Ok this afternoon i struck yet ANOTHER disaster with my volkswagen. I have had some trobles starting my beetle in the last few weeks so attempting to adress the situation i began breaking bown the possiblities.

First i changed the battery.. no luck
Then i cleaned the terminals... no luck
Then i cleaned the earth wires... no luck

Determined to get to the bottom of it i decided to look at the starter motor... nothing seemed to be at fault so i chose to remove it in case it was something internally..

To my very little luck... after removing the starter motor i notices copper shavings everywhere, and looking inside the hole where the starter motor sat there was copper shavings there as well.

AAAARGH!!!! Damn you hitler!!! :cussing

The bush had shot out of the starter motor, now do my anger i chose to walk inside and read through my manual to work out what was needed. However it does not specify anything about the bush in the starter motor. So i ask all you fellow Aussie Vee Dubbers...

Can this bush be bought from an automotive dealer...
How do i re-install the bush...
Does the engine need to be removed...
Does the gearbox need to be removed...
What processes need to be taken to acheive this...

ANY infomation would be helpful as i am needing to go on a vee dub cruis this week end... please assist me in any way, it would be much appriciated.

Corey.. *sob*

[Edited on 24-8-2004 by moonlite6t6beetle]

Bummer Dude!!!
Doesn't sound good.

If it's the bush that supports the end of the starter motor shaft, it's pressed into the bell housing of the gear box.

It's easier to replace with the motor out, but can be done without pulling the motor.

You need to make sure all reamins of the old bush are removed and the hole it sit's in is not damaged (not easy with motor still in).

Once this is out, a new bush (should be able to get from a VW place) can be pressed in. You can make your own drift consisting of a long bolt slightly smaller in diameter than the starter shaft and a nut screwed on to push agains the bush.

It's tricky but 'doable' (in a kombi anyway) and should be the same in a beetle, you just have a little less room to get in and play with.

Richard

good luck dude dont give in

Yeh, I feel your pain - the same thing happened to me too once. You need extract the old bush - either try to find a bolt that will screw into the old bush to grip it, then yank it out. (Mine came out really easy, so I dont know what you can do if its stubborn... WD40?) then, don
't throw away the old bush, you'll need it. clean as much of the shavings and crap from the bell housing, lube the new bush with a bit of oil, and slide it in with finger/hand pressure as far as you can get it, then with the old bush and bolt combo, gently tap it home with a hammer (lighty!)

A dyno bolt can also be used for extracting the bush.

Good luck!

Tofu - tastes like chicken...

Is the car at home or in Perth.......?
if your stuck down here I'm happy to let you use my shed

If the old bush isn't still in the hole...
You're laughing.... just knock the new bush in, a dab of grease into the bush and install the starter motor...
I just hope that nothing else is damaged inside the starter motor... that bush was the rear bearing for the starter motor stator... the brushes may be damaged...

Lee

WOW thankyou all so much.. i am at home, however after reading this i called volkswest and they can supply me a new bush for $20. And with these instructions i feel positive about my bug now...

Cheers, thankyou all so much.

Corey

Use a thread tap to remove the old bush. As you wind it in to the old bush the tap bottoms out and winds the old bush out.

Good on You Corey...
Just remember that these cars are all over 35 years old..
how many other 45 year old cars are still on the road???
NONE... maybe the odd old MG driven 4 times a year...
but how many Holdens, Falcons etc are still out there....
that have done hundreds of thousands of KMS....
VERY FEW.... Maybe none...!!
Volkswagenwerk made these little cars very tough with German reliability and quality....

Lee

http://community.webshots.com/user/vw68autobug 

If you do end up dropping the engine, take the opportunity to check it over carefully for missing, loose or broken stuff.