Hello all. I've just purchesd a 1970 Karmann Ghia. Its in good condition, but a few days after my purches the car dies when left to idle and when put into gear after the cluch engages. I've been lurking since I've joined and it seems to be a vacume leak(the hose from the carburator looks like its colapsing); but at first I thought it was the carburator so I rushed out and bought a new one. Thankfully the shop gave me a full refund. The control unit was rebult and the and a new vacume pump was instald ( I have the recepts). The cluch works after the engen has been run when there is still vacume in the system so I guess the vacume tank is fine and I can here it disengage and engage ( thumping sound coming from the back) but when engaged it makes a honking noise from the air filter as the air escapes. Also the ATF is a brown red color it will be replaced but any idea how it got that way, it doesnt smell burnt but I've ony drive it around town w/ light loads could it be evidence of past overheating?. Any other trouble shooting tips are welcome as I have little hands on experiance. Also should the auto stick be driven as a stick or a automatic? Is shifting into nutrel at stoplights healthy for it or undue wear?
Hello mate,
the clunking sound may not be a big problem as I think most of them do clunk for example going into reverse (not all but a fair number I have come across do this). To get around this slip into first and then do reverse seems to help.
Sound like your vacuum is alright so that is good.
Reddish brown oil could be that it has sat for a while and got rust and dirt into it possibly, a good change will help, ATF is a reddish brown colour anyway and a bit thinner than normal engine oil (and it smells strong)
You might need a slight clutch adjustement if it is clonking excessivly or the control valve could be the culprit. There is a small screw on the top which you can turn clock wise or anti clockwise which dictates the speed it engages and disengages, highest setting can be a bit jerky, lowest takes eons to disengage after gear change.
Relating to how to drive the car the semi auto is actually a manual car with an automatic clutch. I've got an alfa romeo 156 selespeed which is exactly the same albeit 45 years on technology wise.
If I am going to be sitting for a while at the lights I pop it out of gear into neutral. I do not think this is unhealthy as you wouldn't change gear as much using a semi auto so the parts get used less. Those few extra gear changes probably do it a bit of good to keep it moving but I figure it won't make much difference eitherway but leaving it in gear without moving for too long is not a good idea in my opinion.
Good luck with the car, got any pics?
rgds
thanks for the help! Im taking it to the shop today and your advice will help when tellng him what needs to be fixed. Im fortunet that were I live we have severel dedicated VW shops. Ill tell you what was done and if it works. Pics are coming soon!
Hiya mrfolder,
Kev has made some good suggestions. You'd do well to follow up on them.
I would add a few things.......as to the color of your ATF. Generally speaking it should be more red than brown. The browner it is, the worse shape its in. And you are correct, this COULD be a sign that the ATF has been overheated in the past. Best bet is to change it out. That will bring some peace-of-mind lubrication-wise.
By the way, if you do not have it right now, go out and get yourself a Robert Bentley Official VW Service Manual. It has a very good section on the AutoStick. Belive me, you'll need some of that information from time to time.
Insofar as the clunking sound when engaging the clutch......best way to rid yourself of this annoyance is to adjust the clutch and then adjust the control valve. Kev recommended that too; just be sure you do the clutch first. Many control valves I've encountered are shot. They still operate but only in an "off-on" mode. They have lost the ability to "soften" or "sharpen" the shift. In that case one has to do the best they can with what they have. So, adjusting the clutch (instructions are in the Bentley) becomes more important in these cases.
And driving the AutoStick? Drive it any way you please. That was the idea behind its manufacture in the first place. Shift it through the gears or leave in a single range. Suit yourself.
Best of luck and be sure to visit us here and let us know how you're doing.
Hello all
Alright i got my car back. Ill tell you what I thoght was wrong and what was wrong so here we go:
What I thoght was wrong- My car was stalling when it was leaft to idle and had poor exeleration. I found that my distributor hose was shot so I replaced it. after looking thugh some service manuels i figured the problem was the vacume system, namely the hoses coming off the carburator.
What was wrong- Good news and bad news. Good news, turns out that all it needed was a tune up (cylinders three and four were too tight and the contacts in the distributer were bad ) also as for the ATF it was OK when comparing colors i was thinking of power stering fluid :oops: . Bad news, the poor acceleration is due to a worn out clutch there just isnt any more adjustment left in it. So were can i find one? does any one know of a company who sells them or who has one for sale. How much should i pay? Thank-you for your help.
Hiya mrfolder,
Clutch replacement? Good question. I just finished rounding up the parts for clutch replacement in my AutoStick. The parts are not easy to find.
You'll need four basic components. The pressure plate, the clutch disc, the torque converter seal, and the throwout bearing.
Good news......the clutch disc can be found and purchased. Expect to lay out about $100US for it when you do find a supplier who actually has it. Many show one in their catalogs, but do not actually have it in stock. I ordered mine through my FLAPS. Same basic story with the TC seal. The TC seal is a $20 item. The pressure plate is no longer available through normal parts channels. However, I located one through German Transaxle of America. I'm not sure, but it sounded as if he had more. You might want to check him out. You'll pay around $100 for it IF you can find it. The throwout bearing is made of solid unobtainium as far as I can tell.
On the other hand, you might want to opt for having your present parts reconditioned. Pressure plate resurfaced, clutch disc relined - that sort of approach. Going that way will cost you less than purchasing new - but will also lay up your car for a while.
And a piece of advice.......poor acceleration can be due to a rotten torque converter also. You know how you give the car a little gas just before you engage the clutch in a manual transmission? The torque converter is supposed to do the same approximate thing. It has a stall speed built into it. Basically the AutoStick torque converter is supposed to stall until 2000 to 2250 rpms is reached. It then (when the engine is getting into its power band) transfers power to the clutch. If it transfers power too early (too low a stall speed) you get a real sluggish takeoff as the engine tries to turn the wheels at a low RPM. That's something you might want to think about when you pull the bellhousing off. See your Bentley for more details.
By the way, where are you?
Thanks for the help! I found a new clutch from a local dealer (save-a-bug riverside CA) and I found a flex pate and throwout bering at mofoco. Your right they arnt cheap but I expected it to be that way :cry: . Next on my list is the TC seal. By the way I think I definetly need a new clutch, it began to smoke a little on my way to school (its perched on top of a hill and the speed limit is 50mph :? ). So the hunt continues....