A complete Newbie needs help

My wife of 9 years has been "Yearning" for an old Beetle so yesturday I bought her a 1970 Beetle. Here is my problem,..

I'm a computer dweeb! I have a great deal with my mechanic,.. I don't touch my car and he doesn't touch his computer. This works well since I couldn't even change the oil and he can't replace a hard drive

But now I have this 70 Beetle and there are a few small problems that I don't even know where to begin to fix. Things like,.. and you are going to laugh at this,...

What is the red light on the dash with the B on it?

Why does it come on every now and then?

Is the oil light supposed to come on when you shift (does this when it's first started and the engine is cold)?

What is the best resource book out there?

Where is the best place to get parts (I live in Watkins Glen NY?

PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!! Where do I begin???????

Ken

Reply to
Ken
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Well, your wife needs to be sensitive to the fact that the ACVW is a problematic vehicle, always has been, and as technology has advanced, it's worse than ever for people who are accustomed to 150,000 miles without having to get greasy.

So to that end, and in the spirit of your agreement with the mechanic, suggest to her that she bring the Bug to the mechanic and that she pay for repairs and in return you won't take on a mistress or two.

Reply to
johnboy

Welcome to the world of Beetles!

Make certain you know how to spell Volkswagen, Beetle, and other words, as they will cause more than a little grief for you in this group. Many here are genius level with other things and feel the urge to correct simple things such as grammar and spelling, even though this is not alt.spelling or alt.grammar newsgroup. ( yer doin' fine so far) Yeah, there are some computer nuts here that you might be able to help too believe it or not. Some might be able to help you also. Also remember when you post questions related to your car, make sure and include pertinent info such as make , model, engine, etc....Saves about 25 posts asking what year and model your car is. Keep in mind that ALL air cooled VW's are discussed here, even that *old* stuff prior to many of our births.

Maybe I should make me some deals like that with my doctor.......

We laugh with you, not at you, just yet anyway.

That little light is the brake system warning light. Need I say more?

Ok,.........If you have a failing brake circuit, it lights up. this could be caused by low/no fluid in font or rear circuit, or a bad switch. ( other wiring issues can cause it but we'll keep it simple for now.)

NO!, that's an emphatic NO! If the oil light is coming on for any reason, it will generally be because of little or no oil pressure. This is the demise of many VW engines. Make sure you get a thorough understanding of this from your mech next time you get a chance. But for now, check the oil daily. Have the mechanic do an oil change and make sure the correct oil is in the engine. Between shifts sounds like it could be idling a bit low or low oil level, or major cooling issues.

Now you've gone and done it! There's a myriad of answers to this one. I will suggest you listen to EVERY ONE OF THEM. Get all the books you can afford. Discussion, tech, general info, Haynes, Chiltons, Muir's, VW Bentley's, VW factory manuals, and do lots of searches online for other information on parts and technical articles.............all will likely be needed at one point or another.

Another one of those subjective things huh?.........You sure ask a lot of questions. I can't do much for you in your area, but online parts are all over the place. It will be suggested by many who have done business with them, to bookmark

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suggest you do some google searches and see what others have beendoing also. Many online to work with. some are good for certain parts.Others are good for other parts.

Take a deep breath and look up by searching GOOGLE and all other web searches. Search for Bob Hoover or TULZ. Both are enlightening, (and the same person. He writes very well, and is fun to read and very informative. Someone else will likely have more direct links to share, but I don't have links to much of it at this time.

Good luck Ken, and once again Welcome.

Remove "YOURPANTIES" to reply

MUADIB®

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one small step for man,..... One giant leap for attorneys.

Reply to
MUADIB®

Hello! Glad to see a fellow V'dubber. You are lucky: it would seem that most people's wives would prefer us to spend less time with our cars.

The red light on the dash with the B on it is the "generator" light I believe (diferent years of cars have different labels for the same things). So, it tells you two things: that the generator (or alternator) is not spinning fast enough to produce current to recharge the battery OR there is a engine cooling problem since the engine fan is connected to generator/alternator.

The oil light and generator light should not come on when you shift. In fact, in normal operation, they should not come on at all after the engine is started (they only come on when you put the key in the ignition before you start the car so you know that the system as well as indicator bulbs are working fine). My guess is that your engine needs a tuneup so that the engine, when idling, runs much smoother (among other things).

Best resource book?

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Best place to get parts?
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Since you are a computer guy, I would suggest that you get digital pictures of various areas of your car that you believe need attention. That way, it will help people on this group try to diagnose any issue that may pop up for you. PLEASE DON'T attach the pictures in your posts here but rather set up some sort of website where you can post the pictures and send us the link instead. And make sure that you and/or your mechanic gets read up on the safety knowledge of the aircooled vw beetle (such as never attaching a fuel filter in between the fuel pump and the carburetor).

good luck! Geoffe Elias '74 Super Beetle

Reply to
geoffers

Someone suggested a web page with photos and that is a very good idea,.. so here it is.

