Hi Everyone, this is my first email to you all. I need some help. I have just bought a 72 beetle convertible semi auto from Sydney (my very first beelte at 39, i had to wait till my children grew up before i could have one. Anyway my husband flew down to sydney to drive it back and only got as far as Kempsey and she broke down, i had to get it carriered back to brisbane and it went straight to the mechanic and is still there. He told me it had a broken torque converter and he fixed it and when he started it she made a terrible sound. He rang to say it has a split crankshaft... told me it was going to be 3000 dollars. I don't have that kind of money i paid 4500 for her. Can someone please help me out on this i am in a real jam my dream car has turned into a nighmare for me. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I live at Cedar Grove near Jimboomba Brisbane.
So the beetles are easy to self fix then? because i certainly don't have 3000 dollars to spare. So roughly what would a 2nd hand motor cost. I am totally new to the beetles so sorry if the questions sound silly to you.
Thanks for the welcome... so can the crankshaft just be replaced? Also i was told by the mechanic i was stupid to buy an auto as the parts are really hard to find. Can anyone help on the parts side of things any suggestions on places to search.
Craig Torrens6 times Australian, 7 times State Hillclimb Class Champion
depends on internal damage ,and parts are a little harder to find but are out there,here is a forum dedicated to auto vws , most members are in the usa but some are in oz ,is helpfull for tips and how to fix some of the problems that arise http://www.vwar.org/
Craig Torrens wrote:Find a new mechanic...because i find it highly unlikely that you have a "split crankshaft".
I've personally disassembled a Beetle engine with the crank split in two. It was still running as well, the crack was a diagonal one through the webbing between the big-end journal and the centre main bearing. The two halves of the crack were pushing on each other and had polished smooth, as the car had still been driven some distance. It was a 1200 motor with a big bore kit on it and a hot cam with almost no lobes left. The failure is major, but it's not that uncommon.
I swapped the engine in my own Bug not long ago, although not a semi-auto. I got a 1600cc twin-port engine in very good condition for $800, and swapped it in myself. The manual swap is easy, but the semi-auto is a little bit more complicated. If you can locate a decent engine for under $1000, then a decent mechanic should be able to swap it in for you in a couple of hours, which I would suggest should cost only a few hundred dollars in labour. What does the $3000 quote include? That's a bit cheap for a complete new engine, so I assume he would be planning to just do a bottom-end rebuild with a second-hand crank? Make sure that you either get a complete new engine or a running used one, there's no point paying for a partial rebuild as it will be more expensive than a used engine.
waveman1500 wrote:......................... What does the $3000 quote include? That's a bit cheap for a complete new engine, so I assume he would be planning to just do a bottom-end rebuild with a second-hand crank? Make sure that you either get a complete new engine or a running used one, there's no point paying for a partial rebuild as it will be more expensive than a used engine.
You can buy "complete new engines" for less than 3 grand...then you add your tin,semi oil pump,carb etc...
I'm coming to this discussion a little late, but as a long time AutoStick owner let me offer you some advice.
First off, know this harsh truth........ there are not many mechanics who are qualified to work on an AutoStick. Yes, that goes for folks who bill themselves as Volkswagen mechanics too. The very first thing you need to do is to find a mechanic who knows AutoSticks. Lee, one of the moderators here at AVD is an AutoStick pilot and he should be able to help you find a good qualified mechanic.
Basically, torque converters don't break. The attachment points for the flexplate can break or be buggered up, but the TC will still be functional. I'm betting that your "mechanic" tried rebolting the flexplate to the torque converter without using the task-specific bolts. Tghis will result in the horrible noise mentioned as the wrong bolts chew into the bellhousing. This could also cause the torque converter to lock up and possibly do damage to your crankshaft. In other words, it may be possible that your "mechanic" is responsible for any damage to the crank.
Hopefully, you may be starting to see why getting your hands on a good AutoStick mechanic is so important.
Thanks for the advice, if anyone can help out on the mechanic side of things i would be forever grateful. I have spoke to the lady that i bought the beetle from and she too found it hard to beleive that the crankshaft was split(really hard to do apparantly) my husband is going to see the beetle tomorrow as i don't want to face the mechanic again and be told how stupid i am to have bought an auto... The beetle will have to come home as i don't have any more money to spend on her she has cost me a small fortune as it is with the air fares and towing back to brisbane... to own a beetle has always been a dream of mine and i truly want to be able to fulfill this one.
dont be disheartened even if you bring the bug home and cover it for a while. Do you research but I'm sure someone on here will be able to help you out. I have had some fantastic advice from here and found a great bunch of guys who now work on my beetle.
worse case scenery can you drive a manual? If everything fails you could get yourself a new engine and gearbox
Debbie wrote:Thanks for the advice, if anyone can help out on the mechanic side of things i would be forever grateful. I have spoke to the lady that i bought the beetle from and she too found it hard to beleive that the crankshaft was split(really hard to do apparantly) my husband is going to see the beetle tomorrow as i don't want to face the mechanic again and be told how stupid i am to have bought an auto... The beetle will have to come home as i don't have any more money to spend on her she has cost me a small fortune as it is with the air fares and towing back to brisbane... to own a beetle has always been a dream of mine and i truly want to be able to fulfill this one.
Deb
the main problem is thta there are No more VW trained mechanics to work on these they have all retired..
and Newer Mechanics don't have a lue how they work...
I haven't heard of a torque converter failing..??
best to wait until You find someone who can work on it...
You really need the torque converter oil seal replaced...
that may have been the problem...
or the two oil seals in the dual oil pump/ATF pump on the engine...
if they leak You will have Automatic transmission fluid in Your engine oil.. which isn't good..
but a split crankshaft on an auto with a torque converter..??
I wonder if He damaged the flex plate..???
or the original torque converter???
Cheers
LEE
Debbie is on the South Side of Brisbane....
Was it a VW mechanic Deb????
- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---
Yes was a vw mechanic only deals with beetles and kombi's and he is in his 60's so has been around these for while. Just so lost at the moment, which i knew more (anything) about the mechanical side of cars, not sure what to do and where to start? Deb
It cost me $350 to have a vw shipped from maryborough to edens landing (SE QLD)... which was about 5 hr trip.
Beats payin 3grand...
and ur best bet is then to get a 2nd opinion if ur looking at expensive things like what the dude is suggesting...
Then act from there.
As everyone says Debbie, if its a busted engine, don't panic. you can buy good 2nd hand vw engines from $600 to $1000 and they will be good! you can even get them cheaper than that. A manual engine will suit an automatic, you just have to swap some bits on the outside, thats all. K?
Don't panic, you'll luv it when u get it all good to go. Anything that is worth it is always gonna be hard to get, so if its being this difficult, then it must be leading something to really good if u got to work for it this much 😁
Get the car home, and continue from there.
Your other option is to give the mechanic the cash for a 2nd hand motor and he swaps the auto bits onto the manual engine and then you can drive it back home. You DEFINITELY do not need to spend $3000....
