Help! Want to revive a 60's beetle from death

[Loc]

hello all,

newbie here... just wondered if anyone knows of a great place or person to help my girlfriend and I fix up an old beatle. i think the main problem is the engine. should it be replaced or rebuilt?

maybe i should first ask if anyone knows of a great VW or beatle shop that can help in this endeavor (and help to make sure it's the engine). We live in Ohio. The car, right now, is in Cinncinnati and I'm in Canton. any help would be awesome. take care, loc.

[Sam I am]

the engine in the beetle is very small so you can probably pry it out with your bare hands and simple enough to rebuild in your very own kitchen. it's like a lawnmower engine only simpler and with fewer parts!

[motorcitymilo]

What is the engine doing or not doing? - I have found most of the problems are with fuel lines being clogged, Fuel filters and fuel pumps. Most of the time the spring in the pump is not pushing enough gas or has crapped out all together. Simple engine to fix, not like my Eagle Talon...Oh man what a pain!

[grand_am93]

well the guy is right on rebuilding the engine but u will need 2 jackes to take the engine out 1 to lower the engine and 1 to raise the car up to pull the engine but it really simpel to take out

[kelwa1]

none of those responses help this guy.

replace all the usual tune-up stuff - points, plugs and wires, a/filter, rubber fuel lines, dont forget the one up front by the fuel tank, inline fuel filter, change oil, does your battery have power? Try and turn it over.

An air-cooled vw engine isn't anything like a lawnmower and you dont "pry it out". Drain the oil first. Jack the car up and use some jackstands to support the rear beam. Four bolts hold the engine to the transmission. Remove those, disconnect your electrics and fuel lines, position your jack under the engine and raise it up. At this point, your engine should slightly separate from the tranny, just pull it back( have somebody stabilize the engine on the stand ) and lower it as you pull back, MAKE SURE it clears the tranny output shaft before you lower it. If you've raised the car high enough, when you have it completely lowered it should pull underneath the rear apron and bumper clean. A good tech can pull an old vw engine in 5 or 10 minutes.


try a couple of forum sites dedicated to air-cooled VW's

www.shoptalkforums.com
They'll treat you like family here.

and

www.thesamba.com

I would also suggest using the "search" function on both to find what you're looking for and possibly "lurk" around some to see if somebody has already posted the same thing.

good luck.