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TRS63
Samba Member
Joined: December 17, 2017
Posts: 1120
Location: Stuttgart - Germany
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PatterBon
Samba Engine Connoisseur
Joined: September 27, 2008
Posts: 3461
Location: Poulsbo, WA
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 Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2022 2:47 pm Post subject: Re: My single owner 1959 Ghia |
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| TRS63 wrote: |
What a car😍
Where are you based in Germany? I am in Stuttgart if you are near ! Otherwise happy to meet in Hessisch Oldendorf if you can make it!
Bests
Antoine |
I am on a small airfield in Illesheim. I hope to be able to travel, especially to Hessisch Oldendorf this summer! Unfortunately since my stay is only temporary, I don't have either one of my VW's with me but would love to see the ones around here! And the of course the Museum in both H.O. and Wolfsburg too!
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Austin Aircoolers VW Gang
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PatterBon
Samba Engine Connoisseur
Joined: September 27, 2008
Posts: 3461
Location: Poulsbo, WA
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| Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2022 9:23 am Post subject: Re: My single owner 1959 Ghia |
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Hey guys!
Bit stumped this weekend. I'm still out I'm Germany and my dad is trying to wake the ghia after a long rest. In the winter into the early spring, it would fire up and he would drive it around. We'll a couple of months ago, it stopped running.
I ordered it a new coil, points, condenser, cap rotor, plugs and wires from WW as well as a new battery. My dad and I went through everything on face time, gapping the new points, making sure the plug wires were in the correct order, checking and double checking and there's nothing. He pulled the fuel line and confirmed its getting fuel, primed the carburetor (nothing out of the accelerator pump when actuated). But we know everything he's replaced is correct.
The last thing he hasn't gotten to yet are the spark plugs to confirm there is spark. He checked the fuses and they're all fine, engine turns over just fine but won't attempt to fire even with a squirt of ether.
Not being there physically, it's hard to troubleshoot but does anyone have any suggestions? The wiring diagrams are all easy to follow so we went through them but he's limited on tool access but has enough to maintain the car. Thanks in advance, everyone. Trying to get a car running from 6,000 miles away is easier said than done!
He will be pulling the plugs later today to replace and validate whether or not it has spark but fingers crossed its something dumb that we just overlooked.
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Austin Aircoolers VW Gang
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Rome
Samba Member
Joined: June 02, 2004
Posts: 10395
Location: Pearl River, NY
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| Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2022 2:40 pm Post subject: Re: My single owner 1959 Ghia |
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Patter, does your father know how to use the Ghia's fuel tap? If it's in the reserve position, the engine will soon die out...
I looked up where Illesheim is located. Were you able to attend Hessisch Oldendorf? If not, any other local VW meets? Have you been to the huge Technik Museum in Sinsheim, a bit east of Heidelberg along Autobahn A6? The main building has a few VWs, but one of the side buildings with wartime machinery has several Kuebelwagen and at least one Schwimmer- but this was back in the '00's when I was there so likely there has been display rotations.
You're lucky to be located just up the Autobahn from one of Germany's most scenic towns- Rothenburg ob der Tauber- hope you've been there a few times. |
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PatterBon
Samba Engine Connoisseur
Joined: September 27, 2008
Posts: 3461
Location: Poulsbo, WA
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| Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2022 9:19 pm Post subject: Re: My single owner 1959 Ghia |
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| Rome wrote: |
Patter, does your father know how to use the Ghia's fuel tap? If it's in the reserve position, the engine will soon die out...
I looked up where Illesheim is located. Were you able to attend Hessisch Oldendorf? If not, any other local VW meets? Have you been to the huge Technik Museum in Sinsheim, a bit east of Heidelberg along Autobahn A6? The main building has a few VWs, but one of the side buildings with wartime machinery has several Kuebelwagen and at least one Schwimmer- but this was back in the '00's when I was there so likely there has been display rotations.
You're lucky to be located just up the Autobahn from one of Germany's most scenic towns- Rothenburg ob der Tauber- hope you've been there a few times. |
He does know about the fuel tap and luckily it's in working order, we have narrowed it down to a spark issue and just trying to figure out where the issue is now. It has power to the ignition but he is hunting to see where the current stops.
