A radiator in a Volkswagen Beetle? The engine's in the front? What's going on here?

A radiator in a Volkswagen Beetle? The engine's in the front? What's going on here?

I am not too experienced with the new ones. I know the old ones inside and out, every square millimeter. I can assemble one with my eyes closed. My friend just got a 2003 Volkswagen Beetle. I took a look at it, looked okay. I wanted to see the engine, so I went to the back and opened the lid. I saw no engine! Although I had serious doubts, I opened the front hood. There it was. It was in the front! A Beetle with a front engine! I stared in complete disbelief. Then I saw......a radiator! A watercooled Beetle? Am I being tricked here? Then about five minutes later I needed to jack it up to spin the wheels. So I jacked it up, got in, and hit the gas. That's when I realized that it was front wheel drive. A front wheel drive, front engine, watercooled Beetle?! What is going on here?

Asked by: Prime @ 2009-07-16 17:42:46

[Best Answer]I think you are pulling a fast one Prime, having read many of your answers to other peoples question.

Either that or you are suffering from
a. A severe case of amnesia
b. Think you are Rip van Winkle

But I share your sentiments - What the hell was VW thinking of.

By : Replica @ 1247921620

Answers ::
It the way the new Beetles are made

Ironball

It's called progress my friend!

Front engine, front drive is more stable, goes better in snow and such.

And any aircooled engine expands and contracts so much that they leak oil. Period.

Plus, like you I love the old cars, the heater works like a welding torch!

wayne

The new beetle has been this way since it came out, air cooling was dumped because it is not as reliable as water cooling is more efficient. Rear wheel drive is not used as with front wheel you can obviously direct the power, VW just made some changes that they thought were for the better.

Anthony

The original Beetle was designed from the outset as a rear-engined, rear-drive car.

The New Beetle is basically a Golf wrapped inside a different set of packaging. The floorpan, drivetrain and engine choices all come directly out of the Golf.

The New Beetle is one of those retro craze of cars like the MINI and the Fiat 500, which at one time although quite utilitarian are now being sold as fashion icons.

Rollo

Yup, its based on the Mark 4 VW platform (and still is to this date, even though all of their other models are based on the Mk5 platform). It shares its engines/tranny/suspension with the Golf and Jetta and came with a 2.0 liter 115 hp, 1.8 liter with a turbocharger (which is a great engine, 150hp in the beetle but tuned to 180 in most other cars), or a very torquey and efficient 90 hp 1.9 liter turbodiesel. It came with either a 02J manual five speed, a 01M 4-speed automatic made by vw (from 1998-2002), a 02G 6speed automatic made by Aisin (from 2003-on), or a 6 speed double clutch gearbox in the diesels from 2003-on.

Theres no trickery here :-P..just a fun, perky, reliable new version of the classic beetle.

Matt

Matt P

Okay I guess 40,000,000 air-cooled VWs produced plus millions still on the road doesn't testify the reliability of the Air-cooled. The "new" beetle (snicker) is not a reliable car, maybe in 2009 but when they came out, they were horrible. Expensive to fix, not too fun to drive, expensive to fix, did I mention expensive to fix. I dont call them beetles, I call them a jettas/golfs with a hump, because like a previous answer said, its basically a jetta/golf. One more thing, Air-cooled VWs were phenomenal in the snow simply because all the weight was in the back. They also make great rally cars.

vwbuggin64

You have been in a coma for ten years. You transformed into a troll

Gerry

I think you are pulling a fast one Prime, having read many of your answers to other peoples question.

Either that or you are suffering from
a. A severe case of amnesia
b. Think you are Rip van Winkle

But I share your sentiments - What the hell was VW thinking of.

Replica

polo 1.6cl how can i make it faster?

well i got myself a polo 1.6classic saloon and i serviced it and ive taken the weight out of the boot what else can i do too make my car faster my mate dads car is a bmw 330ci i want too beat that :D thanks

Asked by: Mr Gubigobi @ 2009-07-17 14:56:19

Answers ::
you will need to do some engine work, porting, turbo, ect., but to make the car lighter, fiber glass hood, and trunk lids, pull out the seats except for the driver seat, pull out all the interior panels, and replace the glass with plexi glass.

