| Author |
Message |
hopkin 
Samba Member
Joined: June 25, 2012
Posts: 2480
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
|
 Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2014 3:23 pm Post subject: Mexican Beetle 1600i Engine Fire Hazard |
 |
|
Samba user Gerrelt posted this in another thread, referencing this link:
http://forum.1600i.de/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=888#p5493
There is a risk of fire in the engine compartment with the ignition wire rubbing on the fan shroud, wearing through and sparking.
I thought I would create a fresh thread and hopefully make more owners of these cars aware of the risk.
I'm not sure what years this would be a problem, but if I recommend checking your engine if you have a '92 or newer Mexican Beetle.
My car is a '96 and it did not have the extra cover on the wire. Fortunately for me there was no wearing through of the wire.
This is picture of a car where the wire had worn through (originally posted on www.1600i.de):
You can see in this photo how the wire will wear against the fan shroud (again this photo is from www.1600i.de):
Here's a before and after shot of my engine, where I made the quick fix recommended by OMNICAR in Germany:
Here are the bulletins from OMNICAR:
|
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
hopkin
Samba Member
Joined: June 25, 2012
Posts: 2480
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
|
| Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2014 6:17 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Bump, I'd like to make sure as many 1600i owner's see this as possible. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
HRVW
Samba Member
Joined: May 01, 2011
Posts: 2531
Location: Rosarito, Mexico
|
| Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2014 7:00 pm Post subject: |
|
|
 Those were never officially SOLD or IMPORTED into the US from Puebla Mexico. A few may have been imported privately thru the DOT in Washington. I went that route with a couple of old VW trucks that I purchased in Mexico City.....not worth the hassle.
Nice info to know tho for those who have those yrs in Canada etc.
Danka (stefhen) |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
oasis
Samba Member
Joined: December 12, 2002
Posts: 2168
|
| Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2014 8:18 pm Post subject: |
|
|
There were more than just "a few" that entered the states via a chassis swap -- the so-called Mexi-Beetles. My brother-in-law as a late '90s , uh, I mean a '68. 
Also, a fair number of then-brand new engines were also imported as replacement engines for existing bugs in the states.
So, this thread is a service for us yanks as well.
_________________
Now: 2003 New Beetle Turbo S / 1990 Single Cab Transporter / 2014 Tiguan R-Line 4motion / 2013 Tiguan S / 2002 Golf GLS TDI
Past: 1974 Thing Acapulco / 2009 Eos Komfort / 1997 Jetta GT / 2002 Cabrio GLX / 2002 Passat GLS / 1971 Super Beetle / 1993 EuroVan MV Westfalia / 1981 Pickup LX / 1985 Vanagon / 1986 Jetta GLI |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
SBD
Samba Member
Joined: October 24, 2012
Posts: 3269
Location: SOUTH DAKOTA
|
| Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2014 10:18 pm Post subject: |
|
|
People from all over the world are on this forum.  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
GArBa
Samba Member
Joined: January 27, 2014
Posts: 2105
Location: Milano, Italy
|
| Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 12:55 am Post subject: |
|
|
yep. and neither 1600i beetles were officially sold or imported in europe, for that matter. they were parallel import (or grey market, if you prefer) cars. but just do a search for one in a german used car website...
_________________
cars:
'97 type 1 1600i
'14 type AA Seat Mii (sadly dead after 270.000 km)
'22 type C1 T-Cross
'23 type AC3 Hyundai I10 (VW no longer makes small cars!)
-------------------------
moped:
'82 Benelli Magnum 3v |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
hopkin
Samba Member
Joined: June 25, 2012
Posts: 2480
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
|
| Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2014 7:44 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Another bump in case anyone with a Mexican Beetle has missed this. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
hopkin
Samba Member
Joined: June 25, 2012
Posts: 2480
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
|
| Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 6:42 am Post subject: |
|
|
Gerrelt posted this on the Mexican Beetle Pics thread a while back and I thought I would add it here:
| Gerrelt wrote: |
I found two more fire hazards on my 1996 beetle.
