Headache 66'

Beatrice66 · Post by **Beatrice66** » Thu Feb 16, 2012 6:21 am

Hello from Sydney. I only just recently picked up a little 66 beetle 2 weeks ago for the fiancé to get around town in. To be honest I didn't really do my homework, I looked at a couple but pretty much jumped at this one when I saw it. It's running (when it starts) and has rego until December. The PO said he had changed the alternator, dizzy, coil and kitted the carb. It was obvious that he had. We had a few problems with it in the first week, it's just so very unreliable. Once it kicks over it runs beautifully and idles like a dream. I replaced the starter with a new one after having to give it a few roadside love taps and that seemed to fix the problem for about 2 hours. I can't seem to get my head around what's going on. It cranks over but won't start. Then after a few attempts the battery has had it. It wouldn't hurt to grab a new battery but this can't be the problem could it?
Cheers
Nathan

DC-Dubs · Post by **DC-Dubs** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 7:13 pm

Question? Is it the original 1300 cc? And is it still running the 6volt system or has it been changed to 12volt?

DC-Dubs · Post by **DC-Dubs** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 7:26 pm

Beatrice66 wrote:Hello from Sydney. I only just recently picked up a little 66 beetle 2 weeks ago for the fiancé to get around town in. To be honest I didn't really do my homework, I looked at a couple but pretty much jumped at this one when I saw it. It's running (when it starts) and has rego until December. The PO said he had changed the alternator, dizzy, coil and kitted the carb. It was obvious that he had. We had a few problems with it in the first week, it's just so very unreliable. Once it kicks over it runs beautifully and idles like a dream. I replaced the starter with a new one after having to give it a few roadside love taps and that seemed to fix the problem for about 2 hours. I can't seem to get my head around what's going on. It cranks over but won't start. Then after a few attempts the battery has had it. It wouldn't hurt to grab a new battery but this can't be the problem could it?
Cheers
Nathan

You said he replaced the alternator but it would have been a generator in the 66 originally. The alternator didn't come stock until 74 on the T1. I would make sure you have the right battery for the Gen/alternator. 6v battery for the 6v gen. And 12v battery for the 12v gen/alt. Also check the voltage regulator and make sure it matches the proper system. The original 66 6v voltage regulator was specific to the 66. A good place to start anyway.
Please let us know what you find and we can go from there.

Beatrice66 · Post by **Beatrice66** » Sat Feb 18, 2012 1:08 am

Sorry for the lack of details. It's actually a 1600cc engine and as far as I can tell it's all been upgraded to 12v. I'm not sure if it's an earthing problem or an overheating problem. It has to be electrical. I think anyway. I gave up and tool it to the auto electrician this morning. Kicked over fine and purred like a kitten all the way to the shop. So I guess we will see what he has to say. First things first I guess then I'll need to look at the shuddering in first and reverse. Is this a common problem?

fatalifeaten · Post by **fatalifeaten** » Sun Feb 19, 2012 12:46 am

clutch adjustment is out a bit. Adjust your clutch and the shudder should go away.

Beatrice66 · Post by **Beatrice66** » Sun Feb 19, 2012 11:53 pm

Thanks for that mate. Is that something I can tackle myself or will need a mechanic to do? Spoke to the auto electrician today. He's got no idea either. She kicked over everytime that he tried to. I'm lost.

DC-Dubs · Post by **DC-Dubs** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 1:57 am

Clutch adjustment is a breeze. There should only be a 1/2" to 3/4" play in the clutch pedal before it starts to dissengage the clutch. If you have more than that you need to adjust the clutch cable wing nut. If you carefully raise the car and use jack stands under the torsion tubes for safety you can easily get to the adjustment wing nut. It's on the driver side of the transaxle up near the top where the engine is bolted to the trans. You will see a cable connected to a lever on the trans with a heavy spring. Use some wd-40 to lubricate the wing nut and and lock nut and threads and then loosen the lock nut if its still there and turn the wing nut clockwise to tighten the play on the clutch cable until you have around 1/2" to 3/4" in pedal movement before it begins to disengage the clutch. You may need to use some vise grip pliers carefully on the cable to keep it from twisting while turning the wing nut. And then retighten the lock nut.

DC-Dubs · Post by **DC-Dubs** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 2:17 am

Does the engine starting problem seem to happen when the engine is hot and been driven for a while? And not so much when you just make short trips?
Could be vapor locking. Next time your car quits and won't start check two things. One, see if there is any fuel in the filter near the carb if you have a transparent one. Second, carefully check to see if the heat riser tubes that come up off either side (left and right) of the exhaust manifold and run parallel to the intake manifold are blistering hot where they run along the intake manifold. They are the small steel tubes about the diameter of your thumb. If they are very hot it could be a sign of vapor lock. This will have its worst effect when you shut the engine off after its been running awhile and the cooling fan is no longer blowing air over the heads and cylinders. The excessive heat can vaporize the fuel in the steel gas line and even the fuel pump and even the float bowl on the carb. Then when you go to restart there is no fuel readily available to start the engine and then the battery craps out..

