AboutRon Wolff Expertise I am proficient in the following areas of VW Air Cooled Models from 1968-1979:
Vehicles: Super Beetle, Beetle, Thing, Karmann Ghia, Bus, Westfalia/Bus
Areas of expertise years 1968-1979
Engine Rebuild advice for all air cooled engines
VW Brake system replacement
Automatic Stickshift transmission
VW KOOL and DPD air conditioning systems (ex. thing)
Westfalia Electrical system dual battery
Westy Refridge Repair
Westy Cabinet Repair
Westy
AFC Fuel Injection system (1975 bugs) (1975 bus/Westys)
Soundproofing
General type 4 engine rebuild/technical data (i.e. 1.7 ltr, 1.8., 2.0) for buses
VW Air Cooled Beetle and Bus Paint codes
VW Distributor Compatibility Information
Westy component repair
Emission Systems
Exhaust Systems
General Electric System
Door rebuild (windows, seals, vent windows)
Body Panel Removal and general repair (non-welded)
Charging System
Convertible top Installation: Beetle
CV joints
Engine Troubleshooting
Valve Train
Non areas of expertise:
High Performance Modifications
Front end related components
Rear suspension (spring plate adjustment)
Bodywork / painting
Experience
Past/Present clients I often contribute to the westfalia users group technical boards. I have been a member for about 4 years. My usermame is 76Heatwagen
I restore vintage Volkswagens and currently own 4 of them.
Expert: Ron Wolff Date: 7/8/2007 Subject: 73 ghia autostick
Question I asked a question before about an AS, I bought the car, finally got it all cleaned out. the car hasn't driven in 21 years, owner said he had the engine running 7 years ago, and had the AS engaged for about 1/10th of a mile. anyway, he must have rigged the wiring, bec I found to red wires under the back seat with a toggle switch that went to the starter, obviously he was bypassing the ignition switch, car appears original, all lines, hoses, vacuum, etc are intact, car rolls, still trying to get the engine to turnover, question, how will I know if the AS works are not, is there any step by step way to go through the entire system and find the problems, also, I have looked at a lot of pics of ghias over the last month and it appears that most owners get rid of all that emission stuff, vacuum hoses running out of the air cleaner and intake manifold, can I eliminate some of this mess with an autostk, question #3. the exhaust system was junk and needed to be removed, I did get a new one, but it does not have the part on it like the old exhaust. looking at the engine from the back, on the left exhaust tube, there is an extra part, that has a tube coming out of it that goes to a big 5x5 inch flat looking box near the oil pump. have no idea what this is and if I need to even have this on the car. help me to identify this part. thankyou in advance
Answer Hi Chris,
1) They were probably bypassing the neutral safety switch. This is a switch that prevents the car from starting if the autostick is in gear.
or
This could have been a way to get rid of the seatbelt safety feature. (in most '73 Ghias) The way this worked was the driver would have to be sitting in the seat with the seatbelt on in order for the car to start.
Either way, this is going to require a book to follow the wiring.
I'd suggest getting one from www.mamotorworks.com/vw
Next, I always suggest that autostick owners retain all of the original emission equipment to maximize performance.
VW had 40 years to perfect thier engines, so if there was a modification that would make it run better, they probably would have already done it.
The box on the left is an EGR filter. They are also available on the website mentioned above.
Let me know how you make out, keep me posted.
Congrats on your new car, you'll get it going!
Ron
The best way to fix this is to get a ghia manual and follow the wiring diagram.
