HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: ilh@lcs.mit.edu (Lee Hetherington)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.vw
Subject: [W] need to replace catalytic converter
Date: 22 Jan 93 13:49:02
Organization: MIT/LCS Spoken Language Systems
Distribution: rec
Reply-To: ilh@lcs.mit.edu
NNTP-Posting-Host: chicago.ai.mit.edu

My '86 GTI (8v) at 98Kmiles needs a new catalytic converter.  It
sounds like the honeycomb structure has broken away from the casing
and is rattling around.  Anybody else have to replace theirs?  What
did it cost you?  Is it likely that pieces of it have broken free and
clogged the rest of my exhaust?  How would I know?  The car seems to
have plenty of power.

At a dealer, it sounds like the converter and the pipe in front of it
(one-piece unit) cost $470 by itself.  They say to add on about $60
mounting hardware and $100 labor for a very large total $$$.  A local
shop I go to (Metric Systems in Cambridge, MA) is looking for the
converter, but isn't sure if they'll be able to find an aftermarket
one.  They say they may need to buy the converter from VW, again for
large $$$.

Has anybody else gone through this?
--

                                Lee Hetherington
                                ilh@lcs.mit.edu
From: bugman@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Matthew Ethan Soiney)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.vw
Subject: Re: [A]Speed! (or what passes for it...)
Date: 22 Jan 1993 15:16:37 GMT
Organization: Computing Services Division, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4

In article <1993Jan21.184733.1@ulkyvx.louisville.edu> amjewe01@ulkyvx.louisville.edu writes:
>In article <C172y0.L7t@news.cso.uiuc.edu>, mchaffee@ux4.cso.uiuc.edu (Real Life?!?! HA!!) writes:
>> A friend of min recently bought a '62 Beetle....etc. 
>> Michael T. Chaffee  
>
I have a 1974 1600cc in my (multi-year) beetle.....etc.

 I have a 65 beetle with a 1600cc motor. the trans is a stock swing axle.
 at 65 mph, the engine turns around 3900 rpm with the .89 fourth gear
 and the 3.75 ring and pinion. with the 68 or later trans, the revs
 are around 3600 due to the 4.375 r&p with the .89 fourth. In my
 beetle i usually drive right around 65. Heck, i am in no hurry
 because i love to drive a vw!!!!!! I think that these numbers are
 correct.  i forgot my calculator this morning so i had to go from 
 memory. I hope this helps.
From: aas7@po.CWRU.Edu (Andrew A. Spencer)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.vw
Subject: Re: [A] Square Back a lemon!?
Date: 28 Jan 1993 05:05:34 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Reply-To: aas7@po.CWRU.Edu (Andrew A. Spencer)
NNTP-Posting-Host: slc5.ins.cwru.edu


In a previous article, sircomp@bcarh90.bnr.ca (Brian Magee) says:

>Hi All:
>	Today in a bookstore I came across a book which had little articles
>on the greatest lemons of all time. It started way back when, and went up to 
>some time in the late '80s. What surprised me was seeing the VW Fast Back,
>Notch Back, and Square Back cars all listed in this book! It had a nice
>picture of a square back, but nothing nice to say about it! I have always
>thought the square back was a very cool car, and, to a lesser extent, the 
>notch and fast backs. I didn't have time to read the book (It's a bookstore,
>not a library as I keep being told :-)... can someone fill me in on the 
>problems these cars had/have? Besides the engine in tha back of a station
>wagon I mean :-) Or did the author just have a bad child-hood experience
>with one of these? :-) If ya wanna talk lemons.. a friend has this 1976
>Mustang II...
>later...
>			Rob
>
> 
>--
>---
>"We are sorry, the .sig you have reached is no longer in service"
>
actually, i have this very book, and although i haven't really read it
closely, i think that rather than "lemons", the book would have been
better titled "unsuccessful" cars.  I'm sorry that i can't comment
on the VW's, as i had to leave it at home, and didn't make it
that far in it.  Most of the other cars talked about in there were
more cars that had..problems selling, rather than really anything
actually wrong with the car.  Aslo, some of them were cars that had
bad raps, according to many, like the corvair, and the Pinto(please,
no debates on truth to the reputations these cars acquired..i'm just
trying to inform!;-).  Perhaps this is all that the type III's are in
there for..because they never sold well(i don't have sales figures, so
this is an educated stab in the dark).  But as far as i know, the type
III's never really had specific problems(besides those related to VW's
of the time), but just never really caught on, like the bugs did.
Just my guess as to why they were considered a "lemon" by the author.

