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Zack1978 Samba Member
Joined: June 07, 2006 Posts: 544 Location: NJ
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Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 4:43 pm Post subject: Does anyone know of a working original VW Diag Computer? |
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Hi everyone,
Does anyone know of an original working VW diagnostic "computer" from the 70's? As you may remember many of the 70's VW's had a port/plug on the firewall that the dealer would plug into and generate a printed report on the car. My 1972 Karmann Ghia has the port, and I wonder if it still works? I have some of the dealer printouts from my uncle's 1973 Karmann Ghia that he had dealer serviced for many years. The printout is very interesting to read. Any info?
Thanks,
Zack _________________ 1972 Coupe |
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69 Jim Samba Member
Joined: September 27, 2004 Posts: 6264 Location: Chickengeorge's Neighbor
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Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 5:56 pm Post subject: |
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I heard Russ Wolfe had one surgically implanted on one of his thumbs. |
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Glenn Mr. 010
Joined: December 25, 2001 Posts: 76938 Location: Sneaking up behind you
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Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 5:59 pm Post subject: |
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The number match the numbers on the schematics. _________________ Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"
Member #1009
#BlueSquare |
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Russ Wolfe Samba Member
Joined: October 08, 2004 Posts: 25187 Location: Central Iowa
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Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 9:02 pm Post subject: |
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Start here.
http://classicvw.org/gallery2/v/partsbook/Autoscan-Diagnostics/
And no Jim, I can't plug my finger into the diagnostic socket. _________________ Society is like stew. If you don't keep it stirred up, you end up with a lot of scum on the top!--Edward Abbey
Gary: OK. Ima poop. |
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Zack1978 Samba Member
Joined: June 07, 2006 Posts: 544 Location: NJ
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Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 11:15 am Post subject: |
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Anyone still have a NOS working "computer"?
Zack _________________ 1972 Coupe |
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Glenn Mr. 010
Joined: December 25, 2001 Posts: 76938 Location: Sneaking up behind you
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Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 11:18 am Post subject: |
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Zack1978 wrote: |
Anyone still have a NOS working "computer"?
Zack |
Does it have to be NOS? Is Old and Used still OK? _________________ Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"
Member #1009
#BlueSquare |
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KTPhil Samba Member
Joined: April 06, 2006 Posts: 34013 Location: Conejo Valley, CA
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Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 1:28 pm Post subject: |
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No machine, but I have the sign that they used to hang above the test bay. |
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Tylinol Samba Member
Joined: August 28, 2006 Posts: 541 Location: TN
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Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 1:58 pm Post subject: |
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I don't have the means or skill to do this, but if someone had the computer I wonder if it would be possible to reverse engineer/emulate it on a modern PC, then adapt the diagnostic plug to plug in to the USB port. _________________ 75 Deluxe Microbus - Finally alive and kicking!
72 Fiat 850 Spider - Finally alive and...oh wait, never mind...wait there it goes!...whoops, false alarm...oh - wait wait...nope, nothing. |
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Zack1978 Samba Member
Joined: June 07, 2006 Posts: 544 Location: NJ
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Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 7:29 pm Post subject: |
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Glenn wrote: |
Zack1978 wrote: |
Anyone still have a NOS working "computer"?
Zack |
Does it have to be NOS? Is Old and Used still OK? |
Yes used working is what I meant...sorry. It would just be interesting to actually see one of the machines in person. Do you think they still exist?
I would guess most of the dealers just tossed them in the trash years ago? Hell if you call most VW dealers today they usually don't even know what a Karmann Ghia is!
Zack _________________ 1972 Coupe |
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Zack1978 Samba Member
Joined: June 07, 2006 Posts: 544 Location: NJ
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Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 7:30 pm Post subject: |
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Tylinol wrote: |
I don't have the means or skill to do this, but if someone had the computer I wonder if it would be possible to reverse engineer/emulate it on a modern PC, then adapt the diagnostic plug to plug in to the USB port. |
I don't have the skill either, but interesting idea!
Zack _________________ 1972 Coupe |
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Glenn Mr. 010
Joined: December 25, 2001 Posts: 76938 Location: Sneaking up behind you
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Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 7:30 pm Post subject: |
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I think someone her has one.
The dealers tossed them the same time they tossed all the air cooled parts from the shelves. _________________ Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"
Member #1009
#BlueSquare |
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Zack1978 Samba Member
Joined: June 07, 2006 Posts: 544 Location: NJ
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Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 7:31 pm Post subject: |
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KTPhil wrote: |
No machine, but I have the sign that they used to hang above the test bay. |
Want to sell it?
Zack _________________ 1972 Coupe |
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Zack1978 Samba Member
Joined: June 07, 2006 Posts: 544 Location: NJ
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Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 7:34 pm Post subject: |
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Glenn wrote: |
I think someone her has one.
The dealers tossed them the same time they tossed all the air cooled parts from the shelves. |
What a shame! Is it me or did VW seem to move away from air-cooled cars very fast in terms of parts production? My other passion besides my Karmann Ghis is a Toyota Land Cruiser, and it seems that Toyota almost always has parts for the old Cruisers. I wonder why? I guess there was little profit to be made from air-cooled parts?
