new to this site - hi all
just bought a 68 semi auto beetle
a few minor rust issue to be sorted
engine purs though a bit greasy on the outside
the main question i have is what are the common easily fixed problems with semi autos
it grinds into gear which does not seem right or proper
i have a complete spare transmission with servos ; reservoirs and soem other bits that are usually attached
any advice on how to sort this out - some one must have the same problem ??
pat Malone ·
clutch issue
possible servo vacuum leak or vacuum hose leak
also check contact points @ gear lever and wire
gsa2at ·
thanks
so much i had suspected - i have all the servo system and hoses of a working transmission so will attach them and see if Jack changes smoother
ctefeh ·
gsa2at,
Can also be it needs freeplay adjusted. Does your car "slam" into gear?
www.vwar.org is the site you should have a browse through for semi automatics.
You have spares, so you'll be O.K.
PM me and I'll forward you a copy of the bentley section for semi-auto's. A few of us here own semi-auto's so welcome to the lunatic fringe!
P.S. Take a digi photo of your engine, that includes the CV and post or PM. We can spot issues a mile away😂
Regards
Ctefeh
gsa2at ·
that vwar is amazing - thanks for the link
i would like a manual for this car - is the bentley the best one to get ???
gsa2at ·
engine photo - will post one with cvs tomorrow
pod ·
looks like its missing a vacuum line👎
Hey Sean ,did someone mention semi-auto😂 now where's Lee ❓😂😂😂😂😂
eraser ·
is that red hose even connected to anything?
But yes there should be a second hose going to the back of the vacuum unit.
Volksaddict ·
Bentleys is the best...$30-$50 on Ebay
ctefeh ·
GSa2at,
As Pod has rightfully pointed out you are missing a vacuum hose. Your power wire from the coil isn't fused either.
Spanky time for eraser for running said vacuum line direct from his inlet manifold😂 .
That CV connection only needs 5 In/Hg to be fully activated!
Paul,
Given it's a '68 as well, where is Lee?😂
Enjoy
Sean
pod ·
heres mine
68AutoBug ·
HI
I'm Here...
Here is a pic of My beetle... engine compartment...
Been pulling My hair out trying to find the problem...
it does show how many times they are downloaded...
but no other info....
at all... thanks...
LEE
jedidan ·
LOL...pics r there......Lee and his technicolour dreamcoat...!
Hey gsa2at - is your car beige ? Savannah beige to be exact ?
The power to the coil being fused is a good point - mine isn't either - better fix that right now.
68AutoBug ·
57 oval wrote:yep showing on this end
Well, I still cannot see the pics...
but I only have My ignition fused under the bonnet..
maybe under the rear seat???? lol
with an auto beetle, best to renew all Vacuum hoses
including the small one...
use new good quality hose clamps..
then with the vacuum under control...
You can look for any other problems...
The majority of problems with the auto beetle can be fixed fairly easily...
these cars wern't really made to last this long...
but they do... they were all made in Germany too.
jedidan wrote:LOL...pics r there......Lee and his technicolour dreamcoat...!
Hey gsa2at - is your car beige ? Savannah beige to be exact ?
The power to the coil being fused is a good point - mine isn't either - better fix that right now.
Dang it!! now i wish i had seen that musical last time it was in town...!!! grr. eh
Dan and Lee are Semi auto masters!!!!!!! Listen to them!!! 🙂
Joel ·
Pods is the only one with the control valve small vac line hooked up right
gsa2at, yours is missing completley which is probably the source of all your problems and eraser ur carbs been swapped for a non ported one and someones tee'd it into the main vac line
obviously it works tho
and dan, yea thats good ol Savannah beige
68AutoBug ·
Yes Joel,
I had My small vacuum hose hooked up incorrectly for 3 years before I drilled out another port...
If this small hose is not connected to the carby, it takes 5+ seconds before the control valve can work.. this could be sort of fixed, by adjusting the control valve...
