1983 Trabant 601s Drive II - Old Engine

Now with a better camera (GoPro Hero 8).

[@michaelboyko5024]

Most people don't understand at all that feeling of owning an old car, more over driving it

[@ricusserfontein1086]

I love the Trabbi ☺

[@petarkaraganchev775]

I grew up with Trabant. 26 horse powers, 120 km per hour maximum speed, 2 cylinder engine, 4 speeds one of which is the back driving, 3 meters and 45 centimetres length. Very simply made driving board, not complicated at all, simply made engine too. Not fast, but manurable at turning around. At one period I was ashamed, but was only several years because of our car, in the 1990's and early 2000's everybody mocked the Trabant car in Bulgaria. After that we had an Opel. Not spacey from the inside, but still comfortable. My father changed the car battery in every 7 years. My father bought it in 1983, in communist times, I wasn't born yet. He waited for Lada car as he said, but he got Trabant at the end, back on the day people had to wait, just to wait for years, may be even 10 years for Lada or Moskvich cars no matter they were Soviet/Russian and were allies back then, there wasn't such a demand or need for vehicles like it is now.

[@DieReaktion]

It has 4-forward gears. And it certainly doesn't go 120kmh

[@petarkaraganchev775]

@@DieReaktion well about the gears I don't remember exactly how it was, after all the driver was my father. But yeah about the speed, I am not sure if the car can reach 120 km per hour, bit already at 90 you have the feeling you are going to fly and 90 km per hour for Trabant is a nice speed.

[@stephanschmidt9578]

That's so great to see one of our Trabis in the USA. Like it. :) Greets from Brandenburg(Germany).

[@Trabantusachannel]

Nice ride! Keep them videos coming!

[@stephant84]

Very nice to see. You can hear that the engine is old 😉 It's a nice area where you drive around, it feels at home there. Take good care of it and always have a good ride.

[@silvervisage5096]

Incredible. My childhood car. Dad had one. Take care of it buddy!

[@laszloditelyan4127]

Oh, that sound, sweet childhood memories! No need to put it to neutral normally, it's freewheeling in 4th. If not, it's welded probably. This thing is from Hungary right? I can see the sticker on the windshield, of the technical inspection from '89 :)

[@CheckEngineLight94]

Yes, from Hungary!

[@terenceskill9526]

Unbelievable - it´s so great to see one of these on US roads :D One thing that I realized after the Berlin wall came down was that those cars, with their26hp, delivered a much stronger and quicker driving-impression than the Beetles with their 34 or even 50hp. Where and how did you find your way to your Trabant?

[@CheckEngineLight94]

I found this one on Facebook marketplace near me. There are some currently for sale by Trabant USA in Florida.

[@u.e.u.e.]

Believe it or not! There are even Wartburg 311 Convertible from the late 1950's/early 1960's on U.S. roads. Some even imported back then! 😃👍 Some U.S. commuters with some craftmans's skills use the Trabant 601 even as a cost effective daily driver!

[@JohnSmith-eo5sp]

You're being nostalgic for awful car

[@terenceskill9526]

@@JohnSmith-eo5sp Imagine being grown up in a country where individual mobility first and foremost meant to have one of these. 10 to 12 years of waiting time to get your hands on a new one, with used cars typically being more expensive than a new one just because of their immediate availability (IF there was a used one in reach). Even if there may have been be a handful of other cars available, depending on your patience, your financial resources and the quality of your connections, the Trabant is iconic for East German cars for more than just one reason. And yes, I may sound a bit nostalgic...but does it sound that odd, really? Special sound, special fragrance from the exhaust and the construction, itsself, is also pretty special. I´ve had my first real flashback when I went to the Canary Islands over 20 years ago and got to smell the exhaust of one of those tiny scooters you can rent everywhere, down there...good, old-fashioned non-catalyzed 2-stroke combustion gases instantly made a lot of childhood memories come back to my mind ;) Sure, I wouldn´t want to have a Trabant as my daily...but driving one, from time to time, provides you with a very pure experience and is still a great thing to do!

[@tristan6509]

Well that's 2 strokes for you lol, everything feels twice as fast in a 2 stroke

[@blhtml]

Pure LOVE

[@arturboras6615]

face satisfied with the handle

[@damiantobiaszapater2376]

Trabant in América?? Wooow

[@wodzu2006]

My first car... was light blue :)))

[@pappenchrischan5775]

This is a very interesting driving video. Great! 👍 I also have a Trabant 601 S. But from 1981. When you bought the Trabi, were there any old documents about it? For example from Hungary or even from the DDR?

[@CheckEngineLight94]

Yes! I have a few documents such as the Hungarian registration card and the owner/service manual (in Hungarian). I also have the importation paperwork (I am the third owner in the US).