Jimmy C

No matter what you do to it it will never catch the 330ci if you want to beat that you could try something like a 350ci

Stuart C

cheapest solution would be to nobble the bmw but i do not seriously suggest that you do

David F

its a 1.6 my freind. to make it really fast you must dump ALOT of money into it. you might aswell just buy a vr6.

Lionel

you could try tying it to the back of the bmw. that's the only way it'll keep up lol

kevroyburns

To be fair, you'd have to put a lot into the polo to beat the BMW (time and money), but if you wanted to, Porting, turbo for sure, Re-mapping the ECU, you would also need to uprate the brakes and the suspension to be able to cope with the added power.
Strip out the car with any unnecessary weight, e.g. Carpets, seats, radio, speakers, spare tire etc. This will give you a higher power to weight ratio.
More of a performance orientated tire would also benefit you as that's what put the power down to the floor. You might also want to chuck in a bit of NOS to give you another 100 HP(ish) boost.


To be honest, sell the polo and buy something faster.... It really wouldn't be worth it, Unless you did it properly with no expense spared..

Matthew P

Chuck it off a cliff.

Goofy Goofer Goof Goof Goof !

Are VW Bug comfortable for taller/wider people?

6', wide, as long as my head doesnt touch the ceiling, i'm cool
*old bug, not new

Asked by: Vanessa H @ 2009-07-16 22:30:07

Answers ::
6 foot tall. you will find it hard to fit in. not so much your head touching the roof. but more like your knees going into your stomach. =)

Shawn

The new shape one?

Yes. It should be comfortable, it's built on the same chassis as the Volkswagen Golf and they are quite roomy inside. I'm 6ft tall and I fit fine in a 2005 Volkswagen Polo.

Fork UK.

Fork UK

I am 5'10" and when I sit in the backseat of a bug I hit my head on every bump. In the front seat, I don't hit my head but the leg room is very hard. Unless my seat is all the way back, I just simply do not fit in the car.

Missy W

The originals actually have a lot of interior room. I am 6'1 with a very large frame and quite a lot of muscle mass, and I fit in there fine. My friend is a lot skinnier than me but is 6'3. He can also fit comfortably. There is more legroom in those things than most Cadillacs, thanks to the engine being in the back. The back seat is the only area where there is not much room. You can kinda squeeze two large guys back there, but it ain't easy. If you bring the front seat forward a little, which you have plenty room to do because of the enormous legroom, the ability to put two adults in the back is much higher. The headroom in the front is fine, it's not so good in the back. This is because the roof goes down in the back. But being 6 feet you shouldnt have a problem. Assuming you are riding in the front, it is very comforatable, even for "wide" people.

Prime

Really? Its a Volkswagen. Its gonna be small, but you could probably fit. as long as you don't mind being a bit cramped

Nick

Why don't you go look at them, find what you like, i'm sure you'll find something comfortable enough. If your like shaq, try a convertible :)

ÑÖ£¡

KnightRid3r

Did Classic vw beetles come with vinyl roofs?

My paint and body man said that the rust and pitting damage on the roof is consistent with vinyl roofs. This is a 1975 model.

Asked by: @ 2009-07-17 08:56:07

Answers ::
I don't think so.
I should say I've never seen one.

Mr. KnowItAll

Not from the factory, but I remember that a lot of people customized them, so anything is possible.

PMack

That is not what he meant. There is no vinyl roof beetles(unless they were convertibles)
You rust and pitting on the roof would be consistent of "following to close behind big trucks when roads are slushy and sanded." You are being sandblasted. No paint stands up to that.. Don't follow closely behind vehicles that do not have mud flaps - let someone else get in front of you and let them get the blasting.
Windshield is probably pitted to heck as well.

That is my guess as to what he meant.

My Work Here is Finished

Vinyl roofs were a cheap way to cover hail damage in the 70s

Barking_Dog

No, vinyl roofs were never on option on the air-cooled beetles.
The Beetle roof does however appear to rust along the sides which is generally consistent with cars that were fitted with a vinyl roof.
Hence the generalised statement from your paint and body man.

Replica

A/C problem on a 2001 VW GOLF TDI?

