3D 🤯 Analyzing one of the Best-Selling engines in the world. The VW Beetle Air Cooled
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ต.ค. 2022
- In this video we analyze the VW Beetle engine, a machine invented in the 30's and produced for more than 65 years.
#aircooled #beetle #volkswagen #power #turbo #speed #engeeniering
#fordT #repairman22 #boxer #bettle - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
Aircooled owners drop year and model 👇🏽👇🏽69 Baywindow
1973 914
74 Super beetle, original engine and never touched. It’s about time though, it’s starting to drip a lot more oil and consuming it too. Unknown miles, probably 150K or more from what I can tell. Still runs strong though!
1974 super beetle
1971 Fiat 500
73 Baywindow Kombi camper...which ill be spending the weekend under replacing the transmission bushings
My grandpa bought a VW BEETLE brand new in February of 1959. He drove it every day until he had a stroke in 1984 and could not shift gears anymore. He gave the beetle to my dad and he kept until 1998. At that point dad the beetle to me and I still have it to this day. We estimate that the little beetle has had at least 5 engines. 3 transmissions. A dozen or so clutches. Hundreds of tires. I drive it when the weather is nice. Sometimes I look at it and I'm totally amazed. I can remember Grampa dropping me off at kindergarten in that little car, now I drop my grandkids off in it. Maybe one of them will have it someday. Oh I forgot to mention that we're pretty sure that it has well over a million miles on it.
What a wonderful story!
A family treasure! Keep it and pictures and records of it in your family. It could be on antique road show some day!!!
Your car and I are the same age. Keep on rolling.
You must live in a rust/salt free area. Good for you! I grew up in the NE USA. My 69 Beetle (Bettle?) had to be junked due to rust by 1979.
@@pauleveritt3388 Thanks. As long as I'm able to get parts for it, I'm going to keep bugging 😂😂😂
@@chrisdevalcourt648 Thanks my friend
My first car was a 10-year-old 1958 VW Beetle with the 36 hp engine. I loved that car and maintained it myself. As a young man, it gave me the independence I craved and the versatility I needed. Removing the rear seat back gave me more space in the passenger compartment and reversing the rear wheels gave me a wider stance and a sportier look. Equipped with a surfboard rack, I drover over the Santa Cruz mountains regularly to hit the waves. Years later, a friend was driving it and returned it with a blown valve. It broke off and embedded itself in the top of the piston. I disassembled the engine, hoping for the help of another flaky friend to turn the cylinders so I could reassemble my baby. Long story short, I was left high and dry and had to sell it in pieces for $100. I later saw my old car driving arcing town. Broke my heart! Thanks for this vid!
Almost equally iconic is the how-to repair manual, “How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive, The Complete Manual for the Complete Idiot”, published by John Muir. The hand-drawn illustrations by Richard Sealy are as incredible as the animation in this video. Every VW enthusiast must have this great book!
Agreed. I'm a mechanical engineer / car guy, and I bought Muir's book a decade ago just for pure enjoyment. I don't even own a VW and I can appreciate the Beetle and the book.
My dad had that book, and also the follow on by the same author that dealt with the Rabbit/Scirocco water-cooled cars. Best maintenance manual ever written. Even had instructions for how to build a sandwich when you take a break from working on your VW.
The iconic illustrations for ‘How to keep your Volkswagen Alive’ were by Peter Aschwanden from the books inception in 1969. Richard Sealy wrote ‘How to keep your VW Rabbit Alive’ (also illustrated by Peter Aschwanden) and co-authored ‘How to keep your Honda ATC Alive’ with David Old for John Muir Publications.
I had a copy of that, too!
I had the book back in the early 80’s.
Some VW factory engineers who visited the USA were absolutely amazed how VW mania had added so many performance upgrades to the engine , to the body and to the handling this was expressed in an Automotive Magazine in Germany and inspired a lot of respect towards American VW aficionados
EMPI !
😂😂😂😂😂😂hanno smontato una Fiat 128 altro che fabbriche di dinosauri USA
Simplicity at its finest .
@@vonhalberstadt3590 and Dean Lowery (Dinos Dinosaurs) and many others. They helped me back in the day when we were racing!
@@francocossu9192
I had one very fun !
The engine was used on a popular type of very portable fire pump in Denmark by the CF (Civil Protection). It could be carried by two men or equipped with a front wheel moved like a wheelbarrow by one man. It worked!
@4:24 What you indicate as a generator is actually an alternator. Earlier engines did indeed use a generator, while later ones had an alternator; the engine shown in your video is an earlier engine that's been retrofitted.
The generators that were used were either a 90 or 105mm cylinder - roughly the same diameter as the pulley. Alternators use a much larger stator diameter to house the three phases of windings, so the housing has a bulge at the pulley to enclose that. The rest of the housing is still the same diameter as the late (larger) generator so they didn't have to redesign the interface with the fan and fan shroud, and only required a minor modification to the generator stand to serve as an alternator stand.
The vacuum advance system actually advances the ignition when cruising and the throttle position is nearly closed. The high vacuum in the inlet manifold pulls the diaphragm and advances the ignition as the mixture has leaned out at this throttle position (lean mixture has a slightly longer burn time).
Was going to say the same, but the vacuum advance aids engine acceleration from low rpm but large throttle opening until the engine speed makes the centrifugal weights in the distributor take over from the vacuum advance with the their operation somewhat overlapping.
@@stevehill4615 that's the spring action countering the diaphragm (the diaphragm also has a spring in it). At wide throttle openings at low rpm you want the ignition to be retarded to avoid detonation (pinking), as rpms increase the centrifugal weights come into action and then as the throttle is closed off for cruising, the diaphragm is pulled to pretty much maximum advance. If the throttle is opened quickly (for quick acceleration or hill climbing) the ignition is then slightly retarded (vacuum drops, diaphragm relaxes) to match a richer mixture (from the accelerator pump). All this is computer controlled on a modern system along with injection quantity.
The cam followers were SO crappy on the after-market point sets, that the engine was out of tune within 1000 miles. Of course, you could be new points for less than 5 bucks at Dart Drug, TracAuto, or anywhere similar. When it started to rev to the moon, you knew that the cam follower was worn and that the points were shot.
@@lbowskWhatever distributor points I used tended to last about 50,000 miles. I simply adjusted them every 6000 miles or so. One adjusts their gap which tends to close up slowly as the cam follower wears down, and then one adjusts the static timing by loosening the distributor clamp and turning the distributor, using a 12v test lamp to see when the points open. I never had a problem with any points that I bought. Were they Bosch branded points? I think so. But they were inexpensive. After about 50,000 miles it was time to either file them down a bit to remove the pitting on one of them and the corresponding buildup on the other, or buy new ones.
They were so cheap that there was no point in spending time filing them but you could if had wanted to. Also, you could buy aftermarket electronic distributors which did not have points and never needed adjustment. They worked with the original electromagnetic voltage transformer (often called simply a "coil").
@@soilmanted Get rid of the Points entirely!! Fit a Pertronix Electronic Ignition System, which takes an hour. You will be extremely pleased with the starting, running of the engine, devoid of "flat spots" and the common misfires associated with contact breaker points. No more adjusting the Points Gap - or cleaning - not ever!
I had an uncle who lived in California who had a home business rebuilding VW engines. The engine was held in by six bolts, He had a "loaner" engine that he would swap into the client's car while he worked on the rebuild. He also would do performance upgrades dealing with carburation, exhaust, pistons for increased compression, valves and other features.
Four bolts. I grew up in a shop working on VW's
@@dicksargent3582 17mm if I remember correctly. It's been a long time. 30 years since I wrenched my own VW.