[@irmakaymelek]

Everything looks much better with the new camera. However, I noticed that you are constantly playing with the choke. There is a problem, I think it will worsen the car's starting and acceleration. There seems to be noise in the wheel bearings, although I don't understand very well in the video. Also, the sound of the engine is too loud, there may be a problem with the exhaust or the engine. I think the views will increase if you publish renewing videos and detail cleaning paint correction videos that I will follow your channel.

[@thecommentingt34]

The exhaust should be loud,the Trabant was poorly made,it was the poor man's car,it has a bigger chainsaw engine if you think a bit,the exhaust is a thin pipe with no muffler,the car is loud because the 2-Stroke engine. The choke,I am with you a bit.

[@Maximilian0011]

AWESOME

[@andreashebisch4283]

26 ps for Ever... Trabant for Ever in the World

[@michaelboyko5024]

Well, it's totally not a slow car, keeping in my the engine size

[@CheckEngineLight94]

Not at all; it does fine keeping up. It's not a high-revving engine, but does well as long as you stay "on it."

[@michaelboyko5024]

@@CheckEngineLight94 kzbin.info/www/bejne/mpXNm6uiq5lnb9U this is a stunning one could be in the US, that's a cute beast

[@kizismet]

Woher kommt die Liebe zum Trabbi ? Gute Fahrt

[@CheckEngineLight94]

Ich habe sie im Internet gesehen und ein lokales zum Kaufen gefunden.

[@David-fx7vs]

❤

[@uwegrunfeld1343]

Motor ist leider defekt, die Kurbellwellenlager sind hinüber ist deutlich zu hören beim Gas eegnehmen

[@CheckEngineLight94]

Danke für deinen Kommentar! Ich habe seitdem einen komplett umgebauten Motor eingebaut. Sie können sich meine neueren Videos ansehen.

[@AngloAm]

You have to be careful with coasting in gear in the trabi - only freewheels in fourth?

[@Traian-rt5vv]

Nice video! But why are you pulling the choke while driving? Also is your alternator charging?

[@CheckEngineLight94]

Thank you for your comment! I still have some additional carburetor adjustment to do. Lower throttle input responds best without choke and higher input responds best with it pulled halfway. Not ideal, but found this to work in the interim. As for generator charging, that's something I'm also troubleshooting.

[@Traian-rt5vv]

@@CheckEngineLight94 That's very interesting... usually in mid to high revs it runs poorly with the choke pulled, especially when the engine is warm, sometimes it can even flood the engine if not pushed back in time. What carburetor do you have? Is it the more complicated ''new type'' like the 28H1-1 or is it a simple ''old type'' like the 28HB2-7?

[@ZioXel_BAKA]

DID I JUST WITNESS A ROUNDABOUT IN USA?

[@CheckEngineLight94]

Yes! We have them, but many don't know how to use them correctly. So, I enter with caution especially in the Trabant!

[@robertdiosi3494]

Haha LOL. I owed 2 of it. It was the cheapest vehicle end of the 90s when i was a soldier.You can repair it with a screwdriver and a hammer haha :) Nice video. Greetings from Hungary

[@CheckEngineLight94]

Greetings; I always keep a screwdriver and hammer in the trunk!

[@janekvladek5198]

Csori Trabant!

[@Klown1985]

Szerintem ez a legjobb, ami egy Trabival történhet, hogy a nagy vízen túl rójja a mérföldeket a tükörsima utakon! :)

[@johny.tayl.7325]

Jaa, még európában is egy lesajnált darab volt kis teljesítménye és mérete miatt, hát még a V8as batárok hazájában...szerintem ott nem is autónak csak valami fura kis közlekedési edénynek nézik..😀

[@frankdrebin9052]

Ez hatalmas királyság! 2 henger, 2 ütem. Próbáld ki a Wartburgot is, ha teheted!

[@CheckEngineLight94]

Talán egy nap!

[@javikarras]

Seems like alternator is not charching the battery properly (Orange/red light). Check the alternator belt!!

[@dietznutz1]

Hear the scream smell the smoke you *Haven't* been passed by this two stroke

[@thomasheer825]

Wow just think how good the Communists had it with these outstanding and superior modes of transportation.

[@vladvlad2964]

I think your alternator is not charging the battery cause of that red light in the dash.Check the alternator belt and the wires.

[@CheckEngineLight94]

Thank you for your comment! It was the voltage regulator.

[@vladvlad2964]

@@CheckEngineLight94 oh ok then!

[@viksud8077]

Trabi ... 👍

[@CheckEngineLight94]

👍

[@janpavelek2097]

Věry original And Věry easy car. Technic working Věry low, bit IT was White easy to drivind And servis. In alkohol the Czechia And East Europa was So populár!

