WAR DEPARTMENT Washington 25, D. C, 6 June 1944

WAR DEPARTMENT Washington 25, D. C, 6 June 1944
TM E9-803, German Volkswagen, is published for the information and guidance of all concerned.
BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR: G. C. MARSHALL, Chief of Staff.
OFFICIAL: J. A. ULIO, Major General, The Adjutant General.

PART ONE—INTRODUCTION
Section I. GENERAL
1. SCOPE.
a. These instructions are published for the information and guidance of the personnel to whom this equipment is assigned. Theycontain information on the operation and maintenance of the German Volkswagen as well as descriptions of the major units and their functions in relation to the other components of the vehicle.
b. This manual has the following arrangement.
(1) Part One, Introduction, contains description and data.
(2) Part Two, Operating Instructions, contains instructions for the operation of the vehicle, with description and location of the controls and instruments.
(3) Part Three, Maintenance Instructions, contains information needed for the performance of the scheduled lubrication and preventive maintenance services, and instructions for maintenance opera¬tions which can ordinarily be performed by using organizations (firstand second echelons).
c. The operations described in this manual are based on the availability of necessary parts, accessories, and tools. Conditions willarise in which the items referred to in the manual are not available since they cannot be requisitioned through usual channels. In thesecases, individual initiative must be resorted to when repairs are required.
2. RECORDS.
a. Forms and records which may be provided for use in performing prescribed operations are listed below with brief explanations of each. In case of Volkswagen, use of these forms will be governed by tactical situation and extent to which vehicle is employed.
(1) STANDARD FORM NO. 26, DRIVER'S REPORT—ACCIDENT, MOTOR TRANSPORTATION. One copy of this form should be kept with the vehicle at all times. In case of an accident resulting in injury or property damage, it should be filled out by the driver on the spot, or as promptly as practical thereafter.
(2) WAR DEPARTMENT FORM NO. 48, DRIVER'S TRIP TICKET AND PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE SERVICE RECORD. This form, properly executed, is furnished to the driver when his vehicle is dispatched on non-tactical missions. The driver and the official user of the vehicle complete, in detail, appropriate parts of this form. These forms need not be issued for vehicles in convoy or on tactical missions. The reverse side of this form contains the driver's daily and weekly preventive maintenance service reminder schedule.
(3) W.D., A.G.O. FORM NO. 6, DUTY ROSTER. This form, slightly modified, is used for scheduling and maintaining a record ofvehicle maintenance operations. It may be used for lubrication records.
(4) W.D., A.G.O. FORM NO. 461, PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE SERVICE AND TECHNICAL INSPECTION WORK SHEET FOR WHEELEDAND HALF-TRACK VEHICLES. This form is used for all 1,000-mile (monthly) and 6,000-mile (semiannual) maintenance services andall technical inspections performed on wheeled or half-track vehicles.
Section II. DESCRIPTION AND DATA
3. DESCRIPTION.
a. General. The Volkswagen is a four-wheeled, rubber-tired, rear axle drive personnel carrier and reconnaissance car, comparablein purpose and size to the American 1/4-ton 4x4 truck. No propeller shaft, as such, is used; the engine, transmission, and differential comprise a unit structure which is secured to the floor at the extreme rear end of the vehicle. Access to the engine is provided by a hinged door at the rear of the body. The vehicle has no frame. Instead, a base stamping comprising the floor of the vehicle is ribbed and provided with a central tunnel to give desired stiffness, to form the foundation of the vehicle. The main fuel tank is located under the front body panel on the right-hand side of the vehicle. The spare tire is carried on top of the front body panel.
b. Engine. The engine is an air-cooled, four-cylinder, four-cycle, horizontally-opposed type. Intake and exhaust valves are located inthe cylinder head and are operated by conventional rocker arms and push rods.
c. Transmission. The transmission is the selective, sliding-gear type. Four speeds forward and one reverse are available". Differingfrom American vehicles, no direct drive is used. The fourth speed forward is an overdrive, having a ratio of 0.80 to 1. A detailed description of the transmission is contained in section XX.