Zack _________________ 1972 Coupe |
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piemat Snobbish Elite Volkswagen Fanatic
Joined: February 20, 2005 Posts: 911 Location: Texas
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Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 8:34 pm Post subject: |
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Tylinol wrote: |
I don't have the means or skill to do this, but if someone had the computer I wonder if it would be possible to reverse engineer/emulate it on a modern PC, then adapt the diagnostic plug to plug in to the USB port. |
It's my understanding that it is not worth the trouble, as the machine didn't tell you anything you couldn't easily figure out on your own. For instance, burnt light bulbs. I'm getting the impression that it was more trouble than it was worth in the first place. We have discussed it before in the beetle forum. If I remember correctly, there are few people here that have a few of the pieces and I'm sure there are a few people with the computer intact, that aren't speaking up because they don't want to be bothered with offers. _________________ Same Questions, Different Day.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/search.php |
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old DKP driver Samba Member
Joined: March 30, 2005 Posts: 4145 Location: Los Gatos,Ca.
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Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 8:53 pm Post subject: autoscan |
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piemat, You are right on about the AutoScan/Diag. machine.
i still remember all the FREE coupons that came in the warranty booklet
and the customers would try to come in the service area to watch.
we had ours set up next to the alignment rack next to the Autoscan on the overhead track.
and we did alot of Bull-sh*tting to the customer's since only a portion of the machine would function.
within a year after the watercooled cars came out (dasher) 1974
the machine went bye-bye. _________________ V.W.owner since 1967 |
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VWMANIA72 Samba Member
Joined: December 31, 2016 Posts: 2 Location: Edmonds
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Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2019 4:35 pm Post subject: Re: Does anyone know of a working original VW Diag Computer? |
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I so happen to have one that actually works still! I have been looking all over the internet to see if there is any other in existence and so far I have come up with nothing! I have been searching for one of these Autoscan 4020 machines for years and then one day walked into an old school VW shop and low and behold I asked the old mechanic if he would ever sell it and told me that when he retired that he would reach out to me. 6 months later he called me and asked me if i was still interested!! I won't disclose what I paid for it but it is now in my collection.
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KTPhil Samba Member
Joined: April 06, 2006 Posts: 34013 Location: Conejo Valley, CA
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Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2019 7:48 pm Post subject: Re: Does anyone know of a working original VW Diag Computer? |
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Very cool to have found that!
That's part of it, but I think there is another console where you inserted the punch cards to indicate the car model being diagnosed, and the printer that gave the results.
Here is a different model:
And these show the whole setup including wheel alignment hardware:
And here are good threads on the subject (which I bet you already saw):
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=720303
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=256918
Also, here is dealer training material:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/manuals/dlt_computerdiagnosis.php
I thought I's scored the whole setup when I pestered an independent shop that had the sign still in the bay. He thought the rest was in a storage unit at the back of the site. We went in, but he said apparently it had been sold or given away, because it was nowhere to be found. Drat!
Last edited by KTPhil on Wed Jul 31, 2019 11:34 am; edited 4 times in total |
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wheel607 Samba Member
Joined: May 30, 2004 Posts: 1847
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Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2019 10:42 pm Post subject: |
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Zack1978 wrote: |
Glenn wrote: |
I think someone her has one.
The dealers tossed them the same time they tossed all the air cooled parts from the shelves. |
What a shame! Is it me or did VW seem to move away from air-cooled cars very fast in terms of parts production? My other passion besides my Karmann Ghis is a Toyota Land Cruiser, and it seems that Toyota almost always has parts for the old Cruisers. I wonder why? I guess there was little profit to be made from air-cooled parts? |
I was there and "little profit" had nothing to do with it. The Rabbit came along and changed everything. Volkswagen was getting slammed on crash tests of the Beetle. Government intervention along with people being artificially motivated for change is what really happened to the air cooled VW as most of us know it. And as for this diagnostic piece of equipment...……..the person that stated the fact of the "free coupons" was exactly right. This was a tool used for SELLING, I mean UPSELLING. If a machine read out that you needed something, people, most people just said yes. I ran one of these machines and it had a 90% sales rate. This was MUCH more than any service writer or service manager could do. |
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Helfen Samba Member
Joined: January 19, 2009 Posts: 3450 Location: Vulcania
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Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 9:15 am Post subject: Re: Does anyone know of a working original VW Diag Computer? |
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VWMANIA72 wrote: |
I so happen to have one that actually works still! I have been looking all over the internet to see if there is any other in existence and so far I have come up with nothing! I have been searching for one of these Autoscan 4020 machines for years and then one day walked into an old school VW shop and low and behold I asked the old mechanic if he would ever sell it and told me that when he retired that he would reach out to me. 6 months later he called me and asked me if i was still interested!! I won't disclose what I paid for it but it is now in my collection.
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Us VW line mechanic's shared a couple of those analyzers for tune ups, however the VW diagnosis machine is different and my dealership only had one of them as they were very expensive and worked in conjunction with a floor dyno.
If you want to see one go to the archives section of the Samba and under literature for 1973 beetle in the English section it shows partial pictures of the machine. |
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KTPhil Samba Member
Joined: April 06, 2006 Posts: 34013 Location: Conejo Valley, CA
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Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 11:30 am Post subject: Re: Does anyone know of a working original VW Diag Computer? |
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https://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/lit/69diagnosis.php
This looks like it dates from the early (or pre-) introduction of the system... drawings and discussions of how to "sell" this capability to customers. |
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