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rrb6699 wrote:...I put a new fuel float in the tank too. may check that for good seal too.

By all means, that sounds like a likely suspect.

not sure what I did.

I took apart the rear right wheel and 4 bolts that covered the bearing holding the brake assy. I didnt see a way to remove the old bearing. I will search you tube, but, just looking for advice on here as well.

since it was cold and getting dark I decided to pack grease into the existing bearing and re-assemble it all. when I took a test drive it stopped all the clanking noise when I apply brakes now. what did I do? I didnt see anything wrong with any of the components.

Sounds like it just wanted some attention.

is that the "squeaky wheel get the grease" theory?

I bet if I make some hard left turns it comes back. much as I'd like to drive it like a Porsche, it still needs quite a bit of work to sure things up suspension and bushings-wise...

I guess theres no way to modify the axle & drivetrain without just buying reman oem new.

If the rear axle nuts aren't tight enough the rear wheel bearings etc can make some funky noises.
Or none at all, depending on its mood.

im getting the clanking noise again. its like the right rear drum has a slight amount of play. when I try to tighten it up the castle bolt doesnt move but the clanking stops.

theres another problem that has symptoms of no spark or no fuel that happens. It happens rarely and I want an opinion on what could cause it.

when I start and begin to drive the bug acts like it loses power. then I cant start it. I did leave my parking lights on before this happened last time because of morning fog. the thing was it seemed to start if I shot starting fluid into the carb.

it drove fine the rest of that day until the next day when I drive 10 mi. parked for 30min, then came out, started it and as I travelled thru the parking lot it acted up but didnt stall out. I had to give it a lot of pedal and it cleared up. this was a week ago and it hasnt had a problem since I filled it up and ran it all week.

it seems like a occasional problem aling with an occasional no start when I turn the key. last time the key / no start happened it was the key switch. I only replaced this key switch 2 months ago.

do you think the most likely cause is weak battery, water in the gas, the fuel pump having a intermittent failure, or something else?

thanks in advance.

Do you have a spare distributor?

I had a distributor act up, and give me some wierd run/no run depending upon the gravitation pull of the outer planets or some crap.
Turns out to be an internal grounding coming and going.

hmmm. no its electronic ignition. I did clean the rotor and contacts with 400 grit sandpaper after I adjusted the valves, which I did the other day after all this.

I think it may be the battery going low like with leaving the parking lights on for 2 or 3 hours but, I can only link it to that happening twice. would the coil not have enough juice to power properly or affect the voltage regulator? just thinking.

Possibly,
Any electronics (electronic ignition) will have a minimum cut in voltage.
Below that, they will not function.

as in not start or cut off while driving?

yea, I think a new battery is in order. I can maintain enough charge on this one for my 15kw generator I have on my boxtruck.

the only thing that threw me was it firing when I shot starting fluid in the carb. leaves just some doubt still.

either,
If the power input, falls below whatever the minimum operational voltage, the electronic ignition will simply not function.
Logic would tell me that this is most likely to happen while the starter is drawing a large load during startup.

but the possibility of a bad wire not giving constant voltage during driving, and causing shutdown does exist.

a timing light, or a tachometer would help you troubleshoot this. It does not need to be a permanently installed one.

Rob

This is almost a year late but maybe it could help someone with a similar no start problem in the 71 and on bugs. Under the rear seat on the left side, there will be a 10 gauge wire, red with black stripe, that is connected to a red 10 gauge wire in a plastic insulator. This is the circuit from terminal # 50 on the ignition switch to terminal # 50 on the starter. The no start problem is the result of this connection developing enough resistance to prevent the voltage the starter needs to crank the engine. the fix is to cut the factory connector out and replace it with a yellow butt connector. This is one of the most overlooked problems for VW's and is a very simple fix. Ainokea

thanks for that.

I also suspect my new starter has a bad spot or gets stuck in a jammed position somehow. if I turn the key enough it starts. what im going to do is return the lifetime warranty starter and see if that eliminates the problem. I will remember to check that wire/connection too.

So, is this an issue of the starter not turning the engine, or engine not firing?

it has symptoms of an array of things, but, the thing that tips me towards the starter was running out of gas. fuel gauge not calibrated yet. at full it is just past halfway but at empty it seems to be right on. at least thats what I found out.

anyway, when I start the bug several times as when I ran out of gas, it hits that dead spot, or so it seems, at least once, maybe 2 times. once when it was "stuck" as I let off the key I heard the starter partially spin. of course, it started next try.

thats all I know. I will check the resistance of the circuit from terminal # 50 connector under the back seat and change it to a butt connector just to eliminate that.