TheSamba.com :: View topic - Road Worthy Check List

Wed Oct 10, 2007 11:14 am

Hey guys, Im picking up a 1960 Beetle thats been stored for the last 12 years and hasnt been started/driven in the last 6.

Maybe theres already a link addressing this situation, (I couldnt find it) But can you guys help me put together a list of parts/things to address so I can at least get it started and into the garage? Must do's first then as I have time.

Such things as oil change, ignition tune-up, spark plugs. . .

Will I need to remove the fuel tank? And whats the best way to do this?

Must do's first then as I have time.

Thanks!!

Wed Oct 10, 2007 12:19 pm

One of the first things to address is the fuel tank. No sense in pouring fuel in if it's a mess.

On an early VW, getting the tank out is almost as easy as replacing the fuel filter.

Empty the trunk, remove the 4 clamps that hold the tank in. If you have a gas gauge, pop the cap off the sender and unhook the cable.

Jack up the front, pull the right front wheel and reach in there and take the fuel line off the tank or frame head.

If you have a reserve tap in place of a fuel gauge, you need to reach in and take the cottor pin out of the reserve handle, then push the handle through the fire wall until it is out of the way.

Then lift the tank out.

Give it a good rinse.

Make sure the pick up screen is still in place. If may have come off allowing the crud to get past.

If the car sat for a long time, it may be the steel line that goes to the rear of the car.

While you have the tank out, take the inlet hose off of the fuel pump and use liberal amounts of compressed air to blow through the fuel line.

Blowing through the line with a lot of compressed air should be enough to clean things unless it is really , really bad.

This is a good time to replace ALL the rubber fuel hoses. If the car has been sitting that long, they can start to deteriorate and cause problems.

Of course, if you are just tryiing to get it started, you may want to rig up a gravity feed fuel supply from an outside tank or can.

If the inside of your tank is a mess, a good way to clean it is to plug the pick up, put about 1/2 gallon of kerosene in it, and about a 2 foot leangth of chain. Then just aggitate it all around and empty it. Repeat this until it is clean.

I also like to do an oil change before trying to crank things up. A car that has been sitting usually shows clean, new looking oil on the stick. This is because all the dirt and carbon deposits have fallen out of suspension.

Change the oil and this way for just a few dollars, you know you are ok.

Pull out the spark plugs and gice each spark plug hole a good dose of WD40. Then turn the engine over by hand a few times. Don't skimp on the WD40. I like to give it a sqirt, turn her over a half turn, another squirt, turn her over a half turn and squirt it again.

The idea is to get some lube in there to help remove any rust or corrosion that may be on the cylinder walls.

Then give each cylinder a good blow job with the compressed air.

Now I like to install a see through fuel filter between the fuel pump and carb. This is only so I can see if we have fuel delivery when we try starting her. This is not something to be left in place when it comes time to start driving the car. You don't want a fire.

make sure all the battery connections are clean. Don't forget about cleaning the connection for the positive wire at the starter, or the negative connection at the floor.

Install a good "hot" battery and crank her over for a bit (the plugs should still be out!). If you can't get the starter to work, fix that now! You want to be able to crank it over on the battery with no plugs installed so you can see if you have fuel going through the filter and to get oil pressure up and also to listen for BAD noises.

You probably don't know the history, so you don't know why it was parked all those years ago. So listen closely to whats happening when you crank it over.

Then put the plugs back in and see if she will start.

I wouldn't spend any money on plugs, wires, cap, rotor, points, condenser until I could get it to run on whats there. Of course if you see something that is bad, or missing, you will have to replace it. But if everything is there, it should start. If not, only replace what you need to in order to correct the problem that is keeping it from starting.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Thu Oct 11, 2007 7:21 am

Hey, just wanted to say thanks to drscope. Thats some great info. Ill keep you posted on the car/condition.

Sounds like youve done this a few times.

Thu Oct 11, 2007 8:10 am

More times then I can remember!

These are the things you learn when you have no money and are trying to mess with junk!

One other thing to check is make sure the muffler hasn't become an apartment complex for mice. That can make your starting efforts a challange.

Thu Oct 11, 2007 11:31 am

One important thing to note is that after you get it started don't just go out and start driving. Pull the engine and take all the tin off for a good cleaning. I am sure at one point or another during those 6years some little critter would have made a nest between cylinders. Either way it won't hurt getting all the dust and gunk from the cylinders and cylinder head fins.
Also more than likely rubber seal around the engine bay will need to be replaced.

Anton

Thu Oct 11, 2007 12:16 pm

See what John Henry recommends: at www.thebugshop.org. In his technical section, he has a write-up on mummifying and resuscitating an old Bug. Good reading.

Thu Oct 11, 2007 4:09 pm

akokarski makes a good point. The last engine I took apart that had been sitting was so full of stuffing, nut shells and snake skins inside the tins, there was no room for cooling air!

Mon May 21, 2012 9:17 pm

Nice post drscope!!

DO you have a recommendation for feeding gas to the engine but bypassing the gastank/lines that are already there?

Tue May 22, 2012 6:24 am

dawerks wrote: Nice post drscope!!

DO you have a recommendation for feeding gas to the engine but bypassing the gastank/lines that are already there?

See your other post.