Best of luck
DREW
Newsgroups: rec.autos.vw
From: acuff@CAMIS.Stanford.EDU (Richard Acuff)
Subject: Help with sticky steering wheel?
Keywords: bus, steering wheel
Organization: Stanford University, California, USA
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 19:40:20 GMT

The steering wheel on our '78 bus gets a kind of sticky coating on it
over time, even if we haven't been driving it lately.  I've tried a
variety of cleaners, several of which seem to be able to remove the
coating temporarily, but it always comes back.  The stickiness is like
someone with very dirty hands has been using the wheel, but it seems
to come from the rubber of the wheel.

Can you tell me how to keep it at bay?

	-- Rich
From: baw2@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Bruce A Weisberg)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.vw
Subject: FOR SALE-- 1967 Kombi
Date: 23 Jan 93 19:17:20 GMT
Reply-To: baw2@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Bruce A Weisberg)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Columbia University


	For sale: 1967 Kombi
	rebuilt eng, body decent and NO rust on underbody, tranny solid
	Ask $2000

	Excellent for restoration; can become a real creampuff 
	for the right owner.  I can't afford the restoration.
Newsgroups: rec.autos.vw
From: taylorb@ncifcrf.gov (Brent Taylor)
Subject: 2.0L 16V Timing belt
Organization: Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 19:46:21 GMT

Well, I finally got around to changing my ailing timing belt tensioner on the
16V 2.0L.  This meant that I had to take the lower timing belt cover off (or so
I thought!) - which meant that the pulleys on the crankshaft sprocket had to
come off.  Well, I got the first pulley off, but damn if I could get the other
one off!  This is the one that drives the air conditioning compressor.  Does
anybody know what gives here??!!
Does this pulley come off.... or is it attached (permanently) to the crankshaft
sprocket?  I even tried loosening the center bolt on the crankshaft!!  NOT! It
wouldn't move!
So I resorted to using the brute force method of bending back the lower cover
enough to get the tensioner in.  But now I want to change the belt on my 1.8L
16V (I'm assuming it's the same) and I HAVE to be able to get that pulley off.
If anybody has any experience in this pulley, please post/mail as this is kinda
buggin' me.

btw.... The bentley manual has to be wrong on the tensioning on the timing belt
on the 16Vers.  They say when you can no longer twist the belt by hand 45 
degrees, that it's tight.  8Vers are tight when you can twist 90 degrees.  I
challenge this, as I am pretty sure this is what burned out my tensioner in the 
first place!  And with the new tensioner on and the belt tightened to the
Bentley spec, the tensioner was screeming (literally!).  So I loosened to the
8V spec. and everything seems oakey dokey.

Any explainations would be appreciated!

Brent Taylor
Frederick Biomedical Supercomputing Center
taylorb@ncifcrf.gov

Newsgroups: rec.autos.vw
From: sircomp@bcarh90.bnr.ca (Brian Magee)
Subject: [A] Square Back a lemon!?
Organization: Bell-Northern Research Ltd.
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 93 02:20:25 GMT