@@zipperneck9050 Correct.
I removed the whole interior with flat head and 10 mm. Wish I never sold it
@@dicksargent3582 If you wanna really get technical its 3 bolts and a nut... the bolt on the starter isnt supposed to come out. :)
I’ve built 50+ Type I/Type II motors, I still dream about them in my sleep. The sound is just lovely. My last one was an 1883cc with a few fancy bits. It made ~90hp which was great for my ‘71 Bus. The 6v to 12v switch was in 1967 not 1975 btw.
This was the car of many young soldiers stationed in Germany over the years. A new soldier would buy the car off someone in the unit who was leaving. This hand off technique was used during all 4 of my tours in Europe. Greatest little car in Germany.
The sucker would obey like a wife.
Они все... совершенно одинаковы. Без индивидуальности. И как один лягут!
I had a few of those back in my college days, 1960s models - easy for a 'shadetree' mechanic with basic tool to maintain so it kept my transportation costs low. The only issue I had was overheating on summer drives, so I replaced the original oil cooler under the fan housing with an aftermarket exterior oil cooler mounted on the car's underside in back of the transmission brace and that solved the problem. Great cars if you just wanted basic transportation.
super basic you mean.. like stone age.. like the window washer was attached to spare what idiot does that.. less then 10 bucks i added a pump and a button did others cars when they saw mine.. darn happy too.. ever change the gas pedal cable carb was junk ate excellerator pump.. bad memories except for recaro type seats amazing
Clutch cable was even more fun. I have done both but loved the Beetles!@@peter-pg5yc
Had a boss some years back with a 73 Type 2 and he daily drove that thing. One day he came into work all stoked--his mechanic had just gone over the bus and found that it was down 2 cylinders. Homie had been driving a FLAT TWO bus for months and months and months and he didn't notice. Mechanic brought the other two cylinders around and he drove that thing for YEARS more, every day, until selling it for gobs of money, because some people genuinely want to spend $16 000 on a 50 year-old, gutless rustbucket. To each their own, I guess? :)
@blacknester 3 or less wheels on the road also !
Your boss wasn't too bright fella? 🤣
That's because it was gutless.
"Down 2 cylinders" most likely means the mechanic did a standard compression test. It is quite normal for air cooled VW engines to have little or no compression on test on one or more cylinders due to burnt exhaust valves from overheating. But during driving, the power output is nearly normal, as gas finds it hard to escape through a tiny gap.
The main symptoms are not lack of power, they include a lot of popping and banging going down hill, being slightly hard to start, and rough idle.
Ill take my 20 year old rolla any day.. light years ahead..
BTW: the water cooled, front wheel drive "Beetle" was a Golf with a rounded profile -- it was not a Beetle.
It was pretty hated car at the time, i remember people always mocking it.
It’s a Beetle! A Beatle is a member of the Beatles pop group! FFS!
@@1vantheterr1ble47 Thanks. I'll fix that.
@@mercer982 It was so hated that Americans only bought 6,755,130 between 1964 and 1973.
Actually I think the 2nd and 3rd gen Beetles are cute, but they lack cabin and trunk space.
When my late father married my Swedish mother, her mother bought him a VW around 1952, was fitted with the traffic lights that popped up and even travelled way down to Tuscany with my little sister as well. Well when I arrived and already decided that the luggage space on top of the engine was my saloon and I had a perfect view around with my toys and my much needed biberon/feeding bottle. Life was cool then 😎 and all I had to do was listening the lovely sound of the the engine to fall asleep! Thanks for sharing this very interesting video 👍 👍👍
My sister and I always wanted to sit "in the well" as kids.
My father bought in Sweden a VW around 1952 and I loved my "saloon" all for me with my toys with a nice view from there and very often sleeping there listening the lovely sound of the engine. This too had the traffic lights popping out! A cool 😎 car indeed!
Called semaphore signals, that is also what the flag signaling system for ship to ship communication is called.
@Shelby Seelbach correct and curiously you say that also in Italian as "semaforo"..
As others have noted, this engine was once favored by homebuilt plane enthusiasts. Some of them even "halved" the engine into a two-cylinder setup, though I never saw a cutaway of how they handled that internally; I only saw it from the outside.
They are still widely used in homebuilt airplanes. As well as the 1/2 vw. Many companies offer them ready to fly: Great Plains, Hummel engines...
@@indigo196799 I believe Burt Rutan powered his VariEze with slightly modified one producing about 130 hp and achieved a cruise speed of around 150 mph.
I have been driving the classic air-cooled VWs for the past 32 years, and will never stop owning one or more!
You will when you can't find any parts
@@michaelmark2736 THEN - you do what I have done. Fit a huge Battery Pack, and an Electric Motor. Car is now future-proofed. 100% reliable with little or no maintenance. Charge overnight, giving 160kM of travel for the next day. It suits a purpose.
@@michaelmark2736
People keep saying that byt the VW air-cooled is one of the most supported engines out yhere. I find it easier to get aftermarket parts for my VW then I do my 2008 Kia Rio.
For me, the Beetle is primarily one thing: childhood! I still know the number plate of my dad's Beetle when I was 10 years old. I remember the smell, I know how it feels to open the glove box. The "Käfer" was a family member, like a dog. Reliable and always be there when you need him.
Wonderful memory!
Same here. Started with a 65 bug... still is my favorite car. So many miles on it, and so many memories made!
Used to be a regular sight on Australian roads in the 80s when I was a kid, sightings are rare now but some manage to live on as restored classics.
@@android584 as a kid in the 60s they were so common we had a game of yelling out "beetle bug" as we drove down the highway and saw one. May have only been for the red ones? Too long ago!
My reg was DRY 132T.
@00:20 and @02:36 a correction: Ferdinand Porsche DIDN'T designed the VW engine. The inventor was a young engineer called Franz Xaver Reimspeiss (who designed the VW logo, as well). The engine he designed was the 5th prototype (E-Motor) Porsche was experimenting. After being enhanced with an oil radiator it becames the basis for all the engines until 1959.
@00:38 The crankcase was made of elektron (magnesium alloy), the cylinders was iron and heads was aluminum.
That is correct. The crankcase was magnesium. Magnesium creeps, becomes distorted in time if heated higher than 100 Celsius.
Long highway drives bring the oil temperature above 100C, so the most beetle engines become leaky over the longitudinal split joint of the crankcase halves.
If not tuned, and maximum delivering 44 hp the engine is reliable though.
and the car designed by barényi béla hunagrian engineer at 1927. prosche just stole his plans.
@@makoado6010 Correct. Copy Modify Paste is a mark of human mankind. Copycat.
There’s always one know it all….
@@makoado6010 I was waiting for someone to point this out, ion fack the Nazi stole the plans for the entire car. As if the Germans could build something simple. VW paid millions in restitution.
This is my favorite of any engine I've ever owned. My slightly modified Beetle would go practically anywhere. I never hesitated to drive it up a mountain fire trail to unknown places. And back in the '70's my father and I built a dune buggy with a shortened beetle frame. With total weight of around a thousand pounds and oversize tires, it seemed limitless. We drove it to Chaco Canyon, NM and explored ruins.
The above average off-road capability wasn’t just due to its light weight. It was also because the engine was positioned at the rear of the vehicle, giving it a very good weight distribution for a rear-wheel drive vehicle. Most rear wheel drive vehicles at the time had the engine in the front.
ever drive one in snow.. excelerate car lifts then spins scary.. heavy part goes foreward makes for one scary time.. not enjoyable
It also had a relatively smooth underbody, so it could glide over obstructions that might hang up on other car's mufflers or crossmembers
@@eugenepolan1750
I described the floorpan like a big cookie sheet!