The Beetle

The Beetle of suburbia.Somewhat neglected,sans running boards and wheel covers,this 1 9 7 3 VW1 300

This engine

This engine bay could look a trifle down at heel because of the poor condition of the pipes, however the fan belt was recent and properly adjusted, the ignition elements were in affordable condition and also the oil was clean — all pointing to a fairly well looked-after engine.

the work-horse

 if you ask for a low-cost Beetle to place into immediate daily use, then the state of the mechanical and electrical elements automatically assumes bigger importance than it will within the case of the restoration automobile. If you were to shop for an older automobile with a predominance of tired and worn elements, then these would inevitably fail one by by one at unpredictable intervals and also the automobile would never prove reliable. The more moderen the automobile, the better.

The best recommendation would be to think about finding an occasional mileage recent automobile (1302, 1303 and S) that contains a full service history (look for the letters FSH in advertisements), or one that has been owned for an extended time by a competent and conscienscious DIY mechanic who has not skimped on regular servicing. correct maintenance includes anticipating at what purpose within the close to future numerous elements are possible to grant issues and replacing them before they fail. The vendors of such automobiles ought to be ready to show you a series of invoices for spare elements (and labour charges if the upkeep has been dispensed professionally) to prove that the car has been properly cared for.

The state of the bodywork in such cars is even additional vital than that of the mechanical elements as a result of, while a mechanical fault will mean taking the automobile off the road for maybe one or 2 days while the fault is rectified, the rectification of bodyrot entails taking the automobile off the road for much longer – generally weeks, generally months, if the work should be dispensed on a DIY basis.

Most Beetles are currently the right age to own received some extent of bodywork repair and you ought to assume that a viewed automobile can have had, or can soon need, such work. like the other Beetle, you want to be vigilant when yearning for camouflaged bodyrot and poor repair.

It is advisable to just accept from the outset that you just are increasingly unlikely to be ready to acquire a solid and reliable Beetle cheaply. The vendors of such cars can bear the upkeep and any repair, new element or bodywork prices in mind when setting the worth. within the end of the day, it's typically cheaper to pay a good worth for an honest automobile than it's to shop for the most affordable you'll realize and suffer a relentless stream of repair bills when it breaks down.Avoid cars that are off the road for any length of your time as a result of as previously stated most mechanical, hydraulic and electrical componentsactually age way less when the automobile is in regular use than they are doing if the automobile is left standing idle. additionally best avoided are cars on that the seller has recently spent lots of cash in mechanical repair; this means that a

majority of elements have reached the tip of their helpful life and hence that elements not repaired or replaced recently will would like attention.

Most massive motoring associations can – for a fee –undertake mechanical and body surveys on cars on behalf of members. Motor engineers typically supply an equivalent service. each can furnish you with a written report on the state of a viewed automobile and, if you're not assured in your own ability to properly assess the condition of cars then the fee concerned in commissioning such a survey may repay itself persistently over.

Be cautious of cars with brand-new check certificates: some – by no suggests that all – of those cars might have had a minimal quantity of labor dispensed in order that they'll scrape through the check (which makes them easier to sell) however they might be on the market as a result of either they're unreliable or as a result of the owner needs to avoid looming repair bills.

Several corporations within the UK sell Beetles that they need 'sorted' the mechanics of in-house, and these typically go with a guarantee and may be safe buys. alternative corporations sell Beetles that they need absolutely restored and these, too, are an honest possibility for people who desire a reliable automobile. In each cases it pays to {deal with|affect|agitate|alter|influence|modify|subsume|touch upon|traumatize|trot out|upset|wear down|cope with|manage|handle|take automobilee of|contend with} corporations that are situated fairly near your home; you do not need to own to drive (or trailer) the car for miles if you've got issues with it.