I have a stock, 60,000 mile 66 Bug. I need to get it out of storage and back on the road. Any start-up tips would be appreciated.
It even has the original Sapphire AM radio!
What is the thinking about converting to 12 volt? Does it lessen the value?
Chuck
New Member from California
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chucks@gmail.com
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Things to ponder to answer your questions.
How long was it in storage and why was it parked? Mechanical issues?
Was the gas drained before parking to include running all the fuel out of the carb. If not and the fuel is old it could cause the float needle to stick or sediment could have settled into the main jet or other parts of the carb.
If the oil was not drained, check it to determine condition. If black and smelly, drain and replace before attempting to start. If the oil is too thick to drain, set a heat source under the engine to make the oil thin enough to drain. Something as simple as an electric plate will provide enough heat to do the trick. Avoid using anything with an open flame. Make sure there is nothing that will start a fire and monitor this very closely.
Battery condition is always a concern. If the car is 6 volt and all works well, there is no reason to change to 12 volt. You can get 8 volt batteries from many sources that work well cranking a 6 volt car. If you go to an 8 volt battery, you will need to adjust the voltage regulator to output at least 10 to keep it charged. If not, you will need to put on a trickle charger occasionally. I would try first with 6 volts and go from there.
You can go ahead and remove the plugs and check to see that they are not oil soaked or just broken insulators. If they look bad get a new set. While the plugs are out and once you get the battery, unhook the coil wire and crank the engine over (new oil in engine of course) with the fuel line unplugged and see that the fuel pump works by pumping fuel into a container. While cranking you should also see the oil pressure light go out which would indicate oil has been worked through the engine.
With all this is checked, install the plugs, hook up the fuel line and coil wire and try to start the motor. Let us know what happens. Once you have a running motor, you can check the brakes.
Let us know how it goes.
Others will chime in with their experiences on cranking a sleeping VW.
How long was it in storage and why was it parked? Mechanical issues?
Was the gas drained before parking to include running all the fuel out of the carb. If not and the fuel is old it could cause the float needle to stick or sediment could have settled into the main jet or other parts of the carb.
If the oil was not drained, check it to determine condition. If black and smelly, drain and replace before attempting to start. If the oil is too thick to drain, set a heat source under the engine to make the oil thin enough to drain. Something as simple as an electric plate will provide enough heat to do the trick. Avoid using anything with an open flame. Make sure there is nothing that will start a fire and monitor this very closely.
Battery condition is always a concern. If the car is 6 volt and all works well, there is no reason to change to 12 volt. You can get 8 volt batteries from many sources that work well cranking a 6 volt car. If you go to an 8 volt battery, you will need to adjust the voltage regulator to output at least 10 to keep it charged. If not, you will need to put on a trickle charger occasionally. I would try first with 6 volts and go from there.
You can go ahead and remove the plugs and check to see that they are not oil soaked or just broken insulators. If they look bad get a new set. While the plugs are out and once you get the battery, unhook the coil wire and crank the engine over (new oil in engine of course) with the fuel line unplugged and see that the fuel pump works by pumping fuel into a container. While cranking you should also see the oil pressure light go out which would indicate oil has been worked through the engine.
With all this is checked, install the plugs, hook up the fuel line and coil wire and try to start the motor. Let us know what happens. Once you have a running motor, you can check the brakes.
Let us know how it goes.
Others will chime in with their experiences on cranking a sleeping VW.
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chucks@gmail.com
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- Joined: Fri Oct 03, 2014 2:39 pm
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restarting VW
Thanks Gentlemen,
I will follow your suggestions.
The car was running when parked, just never got back to it.
If I leave it as 6 volt, would it have more original value?
Chuck
I will follow your suggestions.
The car was running when parked, just never got back to it.
If I leave it as 6 volt, would it have more original value?
Chuck
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jmartini
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- Location: Nevada, Texas
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I'm going to go out on a limb and say yes (if a purist is looking at buying it). Many have been converted and some folks prefer that. I believe that I read somewhere that 12 volt was an option in 66, not sure where I read that but it seems reasonable as it was the last 6 volt year. Either way I don't think it would affect the value much.