@@kevinpulver4027 I never thought of that but it really was. I once went across a flooded bridge like skipping a flat stone over water. It was dark, headlights weren't great (6 volt), didn't know what happened until I was on the other side. I think any other type of car would have drowned out when water hit ignition wires.
I was a young engineer in Detroit at one of the Big 3 OEMs in the early '70s. I remember following some older engineers into an SAE presentation at COBO Hall where one asked what a foreign manufacturer could teach Detroit? Well, I guess they've learned.
@H K affordable and simple. The people's car!
In its time.
@H K sadly! The way of the world!
@H K Just had to reply back! You said that many modern cars are plastic. The worst step that any Car manufacturer could make, was the use of plastics for the water-cooling. I had a 16V Polo. It had a "hidden" Coolant Leak. I was topping up the coolant for 3 years. Believe me when I say that VW created a Molding for the Polo, carrying the coolant, and I discovered a pin-hole leak between engine and Firewall. Examination of this part (plastic) revealed that the Coolant had dissolved the interior of this plastic manifold. This would not happen readily, with coolant inhibitor, and a suitable metal casting. My '71 Super Bug has had an EV Conversion in 2019. It has been 100% reliable, even in torrential rain and flooded roads. This action really future-proofs many classic cars. If governments decide to place a complete ban on ICE vehicles, (being talked about now), then this is the way to go! In the 60's it was nice to see wood, chrome and leather, on many Jags, Rovers, Mercedes. It's not only the plastics that fail on modern cars, but the sophisticated electronics that send many expensive cars to a premature early grave. I wonder if the latest Rolls - or Ferrari use plastic on their engines, which suffers failure like my 16V Polo did?
@H K I have to agree 100% with you! Long before ISO and Quality Assurance, the Beetle was manufactured to strict quality. The workforce had pride. My Beetle is almost 51 years old, and I marvel at the way the doors close, with a hefty "clunk". Years ago, one early Beetle Ad that was televised, the words were: "If you want to close the door on a Beetle - first slightly open a window". There is a Beetle here in Australia, that sailed under the Harbour Bridge. They are well-sealed from new. Also check-out the gauge of the steel that was used. Many cars today can get dented easily because the car manufacturers aim for light-gauge metal, saying that a lighter weight car can travel further on a gallon of gas. I would much prefer a heavier gauge body - just like the Beetle was made. I will never own any other car. The Beetle is my 'life' car! It is a silent member of the family, and gets immediate attention should something need attention.
@H K Don't run hot and heaters work great if in proper order. 20,000,000 people bought a car that didn't work properly?
I drove a 1967 Beetle as a daily driver for 20 years about 600,000 + miles as I kept a log. A decent engine would last about 100,000 so.
1. The fan belt must be kept properly adjusted. If it flies off it often knocks of the fuel line over the distributor resulting in a fire. 2. The valves do not loosen and rattle - they tighten. Proper 3-4000 mile adjustments are critical to avoid a "whistling sound" followed by a burnt valve. 3. Engine compartment rubber seals need to be in place to avoid hot air from the cylinders recycling back up onto the cooling fan (4:44) shows an unsealed engine compartment. 4. Fuel pump hold down nuts slowly loosen. A special shaped 13mm is needed for the hard to reach one. Mad Magazine once said American needed more dependable, affordable automobiles and needed to retool and bring back that Great VW. The illustration showed a factory with VWs having a Chrysler star where the VW symbol usually was. A very nice video on those great ol' VWs!
Pretty much my experience with a 53, I always set the valves a little loose especially on #3 as the oil cooler blocked some of the cooling air flow, spot on with the plug seals too!
@@bryanlatimer-davies1222 I knew about the #3 but didn't mention it as there was nothing you could do about it except a little looser valve adj. as advised in The Whole Earth Catalog? as I recall.
@@josephbingham1255 John Muir covered it in his book as well, but I think most dyed in the wool Bug owners knew about the issue.
I still have the curved special wrench for the fuel pump and muffler nuts. I must have overhauled 100 of them as a VW tech back in the 70s. Great little cars!
Service literature called for adjusting the valves every 6000 miles, at every other oil change. Sparking plugs at 12,000. The valve lash tends to increase maybe 0.001 or 0.002 inches each time, except at around 85,000 miles at which point #3 exhaust valve, the hottest-running, stretches and its guide wears. I am not sure why the lash generally increases. Perhaps it is just wear on the valve stem end from being smacked by the rocker arms. Or maybe it is wear on the lifters, or rocker-arm push rods. I'm not sure. I've done valve jobs on maybe 10 or 15 VW air-cooled engines. The valve seats and valve heads always seemed to have very little wear. Wear on these would decrease the valve lash but I never saw any serious wear. The valve stem of #3 cylinder, would get narrower, and longer, starting at about 85 0r 90,000 miles, causing the valve lash to decrease at that time. That's how you know it's time to overhaul - before the valve stretches into 2 pieces, and the #3 cylinder "sucks the valve." While I always overhauled the whole engine, From looking at the piston rings, and measuring the pistons, cylinders, crankshaft bearings and rod bearings, I believe they could go 200,000 between overhauls, if not more. .That's assuming you changed the oil on time and used the correct type and grade of oil.
Amazing donks. I once seized my 1600 on the Nullarbor after the engine breather blocked pushing out the dip stick and all the oil.
It bent #4 conrod snapping off at the crankshaft around the main bearing cap.
I purchased a second hand con rod and replaced all the main bearings. Flushed the engine with fresh oil and that motor did another 30,000 kilometres and run better than new.
Eventually the crank shaft cracked in half but still managed to get me home 400 kilometres like this.
No other engine comes close to the simplicity of the VW boxer.
If they had a diff lock they would be unstoppable.
I used to drive my 74 VW camper 1000 kilometres one way to work in the gold mines and another 1000 Kilometers home for RnR.
And don't forget the millions of industrial VW engines. They were exactly the same Beetle engine but with a magneto ignition. They were used everwhere, compressors, electric generators etc
I had a 73' beetle that I bought in 87'. I rebuilt the engine in 88'. In the summer of 89' I noticed higher than normal operating temps and the oul level was dropping. On a short overnight trip it vapor locked. Upon close examination I discovered the engine temperature sensor ceramic body was cracked that caused the oil leak and the overheating. Iwas lucky and found a new sensor replaced it myself topped off the oil, and it continued to run great. This was a great video.
not trolling--but you might want to find out how the designer pronounced his name! that said, this is the best review of the VW engine i've seen on youtube! graphics and voiceover, and a few old clips--i get emotional! my first car was a blue 61 with big old cloth panoramic roof. those were the best days behind the wheel for me....
I assume you're talking about the pronunciation of the name "Porsche" - with two syllables and an "a" (like in "above") at the end.
Emphasis on the sch/sh and the E its an loud and staggering E.
Porch;Posh | Poashe. Poache
(P-O-R-S-C-H-E)
For English speakers it's simply "Portia".
Have a great joke about the man who wants his porch painted and ends getting his car painted .
My brother once bought one of these beetles, used from a farmer. It was ancient, I think a 1970 1200 model. It had been standing outside next to his barn for about 5 years and he was glad to get it out of the way. It was winter when we went to pick it up and was freezing cold weather. We had planned to tow it home since it had been standing for so long, but decided to try and start it, just for fun. My brother put some fuel in the tank and connected the Beetle's battery to my car and what do you know, after just a few turns of the motor the car started. I couldn't believe it. My brother actually drove it home under it own steam, which was a bit risky, not just because of the technical condition of the car, but because it wasn't insured. But I doubt any other car would have started like that after years of disuse.
