First VW, Aircooled. Some advice please

[71baja]

hey, im brand new to this forum and also to the VW community. I just purchased my very first VW and it happens to be a 1971 Beetle. its awesome but i need to know what im dealing with. I have a fair understanding of the aircooled engine and the beetle as a whole but because its so old i need to know what to change, what to look for, and what to upgrade. and little things this car does (ie: back seat catching on fire). i will be fixing up the car myself so anyone with any information would be greatly appreciated amd extremely helpful. thank you.

[6603]

Pick up the idiots guide and the Haynes manual. You can get good deals on amazon and eBay.

Oil changes and adjust valves every 3k miles.

Make sure you have timing and carb adjusted properly. Make sure on the carb the vacuum ports are capped and there is no air leaking.
Check your axle boots make sure they are not leaking. Check for oil and gear oil leaks.
Make sure you have all your cooling tin and engine compartment seal.
Bleed and adjust your brakes.
Lube your front end.

[71baja]

excellent.

[71baja]

although i should also mention that the engine doesnt charge the battery, theres a hose on the engine thats not connected to anything. looks like its coming from the carb, and all the wiring in the entire car is an absolute mess. i have to rip it all out and replace it with new and figure out where it all goes and what it does. lol

[6603]

although i should also mention that the engine doesnt charge the battery, theres a hose on the engine thats not connected to anything. looks like its coming from the carb, and all the wiring in the entire car is an absolute mess. i have to rip it all out and replace it with new and figure out where it all goes and what it does. lol

Test your battery and generator/alternator. Check the wiring. Check your voltage regulator.

What distributor are you running? 009? It has no vacuum canister. Pull the vacuum hose off the carb and cap the port.

Take a pic of the engine bay.

[71baja]

[71baja]

[71baja]

i dont know why the pictures arent showing.. but if you right click open image in new tab.. all the pictures are there.

[71baja]

[71baja]

[basti-FSI]

put another topic on yout to-do list:
1. wiring

[Hackintosh]

that green wire is melted because its not big enough AWG for whats needed

[71baja]

that green wire is melted because its not big enough AWG for whats needed

So what should I replace it with?

[InToxicOne]

I would replace that wire then check to make sure its grounded out properly. Ive seen some wires that turn out like that because a) its shorted b) the component isn't grounded or has a weak ground. Other than that some rewiring wouldnt kill that poor thing. Be glad these things are so simple to wire.

[JDII]

Just a friendly reminder to always unhook they battery when working on the wiring. Looks as though p/o forgot or maybe the green wire was loose, either way that looks like the result of a dead short to me.That Wire needs to be replaced as well as most of the wiring in your pics. Have fun and do it right your first time.

[71baja]

Just a friendly reminder to always unhook they battery when working on the wiring. Looks as though p/o forgot or maybe the green wire was loose, either way that looks like the result of a dead short to me.That Wire needs to be replaced as well as most of the wiring in your pics. Have fun and do it right your first time.

most definitely, thank you cheers