A little know-how.
A lot more Volks.

Battery maintenance consists of checking the electrolyte level (amount of liquid) of each cell to ensure that the separators are covered by ¼ inch of electrolyte. If the level has fallen, top up the battery using distilled water. Please don't use normal water and do not overfill. If a battery is overfilled or any electrolyte spilled, immediately wipe away the excess as it corrodes any metal it comes into contact with very quickly.

As well as keeping the terminals clean, the top of the battery and especially the top of the cells should be kept clean and dry. This helps prevent corrosion and ensures that the battery does not become partially discharged by leakage through dampness and dirt. Tip: - Once every three months, remove the battery and inspect the battery tray area (and leads) for corosion - look for white fluffy deposits on the metal which are brittle to touch. If any corrosion is found in the tray area, clean off the deposits with ammonia then clean and paint with an anti-rust / anti-acid paint. At the same time inspect the battery itself for cracks.

Like many jobs on keeping your Classic VW maintained; you can easily do it yourself with only a gentle learning curve to undertake. On that note, we thought we'd share a recent task, that of greasing the front left outer wheel bearing on our Type 181 Trekker - If you own one or a Beetle, or Campervan then there won't be much difference so this introduction should help. There're actuall two (inner and outer) but I'm giving you enough to get you started.
Tools for the job: Large adjustable wrench, Gloves (optional), Hex/Allen Key (size 6), Correct Grease type (i.e. read the label).

So, let's crack on. Make sure that your car is parked level, block the rear wheels to prevent it rolling then jack the car up and I recommend using suitable jack stands to support the vehicle and as you see by the first picture (image 1.), first step is getting the front wheel off. The dust cap (image 1.) can be seen and needs removing (look out for a small retaining clip) - so I gripped it with calipers and used a hammer for gentle persuasion.

Once the dust cap was off, it was time to reach for the Allen key to undo the screw holding the retainer ring nut encountered, then the wrench for the actual nut (Image 2.) which surprisingly turned clockwise to undo it. Behind the retainer ring is a washer which needs removing and which comes off easily either with a flat head screwdriver or something similiar simply to tease it towards you. And once that's removed, presto! - there's the rather small 'outer' wheel bearing. You'll want to be careful to keep the bearing and the area it lives free from harmful bits and pieces. Basically you don't want to introduce any bits of metal or rubbish into the bearing or its' surrounding components. Clean the bearing and its' housing area as best as you can/want. The choice of grease needs to be suitable for the wheel bearing - some types aren't so check first before using whatever grease you have/bought. Don't be shy with how much grease you pack on/in the bearing and into the bearing housing area.

You can also make sure the spindle is clean as well. Grease the bearing in globs of grease until you see it coming out of it, and put grease inside the hub. When I was happy with the initial cleaning then packing with grease, it was simply time to put it all back together (I wasn't worried about the inner bearing but you should do both inner and outer). The retainer ring /nut was soon back on the spindle and tightened 'by hand until it wouldn't go anymore. Spin the rotor or drum a few times back and forth and then tighten the nut more by hand to help get the bearings seated. Do it a couple of times until you can't get it any tighter by hand. Now tighten the nut ¼ turn, no more than 16 foot-pounds. Put a small blob of grease on the inside of the dust cap and tap it into place, being careful not to crush it. That's it, job done!

To be fair, all engines are technically air-cooled because even water-cooled engines use air to cool the fluid in the radiator but you're probably here because of an interest in Volkswagens and that being the case you're likely to have heard the term 'Aircooled' and or 'Watercooled' in conversations. Not sure what they mean? Well the simplest way to grasp the difference is to note that Air-cooled engines do not require a radiator, the Aircooled engine is designed so that air circulates over and around hot parts of the engine and keeps it 'cool' as you drive.

Most modern internal combustion engines are cooled by a closed circuit carrying water (get it; Watercooled) or now mainly liquid coolant through channels in the engine block and cylinder head, where the coolant absorbs heat, to a heat exchanger or radiator where the coolant releases heat into the air. Thus, while they are not ultimately cooled by the liquid, because of the liquid-coolant circuit they are known as water-cooled. In contrast, heat generated by an air-cooled engine is released directly into the air.

The air-cooled engine has had a long and well-loved history. At least if you're talking to us. In the 1960s and 1970s some car makers used air-cooled engines to power their vehicles. The 1964 Porsche 911 may be one of the fastest air-cooled engines, but the Volkswagen air-cooled engine may be one of the most beloved. It was used in the original Beetle. Now while you'd be hard-pressed to find an air-cooled engine rolling of the auto assembly line these days, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're anywhere near dead. If you hop on a motorcycle you're probably experiencing an air-cooled engine (although some motorcycles are liquid-cooled) but it's aircraft that have had the longest running air-cooled track record because many helicopters and small planes have remained air-cooled right from the beginning.

Changing the oil in your Aircooled volkswagen

Foreword The aircooled VW engine runs hotter than a water cooled engine, and so it gives the oil a harder workout and even greater significance in engine wear n tear. Changing the oil regularly is the best preventive maintenance you can give your VW engine given that over time, the oil becomes diluted and contaminated, leading to premature engine wear. If you pull that dipstick out to check the oil say every other you fill-up, then a low oil condition should never occur. If it does, you could have a serious leak from the crankcase/engine which will need your urgent attention.

TOOLS REQUIRED FOR THIS JOB

• A 10mm - ⅜"- drive ratchet and appropriate sockets.
• New oil filter kit
• Gearbox Sump plug socket (17mm) for VW Beetle 1946 to 1998)
• Something suitable to drain off the oil into for disposal.
• Oil filter & fitting kit for your year.
• No more than about 2.5 litres of new Oil. Do not over fill.