Once on Monster Garage. Jesse James and his team found a VW in a swamp. Just to challenge themselves. They made a total hot rod out of it. Everything about that freaked me the Hell out. Jesse kept the rust on the body and just painted the words "Sour Kraut" or something on it. But unfortunately because it wasnt registered they couldnt drive it in front of a big crowd, Jesse James got a ticket for that.
the 3-speed "autostick" transmission is a really interesting solution. It was brought to market to compete against the three-speed slush boxes that were starting to become popular in the late 60's. designed to require little additional engineering, it used the same gear ratios as the 4-speed manual, with the manual transmission's 2nd, 3rd, and 4th gear becoming the autostick's "low", 1st, and 2nd.
it's not really an automatic, but something in between a manual and automatic. while it had a torque converter (like most automatics), it also had a clutch that had to be activated by the driver. this was done by putting a switch in the shifter! as you would put force on the shifter, it would go down and click a button that would activate a solenoid. this solenoid would connect a vacuum booster to the intake manifold, which would then pull back on a lever attached to the clutch. additionally, the ATF pump for the torque converter was run off the same shaft as the oil pump. it was an interesting and cheap engineering solution that we've never seen anything like since.
(It did sell poorly. The half-manual-half-automatic aspect of it didn't satisfy drivers who were used to driving a manual gearbox, and was still too cumbersome for people who liked driving automatics. Most autostick beetles have been converted to manuals).
Wow! At the very least it may have been a marketing ploy for VW to advertise that they had an "automatic" to offer the buying public. And from what you describe the engineering behind the auto trans compliments the simplicity of the engine architecture.
Thanks for taking the time to post.
I saw one that was automatic and had ac added!
What a dog!
I have on which was never converted. Maybe one day it'll be worth something!
Thanks for the very clear explanation of how the transmission works!
Here in Canada, at least, they were badged as "semiautomatic"; there was a special chrome name on the rear.
When I was in High School I badly wanted a Beetle, but I could not (and still can't) drive a standard transmission. I only ever saw a single semiautomatic for sale in my city. Sadly, my parents wanted something more modern/safer.
My dad drove a 73 Super Beetle for many years, and took great care of it. It had no rust issues and ran like new. For a long time after he sold it he regretted getting rid of it. Even worse, somebody local bought it off the used lot and my dad often saw his own car around town being abused by some muppet. If he had kept it, I'd probably be driving it today.
Funny I had 1973 sun bug best one by far. sold it saw it again laughed heartily..I was now in a 1982 rabbit gti, i never looked back on that bug. i was light years ahead in an ac car.. 10 years...
Surprising no mention of Formula Vee!
They take these engines and other parts from the Beetles and use them to make open wheel race cars!
Very cool entry level racing available to basically anyone! So cool to know more history about the engine, thank you!
Yup, having worked on them plenty enough, I still consider this engine the best ever. Runs forever, easy to maintain, easy to fix or overhaul or rebuild. As long as folks took care of the basics, you were good to go.
You had to know how to adjust the valves. And the dreaded ticking, as Muir said in the famous book "Like a rattlesnake about to strike"....I pulled over on a busy Jersey City Highway, jumped out, removed the valve cover, and got that valve fixed on the spot.
@@edwardschmitt5710 make sure you look closely at the rocker arms and cam lobes for wear.
@@edwardschmitt5710 surprised you could with the engine hot!
I'm pretty sure the valves are to be adjusted with the engine cold.
Have seen them do just about everything bad , cams go , heads crack , valve seats go , valves go , exhaust leak fumes to heat car only last so long because make so little power , I'd say a B series 1500 is a much better engine all round
@@garypeatling7927 most all issues I saw were due to abuse or neglect. Granted the later engines were a bit better. But still, all I saw could have been avoided. The biggest issue was not keeping the engine to body seal in good condition.
Our family drove a 1954 VW and I later used it to drive to university. First gear was crash but synchro on 2,3 &4. I believe that 1954 was the first model imported into Australia. 1100cc with single exhaust pipe with super small oval rear window. The panels were very strong. The handbrake adjustment was up front between the two torsion bars. Everthing was greasable. Indicators were solenoid activated arms which swung out of the B pillar. Fuel tank was 8.8 gallons with a foot activated spare gallon as there was no fuel gauge. As soon as the engine started spluttering the lever was swung over by 90 degrees with the left foot. 6 volt battery under right rear passenger with very dim headlights. Very reliable car.
Did yours have the accelerator roller wheel instead of a pedal as my mother's early VW did.
There were some earlier ones in Australia with the rear split oval window and even a hand crank hole to start the engine by hand. Might have been private imports but saw one of these in my suburb of Melbourne.
I think the Australian Army brought a 46 model in for evaluating to help decide if the Australian government should take over VW as proposed then.
@@johnd8892 Hi John. Yes the accelerator pedal had the roller. It had the 6 volt battery and dim headlights. First gear was a crash gear.
You did a really great video on the VW air cooled motor but there are so many modern modifications that companies are doing that have improved this little motor . I have a 1979 convertible that’s a 2180 cc putting out around 150 hp and I’m building a supercharged one for another car I’m working on .
There's a specific fan/oil cooler/shroud setup off a specific Porsche that's bigger and has better cooling that'd probably be better suited for that. You may know about it already. Problem with forced induction is it's hard to keep them cool.
@@akio2589
Thank you for the suggestion
I gave purchased a shroud called Cooled here locally and I was told it is a really good because it uses a larger oil cooler ( Type 4 ) and I’m also planning of running a separate oil cooler as well .
Hopefully it will work well :)
@@davidkollar8328 If it's going to purely be a track car, then water/meth injection might be something to look into as well. Help bring down the cyl temps. An external oil cooler is probably a good idea.
I wonder if it'd be better to go with a completely external fat oil cooler to get as much cool air flow as possible moving over the cylinders without the shroud oil cooler restricting airflow and adding heat? And still get the benefit of the better cooling shroud and bigger fan.
@@akio2589
It’s just going to be a fun street car
I already have an external oil cooler with a fan I bought for my chevelle that was just a little too small .
My plan is to have about 5-6 pounds of boost and keep the compression a bit lower . I had everything balanced and running Chev rods .
I bought 3 different pulleys for the amr supercharger if it doesn’t work well I’m not too deep into it to change it around till I’m happy with it .
It’s still a few months away and more investment! lol
@@davidkollar8328 Fair enough, good luck with it.
with a few modifications, the vw engine make a great light air plane power plant. a testament to it's bullet proof design, one of the greatest engines of all time.
I was self taught and used to rebuild these engines back in the day and they were just fun to work on. I also owned a number of beetles and one transporter. In fact it was the transporter/microbus that I learned to rebuild the engines with. I was very young and newly married with no money and the Microbus engine blew. Couldn't afford to have it fixed so I bought a Haynes DIY repair manual and holding my breath through the entire process came the moment of truth...I turned the key and the engine started right up on the second try!. Great video, brought back many memories.
I bought a neglected1959 Beetle in 1972 for $200 when I was 18. Me and Dad stripped it down, did a little welding and repainted inside and out. We renewed the suspension and rejuvenated the steering and braking systems. All the add on equipment for the engine we made working to spec. The engine/ gearbox we put in for a rebuild at a pretty reasonable price. I remember going shopping for tyres because the Beetle had these old style non-radial tyres. And I found some really cool radials that were going to be great for my 'off the tar' trips.
