New to Beetles Question

[Newbiea1]

Hi,

If I want to drive on hills and freeways, should I adjust my timing? Someone told me to advance the distributor for hills and retard it for freeways. Is that okay? Thanks!

[fatalifeaten]

No. You shouldn't have to adjust your timing like that. Seriously, consider it. Are you going to jump out at the bottom of the hills and tweak your timing on the side of the road every time you hit some? What about at the on or offramps on the freeway? Heck no. You should instead go T.P. that person's house in revenge for giving you that info.

When you do a tune-up, you set the timing based on the components in your engine and your driving style ( to a lesser extent). Once it's set correctly you shouldn't have to mess with it except for routine maintenance. Constantly adjusting it for hills and freeway driving is just going to make your car underperform and have you constantly fiddling with it needlessly.

Now, a caveat to that general idea. Say you live at sea level and you're going to take your car and spend a month at 7500 feet. That might mean you need to rejet the carb and adjust the timing for the higher altitude because the air density is different and you'd need to retune the engine to account for that change in the air. Otherwise it'll run poorly because it's not tuned to perform well at the higher altitude. I wouldn't consider that "hills" though, that's going to be mountains and you'd likely not be doing that every day.

[Blue Baron]

First off, this should probably be asked in the mechanical forum, because this is the place to be showing off our pride and joys.

I agree with fatal if eaten. (I do that a lot.) Unless you're headed to a much higher elevation, there's no point in tweaking the timing.

[jmartini]

I moved to the correct forum.
I would agree with FIE and BB, no need to adjust the timing.

[Newbiea1]

I apologize for posting it in the wrong forum. It was a total mistake and I couldn't figure out why it wasn't showing up in the Technical or Mechanical Forum.

I should have offered a context to my question. I'm looking for my first VW Beetle. Someone was selling his Beetle for $2,100 which he claimed only needed paint and horn work. I saw several small puddles of fresh oil on the ground in his garage where the Bug was parked and fresh oil around the driver's side push rods. His oil was about 3/4 full and black. He denied having any oil leaks. Based upon his tweaking the timing and reasoning thereof and the oil leaks, I decided not to buy the vehicle because I'm concerned about his care of that Bug, esp the engine's conditiom. Before I make major decisions, I like to check it out with others, hence my participation in this forum. Am I being reasonable with my decision, or expecting too much from VW sellers?

Also, I'm in the San Fran Bay Area. I'm seeing "project" VWs ranging from $800-$2500 and good conditions from $1000-$5000. Does that sound like the right price range? I'm looking for the latter, because it will be my first VW and I've read on the Internet how project cars can turn into money pits, in that undiscovered problems arise. I'm excited to do some do-it-yourself repairs, and am experienced with non-VW mechanical car repair. I think that the Beetle's more frequent/routine repairs (e.g. valve adjustment and oil changes) will keep my plenty busy and I don't need the drama of major repairs (e.g. engine overhaul) right now. Does this also sound reasonable?

Finally, there are very few VWs in junkyards. I notice that the engines and tires are popular and missing. What parts should I start collecting for my future VW when I go there?

[jmartini]

Don't worry about the post - no problem to move!

I think you are doing all the right things on checking the condition of the bug you are going to buy - as always, the buyer needs to be overly cautious. I was burned back in 2003 on a totaly misrepresented beetle from Georgia - but I learned alot.

There are some nice places in California that might be able to help you find a bug. Gary Lavere was the one that hooked me up with the Previous Owner of my 66 back in 2005. He gave me the entire straight scoop on the car and went out of his way to send me tons of pictures. I was not disappointed at all. You may want to contact him and tell him what you are looking for. http://www.vwrestorations.com/

www.oldbug.com is another place I've have talked to and the owner several times and he seemed to be a straight shooter. Their prices are on the high side but you can get a real good look at everything about the cars on his site.

Again, it doesn't matter who you are buying from, a private party or someone like the guys above, either way you need to be careful and know what you are getting into.

If you plan to venture out on your own. Print the check list on the main page and if you have a knowledgable vw friend, take him/her along to help with the inspection.

If you don't want any drama with the engine make sure to gt the history of the repairs if possible and if there was a "rebuild" in the not to distant pass, what did it entail.

I wouldn't buy parts in advance of buying a bug, you might be stocking up for something you don't need in the future.

Best of luck on your journey - I'm sure others will weigh in as well.

[fatalifeaten]

As far as the numbers you're throwing around in the bay area, they're definitely reasonable. Earlier cars are more desirable and will command more money. You should be able to drive something home with you for around 2500 out there (that will need some work of some sort), and for 5 grand you should be able to pick up a daily driver in great shape. I did a quick samba search for all of California, and there's some nice cars out there right now for good money. If you aren't worried about a bit of a drive you can get some nice SoCal cars for a song.

Choosing the right car can almost become a Zen thing. Find a car that caters to your strengths, because that will allow you to handle the work yourself.

As a 'ferinstance, I'm completely fearless when it comes to mechanical things. I will tear them down and rebuild them all day long happily. I'm not a fabricator or a body guy though, so when I'm looking at projects I choose ones that are less rough from a bodywork perspective, because I'll have to farm that work out anyway. Check in with some local shops and find out what their labor rates are, whether or not they'll let you supply your own parts to get work done (rebuilding kind and link pins for example), etc. That way, when you go to look at cars you'll at least be able to make a guess as to what the cost of ownership will be once you make the purchase. Alos, keep in mind that these cars are over 30 years old for the LATER cars. Our '66's are turning 45 this year. Things are going to break, and they're going to need to be maintained to thrive. It's one of the things you accept with ownership of the car.

In the end, if the deal seems shady, walk away. There are plenty of good projects out there and the longer you look, the more money you have to put towards the right car when it finds you.

[Newbiea1]

Thank you for your thoughtful reply.

I test drove a Beetle yesterday and it made a constant humming noise but only when my foot pressed all the way down on the clutch. What caused that?

What are diagnostic tests I should do on a clutch to make sure it's okay?

What items should I keep in my Bug in case of an emergency?

[Blue Baron]

That noise was probably the throwout bearing.

My advice is simpler. Buy the best finsihed car you can afford and avoid the "project" all together.

[fatalifeaten]

That noise was probably the throwout bearing.

My advice is simpler. Buy the best finsihed car you can afford and avoid the "project" all together.

Well put.