Where to begin?

[naturalgirl_2]

I am a new owner of a 1971 VW bus and although I have had a vintage VW in the past, a 1968 beetle, I have long forgotten the maintenance of one of these vintage vehicles. Plus, I was just a teenager then and I was often paying for all services. To that conclusion, I have no to little experience with VW Camper buses. Which leads me to beg the question, Where do I begin?

This is what I do know:

The VW I purchased had a new engine put in 2.5 years ago.
I know it has a generator instead of an alternator.
I ordered a new battery for it, a MT-42 as suggested by the battery folks.
It doesn't have any rust on the undercarriage or floor boards
It has lots of originals such as child cot, back snap screen, front sun protector
It needs new seals around the pop-up and storage luggage area but has absolutely no interior leaks and canvas is in excellent shape.
It has new tires.
It doesn't have ice box, previous owner removed for storage.

Here is the problem:
The owner states there is something wrong with the carb. that was/is new 2.5 years ago since its been sitting.
Previous owner stated carb is either pinched or floaters are not correct.
It will not start and has a very small leak that creates a wet appearance not oil under the engine but not enough to leak on the ground.
I have read to turn the bushings in the generator 180 degrees or replace them.
I am sure the oil needs replaced and I kind of know how to do that.
I am sure it needs new gas but I don't know how to get the old out.
I need to find a reliable mechanic in Colorado Springs.
Any help would be appreciated.
I am eager to learn as much as I can about my dream Van.

Thanks!

[wcfvw69]

Welcome to the bus madness and to this forum.

Where to begin? Start at the "stickie" section in this forum. TONS of good information about our beloved buses. TCASH will come by with some further links for you.

BTW, all 71 buses came with generators, not alternators. There's a must have book for all classic VW owners. How to keep your Volkswagen alive. It's a MUST have for someone new to working on VW's or cars in general.

Hopefully you can hook up with some local VW folks who will be willing to help you out (club, etc).

Post some pictures of your bus, inside and out and then an engine compartment picture
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[Globespotter]

- Kidding you! - Welcome! There are lots of people here that can help you out with questions.
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1977 Westfalia - October 2015 - Current
1971 Super Beetle - May 2012 - Current
1979 Westfalia - 1986-1991
1971 Super Beetle - 1977-1980

1971 SB Survivor Story: https://globespotter.com/
Road Trip Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=511800&highlight=
My 77 Westy Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=647114&highlight=

http://vw-mplate.com/mcode.php?lang=EN&id=30990
https://vw-type2-id.xyz/mplate/72067382

[Derek Cobb]

First thing I would do would be to drain the tank and replace every fuel line, from the gas tank to the carburetor. If that "wet appearance" is gasoline, your bus is in danger of burning to the ground.
Rebuilding the carburetor sounds like a good idea and might be all it needs to get running again. Don't start messing with the generator until you know there's something wrong with it.

And don't get in the habit of calling it a "van"...It's a "bus"

[wcfvw69]

[SGKent]

welcome. Glad you are here.

Owning a VW bus is an endless journey, and not a destination. Think of it as such and you will be fine.
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[aeromech]

Hi there,
Let's get this straight:

The owner states there is something wrong with the carb. that was/is new 2.5 years ago since its been sitting.

So the previous owner installed a new engine and never started it so it's been sitting 2 1/2 years? Wow, that's weird.

It will not start and has a very small leak that creates a wet appearance not oil under the engine but not enough to leak on the ground.

Good chance that this is fuel. Can you smell it and tell?

I have read to turn the bushings in the generator 180 degrees or replace them.

You must mean "brushes". At this point you have no way of telling if the generator works or not so don't worry about that now.

I am sure the oil needs replaced and I kind of know how to do that.

Pull the drain plug, catch the oil, remove the sump plate, clean the screen, install new gasket set, refill with 10W30 oil.

I am sure it needs new gas but I don't know how to get the old out.

This kinda sucks because you'll likely wind up with gas running into your arm pit. Up under the bus near the starter you'll find the tank outlet with a fuel line running to the drivers side over the top of the transmission. You'll need to drain the tank here into cans. Be sure to have enough containers to catch it all. Once it's empty it's a good idea to remove that nut on the bottom of the tank and pull out the finger strainer to inspect and clean/replace.

I need to find a reliable mechanic in Colorado Springs.

Is that where Rich Parker lives?

Any help would be appreciated.

I'm trying
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[curtp07]

A new bus with a dubious prior owner?

I would dive right in, pull that engine, remove the firewall, check the gas tank and lines and filler neck.

Replace as much as you can on that engine (anything that is rubber and the generator).

Oil cooler seals, make sure the thermostat and vanes are there.

Look all the wiring over before putting the engine back in!

Otherwise you will have an undependable bus that may or may not go up in flames due to bad carb/bad wiring/bad fuel lines......

At best you will be frustrated and want to ditch it at a reduced price, at worst it will go up in flames.

Just my .02
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Subaru

[curtp07]

Not to mention what may or may not be living under the cooling tin!

Overheat/flames/bad juju
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[chabanais]

Link
[/youtube]
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[notchboy]

[notchboy]

[Tcash]

Here is a little information. Good Luck

Pictures would be cool.
How to post photos/How to post a photo in the Forums

Pronunciation (Samba) English

I am thinking of buying a VW van
Cleaning+Rodents+Hantavirus
Up in smoke... Bus fires... don't let it happen to you!
M-Plate Location
M-Plate Decoder Volkswagen Type 2 Bus
Bus VIN / Chassis Numbers
Type 2/Bus Owner's Manuals
Bus repair manuals
Bus parts manuals
Early Baywindow Bus Parts Book
Late Baywindow Bus Parts Fiche
Type 2 Wiring Diagrams
Model and Year Variations
Type 4: Secrets Revealed
Distributor Parts & Specifications
PARTS INTERCHANGE MANUAL
Youtube Videos

There is a ton of information located at the top of the Forum section.

[ultralite]

i know someone in Co Springs that just bought their first Westy. They took it to Cars With Character on Sheldon Avenue. www.carswcharacter.com

I can't vouch for them but they helped my friend. And their website looks "Samba-ish" like this one. It appears they are VW and Porsche folks.

Looks like a good place to start anyway.

Welcome, you got a great year...
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'76 Beetle (sold)
'69 Beetle (sold)
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'69 Westy
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'67 Beetle (sold)

[pioneer1]

One simple problem resolved-early bay westy's did not use a rubber seal on the luggage section of the pop top. You can but it wasn't factory
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'85 Porsche 911 Targa

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[naturalgirl_2]

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_search.php?...9d1ca34220

[naturalgirl_2]

Thanks to those of you who have provided useful info along with those of you who are enjoying giving me a hard time! I am not easily offended and for the record, I truly want to learn as much as I can and being well rounded in many areas hope to gain the skills to fix some, obviously not all, the issues that arise.

[Bulli Klinik]

I'd be happy to have a look and get you going in the right direction. I'm near the corner of Platte and Union. My shop is called Bulli Klinik. 719.205.7147

You may also want to consider joining the local club: http://www.ppvwc.net/forum/portal.php
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I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs

[brandt]

There's Colin (Amskeptic) the traveling Bus consultant, too. But you might be too late to sign up for the 2016 tour.

http://www.itinerant-air-cooled.com/index.php

[brandt]

Naturalgirl, if you cut & paste the forum code from your photos in the gallery we can see them without clicking.

Bus looks nice. Original paint? Rust?

Here's your engine. You have a gas heater in there. X2 on new fuel lines.