Hi All:
	Today in a bookstore I came across a book which had little articles
on the greatest lemons of all time. It started way back when, and went up to 
some time in the late '80s. What surprised me was seeing the VW Fast Back,
Notch Back, and Square Back cars all listed in this book! It had a nice
picture of a square back, but nothing nice to say about it! I have always
thought the square back was a very cool car, and, to a lesser extent, the 
notch and fast backs. I didn't have time to read the book (It's a bookstore,
not a library as I keep being told :-)... can someone fill me in on the 
problems these cars had/have? Besides the engine in tha back of a station
wagon I mean :-) Or did the author just have a bad child-hood experience
with one of these? :-) If ya wanna talk lemons.. a friend has this 1976
Mustang II...
later...
			Rob

 
--
---
"We are sorry, the .sig you have reached is no longer in service"
From: timb@anat3d2.anatomy.upenn.edu (Timothy Baradet)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.vw
Subject: Re: Those annoying lights...
Date: 21 Jan 93 23:06:24 GMT
Followup-To: rec.autos.vw
Organization: Univ. of Penn. School of Medicine


 when I start my car ('82 GTi) 
> the alternator light stays on until you rev the engine. If you then let off
> the throttle and let the car idle, it seems to idle slightly lower RPM
> than when the light was on. 
> 
> Pretty damn silly place to leave a signature...

My '82 Quantum does the same thing and its nothing to worry about...it's
mentioned in my owner's manual as being normal and expected.  It even says
to rev the engine and the light wil go out !  Is it in your manual ?
Newsgroups: rec.autos.vw
From: rgolen@UMASSD.EDU
Subject: Re: Oil Coolant Engines?
Reply-To: rgolen@UMASSD.EDU
Organization: UMASS DARTMOUTH, NO. DARTMOUTH, MA.
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 14:50:04 GMT

In article <C1K6EM.A11@news.udel.edu>, bew@brahms.udel.edu (Ben Williams) writes:
>In article <1993Jan26.192005.10361@news.cs.brandeis.edu> andyh@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu (Andrew J. Huang) writes:
>; In article <1993Jan25.165652.4119@nntp.nta.no> BARANSKI@veamf1.nusc.navy.mil (Jim Baranski) writes:
>; >Is the VW engine more accurately called an *AIR* cooled engine, or a *OIL*
>; >cooled engine?
>; 
>; The VW is truly air cooled.  The oil cooler was added because the air
>; cooling was not always sufficient.  Using oil as the sole coolant
>; isn't real effective; I think it doesn't have good thermal properties,
>; it doesn't flow well enough (if it will lubricate well, it won't flow
>; well).
>
>
>Does this mean (always wondered about this) that if your fins are covered in
>oil they will not cool as effectively?

Yep....oil, grease, dirt, etc. An old friend of mine used to keep a
rag to wipe the dip stick in the corner of the engine compartment
of his Type II. One day the rag disappeared (no great loss). About
a week later the engine died unexpectedly.

Upon performing an autopsy on the engine, the missing rag was found
inside the cooling fan. So even debris which are sucked into the
engine may lodge themselves in the fan or the fins...all of
which reduce cooling efficiency.

Ric


>
>Ben.
>
>-- 
>Ben Williams
>bew@brahms.udel.edu
>
>               What we got here is a failure to communicate...
From: grahamt@phantom.gatech.edu (Graham E. Thomas)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.vw
Subject: Re: [A] Square Back a lemon!?
Date: 28 Jan 1993 08:56:32 -0500
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology
NNTP-Posting-Host: oit.gatech.edu

sircomp@bcarh90.bnr.ca (Brian Magee) writes:

>Hi All:
>	Today in a bookstore I came across a book which had little articles
>on the greatest lemons of all time. It started way back when, and went up to 
>some time in the late '80s. What surprised me was seeing the VW Fast Back,
>Notch Back, and Square Back cars all listed in this book! It had a nice
>			Rob

A friend of mine has that book and I was dissapointed to see my car,
a 1969 Squareback, listed right up there with the Pinto. As I read
the rest of the book, I determined that the writer didn't know very 
much about many of the cars he was writing about. I may be being 
picky, but he had the introduction date for the Type III wrong, and, er
many other misfacts from other cars, but unfortunately I don't remember
what they were. From my three years and 20,000 miles with my squareback,
the only problems I've had that might be Type III specific are the
engine running a little hot (cronic overheating was common to most 
Squarebacks) and that infamous fuel injection. Actually, the fuel
injection was ripped out by the previous owner at 60,000 miles
and replaced with a carberretor. The fuel injection problems were not
mentioned in the book.