My first car. Sweet.
I remember radials coming in , ere in UK ....you could have x plies on the front and Radials on the Rear . Never mix on same axle.
Great video, and animation. Ver many years, I've built many of these great engines from 36hp to a mild 1800, and never ceased to be amazed of the clever and simplistic engineering. Properly built, it is bulletproof reliable.
Constructive criticism: lose the background noise!
The subject & narration of it is great. The addition of distracting, monotonous & annoying music ruined the vid for me.
@@savage22bolt32 Somehow al video producers need a music background which distracts from the video itself.
If not tuned above 44 hp it is a reliable engine. But : 44hp out of 1300 cc
I built dozens of these things. they were elegant, simple and you could pull one with just a floor jack. 4 22mm bolts kept it attached to the car.
M10
Or in my case, three bolts and a stud up in the hard to reach back corner, lol. Never had a problem with only three bolts holding the engine in. One of my bugs had the back panel cut out and held by a couple of screws. Didn't have to jack the car to remove the engine, just pulled straight back. Motor swap in about an hour or so. Ok maybe a bit more for hooking everything up. Bumper? What bumper lol?
Totally right. The top right passenger bolt was affectionately called the "b*tch bolt" and it never went back in.
@@scotthibbs That one is no trouble for me. It's the one on the top left that's hard to reach.
@@e-curb It's been 30 years - I believe you're right!
I once drove 1000 km on my '74 VW Sedan (Beetle) in the heat of the dessert and through mountain ranges. At some point it went over 3 hrs with the gas pedal all the way to the floor, hitting about 120 km/h on a few downhills. I experienced brake fade and nearly wiped out on more than one occasion. When we finally had to stop to refuel, the engine shut off and refused to start again. I thought I killed it, but it finally did start after it had cooled off for a bit. At some point it was using way more fuel than it should have, so I went to open the engine bay and found the fuel line had developed a leak and it was dumping fuel all over the engine. It was a miracle we didn't go up in flames. Finally, a few miles before our destination, the whole muffler fell off and a few days later the clutch cable snapped. I asked my dad to come tow me and he tied the front bumper to his big ole Dodge Dart, went to get rolling but he took off way too fast and he ripped the bumper right off my Veedub. In the end I ended up selling it for parts, but I'll never forget that car. It was my first car.
My dad's air-cooled VW's were a '60 bug, a '61 Karmann Ghia, a '64 bus, two '71 square backs, and a '72 square back. His water-cooled stable included a '76, a '79, and an '82 Rabbit. My bugs were a '61, two sunroof '62's, a '63, and a '66.
This is the best video I’ve seen in a while. That boxer engine looks spectacular.
as a teenager in 1960's Frisco, i owned over a dozen different VWs, everything from miniVans to 911 porshe, from 800cc to 2L engines, and must have rebuilt 20 VW engines from the crankShaft up. at the age of 70, i still have dreams about my VW life history. by the way, ur graphics were FANTASTIC!!
In 1963 my dad bought me a 1959 beetle. It had 36 horse power. The mechanical valves, brakes and clutch had to be adjusted every 2,000 miles. The VW dealership charged $16 for the adjustment with oil change. I delivered 350 college newspapers every morning for two years. I wish that I had kept it.
Good car and a smart dad!
Number 3 cylinder often had problems because airflow was affected by the oil cooler placement. During a rebuild I would often see cracks in the cylinder head between the spark plug opening and the valve ports.....
Very true about cylinder 3. Actually the exhaust valve,it ran hotter than the others. My 70’ was awesome $1995 delivered to the house.
Back in the day, I drove a VW beetle('67), and then later, three different Transporters('68, '69, '72). The vehicles had good fuel economy. but sadly no modern pollution control devices so they were pretty dirty. Over the years, I did three engine rebuilds myself with the machine work done at a local shop. You could remove the engine in < a couple hours using only a floor jack. The only modification I did was removing the engine oil cooler which partially restricted air flow to the number 3 (?) cylinder and installed a much larger external oil cooler.
Interesting mod. there
I had a couple of the beetles, then a '71 bus. The 1600cc engine was strained in that, and required frequent valve adjustment, especially to #3 cylinder. It also required the valves to be replaced every 50,000 miles, or risk one dropping in the cylinder. But I loved that bus ...
They all required frequent valve adjustments because of the insufficient cooling of the air cooled engine. #3 cylinder always ran hottest because of its position receiving the least air flow and air that is already warmed by passing through the upright oil cooler in the fan shroud. I think in the 70's VW started offsetting the oil cooler in the fan shroud to aid cooling to the 3 and 4 cylinders. VW was aware of the overheating problem with #3 and buildt several degrees of retard in the distributer to help reduce the overheating problem. We were aware of this back in the 60s.
Yes simple and reliable engine as long as you keep the rpms down and drive them in cooler weather.
They were popular. The people's car! And the hippies loved them too.
Not good to be topped out on the interstate at 70 in the heat of the summer on Texas highways! Yet they did amazingly well!
@@chrisdevalcourt648 Amen, Chris, With shadetree-mechanic experience on both 1964 and 1970 models, I appreciate the training I got keeping the valves adjusted. Not quite enough adjusting to prevent #3 exhaust valve from being swallowed in hot weather with highway revs.
Installing a kit-built high voltage CD ignition system sure cleaned up cold winter starting problems in Idaho & Michigan.
I can't forgive the oil cooler in the airstream for #3 cylinder. That reputation for reliability
just made me crave water cooling when I was stranded.
@@davesieg520 good memories Dave and you learned a lot! Including that water cooled was the way to go!
In the 70's we had a customer who had a older VW ask us as to what type of car to buy.
She was very disappointed when we didn't recommend a VW. She asked why? You work on them she said.
We told her they are great cars to work on but they are not reliable for driving on high speed US highways.
Don't remember what she ended up buying?
@@chrisdevalcourt648 Back then, most probably an AMC Pacer.
@@peterduxbury927 not sure. It was the early 70's. Was the pacer in production then?
We probably recommended a Toyota, Honda, or Nissan at the time. They were really reliable at the time!
I have had 11 different VW's over the past 43 years. Now I have my first Ghia!👍✌️
My father had a beetle in Africa 50's when the roads were at best dirt tracks .... on many occasions he loaned his car to people who's cars were unable to get to where they wanted to go. Brilliant car.
Fantastic video! I was blessed with the opportunity of owning and driving a F/V (Formula V) in the late 60's. Nothing like moving at 100 mph down the straightaway, propelled by a 40 HP bug engine. I remember, once we rebuilt the engine overnight for a Sunday race. Those were the days... 🤠
wahhh that thing achieved 160kph?? are u kidding me?
Maybe that was 100kph? A stock 40hp VW Bug was good to about 75mph, maybe 80mph with a big bore 1300cc kit installed. I know, I've built them all in my 75 years. From 25hp to 2110's, stock and fire breathing 2110's with dual Weber 44IDF's, and everything in between. Cheapest HP was a 1600 based 1835cc with a pair of Kadron carbs, good for maybe 100hp .100-.125" fly-cut heads for decent compression.
@@kens.213 formula V was not a vw body at all. It had the look of an indy car body but fitted with a stock VW engine.
@@chrisdevalcourt648You lost me, where did I mention Formula V?
@@kens.213 sorry. You didn't but Burt did when he mentioned the speed he was able to achieve with his 40hp formula V. True that speed wasn't possible with the bug body, but I believe it was with the formula V car body.
Sorry for the confusion.
Very significant design, and yes it worked,simple and easy to maintain and overhaul.