Get familiar with the task!

There's nothing like being prepared for a job. So why not have a look first at the nuts and type of sump plate on your dub first as there are variations depending of the age of your Volkswagen and you may need other tools not listed above. Our 1969 Beetle has a round plate with six bolts around the outside - a larger bolt in the middle. Check yours out. Pre 1973 Volkswagens are a dream for oil changes. So you've got the tools you need, the engine isn't cold, then the first step to an oil change is draining the old oil out.

Crawl under your car if it's still not far off stock height, or raise it up a little if not, but not to such an angle that the oil won't completely drain out (when you get to that stage). Look at the bottom of the engine case, right in the center, and you should (model depending) see a round metal plate. This is the oil sump plate. It is held to the engine case with a number of very small nuts. Your car may or may not have a large bolt in the middle of the plate (pre 1973 models are a dream for oil changes). If it does, you're lucky -- the large plug in the middle of the sump plate makes it easier to drain the oil.

Get ready with the container to catch the oil, then Loosen the centre nut, a little at first, then all the way out when you have everything in place as the oil begins to drain out. It will probably take about 15minutes for all the oil to drain fully; maybe get it going and make a quick brew? If after 15 minutes there's still oil draining out - give it a little more time. The more of the old dirty oil that drains out the better. With the oil drained (keep some newspaper or cardboard for drips) and the container it's in out of the way, unscrew the 6 bolts around the filter plate. There's a good chance that the filter plate will be stuck so carefully pry it off - the plate may bring the old filter out with it, if not, pull it out. If there isn't a filter in there, quietly sigh at the previous owner while stroking and promising your dub that you won't neglect it in this way.

You'll by now have a good understanding of the parts you are looking at, and if you review the items in the new kit you'll see what you are replacing in parts before the end when you replace the oil itself.

You could be lucky enough to already own one; on that note, if you do, then we'd love to hear from you - pictures too please. For this article, we're using terms and associations common to the UK market. The Type 3 diversified Volkswagen's range of products. The Type 1 (or Beetle) you probably already know, the Type 2 (known often as the 'Microbus', informally as a 'Bus' or 'Camper') you are also likely to have seen or heard of. Well the Type 3 was manufactured and marketed by Volkswagen from around 1961 to 1973. Some know it as the Volkswagen 1500 (later 1600) and comes in three body styles: the VW Type 3 'Notchback' (1961 onwards), the Type 3 'Fastback' (1965 onwards) and the Type 3 'Squareback' (or station wagon - 1963 onwards). All three retain their engineering principles i.e. the air-cooled engine, rear-engine, rear-wheel drive layout. A notable change from the Type 1 however, was the front suspension.

One of the absolute best and easiest thing you could ever do to help restore and keep your aircooled volkswagen at its optimal running condition, is to often check the oil level so that you never run the engine with too little or too much oil in it. On this topic, be sure to change the oil at intervals no greater than every 3000 miles driven. We want to leave nothing to chance, so below we have listed six straight-forward steps on how to check the oil level.

• 1. Run your aircooled VW engine until its 'warmed up' and then turn of the engine.
• 2. Wait for about 5 minutes after switching off to allow the majority of the oil to drain down to the crank case.
• 3. Pull out the dipstick and clean with a rag - be careful, it may be hot!
• 4. Insert the dipstick back in - all the way.

• 5. Remove the dipstick again and look at where the oil level is up to. There should be 2 marks on the dipstick, the oil should be between the two, the bottom one is the minimum level and the top one is the maximum.
• 6. If the oil level is less than halfway, add some oil to bring the level up - being careful not to spill any, if you do, be sure to clean them. Also DO NOT OVERFILL.

The ignition coil (also called a spark coil) is a type of induction coil - meaning it's a type of electrical transformer which can produce high-voltage, from a low-voltage supply. The ignition coil in an automobile's ignition system, such as that of your beloved aircooled volkswagen, transforms the battery's low voltage to the thousands of volts needed to create an electric spark in the spark plugs to ignite the fuel.

Here's a bit of trivia: There is one ignition coil in the older VW models that sends the spark to a distributer, (which then sends the spark to the waiting spark plug). Newer Volkswagen cars, however, have one ignition coil for every spark plug. Look out for: - problems during startup, engine hesitation, backfires as possible indicators of a faulty ignition coil. Get your local experienced dubber or trusted mechanic to fully diagnose the fault.

Ignition coils are very rugged and reliable but they can of course fail - for a variety of reasons. One of the number one reasons that ignition coils fail is voltage overload, caused by bad spark plugs and/or plug wires/leads. You'll need a more indepth test done to know for sure, but a faulty coil can cause any or all of these symptoms.

• Backfiring - or Misfiring can indicate early symptoms of an ignition coil failure. A faulty ignition coil causes the spark plug to partially ignite, leaving extra air and fuel in the system...excess or unused fuel seeps through the exhaust system. If you do not address the issue, you can also do serious damage to your exhaust. Your exhaust may emit a black smoke and you may even detect the smell of gasoline.

• Startup Problems Difficulty starting the car is a huge indicator of a faulty ignition coil. When the ignition coil is not working properly, it may not supply enough power to the spark plug.
• Stalling Although vehicles occasionally stall, frequent stalling is a tell-tale sign of ignition coil failure. A faulty ignition coil causes the spark plug to ignite irregularly, which can cause the car to shut down when it stops.