 

-- 
Graham E. Thomas
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
uucp:	  ...!{decvax,hplabs,ncar,purdue,rutgers}!gatech!prism!grahamt
Internet: grahamt@oit.gatech.edu
Newsgroups: rec.autos.vw
From: don@vestek.com (Don Labutay)
Subject: Re: [W] Flashing LED on stereo
Organization: Vestek Systems, San Francisco
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 93 16:43:17 GMT

In article <milo-210193212215@mielo.dorm.rutgers.edu> milo@dorm.rutgers.edu (Jim  mielo) writes:
>
>     Car theives will steal anything they can get their hands on. The codes
>don't really stop them since most of the kids that steal them don't know
>about this feature and most pro's can get around it. 

If you have a blaupunkt, just call them, give them the model number and
serial number and they will give you the code.  Ain't that easy. :)
I did this when I bought a used one at a flea market and no questions asked.

don


Newsgroups: rec.autos.vw
From: rgolen@UMASSD.EDU
Subject: Re: GTIs good only at high revs?
Reply-To: rgolen@UMASSD.EDU
Organization: UMASS DARTMOUTH, NO. DARTMOUTH, MA.
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 14:01:09 GMT

In article <C1FIE1.DxC@apollo.hp.com>, heff@apollo.HP.COM () writes:
>
>I'm buying an '87 GTI from a guy who claims that the gearing ratios
>they set up for the GTIs are such that you need to rev the engine
>pretty high to get it to go anywhere.  
>
>Now, I'm buying the car anyway, cuz I love it so much, and it's a good
>deal, but I'm wondering if this is a nice myth to protect gunked-up
>fuel injectors.  In the test drive, it was only happy starting from a 
>dead stop when the revs were up there in the 3-4k range.  It could 
>definitely move off the line, but low revs weren't enough.
>
>Are these FIs _really_ gunked up, or does this sound normal?

I have a feeling the 87 GTI you are buying is FUBAR....or at least
needs a tune up, etc. real bad. The car should be able to move away
from a standing start at normal revs...ie off idle...1,800 rpms.
There is definately something wrong with the car if it can't come
off the line unless you are doing 3 to 4k. Hell, I launch my 
autox GTI off the line in competition at 3300 rpm..but that
causes a bit of wheel spin and hell on the clutch...thats
racin...but for the street forget it!

I would suggest that you really check out this car to the Nth
degree before buying it!

Ric


>
>jeff.
Newsgroups: rec.autos.vw
From: mark@wdcwdc.sps.mot.com (Mark Shaw)
Subject: Re: The FIRE breathing bug!  Help!
Organization: Motorola Western MCU Design Center, Chandler Arizona
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 20:46:31 GMT

In article <1993Jan21.014036.62968@cc.usu.edu>, slhmz@cc.usu.edu writes:
|> 
|> I just found a 1972 super-beetle, 1500cc, sunroof for $200.
|> 
|> The engine starts some of the time (not most of the time...), but when
|> it does, it has absolutely NO compression and blows flames (yes, actual
|> true to life fire) out the right tailpipe.
|> 
|> The owner (soon to be previous owner) says that it is a ring problem.
|> But wouldn't bad rings just burn lots of oil?
|> 
|> I think it is a really bad valve problem.  What would cause a bug to
|> spit fire?  
|> 
|> Is it worth fixing?  With all my VW engine probs, I've never come 
|> across a fire breathing bug!  Help!

Sounds like a burnt exhaust valve to me (especially with the low compression).
Even with bad rings, you will have some compression.   I had an exhaust valve
burn real bad on my '58; and one morning it just quit starting and backfired
a lot.  I didn't check to see if it was spitting fire.

