1960 Beetle - Loses Power When Driving

[Jays60rag]

This is a strange one. I just had to get a second opinion. I have a 1960 ragtop bug. I just got it on the road after a basic restoration. I have a 1600 dual port engine, but it has the original tranny. When I drive at a constant speed, any speed, I lose total power, but it returns within seconds. The engine goes basically to an idle and the pedal drops. There is some movement and the shifter moves a bit. After thinking about it for a while I concluded that the tranny and engine must be moving forward a tad and hence lengthening the throttle cable and causing the engine to fall to an idle. This makes sense and explains the pedal drop and the shifter movement. This is where I have been stuck. The tranny mounts at the rear are red so I assumed they were replaced with the poly version and I have every reason to believe that they are tight. The front mount looks ok, but it is hard to tell. My question is whether the tranny can move under the torque of the engine even if the rear mounts are tight? The movement would only have to be about an inch or so. If this is the case, will it work for me to replace the tranny mounts? Will I have to look out for anything else? This is a very strange problem. I have never even heard of such a thing and I have owned a few VWs over the years. It is always something, but I can't get away from them.

[Amskeptic]

This is a strange one. I just had to get a second opinion. I have a 1960 ragtop bug. I just got it on the road after a basic restoration. I have a 1600 dual port engine, but it has the original tranny. When I drive at a constant speed, any speed, I lose total power, but it returns within seconds. The engine goes basically to an idle and the pedal drops. There is some movement and the shifter moves a bit. After thinking about it for a while I concluded that the tranny and engine must be moving forward a tad and hence lengthening the throttle cable and causing the engine to fall to an idle. This makes sense and explains the pedal drop and the shifter movement. This is where I have been stuck. The tranny mounts at the rear are red so I assumed they were replaced with the poly version and I have every reason to believe that they are tight. The front mount looks ok, but it is hard to tell. My question is whether the tranny can move under the torque of the engine even if the rear mounts are tight? The movement would only have to be about an inch or so. If this is the case, will it work for me to replace the tranny mounts? Will I have to look out for anything else? This is a very strange problem. I have never even heard of such a thing and I have owned a few VWs over the years. It is always something, but I can't get away from them.

The throttle cable sheath and tube-through-the-fan-housing do not care if the engine has any longitudinal movement. You might want to check to see if you have the throttle cable sheath (black vinyl-coated flex) leading to the front tin where the tube-through-the-fan-housing comes through. If you do not have a throttle cable sheath or tube because someone decided you did not need either one or the other, obtain them. The sudden loss of power I think may have another cause.
Colin

[Jays60rag]

I have an update to the problem I am having with my bug losing power when driving. I had thought that it might be the transmission mounts that were loose allowing the engine to move forward and backward. That movement forward would have caused the throttle cable to shorten its distance and drop the engine to an idle. It turns out I was mostly correct. The front transmission mount is completely severed in half. The movement is actually the transmission pivoting up and down on the axis of the axle. The engine is thus moving up and down effectively shortening the distance of the throttle cable and dropping the engine to an idle. A new front transmission mount has solved the problem.

[Gypsie]

criminy! That was close....

[Jays60rag]

One more update. I replaced the front transmission mount. The old one was destroyed and a piece of the flange on the transmission was broken off. Everything seems fine now, but I wonder what caused this to happen. If anyone knows what strange excessive force may have caused this to happen I would like to hear it.

[Amskeptic]

One more update. I replaced the front transmission mount. The old one was destroyed and a piece of the flange on the transmission was broken off. Everything seems fine now, but I wonder what caused this to happen. If anyone knows what strange excessive force may have caused this to happen I would like to hear it.

Neutral drop. A method of launching from stop lights when you are trying to win a drag race. This is hell on beetles. The transaxle has to absorb all driveline torque loads + the engine hanging on with those four bolts.
Colin