When I connected My hose to the correct port, I had to adjust the control valve to be Faster, as I had Way too much vacuum before....
cheers
LEE
Main problem with Autosticks - is mechanics who know nothing about them... it only takes a leaking hose to stop them working correctly... or a sucked in hose.... LEE
eraser ·
here is my other one 😉
jedidan ·
and dan, yea thats good ol Savannah beige
I knew my car had a twin out there 😁
jedidan ·
Dan and Lee are Semi auto masters!!!!!!! Listen to them!!! 🙂
hey, Thanks c'ustard 😂 - two years ago i was in the same position as Gsa2at is now - bought my first semi-auto, and thanks to 'technicolour' Lee i am more in the know. You do learn about them very quickly and their unusual idiosyncrasies....still learning even now....😂
gsa2at ·
found the hose in question tucked away at the back of the engine bay
now when i move the stick there is a lurch of the car and a whistling airy sound from the back of the car
forward gears engage ok at rest - although clunks a fair bit
reverse is still grinding like hell
i think i will replace all the vac hoses anyone got the type and dimensions required - where do i get em ??
Dudo ·
put a manual in him hahah
gsa2at ·
dudo you are trouble LOL
serious answers only please LOL
jedidan ·
I used vacuum hose from supercheap - i just took a cutting from the old hose to make sure the I.D. is the same.
I also bought some new clamps too. So far my hoses have been great. Some of the softer hoses may collapse under
some of the stronger vacuum, so be careful - some of the other guys on this forum probably would recommend a higher
quality hose with metal reinforcement - but the cost of this stuff can be very prohibitive. In the first instance, use the cheaper stuff
to isolate the problem, then buy good quality stuff down the track when u have sourced a reliable supplier.
Also, that whistling sound may be a perforated bladder in ur vacuum servo. lie under the car and get someone to touch the gearshift
lever (with brakes on !) and see if the servo is doing its job of pushing the clutch linkage.
Yeah Dudo, watch what ur saying........I heard rumours that Lee will travel miles and miles to run people over with his semi-auto 😀
Joel ·
jedidan wrote:Yeah Dudo, watch what ur saying........I heard rumours that Lee will travel miles and miles to run people over with his semi-auto 😀
well atleast he gets a brightly coloured view when hes underneath as the last thing he sees
68AutoBug ·
gsa2at wrote:found the hose in question tucked away at the back of the engine bay
now when i move the stick there is a lurch of the car and a whistling airy sound from the back of the car
forward gears engage ok at rest - although clunks a fair bit
reverse is still grinding like hell
i think i will replace all the vac hoses anyone got the type and dimensions required - where do i get em ??
Hi
You need to adjust the clutch servo which is located on the LHS of the gearbox..
Here is a pic of the adjuster...
You will need to take the Vacuum hose off the SERVO
then undo the locknut about 2 turns..
use two spanners where the yellow dots are.
this is easy if you have very small hands.. or the heater box is missing...
then tighten the adjuster until it touches the locknut,,
Tighten the locknut UP....
Replace the hose on the servo... with clamp...
test run...
If It still crunches in Reverse...
repeat the process...
If it crunches in the other gears...
The contact points in the gearlever needs to be cleaned/adjusted...
You could be changing gears with the clutch servo NOT operating the clutch properly... if the points are dirty or burned..
New Hoses - 13mm or 12.7mm transmission oil hose should be OK... should be available from an auto shop or transmission shop - I found some good 12.7mm Red colored 1300PSI transmission hose locally...
If You can press or bend the hose together... it will no good - it will suck in...
1/2 inch 13mm Auto water hose is Definately NO GOOD...
cheers lee - tis really good to have pictures that inform
i fear mine won't be coloured the same ( all greasy and black ) LOL
but i should be able to give it a try now
thanks muchly
ctefeh ·
gsa2at,
Fit the hydraulic hose Lee has mentioned. That brake booster hose while stiff enough is the wrong ID. You can use it but get some quality hose clamps so it seals real good. If you want to re-use your VW originals spray with WD-40 to help loosening them.