This should be fairly easy to fix with a pair of rebuilt heads.  You may
even be able to do it with the engine still in the car if you don't mind
completely dimantling the alternator/fan/carbureator on top firststart by
removing the alternator (and its stand) and then the fan shroud and 
carb/manifold.  

Mark
Newsgroups: rec.autos.vw
From: heff@apollo.HP.COM ()
Subject: Re: Infamous second letter re: Heater Core Recall
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 14:18:29 GMT
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company, Chelmsford, MA

> VW will replace your heater core if it`s bad even if you don't have the 
> letters. They did mine, I haven't even received the first letter.

Anybody mind answering a stupid question re: recalls?  I'm the 3rd owner of a GTI in the recall-year range.  If I just take it to a dealer, will they take care of any recall problems?  How, officially, would I ever find out about recall stuff like this?

What are the symptoms of the heater core problem, anyway?

-- 
Jeff Oesterle

================
"No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, 
nor should they be considered patriots.  This is one nation under God."
                                         - George Bush
"<choke> <cough> Say WHAT?!?!?!?"
"Hey, at least he's not President anymore."
================

(Disclaim, disclaim, disclaim.)
QUIT
m, disclaim, disclaim.)
From: danno@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Daniel Gary Soiney)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.vw
Subject: Re: [A]:Floods and VWs...some Questions....
Date: 26 Jan 1993 15:41:09 GMT
Organization: Computing Services Division, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4

you realy don't need to adjust the shoes away from the drum first.  
simply remove the wheel and bang on the drum until the tone changes
from a thud to a ringing noise.  also, as a matter of habit don't use the
parking brake if the car is going to sit more than a day or two.
danno.

Newsgroups: rec.autos.vw
From: rroman@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Randall Roman)
Subject: Parts places in Chicago
Organization: Northwestern University, Evanston Illinois.
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 01:15:22 GMT

I'm looking for parts for a '66 Bug, in the Chicago area.  Preferably
in the north Chicago and Evanston area.  I know there is JC Whitney, but
I don't have transportation, and its seems silly to have to pay shipping
for what amounts to cross town delivery.  Are there any good (ie quality)
Volkswagen parts and repair shops in this area?  I'd appreciate e-mail or
post..

Thanks,

--
Randy Roman
r-roman@nwu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.autos.vw
From: gajewski@tangier.cs.dal.ca (Andy)
Subject: Re: K&N Air filter
Organization: Math, Stats & CS, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 12:26:39 GMT

In <81977@hydra.gatech.EDU> gt7460c@prism.gatech.EDU (SHERIDAN,BRADLEY RYAN) writes:

>  I just got a K&N Air filter the other day. The directions recomend using some
>special oil on the filter(Which they sell...separately). Will this make much
>difference? Is there an inexpensive locally available substitute?

The filter comes pre oiled so you can just put it in. Once you clean it
though, you have to reoil it. If you don't then its like having no air
filter because the oil is the compuund that stops the dirt. Read the 
instructions and the back of the box that the filter came in. It tells you
everything right there. How it works and what to do.

ANdy

-- 
---....-------------****----*******-) GTI FUN-atic                      o  
--. \/ .-----GTI---******--*********)         Don't forget to bike:     ,-\
--.\/\/.-----------******--*********)  (and sail and windsurf and ski)  0\-0
---....-------------****----*******-) gajewski@ug.cs.dal.ca,goaway@ac.dal.ca
Newsgroups: rec.autos.vw
From: ed@northstar.Stanford.EDU (Edward Wilson)
Subject: Re: Oil Coolant Engines?
Organization: stanford
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 93 17:23:45 GMT

> Air cooling alone is insufficient for modern engines.  The
> distortions due to temperature gradients are unacceptable in a
> high-precision engine.  You need some kind of liquid
> convection.  Water is ideal in almost every way; oil is less
> ideal for pumping and heat transfer, but could greatly simplify
> the castings and plumbing.
> 
> Tom Leone <tgl@slee01.srl.ford.com>

This all makes a lot of sense, but what about the 911 turbo (somewhere
around 300 HP, as I remember), using ~11 quarts of oil for
cooling/lubrication?  What do they do to get around these problems you
point out?

