TheSamba.com :: View topic - 1962 beetle-no starter bushing... am I crazy?

Thu Sep 18, 2014 5:24 pm

I just replaced the starter in my 1962 beetle while I had the engine out, and for the life of me I could not see a starter bushing, and the starter fits perfectly in the hole. do some cars not have a bushing or am I crazy? It's an all original 1200 40hp 6v Thanks

Thu Sep 18, 2014 5:35 pm

Nope - you're crazy! :lol: They all should have a starter bushing... unless the old and new starters are for an automatic?

Thu Sep 18, 2014 6:28 pm

I have the same issue on a friends Ghia. It is a 60 Ghia and was converted to 12 volt. He went back to 6 volt and the starter fits perfectly in the hole with no bushing. I'm telling him it must be a 12 volt tranny. Does this make sense, and how do you fit a 6 volt starter bushing in it. It just won't fit the bushing.

Fri Sep 19, 2014 4:44 am

hazetguy wrote:

Here are the 4 types of starter bushings, showing the various sizes and comparing them to one another.

Upper Left: 6 volt transmission case, to be used with a 6 volt starter. Often called a straight 6 bushing.

Upper Right: 12 volt transmission case, to be used with a 6 volt starter. Often called a 12-to-6 bushing.

Lower Left: 12 volt transmission case, to be used with a 12 volt starter. Often called a straight 12 bushing.

Lower Right: 6 volt transmission case, to be used with a 12 volt starter. Often called a 6-to-12 bushing.

Fri Sep 19, 2014 11:55 am

Thanks for that. You learn something new everyday.

Sun Sep 21, 2014 11:35 am

I don't know... I just had another look in there and the hole simply has no room for a bushing, the shaft fits perfectly in the hole with no play. It's a 6v car and I'm pretty sure they didn't make a 6v automatic. I hope someone has come across this. thanks for everyone's help :D

Sun Sep 21, 2014 12:09 pm

I don't understand it either - there's no notes in the Workshop manual saying you might find some transaxle cases with no bushing in them. Even the May 1960 parts book for the split case transaxles shows a part and part number for a bushing and no date or chassis number range.

Sun Sep 21, 2014 1:32 pm

Self supporting/auto trans starters require no bushing

Sun Sep 21, 2014 1:45 pm

True, that, but in 1962, the only thing they had close to "automatic" was Saxomat and that was just a roller clutch combined with a vacuum operated clutch - it still used the normal starter.

Now for a time during mid 1966, VW DID use a self supporting 6V starter, but it wasn't for the 109 tooth flywheel, and it wasn't on Bugs. It was on Karmann Ghias and it was used with a 130-tooth flywheel. That SR13X only lasted a short time before the bushing-supported SR14X came along, again for a 130 tooth flywheel.

Sun Sep 21, 2014 4:40 pm

Wow thanks I love hearing stuff like that, I'm becoming quite a VW nerd. I'm having my engine rebuilt this week so I'll try to get to the bottom of this thanks for everyone's help

Sun Sep 21, 2014 5:40 pm

I have one of these 6v automatic starters in my `65

Sun Sep 21, 2014 5:59 pm

That's not an automatic trans starter. That IS a Garbe Lahmeyer starter. They were installed intermittently on VW's from the mid 1950's until about 1970. They came in both 6v and 12 v varieties. Garbe Lahmeyer also made distributors, generators, regulators and coils.

Here's a link to more information

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=457292&highlight=garbe

Sun Sep 21, 2014 6:02 pm

I'm willing to bet that the OP won't be able to find a Bosch label anywhere on his starter.

Tue Dec 23, 2014 1:03 am

I was wrong there was a bushing. It was just greasy and dirty and made it all look like part of the tranny. thanks I never would have changed it if you all hadn't insisted it did in fact have one, so thanks everyone.

Wed Dec 24, 2014 10:16 am

Just to reinforce and sum up, the pic above is not an auto trans starter. That information is old and inaccurate. That is a Garbe-Lahmeyer starter and they were used intermittently by VW in the 1950's and 1960's. Theyt ae self supporting. You wont' find a Bosch logo on them but you will find a VW 9 digit part number and suffix.

Fri May 01, 2015 12:40 am

VOLKSWAGNUT wrote: hazetguy wrote:

Here are the 4 types of starter bushings, showing the various sizes and comparing them to one another.

Upper Left: 6 volt transmission case, to be used with a 6 volt starter. Often called a straight 6 bushing.

Upper Right: 12 volt transmission case, to be used with a 6 volt starter. Often called a 12-to-6 bushing.

Lower Left: 12 volt transmission case, to be used with a 12 volt starter. Often called a straight 12 bushing.

Lower Right: 6 volt transmission case, to be used with a 12 volt starter. Often called a 6-to-12 bushing.

just what I was looking for, thanks