Broken down in Montana! Please help diagnose my VW's problems!

Wow that does sound like you like adventures! lol Congrats on your new ride! ;-)

I would check the fan to make sure that no debris is blocking the fins. I would check the alternator belt to make sure it is in good shape and tensioned correctly. When they tune it do they adjust the valves? Do they know what they are doing? Did they thoroughly inspect ALL of the fuel hoses to make sure that they were not cracking or dry rotted and ready to leak? Also check the wiring to make sure that there are no wires that looked burnt. Burning wires really smell bad!

Could the rattle be the fuel pump? I hope you have a new fuel filter installed. Or could the rattle be the Super Beetle Shimmy? Wheels properly aligned, balanced with the correct tire pressure. Might be the rack and pinion maybe? Or tie rod?

Good luck with your adventure and I hope you make it safely home.

I wonder if the rattling could be coming from your alternator and you are miss interpreting the location. The burnt rubber could be the fan belt and the electrical issues may be related to the alternator. When you say that the rattling goes away when you push in the clutch, are you also letting the engine rpms go to idle?

Go to wwwtype2.com and click on AIRS on the left side of the page. Then click on the silloette of Montana. That will give you VW enthusiasts that may be in your area that can help you.

The rattle coming from the front *could* also indicate a shifter bushing is missing or worn. If you lay your hands on the shifter does it vibrate the same way it rattles? A worn bushing is not too big of a problem, I can imagine though it would be anoying for a long ride..

I have no idea for your other problems and can only wish you good luck with your journey!! Let us know how all goes, Roger

Maybe it's a wheel bearing getting loose in the front. Grab the top of each front wheel firmly and push/pull with force, you should feel no play. To tighten the wheel bearing, the dust cup in th ecenter of the hib has to come off. Underneath you will find a large axle shaft nut, that has an allen head safety screw going through the side of it. It's all covered in dirty grease. Jack the wheel up, loosen the alen screw, tighten the big nut JUSt enough that there is no play, then tighten teh alen screw again to stop the big nut from getting loose.

Jan

Sounds like you have an intermittent electrical short somewhere, an a substantial one at that. It has to be somewhere before the fuse block (otherwise a fuse would have opened). This short would be a large load on your alternator and would sap several horsepower from the motor when it occurs. This is likely the source of your "toxic" burning smell (insulation burning off). I'm not as familiar with the electrical system of the later model bugs. If they still have the voltage regulator under the seat that is where I'd look first (under the back seat on the drivers side).

Jeepers I'm just a non-current VW owner and shadetree hack, but...

I would buy another battery 'cause it sounds like your alternator ain't alternating all the time, all the way. I would buy a AAA membership (and I am talking the PLUS membership) for cheap tows.

$.02 from PA

mark

Thanks so much for the feed back! I took the car to a repair shop and they found that the alternator was putting out far too much of a charge. They tried to replace the voltage regulator before finding that the regulator is in the alternator. They claim that they have to replace the alternator in order to remedy the problem. Is this so? If so - do you think that there is a short that is causing the problem or could it be that the alternator simply needed to be replaced? Thanks so much for the help!

The regulator itself could well have been shorting out intermittently. This would cause the lights to dim and would add a significant load to the engine. Also, the shorting regulator would get hot and start burning the plastic insulation causing the smell you noted.

Unfortunately, I don't know much about the later model alternators. Some cars do indeed have the regulator integrated into the alternator. The closest thing I have ever worked on with an integrated alternator/regulator would be a late 70's early 80's GM car. In this case the regulator was a module that plugged into the regulator and could be replaced separately . I assume a late '70's Beetle would have a Bosch alternator. I don't know if the regulator was a replaceable module on that alternator. All my experience is with pre-1966 Bugs and on those models the regulator was under the rear seat on the driver's side.

The good news is you seem to be up and running again. Good luck and drive safely on your way home.

hmmm (raising an eyebrow) Yes that alternator might be putting out too much current. Yes the voltage regulator might be bad and it should be easily replaceable without removing the alternator, I think even with your fuel injected engine.

I guess I would order another voltage regulator and have it shipped express if needed. Now if there is a wiring issue with the little wire that energizes the alternator then maybe that is causing the overcharging situation.

Is this shop familar with air cooled Beetles? There are very few shops here in Chicago that even see the old Beetles and probably almost none that see an old Beetle with fuel injection.

Remove alternator band clamp, then remove the tiny screws that hold the regulator in place on top of the alternator (The whole piece where the small wire goes to). Lift up, and there's your brush assembly with regulator. The new regulator usually comes as an assembled unit, new brushes and all.

Time to replace: 30 minutes, including a generous coffee break.:)

I have had an internal regulator fail numerous times, it always pushed out 16+ Volts, boiling the battery acid. Smells nasty inside the cabin. Your battery may now be low on acid, and damaged. I have had this happen with a brand new expensive battery too.

Jan

Where in Montana are you stuck?

Al

Spokane, WA

Aircooled is good!

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