The 1966 VW Beetle Forum

[aa1001]

Hello, I'm new member & have newly adopted red&white 66. Just got it back after a long time in the shop getting it running. It ran great for 70 miles (its trip home) plus a few short trips after. THEN - a week later, drove it 10 feet from garage to mid-driveway, parked it, 2 hours later got in it & it was dead. No click, no lights, no response.
I did this:
Battery tests strong. Checked terminals (it's a new 6-volt). Fluid levels good, terminals tight, a speck maybe of corrosion.
Checked connections under deck lid.
Checked ignition coil connections.
What do I do next? I don't know the correct connections under the front hood (to fuse box). I took pictures though.
There is no one I know of anymore to work on this car. It's all on me, with your help - I'll be buying the compleat idiot book & should I get the official service manual too?
Thanks -
Angela

[volksbugusa]

a1001
I tell you this is really a tough one...if your battery is charged and you are not getting a response when turning the key...you need to track things down...system can not be good one day and bad the next...I would double check the key ignition circuit. Start with the starter remove and clean every contact including the voltage regulator to the ignition switch...
Also make sure your ground is clean....The six volt harness on a 66 is so simple....look over the wire diagram...study it look over the fuse box leads from the key switch
It has to be one of these points of contact.....the reason why you are not hearing anything is because the circuit is not completed think of it as a broken wire...if you need more help i can tell you what contact to check...just pm me
matt

[aa1001]

Hi Volksbugusa, thanks for your advice. Guess what it was - the ground contact from the battery was loose to the body. Also the contact to the positive terminal was tight, but halfway on so I tapped it down.
Oh was I happy to hear that engine sound again! I'll refer to your reply for the inevitable next time I have a similar problem with my 6V. For now, I'm elated to have my weekend drive...

[66rhdrive]

Ok, so I think I have a similar problem, but not sure. This may be long winded, but here goes.

It's a 6V system.

A month after buying the car, I noticed that it would struggle a bit starting. Then it went "wwuurrr.....pause.....wwuuurrr...rrrr." and then nothing. Turn the key and nothing. I assumed it was the battery. I within an hour I put a brand new battery and it fired right up immediately. No hesitation. That was a month ago. Lately it started struggling again starting, so I prepared and purchased a stand-by battery and kept it in the car. Tonight, the wwuurrr pause wwuurrr rrr happened again. I swapped out the battery and it fired up.

The battery is not dead. I put a meter on both and they are reading full juice. Is it the starter? Solenoid? I'm perplexed and getting frustrated!

I'm sure there will be other questions asked. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Rick

[volksbugusa]

rick

the best place to start is to make sure all the connecting contacts are clean and not green in color. go to auto zone and buy two cans of electric contact cleaner.

start spraying all the contacts. even the fuse box. place rags under
what ever you are cleaning to soak up the waste
-clean starter contacts,add make sure your battery cables are clean on both sides.
-clean all contacts on the voltage regulator
-clean the grounding straps on the battery side and the transmission side.
let me know
matt

[Blue Baron]

[66rhdrive]

Well, I haven't had any issues lately. I did check all the contacts and didn't find any signs of corrosion/green. I cleaned as well as I could with the contact/electrical cleaner and it seems to have helped. I didn't spray/clean the starter or solenoid contacts yet, but plan on doing that today.

[volksbugusa]

the next best thing to do is clean the grounding straps. Dont forget the grounding strap that is on the tranny. Make sure the blue box contacts are also sprayed down with the contact cleaner. Did you spray down the fuse box? if this does not clear up your issue then you must freshen up the starter and take a look at the starter switch. You can also install a hard start circuit. If you need this diagram let me know...Matt

[riocat53]

I have just started to drive my 66 and have been having some trouble with the car starting after it has been running...it will start just fine cold and then if I stop say for gas and shut it off it will not start... after it cools down Bingo it starts and I'm on my way...any thoughts ?...again mechanics in general are new to me so any suggestions are greatly appreciated...Now this was long winded...

[volksbugusa]

riocat53

Good luck with your 66. If you can post a picture. When you say will not start until cool. Can you answer these questions:

-do you hear the motor turning but will not start-
-nothing but stone dead-
-where is home-
-is this the original motor-

matt
volksbugusa

volksbugusa@optonline.net

[riocat53]

Volksbugusa

-Turns over but very slowly like the battery is going to die
-Home is Rhinebeck NY
-Not stone dead
-I'm beginning to believe it may be a 1500 to much pep for a 1300, I know it was rebuilt about 35000 miles ago. The engine runs great but after it has been running the car does not like to start...

Thanks...[img][/img]

[rokemester]

Great looking Bug!

[volksbugusa]

[riocat53]

As Fate would have it I left the lights on over night...killed the battery, so I got a new one and adjusted the points...she starts just fine all the time now...Thanks everyone...

[Blue Baron]

Once again, I would direct everyone to my post above. I install one of these hard-start relays on every car.