new to Beetles, lots of questions.

Here's the place to come to post when you have questions relating to technical issues or mechanical questions on the 1966 model year.

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SBabineaux
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new to Beetles, lots of questions.

Post by SBabineaux »

I am a lifelong mechanic who's got a long list of experience, until it comes to VWs. I currently own a 2011 Jetta, a 2004 Passat, and bought a 66 last night (my dad would roll over in his grave, but I also own a 69 Chevelle). Here goes my questions/issues:

VIN number is 116459419. Any can decode that for me?

How do I tell if it is correctly converted to 12V? It's got a 12v battery, and it runs and drives like a champ. The headlights are bright (they work wierd but they work) and the dash lights work. The gen light will light up when I start it and will go out with a throttle snap and stay out. The starter turns the engine over very easily. Where should I start? The generator is all one diameter from front to back, but I don't know what to look for.

The headlights work like this: pull the switch out first click, the right main light illuminates, the left park bulb illuminates. pull the switch out to the second click, both lights light up, the left park light goes out and the right park light illuminates. I didn't realize the high beam switch was on the TS switch, I'll look at that tonight and do some diagnostics. There are some unknown disconnected wires in the boot.

The windows are VERY hard to roll down and up and the left window is disconnected. Is it worth my time to open the door panels and lubricate or should I just get regulators (Loops?!?) and be prepared to replace them?

Many more questions, but we'll start with these.
h~moto
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Post by h~moto »

The first digit (1) indicates that it is a Type 1. The second digit (1) indicates
that it is a 2 door sedan. The third digit (6) indicates that it is a 1966. The
first `66 Beetle was 116 000 001 built on Aug. 2, 1965 (the first day of 1966
production). I believe the last `66 built was 116 1021 298. I think that your
car would have been built in late December 1965.
darzoom
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Post by darzoom »

The gen light is normal and will flicker if the idle is too low.The starter turns the engine over very easily. THe 6 volt genrator has holes on top to mount the voltage rgulator. That is one quck way to tell. Also, the diamater is a bit smaller for the 6 volt and diamater is consistant front to back. When most do the conversion they mount the Regulator to the Firwall or the engine tine on the left side.

Both park lights should come on at first click and go out at 2nd. You can wire so the come on on first then go out on 2nd or stay on if you wish. Seems you have a combination of both.

The windows regulators as you said are a loop. You can clean and grease as needed and they should work. Eather way you need to remove the door panels. As far as ths disconnect, it could be a problem.

Being a mechanic half the fun is figuring it out. Have fune with it!
Blue Baron
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Re: new to Beetles, lots of questions.

Post by Blue Baron »

SBabineaux wrote:(my dad would roll over in his grave, but I also own a 69 Chevelle).
Thankfully the VW abuse we endured back in the old days is gone, and vintage car people are vintage car people, regardless of what they drive.

The parking lights (small bulbs in headlights) should come on at the first pull of the headlight switch, and should go out and headlights only at a full pull. This is rudimentary wiring and should be easy to solve. Get a wiring diagram and make sure the proper wires are attached to the proper terminals on the headlight switch. And yeah, it can be hard to read the numbers on the terminals. I use a mirror and a shop light. (A handy trick is to have a second switch for reference.)

Yes, remove door panels and lube regulators. (You must lift passenger side panel to get armrest bracket off hook on door.) Also check for interference causing the windows to stick.

The door handles are a pain to get off on these early models. You need a small punch and hammer to tap out the roll pins. Window crank handle should point toward ventwing with window fully rolled up and door handle should be at six o'clock.
h~moto
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Post by h~moto »

Both park lights should come on at first click and go out at 2nd
Well I just learned a difference between US and European Beetles. I'm reading that the parking lights go out when the headlights are turned on and I'm thinking not. Mine stay on when the switch is pulled all the way out. So I compare the US wiring diagram with the European wiring diagram. It shows that the headlight switch on US Beetles has a terminal # 58 that runs to the tail lights and a terminal # 57 that runs to the front parking lights. The European headlight switch does not have a terminal # 57. Both the tail lights and the front parking lights are connected to terminal # 58.
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Itskyle
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Re: new to Beetles, lots of questions.

Post by Itskyle »

SBabineaux wrote:I am a lifelong mechanic who's got a long list of experience, until it comes to VWs. I currently own a 2011 Jetta, a 2004 Passat, and bought a 66 last night (my dad would roll over in his grave, but I also own a 69 Chevelle). Here goes my questions/issues:

VIN number is 116459419. Any can decode that for me?

How do I tell if it is correctly converted to 12V? It's got a 12v battery, and it runs and drives like a champ. The headlights are bright (they work wierd but they work) and the dash lights work. The gen light will light up when I start it and will go out with a throttle snap and stay out. The starter turns the engine over very easily. Where should I start? The generator is all one diameter from front to back, but I don't know what to look for.

