Itinerant Air-Cooled

So annoying. Wrestled the assembly out, cleaned it up, lubed it generously and it works great. Put it back to together and nothing. Like it's locked. Works just fine from the inside. But the plate the handle depresses seems to want to depress a fraction more in order to throw the latch and open. There is a remnant of a small spring at the bottom of the assembly that is no longer there, but why oh why.

Anyway. Just complaining. 1970 bay. The snazzy shiny backplates look snazzy and shiny, but of course hold the handle just that much further from the strike plate of the latch assembly. Not sure what to do. Put a distributor spring on it? JB weld a washer to the strike plate area so the handle will push it further in?


pondering,
neal

How about a pic? Hard to visualize, for me at least.

Jivermo wrote:How about a pic? Hard to visualize, for me at least.

I did a write-up on Chloe's door latch refresh/spring repair
p.s. Neal, I guess you are aware that every spring-gizmo is some critically required bit :

There's a bunch of door latches on the Samba classified-seem to average about 25.00 or so...

Sometimes the handle mechanism gets bent - that curved piece that hinges and actuates the OPEN sequence. If it gets bent it can't move enough to open the door. Try another handle if you have one, I've seen this a couple times.

I don't see the spring in your photo Colin. It's a small one down near the push pad.

neal

Go figure. Working just dandy today.

neal

There are 4 springs (at least) in that infernal door latch/lock mechanism. This little guy: http://www.vwheritage.com/vw_spares_Spr ... 196143.htm will, if missing, result in erratic operation. It's hard to find, and not exactly easy to install.
Ken at www.thebusco.com had some for sale last winter, dunno if he still does.

That looks like it could be the one Kreemoweet. Bitty. At the bottom of the mechanism. There's a loop or two hanging to the post on one side, and I can see a divet across the way where the other end would connect. The loop of spring hanging is like an 1/8 inch across. Small. Kinda behind the push pad. The assembly is working today, but it's still not decisive, kind of last minute barely. But for the life of me I can't picture how it would improve anything, or why it's even there, but it must, or it wouldn't be there.

Is that price right? Maybe I'll try modifying the flint spring from a bic lighter. Or distributor springs.



neal

ruckman101 wrote:That looks like it could be the one Kreemoweet. Bitty. At the bottom of the mechanism. There's a loop or two hanging to the post on one side, and I can see a divet across the way where the other end would connect. The loop of spring hanging is like an 1/8 inch across. Small. Kinda behind the push pad. The assembly is working today, but it's still not decisive, kind of last minute barely. But for the life of me I can't picture how it would improve anything, or why it's even there, but it must, or it wouldn't be there.

Is that price right? Maybe I'll try modifying the flint spring from a bic lighter. Or distributor springs.



neal

Neal, my write up was for a different failure (door would not latch when closing) and it was just a morning inspirational for you to get improvisational. Every spring has its purpose. The little spring guy (distributor spring, I like it!) on Chloe broke, and it would not allow me to lock the door by holding the handle trigger when shutting the door. You find it difficult to get in there and hook those spring ends? Welcome.
Colin

Is the slider mechanism as easily serviceable? For some reason I thought it was sealed from the backside but maybe not.

If this is the spring you're thinking of...

http://www.type2.com/rvanness/lock.htm

...distributor springs might work. The VW dealership still sells them for about what I paid Bus Boys. It was fun to walk in the dealership for bus parts! The stock spring is much stiffer than any distributor spring I have though, and it will be more difficult to install because of it. Without the spring, the door will sometimes lock and sometimes not depending on how the mechanicsm and key were jiggled.