat riser tubes are located beneath the manifold tube (the place where the carburetor sit). They circulate hot air from the exhaust to ensure that the carburetor is kept warm enough to avoid ice formation in the carburetor that chocks fuel from going down the manifold.
Symptoms you may check on, the car would run for some time then stall (as you say- as if the car is out of gas) and after some time, you are able to start and drive off and then experience the same yet again.
I did experience the same and thanks to this forum (and for this particular matter, Hercdrive who taught me on this). You could view the post on the following link and get a helpful photo there as well
http://www.1966vwbeetle.com/Forum/viewt ... ght=#10033
All the best.
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Blue Baron
- Senior Member
- Posts: 879
- Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2009 8:34 pm
- Location: Tampa, Florida
Sounds to me like it could be a sticking needle valve in the carburetor. This is the valve in the top of the carb directly under where the fuel line enters. As the engine runs, the float chamber empties, opening the valve to let in more gas. If the valve is sticking, you run out of gas as soon as the chamber is empty.
As for your 6-volt convertor, you may want to follow the wires to see what accessories, if any, are running off it.
As for your 6-volt convertor, you may want to follow the wires to see what accessories, if any, are running off it.
Update
A buddy of mine verified that it is the carb.
I bought a rebuild kit for $15 locally and also some sunvisor clips.
When I bought the rebuild kit, the guy cautioned me and said if the throttle body has gone bad, I'd have to buy another carburetor.
Would that be a correct statement?
I haven't torn out and rebuild the carb yet, I am wondering if I should bribe my buddy to do it instead.
What do you guys think?
I bought a rebuild kit for $15 locally and also some sunvisor clips.
When I bought the rebuild kit, the guy cautioned me and said if the throttle body has gone bad, I'd have to buy another carburetor.
Would that be a correct statement?
I haven't torn out and rebuild the carb yet, I am wondering if I should bribe my buddy to do it instead.
What do you guys think?