Thanks for the visualisation of the engine working parts.
In the '60s last century the company I was working for had 5 beetles all driving on LPG in the Netherlands.
They also float. Once I accidentally drive into a flooded part of the road. The wheels l didn't touch the ground in the deepest part, but It just floated to the other side and I was able to keep going. Using the compete idiot book, I was able to keep mine going all through college and kept it a few years after I got a real job and was married. Great car.
In perfect condition they float. Neither of mine would have floated when I owned them. LOL.
Had a ‘69 bug, loved it, miss it. Today we need another affordable “people’s car!”
My first car was 1967 beetle. I loved that car. I wish I could find another beetle that was affordable.
The key to the Beetles off-road capability lies in 3 attributes:
1. engine mounted behind rear axel
2. Independent suspension that resulted in a flat underbody and excellent suspension compliance (famously the Baha buggies were competitive with 4AWD trucks costing 10x). This allowed the car to traverse muddy roads impassable to cars with solid axle and the pumpkin hanging out.
3. in the WWII Kuebel version a reduction gear was mounted in the rear wheels (aka portal axles), increasing torque and further lifting the body. This allowed the car to tow outsize loads completely unexpected for a 28hp engine.
The engine was used in endless applications and guess what air-cooling also makes easy: Yes-many aircraft were fitted with VW boxer engines to this day. Limbach 4 cyl. boxer engines derived from the Beetle engine (used in small planes) are in production to this day.
I have a 1969 VW Campmobile, 57 hp. The most significant thing I have experienced is on a 7,000 mile touring trip in the US.. I went through the Arizona desert in the hottest season of the year. Along the road were dozens of water cooled vehicles pulled over to the side, steaming, while I flew right past them in my VW, no problem. It has nearly 500,000 miles on it and it is truly an amazing vehicle. Camping up in the Rockies, the gasoline powered heater it had came in handy. It consumes only 1/2 pint of gasoline an hour, and really keeps the inside warm.
College car was a '74 Super Bug. A wrist pin let go once but had a rebuild and the car was back the next day. Good mechanic, great easy design.
I know that engine had 3 Beetles all well over 100 thousand miles and when I sold them still going strong;Mine were the 1200cc the best one was the 1500cc.Then in the later engines emission control and more crap to the engines started.The orginal was good enough.I used to adjust the tappets set the timing with a static light.Fantastic flat four little engine.
My father had two VW's. One had the 1600 Dual Port engine which was junk. The 1500 on the other hand was very reliable, and ran forever.
Thank you for creating this video. The VW air-cooled boxer was further developed beyond 1600 cc limit for the Beetle. In 1969 the VW 411 was released with a new casting displacing 1.7L, and with the later renaming c1972 the VW412 came with a 1.8L. Most export models were fuel-injected. They were pancake engines (like the Type 3) with the engine fan at the end of the crankshaft, instead of mounting overhead as was done with the Beetle configuration.
The 411/412 air cooled engine was also used in the Porsche 914, and in the Type 2 Bus and subsequent Transporter (Vanagon in North America) until c1983 when the wasserboxer (water cooled) version was introduced. The boxer configuration was kept until the end of the Vanagon run in 1991.
On another note the Beetle came with 12V electrics in 1967, at least in Canada. My brother had a '66 Beetle with 6V that required a lot more push starts due to the weaker electrics. Mine cost Cdn$300 when bought used in 1979. Unfortunately the floor caved in within a year or so, due to rusting, and I bought the (then) luxurious VW412 station wagon (variant).
In 2003 we rented a brand-new classic Beetle on a family trip to Mexico. I was soon aware of the limitations of the vehicle design in regards to acceleration, cornering and braking - but much of that could be blamed on the lousy tires. However when we rescued a family from a nearby town, I drove back to our hotel with four adults and five children in the rental Beetle. Crammed but amazing.
My #4 valve burned out in San Diego. My roommate showed me how to replace the heads. I think it was four bolts to uncouple it from the transmission. Used a floor jack with a wood block to drop it down. Put motor onto a skateboard and rolled it into the garage. The hardest part was finding a torque wrench to put the new heads on.
I had 5 VWs - 2 Karmann Ghias, 2 busses and a Squareback. I haven't bought another VW since they went to water cooling. Those were such great cars, and I could fix them with the Haynes, and Clymer books as well as John Muir's "How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive". The engines were bullet proof, but the heater(s) stunk for cold weather. I had all but one while living in Hawaii, so it didn't make a lot of difference, but when I had a bus in Denver - it was rough in the winter.
Bet that was rough in winter!
The bus used the same heat exchanger junction boxes as the big. They barely heated the bug much less the bus
Thanks for the great video. I really appreciate that you explain the benefits and design philosophies behind the engines various features. That makes it great for the folks that folks that don't know much about cars, and but are a little bit curious about everything.
Thank you!!!
Had a couple as a kid in the 80s.... 68 Cal Bug w/1776 and single progressive. 69 Cal Bug w/2180 and dual Webers.... Loved those cars and now I'm a 50 something, I would love to get back into the air cooled V-Dub scene again!
I've had 4 Bugs and a Van over the years. In Oregon and Arizona.
One thing I learned was, KEEP the " tin" on the motor and don't remove the engine cover( hood")
The cooling system ( the tin) was designed to circulate air around the engine in a " closed" system. Removing the tin defeats its purpose
This is such a cool way to explain how an engine works. I always was under the assumption the beetle engine overheated the oil but that's actually a cool design
I used to add a soda can propping open the deck lid (held by the latch) on my 57 -good for 10 mph top end or 10 C cooler oil ...
When I was a teen the family cars were a Bus and a Squareback. Ah, the Squareback, a hatchback ahead of its time. It was so cool that the engine fit flat under the floor of the cargo area - and of course there was a frunk. I learned to drive on the 1970 Bus. My two brothers had learned to shift a manual on it, so let's just say the clutch was very broken in. With that little engine, getting up a ramp onto the interstate was a challenge! We got the Squareback soon after that, so to me it was a sports car, slung low to the road.
Remember the basic rule of thumb, if the tappets aren't clacking they're too tight!
Neighbor received a VW Beetle for high school graduation,1968. Drove the car around Tucson for 40 years. On its 3rd engine, interior and paint job. 2008, original dealer put car on showroom display. Gives owner pick of any car on the lot.
Back in high school I bought a 1958 VW bus with a sliding hardtop for 50 bucks from a friend of mine. It kept popping out the exhaust and bad misfire. Took the engine out and took it to my auto shop and we all split the case and tore it apart and never got it fixed. Now I know I could have snapped those heads off in 20 minutes and put new heads on it. I'm very disappointed in my auto shop teacher but he's probably been dead for 30 years, lol.
Ya that's a shame. Worst case you could've swapped the core for a rebuilt, they were pretty cheap back then.
I was saying to my daughters last week... Why could they not keep this best engine of all time... Our family had 3 Vw Beetles and we never ever broke down or over heated... I hope a car manufacturer brings this type of engine back soon as not everyone will go for,the EV vehicles. 😎♥️
They unfortunately cannot come back as is. Too much mods to bring them up to standard for emission control.
I hate that this is the case. It was quite erganomical and efficient for it's time. For example, the "air filter" was moving air over old motor oil to remove dust, the exhaust system captured heat for the cabin, wiper fluid used the spare tire air pressure, the circle design was sturdier and used less metal, not to mention really good gas miliage. I'd argue my previous 73 Super Beetle was better for the environment than my current EV considering all the mining and manufacturing it took just for the batteries, plus the energy from my coal power plant.
