67 Ghia first start in 2-4 years

[gatordub]

Hi all,
I’m a new member, long time reading, and new owner of a 67 Ghia.
The car has been sitting in a garage for 2-4 years due to the previous owner getting sick and passing away.
Prior to sitting I’m told the car was in immaculate shape. The engine turns over nicely... oil and plugs look good. The tank is a little nasty and will need to be refinished but I was thinking as a first step draining the tank and putting in some fresh gas. I'm new to Volkswagen ownership. What would you all recommend before trying to start the car? Fresh gas and a new battery then go from there?
I’ve attached some photos of the car and engine compartment.

[PolarBearVW]

Awesome car!

Here are the things I do when I start up in the spring.

1. Check fuses under the steering wheel, give them a sight twist to get any oxidation/corrosion off them
2. Reach behind the fan shroud and make sure there isn't a big-ol mouse nest in the fan area. Check the air intake too.
3. Pull the battery, top it off, bench charge, clean the terminals
4. Grab a fire extinguisher (just in case)
5. When cranking don't hold on the key for more than 5 seconds. Your starter will heat up as you wait for fuel, stagger it out 5 seconds, wait 30 etc seconds...
6. I spray starter fluid or pour some gas in the carb neck to get some initial combustion to speed the fuel pull.

Just a few ideas....
_________________
1974 Ghia Coupe

[Trylon]

Someone is going to say it, so I thought I would chime in with the little bit of knowledge I’ve learned: the fuel filter in the engine compartment is a fire hazard. Probably not something that needs to be taken care of before first start up though.
_________________
1973 Porsche 914 2.0
1959 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
1979 Volkswagen Rabbit
1973 Volkswagen Bus
1970 MGB-GT
1962 Oldsmobile Jetfire

More tomfoolery on
The Karmann Ghia Fever YouTube Channel!

[jeffrey8164]

I would also pull the plugs and rockers, put in fresh oil and crank it over until the oil pressure builds up. This should also serve to prime the fuel system.
I might be a little paranoid about this but I’m pretty sure I galled all my main bearings during a dry start after the engine sat in the car for 6 years. It almost seized completely.
_________________
Volkswagen!
Turning owners into mechanics since 1938.

“Let he that is without oil throw the first rod”
(Compression 8.7:1)

[KGCoupe]

Wow - That looks like it's Castillian Yellow, which is a pretty rare color offered only in the 1967 model year for the Type I Karmann Ghia.

Nice Find!
(... but then I'm partial.)

You could try to verify the color by checking in the front of the trunk near the VIN plate for a small sticker that has the color code.
If it says L10K, then it is indeed Castillian Yellow.
Other color codes can be found in the Karmann Ghia Paint and Upholstery Chart found here in The Samba under the Technical tab.


I don't know exactly how long it takes for old fuel to turn into a gelatinous mess, but you may end up needing to thoroughly clean out the entire fuel system, from the fuel tank itself, to the screen filter sock in the bottom of the tank, to the metal fuel line that runs inside the center tunnel, and of course the carburetor as well.

If the car has been sitting for a long period of time - and likely has not been driven much prior to sitting - then you should certainly check out all of the rubber components in the brake system (wheel cylinders, soft flex lines, and possibly even the master cylinder) for possibie leaks.
Even if the soft flex lines aren't leaking, they sometimes fail internally and create a sort of one way valve that allows the fluid to enter the wheel cylinder but not exit.
If one of your wheels does not turn freely after pressing on the brake pedal several times, then that would be a good first thing to check out.

Good Luck with your new project.
I'll be watching closely, as in the relatively near future I hope to bring my own 1967 Karmann Ghia Coupe out of the hibernation it began back around 2006.

[anthracitedub]

I wouldn’t pull the rockers... just inviting problems to someone who isn’t familiar with a VW. It’s only been sitting for 4 years... just check out the fuel system and the ignition points... check the oil and put a fresh battery in it. It’ll probAbly fire right up.

Once you’re satisfied with knowing if the engine is fine..: then a decent tune up is in order. Afterwards, you’ll wanna go through the systems to make all the maintenance current. It looks like he took decent care of it... nice car.

