my new 79 bug

[nickdesantis]

 Day one:  Driving to Hillsboro with the "new" car from Milwaukie.  Met a really cool tow truck driver, but that was not the plan.....  Day two: Both spare and orignal double relay working fine car starts.  Replaced the coil (goes funny at temp?)  Drove to DEQ.  Passes firts try!  Car dies as I walk back from teh both with certificate in hand and I am towed home by my son.  (I also had mounted a tow bar bracket to the car)  Day Three: Try a condenser (goes funny at temp?)  Drive miles at spead no issue.  Get home and 5 min idling in the drive way - dies. Push the car into the yard.  Day four:  Find a really cloged fuel filter.  Driven for days now with no issue. YEA! ....But find a nice hole in the pan covered with undercoating.......new pans are in my future....crap.  I guess my bad for not finding it before I bought the car.  All in all though it is a gas!  I like the car and it is good to have a driver again.

Question:  How do you remove the knob from the fresh air fan switch?  Mine is missing, but I have another dash with one to try.  It is just not obvious to me and I would like to not break it.  Thanks, Nick

[TotallyVW]

Not sure about the knob issue.  That car is a little too fancy and new for me.  Gonna need some of our Super Experts to weigh in.

Glad you got it figured it out and can start enjoying your new car.  And the weather guy says convertible weather is on its way!

[CatBox]

If you are speaking of the dash knob for the fan if I remember correctly it just pulls out of the dash.

It has been years since I have removed my though.

I drove mine once with the fan turned on and about a minute after take off we had smoke in the cabin and the flight was canceled.  My fan is shot.   So to prevent the kids from turning the 007 cockpit smoke screen on I pulled the activation knob.

[nickdesantis]

Bummer on the smoke!  Could be right on the pulling the knob, cause the switch itself seems to be there.  I will try and find out for sure though.

[Revs71]

The knob pulls off...the switch is secured to the dash with a nut.

[nickdesantis]

Nice!  Thanks.  I will pull the knob...

[coolblue57bug]

And you guys call this a family friendly site...

[nickdesantis]

Yup.  Pulled it out of a spare dash and pushed it into the one in the car and we passed the smoke test!  I have a defroster fan!  Two whole speeds!     Thanks for the instructions guys.

Now,  Of the two fresh air vent knobs (I think left is for the windshield and the right is for the cabin passingers), the right knob is missing, and I have one, but the shaft is pushed in 6-8mm an the knob will not say on.  It turns OK and the air flow is modulated.   My question is about getting back there to look - I think I would rather pull the motor!  It looks scary.  Any tips?  I would like to replace the dash light and the cigerette lighter - I mean fuse popper as well.

[Revs71]

Nick,

Yeah, the area behind those big dashes is intimidating!

im not sure what your fresh air linkage looks like but if you need the fresh air linkage because yours is shot and that is  why your knob wont fit...just shoot me a note...I have one you can just have if it fits.

[CatBox]

Don't be affraid of opening the dash up.
It's not that bad in there....


I did this just to install my tach on the left side of the speedo.

[nickdesantis]

Thanks Guys.  I wil remember the fresh air linkage.  I have one also, but until I get in there.....  I am thinking will wait for a while.  And I like the tach idea.

[nickdesantis]

Hi all,  I am back from a great vacation at the coast, Rogue River and Mt Hood.  Now back to the fun stuff!  I thought I would tune up and look into the slight gas smell I have been getting from time to time.   Tune up went good - my dwell and timing are nice, valves are reset (they needed it) and the oil screen is shiny and back in with new oil.  Sounds nicer and seems to run good. 

Now the down side.  While I was under there I wanted to see if the same crusty fuel hoses were on the back as I found when I was changing the fuel filter.  Nope.....Nice new hose... The wrong kind - low pressure.  But the real issue is the PO, who now and for ever more shall be known as "The DA".  If not "The DA", then just a low down so and so. 

I have discovered that the steel pressure fuel line is broken off just inside the frame where the two hard lines come out.  The nice new hose was jammed on the steel line with no hose clamp at all!  So now I am about how to fix this mess.  I opened up the inspection plate under the back seat and I am really smelling gas!  A big wet bunch of the stuff.  So:  For tonight we are airing out and staying away from things and looking for good ideas about how to get down the road again!  Any suggestions besides smoking in the front seat? 

[CatBox]

That is a can of worms that I have not had to deal with yet.

You can run a new fuel line under the car and then up into the engine compartment from the wheel well.
I have seen it done this way before and it seems to work just fine.

[nickdesantis]

Thanks Catbox......I am thinking that may be all I can do until I get to rebuilding the pans and have the room to work with the body off.

[coolblue57bug]

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=380724&highlight=replacing+fuel+line+body

This guy did it with the body off, but if you read down the thread several did it with the body on. Several didn't remove the whole old line. I would not try to remove the old line if it were me. Gives you something to secure the new line to. Get er done!!