#HappyFahrvergnügen from the #DFW Texas area! #HappyFahrvergnügen 👍🏼 Like 🔔 Subscribe 🌎 vwtipsbybruce.weebly.com
🖐️Welcome! We are Mrs. Bruce (Camera Lady/Producer) and Bruce (Your 70+yr old humble VW hobby-mechanic)! This channel is primarily dedicated in sharing maintenance tips for air-cooled vintage Volkswagen Beetles, 1953-1969 in particular! Bruce has owned and monkey-wrenched on them since 1967 and like air, his gift of VW knowledge to you, is FREE!
Products used are from my personal choice and experience; not paid endorsements.
@@EIKLURAM unless the distributor timing is off or the distributor drive gear was installed incorrectly the rotor should be at 4 o clock pointing to the number 1 cylinder. Hope this helps.I VW Bruce
@@VWBRUCEThanks for your reply. I see now that the SVDA type distributor rotor will point to the actual position of no one cylinder at 1 o clock But the 009 type will have no one position at 4 o clock pointing in the direction of number two cylinder.
@@EIKLURAM the 009s I've serviced would have the no 1 at 4 o clock. No 4 is to the left of no 1 on the cap. Double check that the shortest plug cable will be no 4 cylinder. Double check the engine timing. If the distributor is rotated too far, then the rotor would be at 1 o clock to no 1 cylinder. Happy Fahrvergnugen VW Bruce
@@okiegrown7412 thank you much & glad it helped you out. Our cameraLady, Tambra Hofstetter, is always on top of things with her excellent talent & experience. She's the best. 👈👌‼️ Happy Fahrvergnugen ‼️ VW Bruce
I know this is several years old at this point but I just wanted to say that I'm glad it didn't take you out. I'm very sad that all the time you put into the bug led up to this. I know the feeling after spending 4 months last year on my 1970 standard Bug resealing the Leakey transaxle, replacing rear axles & CV joints along with all the IRS bearings and seals, engine tuning and minor repair, heater system and complete brake system, only to be hit by a Peterbilt running a stop sign. I'm still waiting on an insurance check to begin fixing the damage which will involve left rear quarter panel damage and fender replacement. My accident happened last month on June 28th. Fortunately it was a low speed impact and didn't damage the transaxle although it was hit on the left rear tire too. I hope you were treated decent by the other drivers insurance. This has been a rodeo for me dealing with the truck drivers insurance company.
@@RJFLAUSA glad no one was hurt. Good luck with your insurance claim. Thank you for your post. I hope you get your Bug repaired to your satisfaction. Regards, VW Bruce
Hey Bruce I love your content. I have a 1973 bug and we love it. I follow you for good tips and tricks. Please keep up the good work and as always I look forward to more videos. Chas
Chas, thank you for your kind words. My wife, Tambra, contributes so much to the success of the videos, I can't count the ways! She's indispensable! May your 73 bug give you all you expect & more. Happy Fahrvergnugen VW Bruce 👋🤠
Have you heard this? @10:24 So I was told the metal vacuum tube going from the distributor to the carburetor is designed like they are because small amounts of gasoline can come out and if it’s not looped or angled upwards, like yours, it will leak down into the distributor. With that said, I’ve, too, just run a hose straight to the carburetor
Gary, yes, the metal vacuum tube does what you described. Running a straight rubber vacuum hose, I've never had any issues with gas in my distributor. Some of my friends run a straight hose as well with no problems. Your choice. Thanks for the comment. Happy Fahrvergnugen 👍‼️ VW Bruce
I was just wondering if it is acceptable to mount the coil upside down? I have one in my 72 Alfa that is mounted horizontally and someone suggested it should be mounted vertically with the posts facing upwards. Is this true?
Good question, Tony Ray. My VW experience with Bosch coils is it makes no difference how they're mounted. Other makes & models of cars & coils may require a specific mounting method. Hopevthis helps you. Thanks for watching my videos. VW Bruce
Just saw your videos today for the first time and came across this one. Surely sad news, but glad you were okay. I also live in So Cal and speeds can get crazy on the freeways so things could have gone much worse. Anyways, did you ever rebuild this ‘67? I’ve had two of them and miss them. Concentrating these days on a ‘70 Westy rebuild. Best to you & thanks for your videos.
