VW's the old air cooled ones

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In another lifetime I once owned a brand new 67Beetle. I drove it a 100k and then sold it. It did not have a oil filter and held just over 2 qt of oil. I will always wonder how long it would have run b 4 an overhaul. Anyone in here ever drive one till it just laid down??
 
They'll run a long time if you change the oil, adjust the valves, and generally maintain them well. For example, my mom bought a Bug new in 1970, and it was driven pretty much every day of its life until it was rolled over by a brother in 1998 or so. The motor was rebuilt twice, and I actually pulled it out after the accident and drive it for a number of years. Eventually I build a 2L motor for my car and that motor went to another brother's bug, still running strong. Keep in mind that they were not designed to last forever, but to be cheap and easy to replace.

robert
 
I had a 74. it had an oil screen (there was never anything caught in it) and a semi-automatic two speed. (no clutch, just let off the gas and shift)

It was generally accepted that you could get 100-150k out of the motor before a rebuild.
 
o the days of simplicity, no radiator, no oil filter and one small fan/generator belt. Ok those days are gone..............
 
Originally Posted By: CourierDriver
o the days of simplicity, no radiator, no oil filter and one small fan/generator belt. Ok those days are gone..............


You could fill the thread with what they DIDN"T have!
 
a small stool to sit on and u could reach almost everything in the engine compartment and a tune up took about 30 minutes, mite have cost 8 bucks at the most. the oil bath aircleaner was the messest to clean, but it did a good job. How did we ever get thru it without a K and N filter..................
 
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I knew a tech who worked at a VW dealer for years; claimed he could take out the engine in a Beetle in less than 30 mins
 
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Originally Posted By: CourierDriver
In another lifetime I once owned a brand new 67Beetle. I drove it a 100k and then sold it. It did not have a oil filter and held just over 2 qt of oil. I will always wonder how long it would have run b 4 an overhaul. Anyone in here ever drive one till it just laid down??


That's quite amazing when you think of it; 100K running SE oil, no oil filter, 2 quart sump...And people hear worry about what filter they use.
 
Originally Posted By: Bluestream
I knew a tech who worked at a VW dealer for years; claimed he could take out the engine in a Beetle in less than 30 mins


The local VW dealership here used to do clutches while you wait - 30 mins.

I used to have a Beetle and a Kombi...and one 1300 engine.I used to change engines on a saturday morning out on the road in front of my mothers house.
 
Originally Posted By: Bluestream
Originally Posted By: CourierDriver
In another lifetime I once owned a brand new 67Beetle. I drove it a 100k and then sold it. It did not have a oil filter and held just over 2 qt of oil. I will always wonder how long it would have run b 4 an overhaul. Anyone in here ever drive one till it just laid down??


That's quite amazing when you think of it; 100K running SE oil, no oil filter, 2 quart sump...And people hear worry about what filter they use.

yea filter worry,im not that worried over a filter, now m1 im weird over, lol
 
My dad had a 70 and a 74 Super Beetles. Bought each new.

He took the engine out of the 70 to rebuild it @120K because a neighbor said that with that many miles it's ready to go anytime. Engine was spotless inside and would have ran many more miles. He never got around to putting it back together.

He wrecked the 74 with 141K on it. Still running fine.

Both cars got Pennzoil 10w40 changed every 3k or so.
 
I think I ran Havoline in my old 67 vw, straight 30 wgt forever in Fl and Tn winters. It ran well, never a maintenance problem. Never any mmo or any fuel additive ever, guess I was in left field then.
 
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Ha Ha Yeah those days are gone,, but how many days would we like it with out a A/C or one that would at least get you buy. And the bug I had the heater was awwwwfull , so basically it's like lights and tv it would be cheaper without them but wOOO how much better it is with them.
 
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I changed my clutch on a '70 beetle with a long lunch.
Under 2 hours.
To make those engines live without a filter and the small sump capacity, you were supposed to change the oil very frequently.
They ran hot because of the air cooling.
 
These engines had to have an oil change every 3000 miles, and a valve adjustment every 5000 miles. I'd made a few modifications on my 1968 Beetle by putting in an air conditioner system, an aftermarket oil pump which allowed a full flow oil filter to attach to the engine, changeover to 12 volt electricals, upgrading the generator to alternator, electronic ignition system, and finally a later-model, more efficient doghouse oil cooler.
 
Originally Posted By: Bluestream
I knew a tech who worked at a VW dealer for years; claimed he could take out the engine in a Beetle in less than 30 mins


30 minutes if you're not trying very hard! Remove engine tin, disconnect heater and throttle cables, disconnect generator/alternator connections, disconnect fuel line, remove four 17mm bolts/nuts, remove engine!

I miss such an easy to work on vehicle.

robert
 
I ran old 6 volt bugs for almost 20 yrs. Dropping #3 exhaust valve at around 105k miles was a common mode of engine failure. I would fix that only to have the transaxle start jumping out of 4th at 110k.
 
Originally Posted By: andyd
I ran old 6 volt bugs for almost 20 yrs. Dropping #3 exhaust valve at around 105k miles was a common mode of engine failure.


True, the older engines ran hot on #3. You can usually tell things are going south for a while, though; when you adjust the valves, #3 will be tight! Easy enough to pop the heads off and get a valve job done!

robert
 
Originally Posted By: robertcope
Originally Posted By: Bluestream
I knew a tech who worked at a VW dealer for years; claimed he could take out the engine in a Beetle in less than 30 mins


30 minutes if you're not trying very hard! Remove engine tin, disconnect heater and throttle cables, disconnect generator/alternator connections, disconnect fuel line, remove four 17mm bolts/nuts, remove engine!

I miss such an easy to work on vehicle.

robert


I agree, there is something to be said for a simple, reliable, inexpensive machine. Things don't have to be complicated to be good. You could easily Keep a spare engine in the garage and change it out every 100K, then rebuild the old on and keep it as a spare. It would be nice if there was someting like it today
 
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