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Have a look if it helps

I talked to my mechanic and he tells me that I have a brake problem,.. I guess I need to replace the Brake cylinders or Pistons,... I don't remember exactly what he said . But we are moving foward anyway and I apreciate all your comments. Keep em coming!!!!!

Ken

Reply to
Ken

He misspelled "yesterday".

Sorry. Again I couldn't resist since you made such a production about it.

Don't worry, Ken. We aren't that bad. It's all in good fun. Muad's just mad because I like to pick on him. I'm glad you came to the Wonderful World of Volkswagens. See? Nobody can rag on me now. Here's someone who knows just as much as I do about them to take my place in ramva.

Have fun!

K.

Reply to
Kidd Andersson

THe reason I know so much about computers today is that I needed something with a spell checker,.. still do as a matter of fact. But one thing led to another and now I know more about computers than I ever thought possible. But now it seems I have to learn about Beetles,.. can't be worse than tearing down a PC and fixing it,.. just more grease involved .

Ken

Reply to
Ken

Your knuckles will get busted up a lot more working on a VW than they do working on a PC. ;-)

Reply to
Shag

Looking at the pics, it looks like the car is a 1973, not a 1970 (assuming no modifications).

Alternator equipped engine, later emissions style air cleaner, large horn pad steering wheel, later style speedometer, no wiper switch on dash, etc. Looks like later (73 up) tail lights.

Still, looks like an "intact" original / complete car. If the body is as good underneath (floors, heater channels, rear package tray, etc) as the exterior looks in the pics, just about any mechanical problem should not be too much of a worry as long as the car is safe to drive.

Looks like a nice driver / keeper, especially for the snowy Northeast. How about a brief history?

=================================

" ..... I ain't no bandleader!!"

Reply to
Jack Woltz

Wow Ken, If it's 70 model there's some problems already evident in those photos. I hate to tell you this, but it's not normal to have that steering wheel in a 70 model VW. It's also not a 70 if it has those "half moon" things behind the back windows, Those started in 71. The Bumpers look OK but the rear fenders are 73 model. They have the "round" tailights and "slot" type bumper bracket holes.............the only year both were on the same car was 73. 70 Model rear deck lid (engine cover) only had two sets of louvers in it. yours has 4 sets. Is it possible that this car is actually a 73???? or some other level of another year model on a 70 model chassis?

Check the VIN against some of the info on the web. Maybe someone will post a good site to ID the year model. Or consult your Title and see what it says. Maybe it says 73 model on it. ash is not a 70 model either , or a 71 for that matter..................unless it's a Mexican Beetle. Open the front lid and look at the apron area and see if it says "MEXICO" stamped in there somewhere..............But that still doesn;t explain everything..............

Looks very nice though, even with the oddities.

Here's a couple of pics of an actual 70 model to compare to. It's a little wrinkled and has the wrong wheels, but it is mostly correct as far as body is concerned.

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Remove "YOURPANTIES" to reply

MUADIB®

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one small step for man,..... One giant leap for attorneys.

Reply to
MUADIB®

yep....and Shag is speaking from experience, eh?

Reply to
Joey Tribiani

Your Kidding!!!

I checked the registration and title,.. both say 1970 VOLKS VIN # 1102031461

It's to dark to go out and look for the MEXICO stamp but I will in the morning. I do know that it was sold out of a dealership in Fort Collins CO because the Dealer's emblem is on the back,.. but after looking at things I'm wondering what has happened here. I'm not sure about anything any more !!!!! Any Ideas?????

Ken

Reply to
Ken

I wish I had the history now,.. I bought it from a Dentist who was selling it to finsh off a divorce. He said that he bought it 5 years ago from a mechanic who was the one who did the bulk of the work,.. new paint,.. that sort of thing. The Registration and title both say it's a 1970 though so it looks like I have a real mystrey on my my hands.

Body is very solid though so I'm going to keep working at it,... I just wish I knew more about them,.. but I will say,.. you all are helping me learn,.. THANKS!!!!

Ken

Reply to
Ken

That depends entirely on how nice a PC case you've invested in. :)

Reply to
Michael Cecil

My bug has the month and year of manufacture listed on a plate on the drivers door, IIRC.

Although that door was on my old parts bug before and I think it was a few months newer than the original door. Hmmmm. I forget.

