Just bought a superbug today and it runs like a dream but i cant get the car to move, try to move the shifter anywhere and it crunches, is there a trick to use these semi autos or is it buggered? im not that knowledgeable when it comes to beetles,
thanks

just bought one myself, make sure your vacum lines are all good and are all the wires conected ??? newby with them too , just what ive seen on mine

sounds like the clutch is not operating... when you put any force on the gearstick to select a gear the clutch is engaged. there is a wire under the gearstick which grounds when the gearstick is moved... common for them to come off or try the clutch cylinder in the engine bay, make sure the wires are connected.
hth

There are some micro switches in the gearstick which operate the clutch. have a look at these and give them a good clean. Check the vacuum line and electrical connections on the solenoid for the clutch, check the vacuum canister under the rear left hand guard for leaks. Get someone to put the car into gear while listening for airflow through the vacuum canister (with the car running).

See how it goes after you have done all of this.

I have a semi auto, if you want I'd come over and have a little drive of your Bug to see what's not right as I'm not far from you at all...
I could take you for a drive in mine too so you can see how they should be driven.... u2u me if you like.

This site may be of help.

http://www.volks.org/vwar/index.php 

Hi,
Besides what everyone else has said...lot's of good info on VWAR.ORG.

The wire comes out the side of your gearstick, and runs to a connector (hopefully!!!!) underneath the rear seat on the passenger side. From that connector it goes to (supposed to...) a ceramic fuse holder cylinder that has an 8 amp white fuse in it. The other side of the fuse holder goes to the solenoid....

Their should be a second wire on the solenoid which is live feed (from memory...)

Vacuum and electrical supply are mucho importante with semi-auto's.

Good to see some more of us lunatic fringe types about :P

Enjoy
Ctefeh

felony, i like pretty blue bug, are just down the road from you, and i have just rebuilt my shifter as it was giving me a lot of trouble, the whole micro switch dealy, if you need a hand give me a holler

thanks for all the help and offers guys, im going to have a fiddle this weekend if i get stuck i will u2u and hopefully you guys can help me out, there will be plenty of thankful cold beers too :P
cheers

Havent had time to look at it but i am going to today, will post up what i find,
Cheers

so whats news man? im picking up a new gearbox for mine on the weekend

My reverse gear was crunching, turns out it was the gear change bush that had died, so a new one was fitted and all is good! :P

Nothings happening yet the battery was flat, its almost finished charging then i can start the car and have a fiddle...
Thanks

Best of luck, let me know how you go!

I had this exact same problem my clutch servo went was a bit costly to replace just make sure they put the rite diaphram in.

my mates 70 semi auto did this and it was the inline fuse,
wasnt blown but was all cruddy and not making contact properly
cleaned it all up and we were on our way

Joel

Hey guys, the battery wasnt flat it was the lil box under the rear seat on the passenger side, the wire came off it, anyways still crunches its tittys off, i check the wire going from the shifter, it goes all the way under the carpet and under the back seat and through to the engine bay, it seems fine, theres no fuse only a joiner which appears fine, wiring in the engine bay appears ok, im gunna have to start looking at a vacuum leak somewhere i think, its getting a bit annoying its really holding up the car getting regoed...
Cheers

Hahaha, 'tis ok Chris... PBB is my Bug not me! :P

Looking at what appears to be the doodle that works the clutch which all the 5/8? size vacuum hoses go to in the upper left hand side of the engine bay i found that there are rubber things going through the side of the engine bay off this contraption and one of them is rather badly cracked and has holes in it, is this just a mounting or is this the contiuation of a line going through to something else? i know im a bit vague lol but i have no idea what these things are called.... cause is thats a vacuum line then i think that would be the problem....
Cheers

bingo

The aluminium bodied doohickey is your control valve. On it's left hand side as you look at the engine, there are three rubber mounts. Mostly they are cracked and sagging. No vacuum there.

