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Sat Jul 05, 2008 12:23 pm

Hi guys. Maybe you can help me out with this.

I'm trying to get the fresh air fan on my 73 Super to work (I think that's what it's called). The only problem is that I think the PO might have taken it out as the pictures I have seen of bugs that do have this thing don't match what I see when I open up my trunk. Anyway, here are the pics I have:

The trunk and, I suspect, the lack of any kind of fan motor.

I guess the little one is supposed to be the fan speed knob. The two big ones seem to open the vents. You all probably know this though. :?

So, maybe someone can verify what I'm already fearing at this point. Where could I get a fan system to replace the one that's missing?

It is now July here in Miami (and in other places too I suppose) and it is really hot out. I would just plug a fan into the cigarette lighter, but as you can see from the picture, it's out of order. (Whenever I try to use it the fuse blows)

What should I do?

Also, does anyone have a link to some kind of information on the fresh air hoses? (I'm talking about the ones that lead into the vents on the dash) I think that there's probably something obstructing the hoses as I don't get a whole lot of air blowing in the car through those vents.

Sat Jul 05, 2008 12:33 pm

Iam going thru the same with my 79 if you do a searrch and type in fan box there are a lot of good pics

Sat Jul 05, 2008 3:44 pm

is the fan motor not behind that black metal cover?

Sat Jul 05, 2008 4:00 pm

Yes, it is behind that black plate.

I little while ago I unscrewed it and looked inside. I found a few pounds worth of leaves and brown sludge. Once I cleared that all out I found the fan and a rubber "L" hose that connects the fan to a duct that I am assuming feeds into some more hoses under the dash. There are three wires coming out of the fan (I am guessing a positive, negative, and a ground). I was able to trace only one of the wires, the ground, reconnected it to where it looks like it came loose from, but the fan still didn't work.

Here is a picture of the stuff behind that black plate:

The fan itself is off to the far right. The square whole is the duct. The "L" hose that connects the fan to the duct is not in this picture. The leaves and brown sludge are also not in this picture, sorry.

Tomorrow I am going to take apart the dash and see what else I can figure out. This will also give me a chance to put in some new window washer hoses. There's one that runs straight through that compartment, it had a huge hole in it. I was wondering why the water was just dribbling out of the spouts. Maybe the fan is damaged from water leaking from that hose?

Is there anything I should know about taking the dash off of a 73 Super? I have noticed that around some of the "seams" of the dash there is a clear, rubber-like glue. So I guess the PO had taken the dash out once before too. Does anyone know what this glue is and if I will need some more of it to put the dash back on when I am done?

Also, I am thinking about buying a new fan to replace this old one. I am pretty sure it is broken pretty badly. I don't know much about repairing things like that either. What do you guys think?

Sat Jul 05, 2008 5:05 pm

the fresh air fan box in late supers is such a rust trap
my 73 convertable was chockers full of leaves and crap and had rusted out pretty bad from sitting under a tree for years

i did a how to article on superbeetlesonly when i took the dash out if u

http://www.superbeetlesonly.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=6982

need to see pics on how its done
its RHD but theres no diff other than everything is reveresed
the dash fan in it didnt work either
when i pulled it out it was seized solid
i freed it up with spray but it wouldnt run after that
not surprising really

Sat Jul 05, 2008 5:59 pm

kgsuarez wrote:

I guess the little one is supposed to be the fan speed knob. The two big ones seem to open the vents. You all probably know this though. :?

The third one from the right with the white dot is the fan switch and yes, the two that say 'AIR' open and close the left and right vents. That little thing between the AIR knobs is the spot light for the heat control levers. I wonder if THAT works!

By the way, check your fuses...it looks like they're all 8 amp (white). Two of them should be 16 amp (red).

Sat Jul 05, 2008 6:09 pm

the 2 air knobs in supers work differently to flat screens
there not left and right like a flat screen beetle has

one opens/closes the fresh air vents above the radio and the other opens/closes the windscreen/door window defroster vents

Sat Jul 05, 2008 6:14 pm

I stand corrected! The left controls all the top vents, the right controls the two lower ones in the middle.

Sat Jul 05, 2008 6:53 pm

just wanted to add,take good care of that L hose,from what i understand,hard to come by.

Sat Jul 05, 2008 9:00 pm

Buggin_74, thanks man. That walkthrough looks really useful. I make sure to follow that for tomorrow.

mnussbau, I'm pretty sure I have the right fuses, but I could be mistaken. I make sure to check that tomorrow. (The car is two flights of stairs and a parking lot away right now :) )

As far as the controls go... I can't really tell if they are functioning properly. I suspect that the cables are severed. I'll be able to find out when I take that dash out and install the fan.

oibovveroi, It's in pretty poor condition, but I think I can fix it with some tape. Maybe there's some kind of rubber conditioner/treatment I can coat it in to prevent it from cracking anymore.

BTW, I am now thinking that I am just going to use a new fan for this, at least until I can get the original repaired. Does anyone have any ideas of what I can use for this?

Sat Jul 05, 2008 11:51 pm

The 3 wires to the fan switch are not pos, neg and ground as stated above. Neg and ground are the same for one thing.

The brown is ground and the other two are low and high speed. That is a two position switch.

jim

Sun Jul 06, 2008 2:42 pm

I've got a really big bad problem now.

I put the dash back in and everything and the car won't start.

It's seems that a few wires came loose from the fuse box. I don't know where they are supposed to go.

This is so bad... What do I do? I don't know how to read a schematic and I need to drive the car tonight.

The cables are a big red one, a big black one, a smaller red one, and a black on with three yellow stripes. I don't know if that gives anyone an idea.

Please, someone help me. I am lost.

Sun Jul 06, 2008 3:22 pm

Let me rephrase some of this.

Can someone break down for me what has to be connected where for the car to run?

The starter is not working, I turn the key and nothing happens. I don't even get the GEN and OIL lights on.

Sun Jul 06, 2008 5:40 pm

Sounds like the large black connector under the steering wheel isn't fully seated and on the right terminals. If the connector is fully seated and on the right pins check the fuse box.

According to the wiring diagram,
Large black: fuse 11
Large red: 9
Black/yellow: 10
Small red: not sure...

Next time try giving yourself a little extra time in case of trouble... :wink: Good luck.

Tue Jul 08, 2008 10:15 am

Fuck it.

It was getting dark and all these mosquitoes were feasting on my while I tried to decipher the damn schematic. I was able to get the car started, but first thing in the morning I took it to one of my mechanics.

You're not going to believe this, but he told me I needed an electrician to take care of this. I guess he didn't want to deal with it either. Pretty disapointing being that he has done very good work on the car for me in the past. :x

So next I took it to my other mechanic. He said it would be no problem, but that he's completly booked this week. I left it there with him because I don't want to be driving around without my GEN and OIL lights working. Not to mention that my turn indicators, brake lights, and headlamps don't work. I guess I'll have the car back in good order by the end of the week. Oh well... :?

Tue Jul 08, 2008 11:42 am

where are you located? maybe someone on here can swing by and have a look to see what the problem is..