A last tip is that Mercedes aircleaner mounts and some oil cooler mounts are a worthy replacement for your original mounting rubbers which appear pretty stuffed in your photo.
You can only get the correct hose from one place in the US unless you want to try BMW (ka-ching!!). I got mine before the postal price hikes and when seamail was still an option.
Enjoy
Ctefeh
68AutoBug ·
ctefeh wrote:gsa2at,
Fit the hydraulic hose Lee has mentioned. That brake booster hose while stiff enough is the wrong ID. You can use it but get some quality hose clamps so it seals real good. If you want to re-use your VW originals spray with WD-40 to help loosening them.
Enjoy
Ctefeh
Yes, I replaced all My hose clamps with good quality Ones
the hose has lasted over 3 years, with little mileage.
I will replace them again this year..
but no signs of cracking yet with the black hose I have used.. the RED covered 1300psi hose looks like an excellent hose, which will last for years..
You also need to check the engine oil level..
and the ATF on the RHS...
the ATF should be a red color.. if its pink it has water in it
if its black or smells burnt it needs renewing,,
cheers
LEE
gsa2at ·
have read a bit about replacing ATF - seems involved - is it true you have to use 5L and run the engine whilst doing it ??
is that last pic where you drain it ?
being a dummy would love a laymans step through on this process
eraser ·
replacing atf is easy :P just empty the tank on the right then fill it with new stuff then leave the inflow pipe off and turn it by hand a few times then put it back in ... easy :P
As for the air sound both mine make the slight woosh (i even have replaced the bladder and have a spare) when i tap the gear stick all good i know its working 😉 if i dont hear it i got no more vacuum left :P (time to rev the shit out :P)
Same with reverse you may still be loosing vacuum just give it a bit of stick then take your foot off and try throw her into reverse ... (BTW i learnt all this from my new wonderful autostick, the other one never had any issues..)
68AutoBug ·
gsa2at wrote:have read a bit about replacing ATF - seems involved - is it true you have to use 5L and run the engine whilst doing it ??
is that last pic where you drain it ?
being a dummy would love a laymans step through on this process
Hi
No, Don't run the engine without any ATF..
the ATF pump will get scored...
I just undid the Banjo bolt under the tank, and drained all the ATF out... then do up the banjo bolt - keeping an eye on the two copper washers on the bolt..
if You cannot take the banjo bolt out of the ATF Tank..
take the hose off where it screws onto a pipe..
You need to use two spanners -one to hold the pipe - and one to unscrew the hose.. drain the ATF ..
connect the pipe back to the hose..
Now refill the ATF tank with about 4 litres .. I used Valvoline ATF and it comes in a 5 litre container..
Now take off the hose just below the ATF cap/dipstick..
and place the end in a bucket or container..
have someone start the engine while you look at the color of the ATF going into the bucket etc..
As soon as its the correct color , have the engine stopped
this shouldn't take long..
Now, You have nice clean ATF all thru the system..
The Vacuum tank should hold enough vacuum to engage the clutch approx 6 - 8 times with the engine OFF..
I can do this with My beetle even after sitting for many weeks...
If You have a hole in the bladder, or a loose hose or loose
hose clamp
Vacuum will escape...
it should only take a minute to fill the Vacuum take up again
cheers
LEE
jedidan ·
lee, i am still in awe with the amount of different colours you have used - I can only imagine what ur paint shelf looks like !
68AutoBug ·
jedidan wrote:lee, i am still in awe with the amount of different colours you have used - I can only imagine what ur paint shelf looks like !
I need more yellow ..... and Green.....