Unfortunately we have had tight travel restrictions while being here of only 60km. I was unable to attend H.O. or any other VW meet. I have been to Rothenberg ob der Tauber and there are a few vintage VW's but the week of H.O. I was in Berlin representing my Unit and displaying one of our Chinook helicopters so that squandered the chances of attending even further. I was hoping we would have been able to explore more but luckily Germany is just a plane ride away and I will make an attempt to get to H.O. 2026 instead.
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Trylon
Samba Member
Joined: August 16, 2019
Posts: 4956
Location: Connecticut
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2022 5:30 am Post subject: Re: My single owner 1959 Ghia |
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You’ve got helicopters to play with and you are still interested in Ghias?
Yep, you’ve got the fever.
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1973 Porsche 914 2.0
1959 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
1979 Volkswagen Rabbit
1973 Volkswagen Bus
1970 MGB-GT
1962 Oldsmobile Jetfire
More tomfoolery on
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PatterBon
Samba Engine Connoisseur
Joined: September 27, 2008
Posts: 3461
Location: Poulsbo, WA
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| Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2022 6:36 pm Post subject: Re: My single owner 1959 Ghia |
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| Trylon wrote: |
You’ve got helicopters to play with and you are still interested in Ghias?
Yep, you’ve got the fever. |
Hahaha being home from Germany now, I'm glad to be away from thr helicopters for a bit! They're fun and Everett has even let me upload a photo to the gallery but I'm anxious to get to my VW's again.
Unfortunately my dad never got to chec8ng voltage/resistance at the coil but plans to here in the next few days. It's hard to be gone for a bit and see a car sit but it's definitely not out for the long haul. Worst case, I'll be home in Washington this spr9ng (let's hope it doesn't come to that) but I can get it back on the road again.
It's a frustrating issue, especially when it ran fine prior to this spring and now we suddenly have an issue I'm having trouble figuring out through video calling, but it will be fixed. The ghia is much to pretty to let sit and I'm very much looking forward to getting it back on the road.
Hard when there are a lot or Ghia veterans who understand and appreciate low lights and mine's sitting. It's come back is imminent, just a matter of time and patients.
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PatterBon
Samba Engine Connoisseur
Joined: September 27, 2008
Posts: 3461
Location: Poulsbo, WA
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| Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2023 7:15 pm Post subject: Re: My single owner 1959 Ghia |
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Hey guys,
Quick update. I'm just shy of three weeks away from heading back to Washington for a month and will be spending time with the Ghia again.
Unfortunately my dad wasn't able to get it running again after it stopped last year. He did however get around to replacing the points, condenser, cap, rotor and coil. He noted that it looked like the insulating washer inside the distributor where the points connect to was gone. So I got ahold of Glenn Ring and he's shipped me brand new hardware for the points and condenser.
I'll also be replacing the plug wires, plugs and a new cap since the one I ordered from Wolfsburg West had the contact button on the inside fall out during shipping. So hopefully that's the solution for it's starting issue.
I also ordered the lower inlet copper fuel line since the one I had been running has a mild flat spot and is shortened due to the strange work that had been done prior to me receiving the car.
Fingers crossed that a few hours of work and it'll be a cruiser again.
I also contacted a long time friend of mine and owner of VolksFab to drill out the holes for the nose badge since they got covered in body filler.
I'm very excited to get my hands on the car again and be able to enjoy it crusing around my quiet home town.
Slowly but surely it's getting the love it deserves. It is covered and when it's sunny, it gets periodic washes and waxes too so I haven't had to worry about the preservation.
It's hard owning such a beautiful car and living so far away from it and infrequently being able to enjoy it. But keep your eyes out for more pictures and updates here in less than a month! Hopefully I'll get my hands on a radio too and be able to fix some of the other interior quirks it has left over from its restoration!
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PNW Dub Folk & Kitsap dub Folk (KdF)
Austin Aircoolers VW Gang
2020 Ford F-150
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dc
Samba Member
Joined: April 03, 2004
Posts: 1426
Location: Kitsap Peninsula
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| Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2023 7:42 pm Post subject: Re: My single owner 1959 Ghia |
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Dave in Bremerton here-
Glad to hear you are well and home soon. My Dad was Army Artillery and we were stationed in Germany multiple times...
