Neighbor's Newly-acquired 1972 VW Experience

[Cusser]

A new Samba member recently purchased a 1972 VW for his wife, took a leap of faith and chose through the Internet (the VW, not the wife). He viewed online photos and a video (again: the VW, not the wife !!!); the video showed a guy actually driving the VW on the road. Stated 85K miles, even the dash board is not cracked, and blue paint has been renewed.

He had the VW transported to Arizona. I live 2 miles from him, so he asked me to take a look and help him to get it running if I could. I'm leaving his name and Samba name out of this thread intentionally, to honor his privacy.

Here's the Reader's Digest/Cliff Notes version; maybe this detail can help others here.
The VW would not crank over when arrived, and the key cylinder came out in his hands, so new owner purchased a new key cylinder and new electrical part of ignition switch, plus had a new starter on order as the starter would not crank the engine but would when hot wired under the seat. He was able to push start the VW but it wouldn't run for long.

I get there, suggest first thing to do was rotate engine to TDC #1 and check adjust the valves, and showed him how, even marked the pulley notch white for 5ATDC , and for TDC #1 and BDC for cylinder #2 (wanted to do this before trying to start, to keep engine temperature "cold"). At least 6 of the 8 valves significantly had too little clearance.

Next up was failure I hadn't monkeyed with a VW key cylinder in decades, both his new and old key cylinder wouldn't stay in the housing (figured that it wasn't engaging the electrical part to reach the "Start" position), even when mated up completely to the housing, using an awl to push the band spring in, tried everything, looked at instructions in orange Bentley service manual, no go. After at least an hour somehow I did something, and it stayed in place. So the white electrical part was installed into this, and engine cranked fine, so he reinstalled that and the steering wheel.

On to the no-start condition, timing light showed the stock 1972 distributor to be delivering spark. Using starting fluid, the engine would run a few seconds, so fuel issue. Disconnecting fuel line at the carb and cranking showed zero fuel being pumped; fuel line inlet to the pump showed fuel getting to the pump. I wondered from the valve clearances being so off if a non-VW guy had owned this or "worked" on it, so I wondered if his slanted fuel pump had been installed using the stock 1972 108mm pushrod instead of the corresponding 100mm pushrod a slanted pump would need. Well, took off fuel pump (no grease at all under it on its lever/"foot"), the pushrod was very low, couldn't simply pull it up. I guessed at that time that someone had ground down a pushrod too short I used a neodymium magnet to hold the pushrod, still wouldn't pull up. so I pulled the plastic pump stand upward with the magnet on the top of the pushrod, and found that the original 108mm pushrod was badly bent. I would've expected a long pushrod would break a slanted fuel pump before bending, but that was not the case here.

Fortunately, I had a spare 108mm pushrod at my house 2 miles away, and owner had purchased a "straight" fuel pump (with pivot rod clips) at O'Reilly that morning (pushrods were special order). So we reinstalled the stand, then the used pushrod, greased the fuel pump foot and reinstalled that. Then the VW started with that fuel pump, and we took it for a ride.

Generator light did not go out, VW had a bad blue 61 wire at voltage regulator

So I crimped an extension wire and push-on connector to the stub of the broken wire, and attached that to VR #61 terminal, and now generator light goes out like it should when engine is running. Also, voltage across the battery when running was measured at 14 volts.

Other observations were that rear brakes needed adjusting, went through that; front brakes are disc. Owner had a new fan belt, so that was installed, he can keep the existing belt as a spare.

The clutch cable needs adjusting, owner will try that on his own when the engine isn't hot. Owner also repaired oil studs when doing his oil change.

Owner will cancel the order for not-shipped starter, and return the new slanted pump he bought earlier this morning to O'Reilly.

Owner's wife will get a nice surprise when she returns from work this afternoon and finds her VW driveable !!!
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1970 VW (owned since 1972) and 1971 VW Convertible (owned since 1976), second owner of each. The '71 now has the 1835 engine, swapped from the '70. Second owner of each. 1988 Mazda B2200 truck, 1998 Frontier, 2014 Yukon, 2004 Frontier King Cab. All manual transmission except for the Yukon. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335294 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335297

[Relyt]

Good work! Got another one back on the road.
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69 Beetle - Daily driver
1600 SP (unknown history)
30 PICT 1 w/power circuit (Volkzbitz)
205T (Bill)

[awreed]

The seller didn't disclose any of those issues? What a dirtbag.

On the other hand, big props to you for all that work you did for a complete stranger. What a lucky new VW owner to have lived so close to you. What's your street address? I'm gonna move in next door

[BIGMIKEY]

[73SlowBug]

Great work. It must be nice to have you as a neighbor.
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Daily driven....Slowly.

[Cusser]

[wayne1230cars]

Great job helping out for sure. Hard to believe that fuel pump pushrod. Wow!
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1960 beetle
1970 beetle convertible

[Tim Donahoe]

Good man, Cusser! It’s people like you that make up for people like the seller.

I do hope the new owner got a good deal, however.

Tim
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Let's do the Time Warp again!

Richard O'Brien

[vamram]

Yep, nice work Cusser! No pics of the ignition repair process?
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Eventually, "we are what we pretend to be.’”
Give peace a chance - Stop Russian-Soviet Aggression!!

'74 Super 9/16 - present, in refurb process.
'73 Super - 6/18 - Present - Daily Driver!
'75 Super Le Grande...waiting it's turn in line behind '74.
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Save the Supers!!

[sb001]

[grandpa red]

I was expecting an internet purchase gone horribly wrong.
Nice to have a neighbor like you!

Hope there are no hidden problems.
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'72 Beetle

[calvinater]

Now get that new member to post more pics.
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"Albatross"!

[Cusser]

[Buggeee]

[daven]

F%*king good job Cusser! Careful or we will start thinking you are a nice guy.

[Cusser]

We all need to keep historic vehicles alive and driven.
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1970 VW (owned since 1972) and 1971 VW Convertible (owned since 1976), second owner of each. The '71 now has the 1835 engine, swapped from the '70. Second owner of each. 1988 Mazda B2200 truck, 1998 Frontier, 2014 Yukon, 2004 Frontier King Cab. All manual transmission except for the Yukon. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335294 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335297

[sb001]

[Cusser]

Same fuel pump on his 1972 as in your picture in previous post, but his was not damaged. He gave that slanted one to me.

I'd rather him have the domed non-slanted pump from O'Reilly anyway; it is a mate for the only spare pushrod I had, has clips on the pivot rod, and is the exact same pump I run on my own 1970. And if it works, I don't care if that pump comes from China; not all Chinese made stuff is crap, depends on the materials, engineering, manufacture, and quality control.

Will I ever use that slanted pump??? Maybe, but I'd need the 100mm pushrod or grind a longer one down, as neither of my VWs have an alternator.
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1970 VW (owned since 1972) and 1971 VW Convertible (owned since 1976), second owner of each. The '71 now has the 1835 engine, swapped from the '70. Second owner of each. 1988 Mazda B2200 truck, 1998 Frontier, 2014 Yukon, 2004 Frontier King Cab. All manual transmission except for the Yukon. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335294 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335297

[tongjin]

amazing work. can't believe the mouse is still in there

[NachoCar]

since fuel pump pushrods are mentioned a few times in this thread.......

If you remove the fuel pump and turn the engine over by hand SHOULD you be able to feel movement of the pushrod? I'm trouble shooting a fuel issue and tried this last night with no luck.

Thanks