<div dir="ltr">That small white plastic plug for lubing the door latch ? I have one on the drivers door it's missing on the passenger door just has the hole. I never knew what it was until now.. At one point I realized the drivers door didn't seem to latch fully and upon opening it I would rotate the latch to the closed position then use the out side handle to release it and it would barely turn . I cleaned around the round shaft and got some light oil in there which is not easy because of the latch arm then it worked . Also the lock knob was difficult to move , instead of removing the inside door trim panel I removed the outside handle to clean what I could so I could lube it. <div><br></div><div> I really just wanted to add . On the square back rear / tailgate latch as least on 72 and 73 mine got to the point where it would not fully latch just like the front doors there is fully latched and partially latched . One needs to remove the 4 screws securing that latch to the door it them just comes out and clean off the old lube and apply fresh. If you don't either it will not latch fully and will wear out . Maybe every 5 years just look at it. </div><div><br></div><div> As far as the drains in the front cowl ahead of the wind shield /fresh air box . When I got my car and was sanding to to paint it using water the entire floor was filled . I removed the fresh air box drain and cleared it since it was plugged . I never noticed the other drain to the right behind the glove box . Once I did I could see inside the cowl that the hole was plugged . I never had water issues after clearing the fresh air box drain. . seems some T-3's had sun roofs and their drains are in the far corner of the bottom area of the cowl and water drains out just near the rear of the wheel opening . Point is I realize the second drain needs to be cleared the one I didn't know a bout yet I would also make sure the other drains are clear as well even without a sunroof this allows three ways for water to exit and the roof drains are lower in relation to the one small cowl drain tube . I'm just talking 72 and 73 , have no idea about earlier model years I imagine all have the fresh air box drain and perhaps the sunroof drains . </div><div><br></div><div>William</div></div><div id="DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2"><br>
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</table><a href="#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2" width="1" height="1"></a></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Sun, Jul 29, 2018 at 4:00 PM, Jim Adney <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:jadney@vwtype3.org" target="_blank">jadney@vwtype3.org</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">Most of these sound like good things to do, except that I never recommend <br>
that people try to lube their ball joints or tie rod ends. My reasons are <br>
twofold:<br>
<br>
For ball joints, ball joints up thru '71 have holes in the shafts that you can <br>
install zerk fittings in to lube them. The problem with this is that once that <br>
zerk is in there, someone will come along and fill the boot with grease. A <br>
short drive later the boot will be shredded and you need a new ball joint.<br>
<br>
I have NEVER had to replace an original ball joint, except those that had <br>
zerk fittings fitted. The lesson is that if you leave them alone, they are really <br>
good quality and don't need extra care. The Bentley manual shows what you <br>
need to do to check them. If you check yours, you'll probably find that they <br>
are only half worn out.<br>
<br>
For tie rod ends, there's no good way to lube them. Unless the boot is <br>
broken, they will be fine. Once the boot is broken there's no point in <br>
lubrication, you need to replace them.<br>
<br>
I don't like the idea of poking a needle thru either boot to squirt in even a <br>
small amount of grease. I don't care how small the needle is, I suspect this <br>
will introduce a weak spot in the boot that will result in a torn boot and <br>
consequent replacement of the joint. Plus, it doesn't put grease where it is <br>
likely to be useful. <br>
<br>
More comments below. No comment means I agree.<br>
<span class=""><br>
On 28 Jul 2018 at 1:19, Soren Jacobsen wrote:<br>
<br>
> Clean the gutters and drain holes inside the bottom of your doors.<br>
> Failure to do so results in doors that rust out from the inside.<br>
> <br>
> Grease the bushings in your pedal cluster. If you want to get crazy,<br>
> add a grease fitting so you can make this part of your regular<br>
> maintenance.<br>
<br>
</span>Sure, every 30 or 40 years, lube the pedal cluster. (Early Beetles had a zerk <br>
there.) <br>
<span class=""><br>
> Grease the needle bearing in your gland nut whenever you pull your<br>
> engine.<br>
> <br>
> Clean out gunk from the channels at the bottom of your fenders.<br>
<br>
</span>Not sure where you mean here, but it's always good to get rid of <br>
accumulated gunk before it starts things to rust, .<br>
<span class=""><br>
> Clean out gunk from the top of your headlight bucket on the wheel well<br>
> side. While doing this, curse VW's lousy rust-prone design and<br>
> contemplate solutions for keeping gunk from reaching that area in the<br>
> first place.<br>
> <br>
> Clean out gunk from Squareback rear drain flaps.<br>
<br>
</span>Not just Squares, all Type 3s.<br>
<br>
> Lubricate lock cylinders.<br>
<br>
Graphite only. The rest of the mechanism can use oil or grease.<br>
<span class=""><br>
> Sunroof owners: clean out your sunroof drain hoses, front and rear.<br>
> Grease cables.<br>
> <br>
> Inspect, grease, and probably replace your shift rod bushing. If you<br>
> haven't ever done this, it's probably worn out. Replacements don't last<br>
> as long as the originals, so you'll be doing this again in a few years ;)<br>
<br>
</span>My shift bushings have not failed. Is this really a problem? (But I only have 1 <br>
MT car, and it hasn't seen much use in the past decade.)<br>
<span class=""><br>
> Check your fuel line grommet at the front engine tin.<br>
<br>
</span>Yeah, on FI engines, it's usually damaged or removed when larger fuel hose <br>
is used. With carbs, I think Hoover had a recommendation to use a lamp <br>
bushing with copper or steel tubing soldered into it, to keep the line from <br>
getting cut by the sharp edge of the tin.<br>
<span class=""><br>
> Adjust your rear brakes (I'm terrible at remembering to do this).<br>
> <br>
> Check generator brushes and replace if worn.<br>
<br>
</span>If worn so they no longer stick up above the guide sleeve.<br>
<br>
> Check generator belt tension.<br>
<br>
I find that this never changes, unless it's adjusted too tight. Ours don't need <br>
to be as tight as those in other cars, because ours only drives the generator. <br>
On most cars, there are additional loads on this belt that require more <br>
tension to avoid slipping.<br>
<span class=""><br>
> Check end play in upper torsion arms.<br>
<br>
</span>Yes, definitely!<br>
<span class="im HOEnZb"><br>
-- <br>
******************************<wbr>*<br>
Jim Adney, <a href="mailto:jadney@vwtype3.org">jadney@vwtype3.org</a><br>
Madison, Wisconsin, USA<br>
******************************<wbr>*<br>
<br>
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