The headlights work like this: pull the switch out first click, the right main light illuminates, the left park bulb illuminates. pull the switch out to the second click, both lights light up, the left park light goes out and the right park light illuminates. I didn't realize the high beam switch was on the TS switch, I'll look at that tonight and do some diagnostics. There are some unknown disconnected wires in the boot.

The windows are VERY hard to roll down and up and the left window is disconnected. Is it worth my time to open the door panels and lubricate or should I just get regulators (Loops?!?) and be prepared to replace them?

Many more questions, but we'll start with these.
Your starter is more than likely still a 6 volt, as mine was before the engine transplant.

Having a 6 volt starter in a 12 volt system is about as good as having a high torque starter from an autostick.
However; it will eventually burn out, which bings you two or three options:

1 get a new 6 volt starter from oreilly (reman to be sure) and pray that they still stock it and will honor the lifetime warranty. I've never had issues with my local store, you probably won't either, but there is still the possibility that they stop carrying it.

2 get both a 6 volt and 12 volt starter and do the solenoid swaparoo so the newly improvised 12 volt starter has the correct 6 volt pinion to turn the 6 volt flywheel

3 get a 12 volt flywheel, and make sure you get clearance for it around the engine housing.

Or, dare I say it, 4 go back to 6 volt system.

As far as the window regulators go, be careful about those retaining metal dowel rods. They are small and easy to lose. Wear gloves otherwise your knuckles will get eaten up, and lube the heck out of them.

After you lube them, roll them up and down about a bazillion times right away to, work the lube throughout the entire mechanism.

I do also notice that as the years go by, classic and antique car owners are more congenial towards other brand classic and antique owners than in ads past.

I would say that that makes this an even better time to be into old vws, even if quality parts can be harder or more expensive to come by.

Kyle
--
66 Bug current (Wife likes better than the Prius)
74 SuperBeetle Auto Stick (Miss that car)
73 SquareBack, Straight Stick (Wife misses this one.)
Blue Baron
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Re: new to Beetles, lots of questions.

Post by Blue Baron »

Itskyle wrote:Having a 6 volt starter in a 12 volt system is about as good as having a high torque starter from an autostick.
However; it will eventually burn out, which bings you two or three options:

1 get a new 6 volt starter from oreilly (reman to be sure) and pray that they still stock it and will honor the lifetime warranty.
I agree with you on just about everything, Kyle, but running a 6-volt starter is not the same as a high-torque starter, because a high torquer turns at the same revolutions are a regular 12 volt starter, whereas the the 6-volt starter spins much faster, and will eventually destroy the flywheel ring gear. Yes, people say they have run them for years with no troubles, but I've seen it happen and have had it happen to my own cars, including just recently to a friend.

Of course, you need to replace the flywheel anyway when switching to 12-volts, so no harm in running it until it starts making that terrible grinding sound, signaling the flywheel is kaputt. (Unless you want to save the 6-volt flywheel for some reason.)
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Itskyle
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Re: new to Beetles, lots of questions.

Post by Itskyle »

Blue Baron wrote:
Itskyle wrote:Having a 6 volt starter in a 12 volt system is about as good as having a high torque starter from an autostick.
However; it will eventually burn out, which bings you two or three options:

1 get a new 6 volt starter from oreilly (reman to be sure) and pray that they still stock it and will honor the lifetime warranty.
I agree with you on just about everything, Kyle, but running a 6-volt starter is not the same as a high-torque starter, because a high torquer turns at the same revolutions are a regular 12 volt starter, whereas the the 6-volt starter spins much faster, and will eventually destroy the flywheel ring gear. Yes, people say they have run them for years with no troubles, but I've seen it happen and have had it happen to my own cars, including just recently to a friend.

Of course, you need to replace the flywheel anyway when switching to 12-volts, so no harm in running it until it starts making that terrible grinding sound, signaling the flywheel is kaputt. (Unless you want to save the 6-volt flywheel for some reason.)
This is something I didn't think about. It is true, though. And, you would be at the mercy usually of a local machine shop to refinish your flywheel.

Kyle
--
66 Bug current (Wife likes better than the Prius)
74 SuperBeetle Auto Stick (Miss that car)
73 SquareBack, Straight Stick (Wife misses this one.)
Blue Baron
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Post by Blue Baron »

A machine shop can put a new ring gear on your old flywheel, but it's easy enough just to find a replacement.

Another advantage to switching to 12 volt is you get the 200mm clutch and pressure plate of the 12-volt flywheel instead of the 180mm. (The bad part is you'll need to buy a clutch and pressure plate.)
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