Beatrice66 · Post by **Beatrice66** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 3:32 am

Mate thanks so much for the info re: clutch will give that a go when she gets home. Im dead set blown away at how helpfull and informative you have been, that pretty much describes what has happened most times. But how hot or how long a drive would it need to be to cause this problem and how do i fix it. I thought it may have been carb related as there was plenty of kickover. And i noticed the other day checking the oil that the dipstick was untouchable. Although it happened twice in the same day and i had only really driven it up the shops and back. but again it could be running hot

DC-Dubs · Post by **DC-Dubs** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 8:55 am

Glad to help brother! This is where things get interesting on the issues of overheating. I will start with the most obvious things that you can see for your self and we will go from there. One thing my dad always told me to check if the engine was running to hot and there was not an aftermarket oil temp gauge installed you can use the Poor Mans test. After the engine has been driven for 20 mins or so you can carefully grab the dipstick and hold onto it with out being burned then the temp is ok. If it burns then it's too hot. Sorry, it sounds a little cave man style but it does give you an idea. So it sounds likely that the engine is running hot because you couldnt even touch the dipstick. You can also stick a candy thermometer in the dip stick hole and get a more accurate reading. My dad always carried a snap-on brand thermometer in his shirt pocket for heat diagnosis. (my dad was a Porsche/Vw mechanic for many years and one of the top in his day) My 66 runs typically around 220f and safe is about up to 235f. Anything above 235f is getting too hot. You can check to see what yours is after its completely warmed up, could be as little as 15 minutes.. Buy a thermometer with a long probe on it and you will get the most accurate temp reading by putting it in the dip stick hole.
Again the tricky part is trying to figure out why it's overheating. You mentioned that the PO kitted the carb. If your engine is running to lean then that can cause overheating issues especially at higher RPMs.
I just have a hunch that might be it.... So when you warm it up try just letting it idle for 15 minutes and then check the temp and if it's not overheating then give it a little run at highway speed and then check the temp.

Blue Baron · Post by **Blue Baron** » Tue Feb 21, 2012 3:48 pm

DC-Dubs wrote:you carefully raise the car and use jack stands under the torsion tubes for safety you can easily get to the adjustment wing nut. It's on the driver side of the transaxle up near the top where the engine is bolted to the trans. You will see a cable connected to a lever on the trans with a heavy spring.

he's from Sydney. The cable would be on the passenger side for him.

Shuddering in first and reverse is usually a symptom of too little preload in the bowden tube. Check the bowden tube on the trans. (It's the tube on the left side that the cable comes out of.) It should have about 2 inches of sag. If it doesn't, add washers or shims to give it more bend in the middle. You're looking for a nice gentle U shape.

You could also have broken transmission mounts. When you gas it and let your foot off the pedal, does the shifter move?

Also, if the battery goes dead after a few cranks, replace it.

Beatrice66 · Post by **Beatrice66** » Wed Feb 22, 2012 3:51 am

Thanks for that Baron. Day 4 at the auto electrician and they still have no idea what's going on. I'm popping a new battery in tomorrow and basically they said give that a go and if it happens again bring it back. Not real true answer I was chasing. Looking forward to getting home to sort out the clutch.

Blue Baron · Post by **Blue Baron** » Fri Feb 24, 2012 3:56 pm

You say it cranks over but won't start?

If it cranks but doesnn't start until you let go of the key, it could be insuffient power to the coil. Try running a bypass wire from the positive terminal of the battery directly to the 12 volt side of the coil. if it starts then, you have some connections to clean/replace. (Starting with the battery cable.)

If you turn the key and nothing happens at all, you need to install a hard-start relay. (And I recommend everyone install one anyway, whether the car shows symptoms or not.)

DC-Dubs · Post by **DC-Dubs** » Sun Feb 26, 2012 3:30 pm

Any luck with the "headache 66"?

Beatrice66 · Post by **Beatrice66** » Sun Feb 26, 2012 5:38 pm

ok well finally got her back from the auto electrician. He didnt really do any more than install the new battery in which i supplied. But she runs and kicks over and starts. Im still not overly confident. each attempt i close my eyes and pray, which is a shame because i and my fiance love the car, its got so much character, but i just dont feel that i can trust its reliability. Even after now having a new alternator, coil, dizzy, battery and starter and running a recon 1600cc. I would love to have to assurance that i wont be getting a call during the day from her saying shes died again. hrm. oh and i adjusted the clutch cable and its now not crunching into first, still a little firm into reverse but i can live with that.

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Headache 66'

Headache 66'

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