SoulStarLA, thank you for your comments & encouragement. I didn't rebuild the '67 as the damage was extensive & involved dashboard damage, pan damage, & A pillar damage. '67 was a great VW Bug year. I hope my videos helped you in some small way. Best to you & your '70 Westy project. Happy Fahrvergnugen! VW Bruce👋🤠
Was it common for VW beetles, especially the 1968 beetle, to have issues with their seats, even back around the late 70's? Or is this something that is just happening now with wear and tear? Need to know for a research project I'm doing. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Nicole. Good question. VW had no seat issue history that I'm aware of. All the seats in all the bugs I owned performed excellently. Being the seats are now 45 to 65 years old, I would say any seat issues arising currently are from age & wear & tear
dr.t, thank you for your kind words of encouragement. They mean a lot to this ol wrencher‼️ Glad my videos help you keep on buggin. Enjoy & Happy Fahrvergnugen‼️ 👋🤠 👋🤠
I was hoping you were going to show me at the end what wires were connected to either the positive or negative ? I have forgotten everything?? The wire to oil switch is that from +ve ? Likewise the wire running to behind carb ? Is that from +ve ?
Hi arnietwo 11, thank you for watching my video. The wire to the oil switch is one that is part of the wiring harness from the body firewall on the driver side. It has nothing to do with the coil. Depending on what carburetor you're running 1 or 2 wires will come from the left side of the coil to the choke &/ or the electromagnetic cut-off valve of the carburetor. Hope this answers your question. Happy Fahrvergnugen. VW Bruce
@@arnietwo11apparently he has no no information on the positive or negative side of the coil most basic installation and he made it all about the spark plug wire
Hi toptiermango. Thank you for watching my video & glad you enjoyed it. To answer your question. Follow the spark plug cable from cylinder #1 to where it enters the distributor cap. Pop the cap open & hand rotate the engine clockwise until the distributor rotor is lined up with the # 1 spark cable in the distributor cap. Now mark the crank pulley where the crankcase halves join together. Use a bright contrasting color so it's easy to see with your strobe timing light. Your crank pulley is now marked at TDC & you can do your valve adjustment. Make sure your engine is cold & hasn't been running for at least 6-8 hours. Good wrenching to you & Happy Fahrvergnugen. VW Bruce
Hi Natalie. Good question. The socket size for the generator pulley nut is either 17 or 21mm. VW used both on their production lines over the years. My experience is it's mostly been 21mm. Thanks for watching my videos & hope they've helped you. Happy Fahrvergnugen, VW Bruce
Love your video. could you please do one of the back seat. i bought a 1985 beetle bug without a back seat and purchased a replacement. I don't know what is missing like a rail or brackets to hold the seat above the battery. HELP ANYONE
Thank you, evidalesjr, for your kind words. I never wrenched on any bug newer than a 73 super beetle as I keep to the old classics. That is the area of my experience. The basic rear seat set up is: there is a "L" shaped rail that attaches to the lower body structure with 1 screw on each end. The rail is supported in the middle by the frame tunnel. The bottom rear seat cushion sits on this rail with the back part up tight to the bottom of the rear luggage compartment. The top rear seat section is attached to the lower body via shoulder bolts through the built in hinge bracket allowing the top part of the rear seat to fold down. Wolfsburg West in Corona, CA. may have the rear seat rail or maybe find one on The Samba.com. Good luck & Happy Fahrvergnugen. VW Bruce
Thank you, Eduardo, glad it was what you were looking for. Keep treating your '62 bus every so often & you won't have any rust issues. Happy Fahrvergnugen VW Bruce
Thank you, Lorgayle 1. This radiant heater has no fan. The low setting has one of the heater bars working. The high setting, both heat bars radiate lots of hot air.
Thank you, Patriots and Paws. I miss the warehouse activity. We're feeling pretty good these days. Y'all have a Happy New Year & a superb 2024! Thank you for helping Service folks with filling their homes with furnishings of all sorts!!
It looks like my distributor is off 180 degrees...engine runs fine...gonna change carb to a progressive 32/36 & a sdva distributor...should I just line it up the same way when I remove my old distributor ?
Hi Frank, I believe you mean the Distributor since you mention proper firing order. I cover that in my Distributor Install video. You can tap this link or use the Search on my Wall to find it... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-D3pHLeYhpkM.html ...
