Had it happen to mine!  Turned out to be the brake hose.  Sometimes they will delaminate inside and the rubber lining drops down and blocks the return of fluid.  Mine looked as good as new.

I may get one of those but I’m also going to look for some sort of screen or mesh to put over the opening in front of the engine, probably just screw it on into the fiberglass or pop-rivet it (then you can’t get it off so easily if you have to remove it for any reason). On my way to pick up a laser thermometer at Harbor Freight.

I’d go for a ride on two lane, maple tree lined roads anytime. Grew up in that environment and loved every minute of it. But back then I didn’t have a VW…I had a 57 Chevy 2 dr. Life goes on…………….

The screen pictured above is commonly used on sand rails and dune buggies. It keeps the big junk from being kicked up and picked up by the fan.  However if you get a plastic bag sucked into the engine compartment the vaccume created by the fan could still suck it against the screen cutting off the air flow anyway. Leaves are a slightly different…[Read more]

There’s a lot going on inside a brake drum that we don’t have to worry about with disk brakes.
Have you used the car since you redid the brakes last year? The shoes could have absobed moisture, causing them to stick. Driving could have dried out the shoes causing the problem to subside.
I’ve seen shoes hang up on the inside of the backing plate…[Read more]

Did you install new brake lines  — the flexible ones that attatch to the wheel cylinders?   Old ones will eventually collapse inside and prevent the brake fluid from escaping from the wheel cylinder when you release the brake pedal.  It will only seep out slowly.

 
This screen makes a lot of sense, especially for $13.95. I don’t know how many times a stuck my hands around the fan shroud to clean leaves and debris out of the oil filter and air passages.

That screen for the fan shroud looks like a really good idea to keep stuff like leaves or bags from being sucked up into the fan. It’s easier than putting a screen in front of the engine over that opening but that’s another option. I’ll be getting the laser thermometer tomorrow and check on what my temp really is, then maybe a replacement oil temp…[Read more]

Ed, Did you specifically ask if Cory’s fuel cell is foam filled?They are available with & without.

OK, hopefully Frank will contact me.He hasn’t been on the site in a couple years.

That sounds like tired springs and grippy shoes. Your old shoes were glazed and didn’t overpower the springs.

Got word back from Cory Drake, radical builder of a radical Speedster & all ’round good guy.He’s got a fuel cell in his ride and a working gauge, to wit:”AutoMeter gauge and sending unit, JAZ cell.
“Put the float on a belt sander for about 15 seconds on the crescent side, to prevent it sticking when it’s saturated with fuel.”

Really, I don’t spend much time above 4500. But I have revved her a bit higher once or twice, “pushing it,” as Mark says, just to see what’s what. There’s not a lot to be had up that way, but then again, she doesn’t drop off much either.

 My ‘factory built’ VW based London Roadster has nothing in the area in front of the engine. It came with chrome aftermarket tin.It does not have a thermostat or fan intake baffle ring. The engine cover has an opening under the spare tire, stock VW wheel with wire hubcap. On the LR ,the splash pan and engine cover are one piece so the engine is…[Read more]

Good point dbrock. I think I will put one on mine. Sounds like cheap insurance. I have run over those plastic bags in my truck and had them wrap around the exhaust and stink up a storm. On my td it stands a good chance of sucking into the fan. A member here the other day even mentioned the occasional hand check of the fan intake to make sure its c…[Read more]

They even put them on standard bugs.  It keeps a rag that you use to check oil. apiece of insulation that you put on the firewall to keep it quieter inside the bug etc.  Many engines have thrown up after ingesting a piece of debris.  The last I heard was a plastic bag.  $10 screen-$1200 engine……….sounds like a good bet to me.

Allen, I think there is an aftermarket screen that fits over the the fan shroud intake. I cant see using one on a standard beetle set up, but for those open fronts we have it looks like a plus.
http://www.chircoestore.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=8 8_98_109_115_124&products_id=3207&osCsid=rph2s5kpgi3 uf3h1mht1chukj1

Mrlmd..In my opinion which may not be correct. I would not close off the front unless I could properly seal the top half from the bottom half of the engine. Take a look at how a VW beetle looks. They do have a firewall in front , but they also seal the engine in the compartment with a gasket. They draw cooler air down from the top, the fan sucks…[Read more]

Marc,It’ll be interesting to see what others do with the open area just in front of the fan housing. I posted that I was thinking about fiberglassing in screen door screen material. My concern was more of debris entering the fan. We’ll have to keep an eye out for replies.

I went for a ride again today about 15-20 miles, 95 outside temp, and my dash gauge (from Classic Instruments) after about 5 miles into the ride when the engine warmed up, went over the 230 mark, maybe to 240-250.  I tested the resistance of the thermistor temp probe in the oil relief plug hole when I got home, and it read about 220 ohms. I get…[Read more]