I just came into this car and I am finding all sorts of little issues.
ATF leaks. No idea where to start with that one.
Fuel leaks from the hose between the fillup port and the tank, along the tank. It looks like the previous owner clamped material around the hose and kept the fuel pretty low to make sure it didn't run over. Is this hose replaceable or is a new tank assembly required?
The horn doesn't work.
The wiper fluid doesn't fire, but the wipers and brights work.
Exhaust is coming into the car a bit. I read that the return pipes can let trace amounts into the vents. Those appear to be sound, is there another place I should look for leaks?
Sorry to bombard with question, I am desperate for any help anyone can provide, especially on the horn.
Congrats on your new acquisition. We have a nice 1969 Auto-Stick Karmann Ghia in the family that is undergoing restoration.
ATF leaks. No idea where to start with that one.
IIRC the engine has a double oil pump, half for engine oil and half for ATF. The two halves are separated by a metal plate. Look for dusty oil accumulating around the pump area. Also there are several lines that lead from the ATF reservoir to the pump from the pump to the trans housing and a return line to the reservoir. inspect those for leaks as well. If you don't find anything there, most likely it is the Torque Converter seal.
Fuel leaks from the hose between the fillup port and the tank, along
That hose can and prolly should be replaced.
The horn doesn't work.
Try connecting a test light at the horn and have a friend press the button. If you see the light the horns may be trashed, otherwise it might be a relay. It should click when the button is pressed.
The wiper fluid doesn't fire, but the wipers and brights work.
Please don't take this the wrong way, but, are you aware that the washer fluid is propelled by the air in the spare tire? I was unaware of that fact for many years of ACVW ownership. There is a little valve and hose assembly that screws onto the spare tire inflation stem. It has a valve that allows air to bleed out of the tire, to a point. It will stop working before the spare looses too much air, so you have to top up the spare tire periodically, to keep the fluid coming.
Exhaust is coming into the car a bit. I read that the return pipes can
Carbon Monoxide Poisioning is nothing to fool around with! Be sure that the air ducting between the fan housing and the heater boxes is in place and in good condition. I have seen some people remove them and plug the holes in the fan housing with freeze plugs to keep the air in for better engine cooling. If you leave the openings to the heater boxes unsealed and any of the other "cooling tin" in the engine compartment is damaged or missing, Then some exhaust could be drawn into your heaters by the complex vorticies generated by the car's motion through the atmosphere and the engines cooling system.
I ran the car for a while to get the fuel back down [way more fun to go cruising than to just drain the tank, sheesh], and found it was a crack in the fillup tube. Jbug has one for $20, so that will take care of me for the fuel leak it seems.
The wiper fluid assembly is all hooked up to the tire, I swear. I thought there may be a leak and tested, but the reservoir is maintaining pressure. My guess is that some fluid gelled up the tube running back to the windshield, or that the lever inside is broken. I'm going to flush the tube out this weekend to try again.
For the other leaks, I'll be lifting the car up this weekend as well, so I will have a better idea and get back to the group, thanks for the help so far.
Does anyone know what type of ATF I should use? Dexron?
Hmm, well I figured out the horn problem. There is no horn.
I attached a new horn to the wiring, and it just blares. I'm at a loss here. I took the steering wheel off, and it still blares. Checked up to the fusebox, it still blares.
Beetle horn wiring switches the ground, not the hot. Simplified: horn connects to unswitched 12vDC and steering column. Horn ring shorts the column lead to complete the circuit. Disconnect the horn and check for lack of continuity between ground and the wire that connects to the horn ring. The wire in the column may have lost its insulation and is no longer isolated from the body.
Hi guys. I have (what I discovered to be) the wheel from a '72. It has the pad, and the wiring all through there is fine. Even when the horn pad is removed, it blares. It probably is touching the steering column, but I am not sure what I have to remove to get to it. Gas tank and air box perhaps? I have some free time today to monkey around with it so I will see what I can figure out.
Well, good news. I fixed the wiper fluid issue [the tire needs to be filled above ~27psi or it will not engage the fluid valve. Kind of a neat safety feature, it guarantees you will always have a drivable spare tire [but it means you will be topping the air off a lot more often]. I filled it to ~50psi, and it squirts like a champ.
The PO put the wrong fuse box in and put a fuse in-line for the running lights. It was blown and hidden under the stereo. >_< So now I have running lights again.
I ordered a new fillup tube, and will be installing that when it arrives. Is there anything special that needs to be done to install this? Or is it just pull off the old one and pop on the new one?
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