The 5/8 lines are supposed to be 12mm ID steel wire reinforced, cloth braided hose. One runs from your inlet manifold to the rearmost (engine lid side) position. One runs from the middle port to a vacuum tank under the guard. The forwardmost one goes through the firewall and hooks up to the servo.

Any suspect hoses here, fling them.....you can use 1/2" brake hose, or go wandering around hydraulic shops for hoses that have a vacuum rating (parker hannefin for instance). I don't kniow if the standard VW hose is available.

Note again that the standard ones are steel wire reinforced and don't collapse.

And check that control valve feed hose from the carby to the control valve is OK.

That'll keep ya out of the pub for a while....

Ctefeh

Some of the hoses look old but i cant find any leaks and really just wannt give up lol and put a manual in, i have advertised that i want to buy a full manual conversion.....
Cheers

Well,
While you're waiting, check that the control valve solenoid actually goes "click" when you press down on the gear stick. Get someone to lend an ear as you'll be in the drivers seat.
Next, check to make sure the servo (on top of the transmission) is actually pulling the clutch arm towards itself. Two person job. I'd have it on stands so the rear wheels are off the ground. To be very safe, tie some string to the clutch arm/servo link, run it out the back of the car and while you fire it up, your assisstant tensions up the string. When you attempt to shift, the string will move (or it should!!). 10mm too little, 40mm pretty good.

Don't give up yet!! The fun has just begun!!!

Or, I'll be down in Melbourne over Easter and can lay a helping red spanner to it........

You may find you've blown your dough over something as simple as a blown servo diaphragm (which an enterprising laddie in Turkey fixed with a bike tire vulcaniser patch!!).

What else have you looked at?


Ctefeh

Appears to be the control valve, no clicking sound when you push the shifter down to engage the gears....
Next question, does anyone have one? :P
Cheers

Felony,
You've got power to the solenoid? You can check if it's your gearstick/wiring by removing the wire that goes to the gearstick from the solenoid (leave the one from the main harness). Turn the car on, get a short length of jumper wire and hold one end on the solenoid post and earth it directly to the nearest place.

If it doesn't go "click" then, ring BuggyBrad.

If it goes "click", you've got a problem in your solenoid to gearstick wires.

He was wrecking a '69 s-a earlier this year, the control valves are all the same.
He does have the odd s-a part floating around the workshop.

Enjoy
Ctefeh

[ Edited on 11/4/2006 by ctefeh ]

I have checked the wiring from the shifter to the rear of the car and its fine and the fuse is fine, and from the bay to the solonoid its fine to, but might try putting power to the solonoid just in case and see what happens....
Cheers

Felony,
Your reply's confused me a little.....

The solenoid is activated when earthed. Make sure you've got power at the solenoid from the main harness wire.
On the other connection, remove the wire and use a jumper wire from that solenoid connection straight to earth.

No "click" and BuggyBrad is the man to call. And call him, not e-mail or u2u.

My spare is still on a slow boat from the US so I can't help.

Sorry if I'm sounding like a pedantic a***hole, but better to be 100% sure before splashing cash.

Ctefeh

Felony,
If you don't get any joy out of BuggyBrad,
David in Albury may still have one lying around from the '70 semi auto he pulled the motor from for his Kombi.


Regards
Ctefeh

Hi Dave,
Check the fuse holder isn't rusty or contaminated from water coming into the engine bay... even though the fuse hasn't blown.... the fuse & contacts should be shiney & bright... You can get power from the coil or carby idle solenoid valve and earth out the other pin of the control valve..... doesn't matter which pin...
As someone else said... best to replace all hoses large & small... get the best hose You can....
Hose from Auto Shops will work for a while... but its only rubbish rubber hose.. and will need to be replaced every few years or sooner....
You can clean and adjust the contacts in the gearshift lever.... more likely a broken or disconnected wire...
Best of Luck

Lee

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