Reddmann, you are correct of course. Disconnecting the green wire is just an added precaution as some mechanics only remove 1 plug at a time. Removing one plug at a time gives the mechanic a better "read" on each cylinder on its performance. Removing all the plugs at once allows the chance that each plug may not be returned to the cylinder it was removed from which is ok, too. It all depends on how close the mechanic wants to monitor engine performance. Happy Fahrvergnugen VW Bruce
All the valves are to be set at .006 cold engine. I suggest letting the engine sit overnight before a valve adjustment. Adjustment the valves & change the oil every 3000 miles will extend your engine's life significantly. Happy Fahrvergnugen, VW Bruce
Bruce is a Stage4 Cancer/Stroke survivor. Sometimes suffers from "word salad". Snide condescending Comments will be deleted. "Mindblind" comments will be deleted. - Cameralady, the Helper 0:24 Dissemble the Distributor 1:06 The secret Bosch Notch 1:30 Distributor Reassembly 2:47 Lube Distributor Shaft 4:04 Install Distributor into Port 4:26 Engine Set to Top-Dead-Center at #1 5:35 Stubborn Dist. Clamp catches on Fuel Line 5:45 Distributor and Bracket seat themselves 7:03 Two Timing Tips: Light and Static 8:00 Cross-check Proper Distributor Install 8:30 Installing Wave Washer and Lock Nuts 9:18 Installing "Shepherds Hook" metal Vacuum Line prevents gas getting into the Distributor 10:11 Plug Wires Firing Tip 10:26 Vacuum Line Shape 11:35 Electrical Connections 11:40 Primary GREEN Lead Wire goes to the Positive Connector, right side of the High Tension Cable. 12:15 Outro/End Screen Suggestions
Hey Mr Bruce. Sir I am going to ask you a question, if I may. And the answer is probably everywhere on the internet. Sir I have a 1969 1600 single port motor. My question is regarding the firing order 🤔. I do have the point system distributor. With the mark on the pully . In the middle of the block. No 1 fire . Is the router in the distributor suppose to be pointing at 5 o clock. Or must the router point to wards no 1 which will be 2 o clock? If you can please 🙏 help . Kind and friendly regards Johann from South Africa 🇿🇦 Cape Town
Greetings, Johann. You ask a very good question. It sounds like you have a factory stock setup. How sweet that is!! Your router should be closer to 5 o'clock than 2 o'clock depending on how much advance it has been timed for. You have the pulley timing mark matching the split in the crankcase correctly. Follow the spark plug wire from #1 to the distributor. Pip off the cap & the router should be right under the #1 wire where it enters the cap. Double check to make sure the distributor is installed correctly. Firing order is 1-4-3-2 Stick timing is at 0°. I advance my own engines to about 7° BTDC to get the full distributor advance curve for power & gas mileage. Keep me posted on how it goes. Post a picture of your bug, too please. Happy Fahrvergnugen, Johann. VW Bruce
@@VWBRUCE Sir thanks for your reply. I will apply your directions . I have also watched your video regarding the distributor installation. The main reason for me asking this question. At the moment I have the router pointing towards #1 (2 oclock) with the plug lead to #1. Should I manually turn the motor with a 21 size spanner till the mark on the pully lines up and the router pointing to five o clock . Or will I just end up back at 2 o clock ? Sorry for your time. I don't even know what time zone you are in or even available to help.
@@johannsmit2001 does the engine start easily & idles smoothly at about 900rpm with your current settings? If so, good. If not rotate your distributor clockwise to bring #1 to the 5o'clock position. Do the rotation while your engine is running. The way your engine responds will tell you if you're headed in the right direction or not. Check your dwell angle when done. It should be 44°-50° at 900 rpm. You may have to readjust your carb idle screw to get the proper idle speed, 800-900 rpm.
Hey sir, my #1 cylinder is at your #2 position. Is that an issue? Seems to be running "ok" (still need to clean some gunk out of my fuel filter). I just put another distributor on and it was the same way. Please advise. Thanks.
Hi William. Check your plug wires to make sure #1 plug is hooked with #1 on your distributor. Check your timing. You may need to reset it if the distributor has been rotated significantly. Happy Fahrvergnugen, VW Bruce
@@williamscheiderer9277 could be your distributor drive gear was installed 90° off into the engine case when it was assembled. If all is well, I'd let it ride like that. Rotating the distributor drive gear to its proper position requires the engine to be disassembled & the case split apart to correct it. I've seen the drive gear installed off a few times. Usually it's off 180°, making cylinder #3, #"1" & #1 #"3".