I put the gages on and the readings are ok. I put the gages on and the pressure is good on the high / low side. when you first start the car, it will cool down Perfect in ideal, but as soon as you accelerate it over 3 RPMS it stops cooling and some times comes back on and some times it wont. now i have a new low and high pressure switch and it did the same. now i put the expansion valve the same. I did the flush and vacuum and still the same. it will some times work while running but sense it is Standard as i try to shift in low RPM it still cuts off. ANY IDEAS ? thanks
well that is my problom. That the a/c clutch doesnt stop. the compreser stays working. but all of a sudden it just stops cooling. and if i go look at the clutch it is still turning. i am thinking maybe the compresor . maybe it can not hold the pressure for to long and once it gets hot it just gives up.
ok well i did a flush on the system expansion valve and i recharged it. and it still did the same thing. and the and the sensors that i put on were from vw as well as the expansion vavle

Asked by: nsracing179 @ 2009-07-17 00:28:31

Answers ::
You have a few sensors that monitor the pressure in your system that will actually turn the compressor off to protect it. When you accelerate the pressure increases in the system, if that sensor is faulty and misreads the pressure out of a safe range it will cut the compressor off to "protect" it. A simple test at any dealer will pinpoint the problem, usually runs around $80 and takes 30 minutes.

joe c

Did you put in the sensor that VW calls the thrust sensor? The hi/low switch is 1H0-959-139B the thrust sensor is 1K0-959-126B.

uthockey32

coolant is low and it is dry sucking. get system recharged. and have them check for leaks in system.

My Work Here is Finished

joe c got it right

Seemey

I had almost the same problem with my 2000 GTI. I ended up putting 1500 bucks in to get it fixed for good. Volkswagen needs to fix their ac systems!

nick93mac

Should I buy a 2006 VW Jetta TDI or 2.5?

The TDI has the package one with sunroof, leather, and not to mention the MPG. But has about 94k miles. The 2.4 has about 64k miles. The price difference between the two is about 900. I really want the TDI but am concerned about the miles. Which car is better as far as speed, performance, reliability, etc?

Asked by: lola wasabi @ 2009-07-17 11:29:40

Answers ::
I wouldn't buy either. But, go with the 2.5. Better acceleration.

bs004417

The diesel engine is better than the gas powered engine because it is a heavy duty application. Diesel engines properly maintained have a service life of 1 million miles. The service life of a gas powered engine with a service life of 250,000 miles is outstanding. It is rare for a gas powered engine to have a service life of 1 million miles. The few car manufacturers who have bragging rights for million mile gas powered engines are Mercedes and Volvo.
The Volkswagen TDI is a fine alternative to its gas counter part in every regard. For years Europeans have driven diesel as preferred over gas engines in reliability due to simple engine design. The added benefit is superior miles per gallon, a VW TDI can get 700 miles on a tank of gas. And overall acceleration is a statistical tie. The well known secret is the dirty little secret, the diesel engine powertrain is the better product hands down.

mark_hensley@sbcglobal.net

I wouldn't buy a VW at all as yeah they look cure and all but the suck for reliability

laptopgamingdude

2.5 for the horsepower.

Lionel

VW Beetle distributor?

Just found out my distributor on my 1976 1200 beetle isnt working properly! Ive managed to find a working one in my garage but was wondering if its a case of a straight swap?! Do i need to set the timing after replacing?! Any help would be appreciated! Ta

Asked by: Adam R @ 2009-07-17 08:43:47

Answers ::
You have to make sure the distributor is exactly the same as the old one. Volkswagen made many mechanical changes over the many years that the Beetle was around. You definitely need to set the timing after installing the new one. You should read the article on ehow.com for detailed instructions on how the install the part.

Steve

have the same one. if you swap it, it doesn't fire, you need to set the timing. not hard

Nick

It does not have to be the same as the old one. You do have to set the timing. If it is not the same expect some difference in performance maybe better maybe worse. What isn't working properly with the old one?

Gerry

The timing of the car is set by rotating the Distributor and then locking it in position when it is correct. When you remove the distributor there is very little chance that you will get the position of the new one exactly the same as the old one and there are bound to be tolerance differences between the two.

Therefore, you should reset the timing even if the engine kicks over in the position that you have fitted it (if done correctly, there is a good chance that it should kick over).

Replica