I just got a 73 Super Beetle with an autostick but don't know how to shift into 2nd or put it in park. Are you sopposed to press down the shifter when you shift gears. Can you be stopped with the brakes on when you are in gear? Please help me!
Hiya Hippie,
First off, welcome to the forum. You are definitely in the right place for AutoStick information.
OK, shifting....... the shift pattern is an "H".
The upper left corner is Reverse. You have to depress the shift knob to get it into Reverse (just as you would in a manual VW transmission)
The lower left corner is Low Range - good for starting off the line. At about 25 to 26 mph shift up to First Range.
The upper right corner is First Range - good for around town driving. At about 45 to 46 mph shift to Second Range.
Second Range is good for highway driving and will take your Bug up to its maximum speed.
You do not have to depress the shift knob to shift into any forward range.
Because the AutoStick uses a torque converter the car can be stopped (while in any range) and should idle just fine. In other words, you should not have to take it out of gear as you would in a manual.
If you have more questions, and it sounds like you will, this is the place to get them answered.
Mike
1970 AS Bug
That answered alot of my questions. Still I cannot figure out how to get it in park. My car's e-brake is broken and cant get to stay still without having to throw a log under the wheel. The shifter positions like this:
R---1
--N--
P-L-2
Is that a feature not on all autosticks?
No, not all autosticks have that feature. The newer ones did. However, if the trans was ever replaced, it might have been swapped with an older model that doesn't.
A lot of work was done on that car before I got it. The reverse lights will not work. That gives me a reason to believe the trans was replaced with an older one from a car that didn't have reverse lights. The car needs to be inspected to be registered. Is this going to be a problem?
The reverse lights could be as simple as the fuse inthe egine bay being blown, or having been disconnected from the splice near the starter. I had this on my bug after pulling the motor to swap out the trans and forgettting to reconnect the wires to the splice.
Hiya Hippie,
Yeah, I'd ditto Cobey on the back-up lights situation. It could be any number of things, bad grounds, bad bulbs, loose connections, blown fuse, bad switch, cut wires, etc......... The least likely problem would be a switched out tranny. You need to check out the "usual stuff" first.
IIRC, VW introduced the Park feature in the 74 production year. And if I'm correct (and your tranny is, indeed, a 73) that means you are looking at fixing your E-Brake. Either that or continue using a log.
Will this all be a problem at an inspection? Of course, that would depend on just what agency is doing the inspecting. Some can be lenient and others (like the MOT in Great Britain) really strict. Generally though, you can be pretty sure that safety equipment like lights and brakes will be held to high standards.
Mike
1970 AS Bug
I was trying how to figure out how to get it in park for about 15 minutes and luckily I got in park. It turns out on this car I may only need to press down shifter to get it in park. I got it into reverse plenty of times without pressing down the shifter. I guess I have my shifter figured out all but shifting into 2nd range. The car is not registered and the roads are a mess from winter so I may not get a chance to do this for a while.
Quote from: CobeyThe reverse lights could be as simple as the fuse inthe egine bay being blown, or having been disconnected from the splice near the starter. I had this on my bug after pulling the motor to swap out the trans and forgettting to reconnect the wires to the splice.
there is a wire in the engine compartment that is not hooked up. the engine was rebuilt and this may be the case. can you get to the splice without dismantleing anything?
does that loose wire run to an inline fuse? What color is the wire?
The splice I had trouble with can be gotten to from underneath, near the starter area. It was real pain in the a$$, because I couldn't get both hand up there to connect the back. In the end I got it, but it would have been quicker to pull the motor out again.
Hippie, You found the best sight for keeping that AS alive. I purchased one a couple months ago and used this site daily to get things figured out. From wireing to the mysterious control valve, most people that down our cars have not even had the pleasure of not having to use a clutch! :lol: Get a printer with a new ink cartrage and print off copies of your wireing and vaccume lines and keep them in your car for those just in case times you have trouble. Like Mike told me its usually a simple fix to get things running and working right. The guy I got mine from could not get it to shift with the car running so he sold it for "Something more reliable" I moved a wire from one side of the coil to the other and have not had one problem with it! As far as getting into 2nd range, you can start in 2nd and drive, but not reccommended. The converter slipps more taking off in higher gears and will get your fluid hot fast. Mine has a light on the dash to warn of this but I have not seen it work. I recommend shifting like normal L,1,2 to keep from wearing out those hard to find parts. Good luck and keep us posted on the light problems. Your experienc e could help out all of us should we get the same problem later!
The disconnected wire is just a black wire with a plug at the end. I found a current tester and i'll be checking to see what is not connected properly. I was able to take the car for a ride today and shifted from 1st to 2nd just fine. I usually start in 1st range. You don't need to start in low do you? Also, I noticed my car does not have an atf fluid warning light. Should a 73 super beetle have this? There was a speedometer with an atf warning light (probably broken) along with alot of parts that did not fit my car that I gave away and I did not realize until now that light was non existant.
Newage:
You should really start in low and run through the gears each time. VW mad e a big mistake telling people they could start in any gear. This puts strain on the transmission and seal.
Many of the original problems with the AS was because people were not starting in Low. It gave the AS cars a bad rap when they were new as there was a high incidence of failure.
Also, I would say it should have had the light on the speedo. It indicates when the transmission is overheating and you should shift to another gear.
Hi,
I have spoken to a local ex VW trained service man and He tells Me they used to tell people who bought the autoStick to leave it in Drive 2 and drive it.... Even in their [VW] books it says Only use Low gear for parking or steep driveways.... So, that looks like the problem....
I'm glad I've been changing the gears on mine.....
We also have [in Australia] very stringent auto examinations each year in some states... other states don't have this examination each year, but they have the police out there pulling cars over and can have them towed away if they have any bad mechanical things wrong with the car... or rust... I was a bit worried My beetle may not pass the braking test where a meter is attached to the brake pedal... and the car is driven and braked hard.... by the examiner.... but My brakes are perfect... actually its very easy to lock up the front wheels.... so I have to be careful in that regard.
cheers
Lee Noonan 68AutoBug Australia
http://community.webshots.com/user/vw68autobug
I forgot to mention, that I changed My speedo for a KMH metric one...
so I drilled a hole in the speedo face very carefully...
and made an ATF Lamp...
I must test it... its never come on... I will hook it up to a switch so I can test that its working OK... Like the brake tester button in the US...
Probably an easier way would be to add a small lamp to the dash somewhere... I have 4 extra telltale lamps in My dash....
Lee Noonan 68AutoBug Australia
http://community.webshots.com/user/vw68autobug