When I purchased the Squareback it was running rough. I had it checked out and the mechanic said it needed a new computer and one cylinder had low compression. I cannot find a computer for it!!!
This car starts excellent.
It does not heat very well.
Parts are hard to find for this model.
A computer will be hard to find and probably expensive.
Have you considered converting it to a carburetor?
69 Veedubs had computers?
I'd say if they car is running at all, the computer is working fine. First, fix the engine, change the piston rings or what ever is causing that cylinder to have low compression (my guess: a cracked cylinder head around the spark plug, very common air-cooled VW problem...). Then, see how the engine runs with this computer.
Computers either work or don't, it's very rare to find a computer working badly. Check also the sensors and if your alternator is delivering the proper voltage.
In 1969 a computer capable of running a car engine would have cost tens of millions of pounds in today's money, and they weren't used in cars - they were used by NASA to put men on the moon.
Find a mechanic experienced with air-cooled VW engines - not a "coo - funny looking video" type.
These cars DID have computers - the Type III Squareback's was located in the left sidewall of the cargo compartment if I remember correctly. This was one of the first electronically-controlled fuel-injection vehicles sold in North America, and the computer, which was about the size of a small briefcase, was used for this purpose alone - it had no other engine control functions. I had a rusted-out '69 Squareback that I sold to a guy who only wanted the computer out of it.
Try looking at http://www.shoptalkforums.com/
The computer must have been a very simple one relying on analogue signals from various sensors (I would hazard a guess manifold vacuum, throttle position and coolant temperature) and I suspect rhe distributor was retained.
Volkswagen WOULD be one of the first automakers to use computers in their cars as they have always pushed innovation, even if it meant lower quality. I take it that the Type III was an early example of a still practical car with a smallish engine that could hold its own against the heavier dinosaurs of the day, whilst achieving decent fuel mileage.
Actually, the Fuel Injection systems (D-Jetronic) are very reliable, usually a loose wire of a distributor condenser can cause problems. There is plenty of documentation out there about how to work on them. It is also very unusual for the computer to go out in them. If you have a FI'ed Type III, just don't mess with the fuel injection system and it won't mess with you! BTW, a low battery can cause rough idling. This is just the way those cars work!
The Squareback can get up to 27 mpg, very nice for todays gas prices. They can cruise solidly all day at 75 mph. And they handle well to boot.
The only negitive thing I can think of about these cars is that they are not air conditioned! But with pop out windows, you can get a good breeze blowing thru the car!
For those of you who don't know. The air-cooled Volkswagen was the first mass produced car to offer electronic fuel injection.
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