Sorry the '59 has not cooperated! Hope the electrical issues are no big deal when you get back.
Also appreciate your progress updates and photos 
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1963 Karmann Ghia |
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PatterBon
Samba Engine Connoisseur
Joined: September 27, 2008
Posts: 3461
Location: Poulsbo, WA
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| Posted: Wed Mar 01, 2023 3:28 am Post subject: Re: My single owner 1959 Ghia |
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| dc wrote: |
Dave in Bremerton here-
Glad to hear you are well and home soon. My Dad was Army Artillery and we were stationed in Germany multiple times...
Sorry the '59 has not cooperated! Hope the electrical issues are no big deal when you get back.
Also appreciate your progress updates and photos |
Thank you and thank your dad for his service! I don't know if you're on social media at all, but there's a page for local VW owners and they organize events and a lot are local in Kitsap! I look forward to cruising around the peninsula here soon and may even try and take it up to Port Townsend if the tune up does the trick. With the history of the car having it sitting for the majority of it's life, it's previous owner said the engine was rebuild in the early 90's and it ran well when I was up there last. So I'm hoping it's a quick and easy fix.
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Austin Aircoolers VW Gang
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PatterBon
Samba Engine Connoisseur
Joined: September 27, 2008
Posts: 3461
Location: Poulsbo, WA
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| Posted: Tue Mar 21, 2023 3:03 pm Post subject: Re: My single owner 1959 Ghia |
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Hey guys. Day one of being back in WA and I've started to work on the Ghia again to no avail.
Glenn Ring sent me new hardware for the points and condenser to attach to.
Turns out I was missing one of the fiber washers but that didn't fix the issue.
I checked all the body grounds, they're all corrosion free and secure, the points are new, the condenser is new, cap, rotor and plugs are all new.
The coil has 6v going to it when the ignition switch is in "run" and it has the correct resistance.
I believe I have the hardware stack up correct for the points and condenser but I haven't seen a good view of the entire set up either.
If I have the ignition switch set to "run" and have the distributor cap off, I can rotate the pulley by hand and cannot see the points sparking, however, if I touch the points with a screw driver, they will arc to the screw driver.
I am getting fuel and the compression is fine too. The problem lies somewhere within the distributor but I don't know where exactly or what the next step is to get spark down to the plugs. Hopefully it's easy and you guys will be surprised I missed something so simple, but until there, the ghia unfortunately lies in silence.
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Austin Aircoolers VW Gang
2020 Ford F-150
1973 Standard Beetle
1969 Cessna 172K Airplane
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toddb_67
Samba Member
Joined: November 28, 2003
Posts: 1345
Location: Hansville, WA
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PatterBon
Samba Engine Connoisseur
Joined: September 27, 2008
Posts: 3461
Location: Poulsbo, WA
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| Posted: Tue Mar 21, 2023 7:45 pm Post subject: Re: My single owner 1959 Ghia |
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| toddb_67 wrote: |
| I don't see a condenser in your ignition system. Where is it? If you don't have one that can be your problem. Also some of the cheap parts we get these days can be bad out of the box. |
It's attached on the underside of the distributor, it's brand new and I tried both the old and the new. Everything was bought from Wolfsburg West
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PatterBon
Samba Engine Connoisseur
Joined: September 27, 2008
Posts: 3461
Location: Poulsbo, WA
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| Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2023 8:33 am Post subject: Re: My single owner 1959 Ghia |
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After a bit of consultation with Glenn, I was able to get the Ghia running again! Unfortunately I need a new generator and a new accelerator cable, but it is very close to being a driving car again!
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PatterBon
Samba Engine Connoisseur
Joined: September 27, 2008
Posts: 3461
Location: Poulsbo, WA
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| Posted: Sun Mar 26, 2023 6:27 pm Post subject: Re: My single owner 1959 Ghia |
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Big update!
Took some trial and error but after gently emery-cloth-ing the points, she fired up!