@@indigo196799Well, not exactly, because Porsche bought back the flat 4 in the 718. They sound lovely especially when the turbos kick in, although they’re water cooled.
I have a lot of experience with these! Keep the tappets adjusted, oil changed and adjust the timing at least every two thousand miles, and it'll last a long time! Even if you needed to install cylinders and pistons it was only a few hours from start to finish. Heck, I did it in a parking lot at a Dead show while tripping on plastic fantastic and didn't miss a single song of the show! No miracle needed.
I can remember the day back in 1960 when my uncle appeared with his red beetle .
It was a great excitement to all of us to see that different engineered and designed car.
I'll never forget that whistling engine so reliable indeed.
I have built those little engines from 1776cc for street use to 2180cc for sand rails. The most common was the 1835cc. The engine and trans are amazing works of art!!
I had a type 3 engine that was built to 2300cc. Stroker W/100mm jugs. What a beast. It was in a sand rail/ buggy. Tranny was built also w/514 gear.
Interesting you say that, after seeing this video I am considering using it in a go kart/buggy project.
Had a "66 Bug back in HS. Sent a push rod through the case. Bought a short block from a repair shop for $300 and me and my brother installed it in our barn. The biggest issue I had with it was gas accumulating in the oil. I would gain about a half a quart of "oil" in the winter cause the thing just would not run hot enough to keep gas from condensing in the cylinders. Tried everything I could think of but could never stop it. Still, loved my bug.
For what it's worth (I'm sure it's too late) the bakelight base used for the fuel pump was probably cracked. This is a common problem for these engines
@@iansloan5414 that was what I was thinking...a fuel pump problem? No other way to get gas in your oil I think. Amazing it didn't blow up on you!
@@chrisdevalcourt648 thats minor, lol, a gas jockey filled my 72 type 2 engine with gasoline!, it never caught fire on a short journey home but i saw a few flame outs in side mirror, oil cap was off in eng comp, pulled the dipstick and it was soaked to the top, lol, dumped oil, filled with kerosene, ran it a minute, refilled with oil and all was ok.........
@@reverendjimjones9061 that's certainly a way to get gas in your oil I hadn't thought of!
Probably a young kid! Haha 😂! I was young and dumb once (or twice) too!
It’s virtually indestructible and ingenious design.
Well, perhaps in a cold climate. Having owned a 1970 Type 2 through the 1980's and traveling the California deserts and Baja California, it didn't like hot weather while being loaded with teenagers and camping gear. Still the best times of my life though!
As owner of a 1600 aircooled microbus and ex-owner of a 1500 and a 1300 beetle I think your's is one of the most complete and easy-to-understand videos about this motor I've seen so far. That's what TH-cam should be all about. Tks for doing it and sharing with all of us! Liked and Subscribed
Bit of shame it missed the huge advantage of aircooled, it's weight. Which allowed for putting it behind the rear axle, that did not only save space and let one leave the heat noise behind literallly, it also made them great for off road.
I had a 69 beetle back in the early 1980s. I was pretty abusive to it as a teenager and finally it dropped a valve. It was a good car. Maybe one day, I will own another one, but I will be gentle this time.
too late to repent!
Wisdom comes with age!
When you are young and dumb you are just.....
Excellent presentation and factual. However I would add that, at least in the US, the Beetle became a 12 volt automobile in 1967, not 1975.. Still had a generator as opposed to an alternator, but it now had a 12v generator. Same for the 1968 bus-van. I believe Repairman was correct in saying that in 1975 was when the car gained an alternator to replace the generator. Incidentally the van-bus used the same engine as the Beetle up to approximately 1971 or 72. Up until around 1970 it used the same transmission too, I'm not sure if the gear ratios were any different either, because it used 2 geared speed reduction boxes, on at each rear wheel, to increase torque. This of course also reduced speed. The 1968 Beetle had a max speed of 78 mph. The 1968 van had a max speed of about 65 mph. Being air cooled they ran hotter than water cooled engines. Despite this the rather hefty crankshaft and connecting rods lasted a long time. However one could not say the same for the exhaust valves, valve seats, and valve guides. Until around 1971 the number 3 exhaust valve tended to stretch and break some time before the engine reached 100,000 miles. Unless you rebuilt the cylinder heads before then, the engine could suck a valve and experience damage to the #3 piston, cylinder, and connecting rod. Or worse. My 1968 engine, which I bought new, lasted over 300,000 miles but I rebuilt the entire thing at least twice, maybe 3 times. By periodically measuring the valve lash I could see when then #3 exhaust valve was starting to stretch. Rebuild the engine before it pulled in two like a piece of taffy, and then and the rebuilding job was a breeze.
For the longest time, we were an all air-cooled family: 2 1962 VW Sedans (beetle/bug), 1 1968 VW bus, and three Porsche (TWO SYLLABLES PLEASE!) 356s ('58A, '61B, and '63BT6). I used to enjoy adjusting the valves - it was kind of a zen experience.
Hail Germany.
@@DEPORTER_SUPPORTER Hail Por che
1987 Europa edition 2, 1994 Firebeetle, 1999 Unificado. The best summary of my VW experience was done by a cousin of mine who traded cars of every marque... "I have never seen someone drive a Volkswagen like you". People swore never to board a car with me at the wheel again, and they have kept their word for 30 years!
Disc brakes (from 1995 in Mexico, retrofitted) made the best car ever made even better, and gave me the confidence to fully exploit the low-end torque and better response of the 1600i engine (75 mph [120kmh] average highway speed, decent power sliding/cornering, trouncing all 4/6-cylinder engines at stoplights, all this at 2240 m / 7341ft) and, of course, going where Jeeps feared to tread and driving on in the rain when tractor trailers had to stop (4 big rally lights & high-power bulbs helped).
I still dream about my first VW, conqueror of all Mexico, scourge of the Ejes Viales, a car with a "low compression" AF engine that won me another car in a timed bet in the wild streets of Mexico City.
Even the darkest den of VW haters, Top Gear, surrendered to the VW's greatness after crossing Botswana. That says it all.
The vw beetle engine has a huge history and ancestry. It started life as the bmw twin cylinder motorbike engine. After the war, they basically joined 2 of the motorbike engines together, focusing on the simplest connections. Obviously porche used it in all their cars, which evolved along with the 9 series. The citroen 2cv, and later the visa used the same engine, as did early peugeots.
It's an interesting fact (learned from my father who was a mechanic in the 50's and 60's) is that the engine only has 4 attachment points, and dealerships often found it quicker to service the engine by removing it and swapping it with a spare that had been serviced and stored.
People often think that the engine was slow, owing to the low top speeds of the beetle and 2cv. However this is wrong, as being basically a motorbike engine it had a huge rev range, so although incredibly deafening and taking a while, both cars could reach 70mph and once there keep going all day.
The handbook in my '62 model: "Maximum and cruising speed = 68 m.p.h."
When you say that the Citroen 2CV used the same engine, you must mean they same type - an opposed, air-cooled engine. The 2CV surely didn't use the VW beetle air-cooled opposed 4 cylinder engine.
A masterpiece of design engineering. Simple, efficient, easy to maintain.
My very first car was a brand new 1961 VW with 40 hp. I bought it for an automobile newspaper route for the Oregonian Newspaper. I drove it 128 miles per day for six days a week,starting at 2 AM from Chehalis, WA to Aberdeen,Wa and back to my home in Centralia.
My local VW shop owner told me that the bug needed strengthening in certain areas because of the heavy loads it would be carrying on a daily basis. So, we(he made me do most of the work while he supervised) installed a Transporter clutch and throw out bearing, re-torqued the rear suspension from 900 psi to 1200 psi and installed a Porsche transmission.
