VW Brasilia Oilchange/Sloppy shifter

Hi guys,

well sadly i havent got a single reply to the threads i started before
about the problems ive been having with the brasilia, but ive been able
to figure it all out myself so far. the problem with the carb was the
retaining spring which i replaced and the choke seems to have been
deactivated in the past and seems to be working fine without it, i
tried keeping it closed but the car just started missing and running
really really bad (not revving over aprox. 2500 rpm) so i just left it
the way it was before (all open all the time). but now there are some
more problems. first of all the steering is really sloppy, i suspect
tie rod ends? what do you guys suggest, i have atleast 3 inches of free
play with no resistance on the steering wheel until something starts
moving. and then the shifter is _extremely_ sloppy. ive driven bugs,
safaris, kuebelwagen, 914 before and none of them was that terrible. is
there any wear item in the shifter linkage that i can replace easily ?
its annoying if you mistake 4th by 2nd and 1st by 3rd all the time, and
also im getting grinds if i dont put in 2nd in a really twisted way
(pushing down-left to 4ths direction). then i wanna do an oil change
but im still worried about the stuff this one guy told me about
cleaning something near the oil pump (this car also doesnt have an oil
filter, does it?). i just wanna do it right, so please point me in the
right direction. oh i would also like to refresh all the ignition
system, what do you guys recommend? swapping to some other kind of
ignition system or just new plugs, wires and setting the timing?
hope i get some help this time...

bye

simon

As far as your sloppy steering goes, sounds like your steering box may
be worn out. If you follow the steering column from the steering wheel
down through the firewall you will eventually hit the steering box. The
output of steering box is the steering arm which attachs to the two tie
rods that go to each wheel. From my experience with my old '64 bug
sloppy/vague steering is usually the fault of the steering box rather
than the tie rod ends. As I recall the steering box has an adjustment
on the top that consist of a locking nut on a bolt that has a slot cut
into it so it can be turned with a screwdriver. To adjust, you get an
open end wrench to fit the locking nut and a large screwdriver that fits
into the slot. While holding he bolt in place with the screwdriver,
loosen the locking nut. Back the nut off several turns. To tighten up
the steering box turn the slotted bolt clockwise. Turn it in a couple
of turns until you get light resistance. At this point hold the
screwdriver steady and re-tighten the locking bolt. Take the car for a
spin and test the steering. If the steering is to tight (i.e. hard to
turn) you have gone too far an you need to loosen the locking nut and
back the slotted bolt out a little and re-tighten the locking nut and
test again. If the steering is still too sloppy you need to tighten the
bolt some more as described above. This is a trial and error thing and
you may have to go back and forth several times to get it where you want
it. If you can't improve things by adjusting the steering box the gears
in the steering box may be worn out so you might need to replace it with
a new or rebuilt unit. Be aware that there is also a steering damper
which is basically just a shock absorber that smooths out the forces
that the road/tires are putting back towards the steering wheel. The
steering damper is normally pretty cheap and it probably worth replacing
while you are in there. Of course inspect the tie rod ends for wear.
Just check to see if the rubber boots that keep the grease around the
ball joints are in good order. If not replace the rubber boots if it
has not been driven long in this condition, otherwise just replace the
whole tie rod.

Keep in mind that these are my experiences with my '64 Type 1. Mine had
a kingpin front end where latter models have ball joints. I think the
steering boxes are basically the same though.

On the oil change the thing you need to clean is the wire screen that
sits over the drain plug. You have to remove the drain plate which has
a series of hex nuts on the edges of the circular plate with the drain
plug in the center. You can clean it out in gasoline or mineral
spirits. You'll need a new gasket that goes between the drain plate and
the motor. You used to could buy oil change kits that had the wire
screen and the gaskets in one package. Honestly, the screen doesn't
really do a whole lot for you. I guess if you got large bugs or gravel
in your crankcase it might help but the holes are so big it isn't going
to clean out small stuff like a real oil filter.

Simon Putz wrote:
> Hi guys,
>
> well sadly i havent got a single reply to the threads i started before
> about the problems ive been having with the brasilia, but ive been able
> to figure it all out myself so far. the problem with the carb was the
> retaining spring which i replaced and the choke seems to have been
> deactivated in the past and seems to be working fine without it, i
> tried keeping it closed but the car just started missing and running
> really really bad (not revving over aprox. 2500 rpm) so i just left it
> the way it was before (all open all the time). but now there are some
> more problems. first of all the steering is really sloppy, i suspect
> tie rod ends? what do you guys suggest, i have atleast 3 inches of free
> play with no resistance on the steering wheel until something starts
> moving. and then the shifter is _extremely_ sloppy. ive driven bugs,
> safaris, kuebelwagen, 914 before and none of them was that terrible. is
> there any wear item in the shifter linkage that i can replace easily ?
> its annoying if you mistake 4th by 2nd and 1st by 3rd all the time, and
> also im getting grinds if i dont put in 2nd in a really twisted way
> (pushing down-left to 4ths direction). then i wanna do an oil change
> but im still worried about the stuff this one guy told me about
> cleaning something near the oil pump (this car also doesnt have an oil
> filter, does it?). i just wanna do it right, so please point me in the
> right direction. oh i would also like to refresh all the ignition
> system, what do you guys recommend? swapping to some other kind of
> ignition system or just new plugs, wires and setting the timing?
> hope i get some help this time...
>
> bye
>
> simon
>

Simon Putz wrote:
> Hi guys,
and then the shifter is _extremely_ sloppy. ive driven bugs,
> safaris, kuebelwagen, 914 before and none of them was that terrible.
is
> there any wear item in the shifter linkage that i can replace easily
?
> its annoying if you mistake 4th by 2nd and 1st by 3rd all the time,
and
> also im getting grinds if i dont put in 2nd in a really twisted way
> (pushing down-left to 4ths direction).
>
> bye
>
> simon

Here is a link to some good info on the shifter slop. Once at the site
below, look for an article on the shifter. Loads of good info here!

http://www.thebugshop.org/gotech.htm