Replaced all of the ignition components, replaced the generator, amd got the rest of the electrical working, replaced the missing towel bar, gave her a wash and a wax and we have the LL back on the road!
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Braukuche
Samba Member
Joined: September 03, 2004
Posts: 11177
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| Posted: Sun Mar 26, 2023 7:52 pm Post subject: Re: My single owner 1959 Ghia |
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Nice work!
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Go Reds! Smash state!
Retirement is here!
1960 double cab
1960 Baja Bug
1963 stretched double cab
1962 Golde sunroof Ghia
1963 356 B coupe
1963 Notchback
1967 21 window less rusty now
1989 Westfalia |
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PatterBon
Samba Engine Connoisseur
Joined: September 27, 2008
Posts: 3461
Location: Poulsbo, WA
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| Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2023 11:03 pm Post subject: Re: My single owner 1959 Ghia |
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Hey guys,
Just wanted to share some more photos of the running around I did in the Ghia today. Weather was perfect and the car is running like it never sat for over a year. I'm impressed with how much a 36er is a joy to cruise around in.
I also replaced the window cranks today. When I first got the car, a buddy of mine ran into the drivers side and broke it and then a family member broke the other some time when I was off in Europe.
I'm coordinating a day this week (time is quickly running out before I have to return to Texas) to get the nose badge finally put in by VolksFab, a locally owned VW body shop and arguably the best craftsmanship I've ever seen.
Then if all works as planned, there also may be an old Porsche radio that fits the empty slot on the dash that I'll be buying from my former boss and local VW shop owner. Fingers crossed that these things all come to fruition before my time here is up and the updates become less regular again. For the meantime, enjoy!
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PatterBon
Samba Engine Connoisseur
Joined: September 27, 2008
Posts: 3461
Location: Poulsbo, WA
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| Posted: Fri Apr 14, 2023 8:49 pm Post subject: Re: My single owner 1959 Ghia |
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Hey all,
Bit of a hiccup right here at the tail end of my stay. On the 12th, I took the ghia on a decent drive and it performed beautifully. The following morning, I was meeting up with a friend and I got the indication it was no longer charging. I ran some troubleshooting- the generator is a rebuilt Bosch unit and it was putting put ~7v when the engine was revved and there was no issue.
I have lost all charging, the voltage regulator that I bought with the generator is new too, I swapped back and forth between it and my Bosch regulator and had no difference. I went from 6.94v to the battery to 6.05v and I even lost the generator light in the speedometer. I can get it to come and go but I'm still not charging.
Generator is a rebuild Bosch unit, the regulator is new, non solid state, the car struggles to crank over but it runs like a Swiss watch once it's on. I have no idea what would have caused the sudden issue and with time running short, I don't have much time, if any to fix it.
Things I've tried- swapping the voltage regulator (x4 now between 2 units) re-polorizing the generator- it spins just fine. Replacing fuses, checking connections, but I am at a total loss.
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Austin Aircoolers VW Gang
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1973 Standard Beetle
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kingkarmann
Samba Member
Joined: November 05, 2003
Posts: 4416
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| Posted: Sat Apr 15, 2023 5:51 am Post subject: Re: My single owner 1959 Ghia |
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| PatterBon wrote: |
I even lost the generator light in the speedometer. I can get it to come and go but I'm still not charging. but I am at a total loss. |
I'd focus on the idiot light circuit. |
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PatterBon
Samba Engine Connoisseur
Joined: September 27, 2008
Posts: 3461
Location: Poulsbo, WA
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| Posted: Sat Apr 15, 2023 9:19 am Post subject: Re: My single owner 1959 Ghia |
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| kingkarmann wrote: |
| PatterBon wrote: |
I even lost the generator light in the speedometer. I can get it to come and go but I'm still not charging. but I am at a total loss. |
I'd focus on the idiot light circuit. |
It'll come and go, unfortunately the people who restored the car weren't kind to the wires and have them going into a centralized bus bar. I'll take one final good look at it tomorrow and see if there's anything else left to do. I also do still need to check the output of the generator itself just to rule out that it's not the issue.
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2020 Ford F-150
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