The first one is the fuel line. It is touching the heatexchanger and started to wear through:
So, maybe check if it is touching, and use some tie wraps or something to hold them up. I haven't fixed mine yet, because the engine is out of the beetle.
The second one only applies to beetles that were fitted with a rear fog light by a company in Germany. A rear foglight was mandatory in Germany at the time these beetles were imported. So it was retrofitted by the importing company.
The foglight gets it's power from a wire behind the light switch. It is the correct choice of connecting it, because this way the foglight can only be used when the low or high beam is on. This is also by law, I think German law dictates that the fog light may only be useable when the lights are on.
You can see the blue connecter (  ) which connects a yellow wire to the white-black wire:
The yellow wire goes down to the foglight switch. A picture of the rear of the foglight switch:
The black wire (hardly visible, it is behind the yellow wire) goes all the way to the back of the car where the foglight is mounted under the bumper.
This all works fine, but there's one thing the mechanics oversaw:
The white-black wire is not fused!  This means there is a unfused wire running all the way to the back of the car.
Imagine yourself driving in the dark and suddenly there is fog.. You switch on the fog light, but it shorted out somewhere...
This can have two endings:
1. Fire...
or
2. The wires burn through but not cause a fire, but it will kill your low beam, high beam and, of course, your rear fog light. Leaving you in the dark and fog.
If you don't believe me, check this wiring diagram. The light switch gets its power from behind fuse number 10 (marked S10). That is the power side, not the fused side.
The wiring diagram:
I've placed a fuse inline with the yellow wire, the wire from the light switch to the fog light switch.
I also removed the plastic connector (I don't like those things), and soldered the yellow wire to the white-black wire:
And here is the fuse now, the red one, tie wrapped to the wiring loom:
You have been warned...  |
Here is a picture of my dash from the front (I have the identical setup as Gerrelt), the rear fog light switch is the orange pull switch at the bottom:
_________________
1971 Super Beetle (past)
1971 Super Beetle (past)
1974 SunBug (past)
1972 914 (past)
1991 Honda Civic (Original Owner)
1996 'Open Air' Mexican Beetle (current)
2015 Golf (current)
2017 Dune Edition (daughter's car) |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Tim Donahoe
Samba Member
Joined: December 08, 2012
Posts: 11740
Location: Redding, CA
|
| Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 12:22 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Actually, the heat exchanger-rubbing-the-fuel-line hazard can be evident in many years of bugs--not just the newer Mexican ones.
I noticed this when installing a fuel filter by the transmission. The fix was to tie-wrap the fuel line so as to keep it away from the enchanger--and its linkage.
Tim
_________________
Let's do the Time Warp again!
Richard O'Brien |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Bruce
Samba Member
Joined: May 16, 2003
Posts: 17285
Location: Left coast, Canada
|
| Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 4:50 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Interesting failure. My 75 German made Beetle had exactly this same problem (but without the fatal fire).
_________________
| overheard at the portland Swap Meet... wrote: |
| ..... a steering wheel made from a mastadon tusk..... |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
GArBa
Samba Member
Joined: January 27, 2014
Posts: 2105
Location: Milano, Italy
|
| Posted: Sun May 03, 2015 6:21 am Post subject: |
|
|
today I applied the corrugated tube fix even though wires did not actually rub on my shroud. to hide the modification with the air filter on I stopped the tube at the clamp, below that point is not necessary in any case. (sorry no pics, cell phone died)
Also checked the fuel line above the heat exchanger and found it suspended with zip ties (I could not see from where it's hanging) and in good shape. it's still close though, I'll have to come up with something in the future.
_________________
cars:
'97 type 1 1600i
'14 type AA Seat Mii (sadly dead after 270.000 km)
'22 type C1 T-Cross
'23 type AC3 Hyundai I10 (VW no longer makes small cars!)
-------------------------
moped:
'82 Benelli Magnum 3v |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