Glad it helped you, Mr. Todo6969. Adjusting the valves & changing oil every 3,000 miles increases engine life. Keep up the good work!. Happy Fahrvergnugen- VW Bruce
Cdn, thank you for watching my videos & subscribing!! Much appreciated! Hope you get a VW. Best car ever! Maybe a '67, '69, '66, '65, '57. All of those are great years! Even '63, '61 are very good. Happy Fahrvergmugen. VW Bruce
Is there any way to do an adjustment / inspection WITHOUT a feeler gauge? Thanks for the video, reminds me of growing up and working in the garage with my dad. Tons of fun.
Hi DizzyRigBig. No, not really. However, if the valves are adjusted properly, a very slight play can be felt in the rocker arm with your fingers. If no play is felt, valves could be too tight. I'd you hear a lot of clattering, valves are too loose. A feeler guage is a necessary tool & are relatively low priced. .006 is the blade to use to get factory spec valve clearance. Happy Fahrvergnugen! - VW Bruce
Thank you, William. I see you have had a rough road of late as well. I'm sorry you & your wife are going through tough times. Tough times does one of two things with folks. It either pushes them toward God or it pushes them farther away from God. Humans have free will to make the choice. My channel on RU-vid is VW themed, so asking about valve adjusting screws is ok. VW stuff is therapeutic for me & I enjoy helping anyone with a vintage air-cooled issue. I've been wrenching on them since 1967. I hope things get better for you & your wife & your squareback continues to bring you much enjoyment! - VW Bruce
@@VWBRUCE I didn't know if my reply posted on the Texas video. I also live in California right in the middle of Hollywood. Had an online friend who lived in Texas through a guitar forum , we talked over the phone while my wife was in hospital and got me through ruff times. He pasted away at 75 3 months ago. It's tough here in Cal, rent and just about everything else keeps going up. I have a few health issues too that make it difficult to work on the VW . I just need to fix a few things. The rear main seal leaks have the tools but it's too much right now.
I didn't realize all of this happened to both of you and your cats. Here I am asking about valve adjustment screws and didn't know your 69 bug was destroyed after all the time and work and hope you put into it. I didn't know you had to move to Texas and are in this situation. I wish I had an answer. Not that it helps I am 74 and my wife 77. A year ago she had gangrene and lost half her right foot . Spent 40 days in the hospital and numerous trips to the foot surgeon only for them to say everything looks great to the next visit to it should have healed by now. She cannot get past losing half her foot. I would feel the same. So I have no idea what will happen. I do everything for her all day and night but she gets worse and the only out might be back in the hospital . It took a lot to get her released the first time. I went every day and it cost for parking and covid tests. The plus was it was all covered. We have rented here in this old building since 1981 and now pay $1087 per month . I am on SS and just make it , barley. She through the decades managed to save some so we have that. She is on SSI , it helps a lot in certain areas. My only transport in my 73 squareback auto trans and has been since 1990 I got in in 1986 had my old ford van to drive while I rebuilt this car a work a ford where I was a tech. Cost me $650 plus I painted it and had it all apart. In 2012 some red light runner blew the light caught the right front bumper guard and couldn't get the hood open . Body shop where I used to work did the work but not as good as I wanted. They had different people there. Then a year later in the rite aid parking lot I can out to find the left rear fender pushed in just behind the door and ahead of the rear wheel well. I got a fender never put it on and pulled most of it out with a plunger. I just don' look close. WE are scared ever day. We are the old people in this building and never know what might happen. I am sorry you both are dealing with this and really hope everything works out very soon. William
I bought a set of 8 screws with the 8 nuts. A few of mine were not stuck but I had to remove the nut and work them free. I have to ask do you do anything with new ones before using them. I got a set made by IAP and they seem to need to cleaned and lubed before use.
I usually don't have to do any prep work with new hardware. But if yours needed to be cleaned then by all means, clean them. Pre lubing them is a good idea. Happy Fahrvergnugen 👈👌🙂‼️
@@VWBRUCE I see you bought yours from Wolfsberg west. Do you know what band they were? Not that it matters very much as long as they are the correct hardness. They don't say what brand. Mine were from IAP , some felt gritty so I removed the nuts and wiped them out and also wiped the treads on the screws. Then apart dropped them in SAE 40 in a pill bottle just to remove and trace of grit. Even though these state made in Germany and look good maybe they were never cleaned after being threaded. Once I cleaned the threads any trace of binding was gone. Just don't wont any grit finding it's way into the oil or any trouble adjusting them.
@@williamjahn7514 Hi William. No I don't know who made them but Wolfsburg West has the highest grade of OEM parts. I co,mpletely trust them. - VW Bruce