I put approximately 42,000 miles on it in eight months, all while full time in college and getting my private pilot’s license. Did I mention that my girlfriend lived 22 miles from my house? Amazing what can be accomplished when you’re 19!
The Bug never missed a beat, best car I’ve ever owned.
VW was also the source for the best and most useful auto repair book of all time, John Muir's "How to Keep Your VW alive". Awesome book teamed with a super-easy car to repair. This book re-defined what a user-friendly auto repair book should be, totally useful and easy with no "hidden gotchas". I still use it on other cars for its diagnostics due to its practicality
Great engines in great cars. The first car I owned was a used 1964 Beetle. My first new car was a 1968 VW that I drove off the lot for a nickel less than $2,000. Fun, quirky little cars! I wish I still had that ‘68.
The good ole days!
It must have been a real thrill to drive a brand-new '68 Beetle from the Showroom Floor! Even 50 years later, many do not have rattles or squeaks!
@@peterduxbury927 very limited use of plastic back then unlike today!
@@peterduxbury927 a great thrill coupled with a bit of anxiety about paying for it on an E-4’s salary. It was my last year in the Air Force.
@@LandNfan TRUE! Back in 1968, I loved the look of a Beetle. Like you, I couldn't afford to buy one because they held their value quite well. I bought crappy Austin 1100's and Hillman Minx - all rotten underneath. I rarely managed to get any of my old cars through the MOT back then Lol! Today, I have owned a '71 Superbug for 20 years. Now converted to EV, with A/C thrown-in. Beetle was purchased as a burnt-out wreck from a scrapyard, it was gonna get crushed. Today, after a lot of hard work and costs, it looks like an almost new Beetle, in Alpine white, wedgewood blue leather seats......... I will never own a modern (plastic) car again. Best bit of all, heaps of power with 178 ft lbs of torque, and revs to 8K.
Aqui no Brasil esse motor foi fabricado até 2005 na Kombi e já vinha de fabrica com injeção eletrônica
My first car was a 1960 beetle, followed that with two different type 3 wagons and a type 2 bus at one point, rebuilt the beetle motor once and the kombi once, still love the unique sound of the flat four.
They were also modified with different cooling systems for the Type 3, which used a flat tin setup, an oil cooler that laid down over cylinder 3, two fans that ran directly off the crankshaft at the rear and shorter intake manifolds. This engine was called a “pancake”.
Never owned a Bug but my little light aircraft has a 1965 vintage 1200cc (modified to 1400cc) VW Beetle engine up front. It's super simple and, as you said, a bullet proof machine.
What kind of aircraft, how many h.p. and is it your own configuration or something like the great plains or aerovee engine which are based off companies who sell v.w. aircraft engines. I have been thinking of building a Bearhawk L S A which needs around 80 to 100 h.p.
@@randy030363 Aircraft is a Fournier RF3, a French built motor glider with a Rectimo 4 AR 1200, a French VW conversion. That's with single siamesed inlet port cylinder heads, not the later dual port heads. Originally claimed to give 39hp but that was often thought to be a little optimistic. Upgrading to 1400cc with new barrels and pistons was reckoned to take it to 39 hp. Been flying it now over a quarter of a century!
A Bearhawk will need probably double what mine has so if you're going with a bug then Great Plains or Aerovee will be your options.
@@fournierdon2172 thanks Don for the information...happy flying.
You know, even though most of this information weren't new to me (the beetle was the most common first car here in Brazil all the way up to the 90's), you presented it in such a nice way that even make me want to own one again (believe me, I know there's a lot of great things about this engine, but the Brazilian versions of it - with 1600 and 1700cc - were a nightmare!!).
One more thing out of curiosity: what software(s) do you use?
My ‘61 40 Hp beetle with a sunroof that opened 7/8 of the roof to the sky got me through college and grad school. It was simple to maintain, but without an oil filter you had to religiously change the oil every 2,500 miles as well as adjust the valve clearances. Keep good spark plugs, a distributor cap, rotor and plug wires in it and it would never let you down.
It taught me “how to turn a wrench” which served me well throughout the rest of my life.
The beetle also has 15” diameter wheels while others cars of the day were running on 13”. The larger diameter tires with narrow tires lasted longer and penetrated snow easier for better traction.
Overall the Volkswagen (people’s’ car in German) was a magnificent piece of engineering.
I had two Beetles - a '69 and a '71 in the late '70s and early '80's. Great cars. I used to set the valves and change the oil every 3000 miles. The book "How to Keep your Volkswagen Alive, A Manual of Step-by-Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot" was very useful.
Awesome video. Your references to automotive pioneer Henry Ford are noteworthy. Although perhaps a better comparison maybe to Ed Cole. Ed Cole was the visionary president at GM's Chevrolet Division who upped the ante with the Corvair line-up. I feel that the were the equal if not superior to anything coming out of Wolfsburg or Mexico. While the Corvair line enjoyed great success, it ultimately lost out not to Ralph Naders criticism, but, IMHO, to the likes of the Ford Mustang.
I owned two VWs with air cooled engines when I was a teenager. In snowy weather they were great on the road since the engine weight was on top of the driving wheels. A point that you missed in the video is that this engine has been used in homebuilt aviation since it's light weight and high power is a great fit.
lier in snow when you accelerated it lifted and spun been there done that.. Front wheel drive buried a bug my rabbit gti was amazing in snow easy to snap back in line on ice too.. and a heater to keep windshield clear not frozen. and a rear defroster and a wiper so you can see in snow.. bugs are twitchy in snow..
*_Als ich 1985 mit 18 meinen ersten Käfer hatte waren sie eigentlich schon lange out. Alle Freunde hatten Autos mit mehr Comfort und Leistung. Mein Käfer hatte 1200 cm², 34 PS und einen Benzinhahn. Er war Bj. 1970. Aber am wichtigsten war: Er hatte Klasse und eine Seele. Insgesamt hatte ich in meiner Jugendzeit fünf dieser Prachtstücke. Alle alt und vergammelt aber treu und liebevoll. Ich werde mein ganzes Leben lang der größte Käferfan bleiben, denn ihm gehört mein Herz. Beautifull Video._* Greetings from Bavaria/Germany.*_
I was born in 1951. While growing up my parents owned two Volkswagen Beetles. The first one was a 1965 Volkswagen Beetle, the second one was a 1972 Volkswagen Beetle. The Volkswagen Beetles were my fathers favorite car. My mother did not like to drive the Volkswagen Beetles, she would often have difficulty shifting into reverse, even though there was nothing wrong with the shift linkage.
The Type 3 engine had the fan on the crankshaft directly, so could be used without a "fan belt", as the belt only turned the generator. You could drive it without the belt. Until the battery went flat.
My 1979 VW Van had a stock 2 liter 4 cylinder air cooled engine, fuel injected.
In the late 60's I had a VW Camper, after in the 70's I had to drive 43 miles each way to work in Michigan... SNOW!!!... I converted my older VW to a Baja Bug with a fiberglass kit... also added Chevy Rim adapters ... some big Snow Tires ... headers and a "Weber Carb" ram induction manifold. I could climb snow banks and in 7 years never missed a day of work. Sold it to one of the mechanics at work and bought a Chevy ... till this day I miss that little bugger, it was fun to drive in the snow or off road and the horse power increase helped a lot!
Dad had one years back. Rolled it in inclement weather, pushed it back over, & kept driving. He & my uncle pulled the motor, (by hand), & rebuilt it on sawhorses. Sweet car.