[gatordub]

Thank you all for the helpful replies!
I started with draining the fuel tank which ended up being full of rust and varnish. Once drained I removed it and found the nipple completely clogged. So I’m now in the process of cleaning/prepping the tank for a POR15 treatment and will repaint the exterior of the tank as well. Besides that and replacing the gaskets(tank and fuel sending unit) I’m also going to blow out the metal line to make sure it’s clean and replace the all of the rubber fuel lines and filter. Once I feel confident with the gas situation I will change the oil, install a new battery, and cross my fingers!

[kingkarmann]

Congrats from one 67 owner to another

Looks like your still a ways from starting. I will add that make sure your oil/generator lights are functioning before starting. Especially the generator light as it energizes the charging system.
_________________
"Depression is a malfunction of the instrument we use to determine reality.”

Mike Gerson

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[irvanm]

Good looking car, looking forward to the rest of the story.

[gatordub]

I’m looking for some advice on the gas tank. I put a couple gallons of vinegar in the tank for 2 days, sloshing around with nuts and bolts. It did a pretty good job of cleaning it out but it flash rusts as soon as I drain the vinegar. I’m thinking of buying some metal etching solution, phosphoric acid cleaner, from the hardware store. I figured a gallon of that and fill the rest up with water. Anyone have experience here with cleaning an old tank? I want to do a good job without a chemical burn or destroying my garage. Thanks!

[kiwighia68]

[PolarBearVW]

Also there are some nice things you can do with that tank out of the car. You can check brake lines (rubber hoses) and also you get “better” access to the electrical.
_________________
1974 Ghia Coupe

[kingkarmann]

[gatordub]

Thanks again for the replies!
That’s a good point about the access with the tank out.
Rubber brake lines look good and fairly new. I think the car had a brake job fairly recently. Looking for suggestions as to what I can do in the space without going all out at this point. My number one priority is to get this car back on the road and maintain it as a survivor. I think there is some surface rust possibly from the tank leaking. Any opinions on cleaning up without building the suspension? Maybe clean, treat with some phosphoric acid, and paint with rust inhibiting paint?

[PolarBearVW]

Well in that case it certainly wouldn't hurt to take an hour for a good degreaser soak and cleaning of that area. Once you get into it you may take another hour for wire drill and shopvac followed with a quick shot of rust converter to buy some time until you tackle a project at a later date. You'll find that working with a clean(ish) surface will draw your eye to leaks/new issues sooner.
_________________
1974 Ghia Coupe

[gatordub]

The journey continues.
I refinished the tank inside and out. Replaced the tank nipple, tank screen, all rubber fuel lines, new(relocated by transaxle)fuel filter, and changed the oil. New battery.
The engine turns over freely and compression sounds good. Plugs and wires look ok.

So I start cranking.... nothing.
The carb seems to be getting fuel/misting but the injector tube fell off into the abyss(yellow highlight in photo).

My next steps is start diagnosing what I assume is a lack of spark and address the gunky/injector tubeless carb. It wouldn’t hurt to go ahead and install new plugs, wires, and coil. Replace points. I want to eventually rebuild the stock carb and distributor but would also like a backup/spare.

Any suggestions on new drop in off the shelf carb and distributor combos?
My current setup is a 30 pict 1 and I believe a 205k SVSA. I would like to switch the points to an electronic kit if possible.

Also the inline fuse on the fan shroud tin for the backup lights is broken(the wire from the firewall isn’t hook up). Would this affect the coil?

[LVGhia72]

3 basic's, fuel, spark and air. You have fuel. did you check for spark?

Pull the coil wire from the distributor cap. Ground the wire to something close by. Crank the engine over see if you have spark. Put the wire back in the cap. Next, pull one spark plug wire off the spark plug and grounded it to something close by. Do the same thing as coil wire. Crank engine. Do you have spark?

Check out CIP1 website. You can get a replacement carburetor and electronic module for a reasonable price. You could try to clean and rebuild the carburetor. The engine should at least sputter even with the old carburetor.

[gatordub]

Thanks!

I’ve never checked a coil like that and the wire won’t reach any close metal surface. Is there any way to check the coil output with a multimeter? I measured the resistance against the positive and negative side and it was 3 ohms.

When I went to check the plugs for spark, plug wire 4 broke at the boot.

So..... I went ahead and ordered new plugs, wires, coil, Pertronix 1849 kit, and replacement 30 pict 1.

I’m hoping this should be enough to get her fired up!

[LVGhia72]

[LVGhia72]

Get this book. It will pay for it self over time.