Related note:  would this make air-cooled engine designs tend to be
underpowered (for example, my '81 Vanagon, which does 0-60 in 21.2
seconds),  since they can't handle the thermal gradient and can't be
pushed too hard (i.e. the fuel injection is designed to limit peak
power, prolonging engine life).  Is this how motorcycles get
significantly more power per cc - at the cost of engine lifetime?
Where does the 911 fit in here?

Just wondering ...
Ed Wilson
ed@sun-valley.stanford.edu
Newsgroups: rec.autos.vw
From: heff@apollo.HP.COM ()
Subject: Re: Infamous second letter re: Heater Core Recall
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 21:34:23 GMT
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company, Chelmsford, MA

> |> What are the symptoms of the heater core problem, anyway?
>
> Distinct smell of antifreeze when you use the heater. Filmy fogging of the 
> windows (windshield especially) when you use heat/defrost. Puddle on the floor
> or passengers lap. 8-(

Yuck.  So, symptoms wouldn't include slow engine warmup, and overall low 
heat from the heater?  Perhaps I just have to get used to non-hellacious heat
blasting out of the heater.  My friend's 88Golf blasts volcanic heat, while my
87GTI only feels warm when you put your hand on the vent - by the time the air
reaches your face, it's not warm at all.

Supposedly, a previous owner had the first letter, and had the core replaced,
but I didn't know what this '2nd letter' stuff was about......

-- 
Jeff Oesterle

================
"No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, 
nor should they be considered patriots.  This is one nation under God."
                                         - George Bush
"<choke> <cough> Say WHAT?!?!?!?"
"Hey, at least he's not President anymore."
================

(Disclaim, disclaim, disclaim.)
From: agaidos@pcbcad.next.com (Anton Gaidos)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.vw
Subject: re:gti no power
Date: 26 Jan 93 19:50:32 GMT

If its a 16V they (1.8) are short on the bottom end though not as weak as  
your statment. The 8V have more bottom end. But that was fixed with the  
2.0 16V
From: gt5840a@prism.gatech.EDU (Fred Anders)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.vw
Subject: Re: [A] New Top
Date: 28 Jan 93 19:50:22 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology

In article: <1993Jan28.052113.1840@hubcap.clemson.edu> (Kenneth S Mink)
writes:

>Just thought I'd share my good mood.  I just got back my Bug for the
>upholster's with a brand new top on it.  The old one was the original and
>had gotten rather ragged out.  The guy charged $350, which wasn't the
>cheapest, but was the most highly recommended.  After dealing with water
>coming in every time it rained, it's going to be nice and dry inside.
>Well, I was in too good of a mood to keep it to myself. See ya. 

>Ken

I'm jealous.  I made a promise to my '74 Bug that I would fix it up 
(new top, new floor/bottom, new upholstery/inside, and new paint/outside)
as soon as I graduated on the condition that _it_ keeps running until then.
In the meantime however, it has become a patchwork of temporary fixes.  For
example, my storage area behind the back seat used to always flood
with the water that leaked in through the rear window frame.  Now the water
falls into two funnels held in place with a bungee cord.  The funnels
channel it through plastic tubing around and under the back seat and
out through a pre-existing hole (how convenient!) in the floorpan.  If only
I could find a good way to drain the water that pools in the side rails
of the convertible top frame, I wouldn't have to worry about it dumping
in my lap when I go around a corner.

Is it possible for a Bug to have _too_ much character?


-- 
Fred Anders - Manufacturing Research Center, Georgia Tech
Internet: gt5840a@prism.gatech.edu    (404) 875-5071
'74 Superbeetle Convertible