Lee
gsa2at ·
Lee i am stoked with the description and pics - thanks
shame the grease covers the original VW colors you have demonstrated😂
even i should be able to figure this out
unfortunately away over easter and will have to wait til next week to try to make little "Jack" happy again
will let you know how it goes!!
gsa2at ·
finally got time to work on Jack today
degreased the engine bay and under the car
then replaced spark plugs and engine oil
as for the auto trannny
changed the servo's over as i had a spare one from a working system
i have tried to flush the ATF as per Lee's instructions
found that the return pipe to the reservoir had completely disintegrated ( what a mess on the drive way !!!)
fortunately i had a replacement hose off the spare tranny that came with the car
back in business after a bath in dirty transmission fluid while fitting the "new" hose - we flushed the system and after around 3litres of dirty fluid coming out of the transmission and the reservoir running low i decided to call it a day until i had more replacement fluid ( having already used the 5 ltr valvoline)
i am yet to check the contact points and adjust the clutch nuts - will do that this weekend
the car goes into gear with some clunking - sometimes it grinds into reverse sometimes it goes in smoothly
colonel mustard ·
I know all cars are different, but from memory when i was doing flushes on mazda 3's and 6's....... a flush was either 7 or 9 litres..... Im not 100%. I guess as long as its a good level and really clean you're sweet. make sure the level is right. Auto fluid is usually checked with the engine running (ask lee or dan to check this) - might be different cause its a different system.
be sure the level is right, a good level means good changes 🙂
gsa2at ·
my previous post should have read that i changes the control vavle ( the one in the engine bay)
i have flusjed the ATF system with about 5litres of new type D valvoline ATF and filled the reservoir again
the servo diaphragm appears to be shot
i disconnected the hose and blew in it (yuck) and there was air leaking from the servo
i have a spare one which doesn;t leak
is it just a simple as undoing the bolts from the servo to the car body and the adjuster+ locknut to the servo then putting the new servo in place and adjusting ??
i have also cleaned the contacts on the stick shift and reinstalled - any tips on adjusting this tricky sucker would be appreciated!!
bajachris88 ·
2 mins of having ign on, and touching the shifter to hear the clutch servo relay tick when you put your hand on it... If it stayed on with hand off, unscrew a little and retry... if it didn't go on with hand on, screw down.
thats what i did :P
Man i miss that tech. would ahve saved me alot of time. pity the gearing was high though.
ctefeh ·
Gsa2at,
Undo the bottom lock nut, screw down until the upper stick section is locked, back off 1/2 turn and then try to get the slot running fore/aft. Back off rather than tighten.
You may have to undo the top locknut to achieve this. Biatch of a job, more compilcated if the stick has to come out if it proves to be so &^$^% tightly done up...
If it is a stick out job, scribe around the mounting plate on the frame tunnel. Undo one bolt, scribe inside the elongated hole onto the steel stop plate. Do that bolt up and then undo the second one and scribe that hole too. Then whip out the wire from its under-seat connector, undo the bolt and remove gearstick. Acres of fun to adjust it. Putting it back in will be a real thrill. Best to have a paperclip handy to get that stop plate (under the gearstick) positioned "just so" when you are aligning all the scribe marks.
Your choice....
HTH
Ctefeh
68AutoBug ·
the gearlever should be spring loaded
with the gear knob/lever resting on the RHS..
the spring is located under the oval plate under the rear seat...
I can move My gearknob sideways without any thing
happening...
I need to move it forwards or backwards to engage the
control valve..
cheers
LEE
gsa2at ·
Thanks guys - i knew you would come up with answers
thursday is day off work VW day - will replace servo and fine tune stick shift
progress video to follow!!
gsa2at ·
An exciting day !!!
thanks to everyone's advice !! - this is a brilliant website
got the replacement servo in (boody hard to get to but eventually got there !!
resoldered the wire into the contact on the stick shift
away we go !! - the gear changes are easy and smooth like clock work
now for RWC after flor pan repairs and indicatorshort repairs !!!