Reply to
Michael Cecil

it is NOT uncommon for a body to be placed onto a different chassis(pan)...most states will/do title and register the "new" car(differing body and chassis) as the number the chassis was given at the factory...look at the corner of the windshield(left side) and compare the VIN number there with that on the title....although it is very simple to change this tag it is commonly left as the "old" number(and *should be*).....the chassis VIN is located under the rear seat....it is stamped into the top of the tunnel near the shifter linkage plate from the factory....i agree with others taht the body on your car is a 73....the chassis could be a 70 model(likely) and not affect anything....the only difference i can think of right off(and that does not mean its the only difference) between a 70 chassis and a 73 chassis is the front tranny mount....

Reply to
Joey Tribiani

Wow ! I would have thought I wrote this ! I also just purchased a 1970 Beetle, and am a certified/certifiably computer geek. I appreciate y'alls reply to Ken, as it really helped me as well. P.S. Is it possible to 'ghost' an engine ? :)

Trey.

snipped-for-privacy@nospam.com wrote:

Reply to
trey

As the others have said, this car could be a 1973 body on a 1970 floor pan, and thus registered as a 1970,

How are the front seats mounted to the floor? I think 1973 was the first year for the new-fangled seat mounting that used a kind of tri-angle shaped metal box for the front seat mounting, which is part of the floor. 1972 and back used two rails welded to the floor.

I doubt anyone would go to the trouble of tearing out good seat mounting rails from a good 1970 pan only to replace them with the 1973 tri-angle box style mounts just to match the 1973 body. This looks like a nice car, but not a concours piece.

But then again, who knows?

So, If the front seats use the tri-angle box as the front mount, it "looks" like the car is a 1973. If the front seats are mounted on two rails, it "looks" like the floor pan / chassis is a 1970 with a 1973 body.

Unless you have already paid alot of $$$$ for the car, I would not worry too much about it. If the NY DMV has no issues with the regisration, neither should you. But when ordering parts, you need to know the correct year for some items.

=================================

" ..... I ain't no bandleader!!"

Reply to
Jack Woltz

On Sat, 21 May 2005 15:25:09 GMT, snipped-for-privacy@nospam.com scribbled this interesting note:

You just have one? I wish I could be so lucky!:~) (Problems or Beetles? Take your pick. Oftentimes the two are indistinguishable!:~)

I agree with Scott on this one...wish we could have this agreement with our Doctor(s)!

Ignore all the other replies on this question. My Father-in-Law had the right answer to this question...a bit of wisdom he passed on (along with a yellow 1969 Beetle Convertible to his daughter-now my wife.) That red button with the letter "B" on it is really for the ultra-secret weapon that was installed as a dealer option on all Beetles with that button.........it is the way to part traffic (much like the Red Sea). It is the Blaster Button!!!!!!!!

Those sneaky Germans also had advanced AI technology back then. You know that original horse hair stuffing in the seats? It is really a super complex positronic net that runs off the static electricity that would otherwise build up from your clothing clad posterior rubbing on the plastic seat covers. It is designed to automatically know when you will be needing traffic to clear and takes care of that for you!:~)

That would be a no. Best look into that.

The official factory original workshop manual. The example I have is in a three ring binder. There is an abridged version known as the Robert Bentley (check the spelling on that) that claims to be factory authorized, but it isn't as complete. Check eBay. In all honesty, get all the manuals you can find as some flavors cover some things better than others. From the Idiot's Guide (the original "Idiot's Guide") to the Clymer to the Haynes to the Bentley to the factory original to How to Hot-Rod Your VW, they all have something to add and say things in slightly different ways and use slightly different photos. In this case, too much information is not enough.

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is best for parts and information. John C. offers lots of technical information there for free. And read all you can the folks like Speedy Jim and Bob Hoover have to say. Google really is your friend in this case.

Ken, you are already in far deeper than you think. Like quicksand, the more you struggle the worse it becomes. Calm yourself. Center yourself. Breath deep and regularly. Close you eyes if that helps. In the morning you will still have a new hobby. It won't go away. In time you will come to an understanding with your addiction. The first step is to recognize you have a problem. That's what we are here for. Fellow addicts. We will guide you. We have the experience. Bring your problems, we will find the solutions. No guarantee you'll like those solutions, but there you have it.

-- John Willis (Remove the Primes before e-mailing me)

Reply to
John Willis

Ken, don't feel like you got suckered. You should see the "1970 VW Beetle" I recently was conned into buying. See if you can spot a few subtle abnormalties in my '70 Beetle with your new-found knowledge:

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Imagine mysurprise when I showed RAMVA pictures of it and was told it was notactually a '70 Beetle! Oh well. The title says it's a '70 Beetle andas long as the DMV doesn't care, I don't care. :-)

Reply to
Shag

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