my bug wont accelerate in any gear. my mechanic (eddie's buggy house on heliotrope and santa monica blvd here in east hollywood) just replaced the servo 2 weeks ago. a month and a half ago he replaced the coil(?). it turns on and revs when i push the gas pedal but it doesnt move an inch. it goes into all three gears but it just refuses to accelerate. does anyone have any idea why my bug wont accelerate?
thanks!
ps this is the second time that i broke down on the freeway at 5am. are autosticks not reliable freeway transportation?
Hiya Cho,
Actually, AutoSticks are very reliable city cars as long as they are (as with any vehicle of this age) well maintained.
It's difficult to do a "long distance diagnosis" in the best of situations.
1. It would help to know a little more about the recent history of the car.
2. You mentioned that you had broken down on the freeway (ick!). Had the car been running just fine up until that point or had you noticed symptoms before?
3. You mentioned that you can shift into any gear but that the car will not accelerate an inch. Does that mean it will not move under any circumstance? How can you tell that you have shifted into gear?
We need all the details you can provide because even the "small stuff" can point to a problem source. For example, if the car does move under its own power and acceleration is terrible that could well be a torque converter issue. On the other hand, if the car does not move at all it's possible that you may have an electrical or clutch problem.
Give us some more details (anything you can think of) and we can help you narrow this down. One good thing is that most all repair work can be successfully done without having to get inside the transmission.
i believe the car goes into gear because the "stick" "shifts" into the appropriate position. my bug does not move an inch when i press on the gas pedal. the engine is running fine and it revs but the car just stays put without ANY acceleration. 2 weeks ago the car would not go into gear. when i attempted to shift the "clutch" would just grind. my mechanic replaced the servo and for the past 2 weeks it drove fine.
so, if anyone has had a non-acceleration problem like this i would really be interested to know how it was resolved.
thanks. you guys are the best!
Hiya cho,
OK, from what I understand, this is the situation.................
1. The car performed just fine for a two week period following the installation of a new clutch servo. Prior to that you had an issue with gear grinding.
2. The car broke down on the freeway and left you stranded. Pesumably you had to be towed.
3. Although the engine will start and rev normally, the car will not move under its own power.
4. It appears that, with the engine running, you can move the shifter into engagment into any gear.
If that is a correct summation then................
#2 says that this was suddenly occuring condition. The general rule (this is not hard and fast but usually is the case) would say that this is an electrical problem you are having. Even though you should not be able to shift into gear with the engine running if this were an electrical problem, I'd check out the electrical end of all this first.
Take a look at this picture.................
(http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa85/Bookwus1/Bug/IMG_0778.jpg)
You are looking at the coil and the control valve (on the left) from a 1970 AutoStick. You need to check and make sure that the tan and black wires are securely attached to the contol valve solenoid. Now look above the red coil. See the two tubular black items being held in place by a copper colored clamp? Those are in-line fuse holders. The black wire from your control valve will lead to one of those fuse holders. Open it up and make sure the fuse inside is in good condition.
That should be a good first step. Check all that out and report back. We'll keep you going until you locate the source of the problem.
Thanks! When I get home from work after an exciting bus ride I will check that out!
another hard one...
I don't think You would be able to select the gears
with the clutch engaged... ??
so, it seems it may be the control valve...
as I know if the small hose going to the control valve is disconnected from the carburetor
that it takes a long time to engage... and You can rev the engine and go no where... [5-10 secs]
but eventually if you don't touch the gearshifter and don't rev the engine
You can take off and drive away... once the clutch slowly engages -until You need to touch the gearshifter again...
BUT - another thing that would cause the same problem -
the contact in the gearshifter base is either working intermittently
and stays connected when in Gear - so that the car won't drive as the clutch is not released...
because the shifter contact is closed and the control valve IS activated STILL....
OR the wire going to the gearshifter is shorted out somewhere..
to find if this IS the problem - start the engine - emergency brake ON -
select a gear - then go and take one of the wires off the control valve -
[control valve is shown in Mikes pics]
If You can now drive Your car OK .. [fingers crossed]
You have a problem with the ground wire going to the gearshifter.. control valve -
Lee
http://community.webshots.com/user/vw68autobug