[@MrGyulaBudai]

Not an experienced driver. Trabant gear to change in 1 or 2 fingers without using clutch. I was driving Trabants for 9 years.

[@CheckEngineLight94]

I changed the transmission fluid and greased the linkage; it will now shift with a stern look!

[@gaborhorvath2478]

It's in USA?

[@CheckEngineLight94]

Yes! Near Atlanta, Georgia

[@johny.tayl.7325]

😂😂

[@nicholasmcelroy4233]

What got you into Trabants? Did you import yours? If so, from where?

[@CheckEngineLight94]

I've seen and read about them on the internet, and wanted to get one. I bought mine from someone local to me (I believe they bought it from the person that imported it from Hungary). Adam of Trabant USA imports Trabis and parts such as rebuilt engines. I'd highly recommend visiting the Facebook group Trabant USA and his site to learn more!

[@credoeconell]

@@CheckEngineLight94 I am from Hungary, theese cars are very expensive now here. 😄

[@Sanyey]

@@CheckEngineLight94 I dont really get this Trabant craze in the US :D why not get a Wartburg 353 instead? Same company, 3cyl 50hp 2 stroke in it, while its much more car like, incredibly comfortable, and double the size... oh, and also never seen before on that continent :D Or a Barkas B1000 van, with the same engine...

[@CheckEngineLight94]

@@Sanyey I think the draw to Trabants are their more general accessibility, mechanical straightforwardness, and recognition as the more common "peoples' car" of the Eastern Bloc. There are those brands and models here too, but much less common!

[@ricusserfontein1086]

@@Sanyey Trabant looks is what first caught my eye back in when i saw them on news footage when the wall came down. Its endearing adorable shape. The two stroke sound is just a bonus. I would love to own one just for Sunday drives

[@jetpackjbd]

The engine sounds so normal compared to Aging Wheel’s Trabant.

[@CheckEngineLight94]

Thank you! Better now with the new engine!

[@Roli72]

Hatte selbst 3 Trabbis besessen, was mich wundert, sah das schon in einem anderen Video, dass oft der Leerlauf geschaltet wird, also es auch zu keiner Motorbremsung gekommen ist, was ich stets hilfreich fand, da der Trabant keinen Bremskraftverstärker besaß.

[@CheckEngineLight94]

Vielen Dank für Ihren Kommentar; Wegen Ölmangel wurde mir geraten, nicht so zu bremsen.

[@user-oz1fe1ut5l]

Dafür hatte der Trabbi aber im 4.Gang einen Leerlauf

[@MrSgtau]

How were you able to get it registered in the US with that km/h spedometer? There's a 1964 Trabant for sale on ebay for more than $6000. No way I would pay that amount of money for a Trabant, but I did own one when I worked in Leipzig in 1992. East Germans were dumping them, and they cost next to nothing in those days.

[@Darklordkime]

If it's over 25 years old you can pretty much register anything.

[@terenceskill9526]

Hey ;) I´m from Leipzig and I was 8 years old when the Wall came down - yes, dumped cars on every corner during the first half of the 90s. We were playing in them, day after day^^ They even dumped dozens of Simson and MZ motorcycles in the woods of our Clara-Park, which we were sometimes pulling out of the dirt to take them for a ride - even the fuel tanks weren´t dry, usually. Nowadays, this may sound pretty unbelievable but that´s what was going on- people were completely fed up with the stuff they had been served for 40 years and wanted Western rides. The Police once took me and a friend of mine home because we had managed to start a Krause Duo that somebody had left for good and we were apparently gaining some attention, turning laps around the water fountain in the park^^ My parents were not amused, took me in and...we all had a big laugh together as soon as the Cops had left. That´s just a small piece of what was called "Wild East", what a great time! Those 50cc scooters I´m talking about are sold for 3.000€ and more, today...if only we had known what was to come, we would have rent some space to store them!

[@GEZ-KNUTSCHI]

So schaltet man den Wagen nicht. Man legt den Schalthebel AUF DIE FINGER und bewegt dann den Schalthebel. NUR beim Rückwärtsgang bildet man eine Faust.

[@CheckEngineLight94]

Jetzt nach Schmieren des Gestänges behoben!

[@Episcopalianacolyte]

Don't drive a Trabant in traffic. You will scare the poor thing.

[@CheckEngineLight94]

The Trabant isn't the one that's scared!

[@Episcopalianacolyte]

@@CheckEngineLight94 🤣🤣🤣👍

[@michaelboyko5024]

I watched and enjoyed it! It really longs for CVT transmission and a Toyota engine! By the way, do they sell Toyota Probox in the US? That would be the best! ( the Germans managed to pull there 1,1L engine, so a Toyota one will jump in more than likely)

[@CheckEngineLight94]

Check out the DAF Daffodil. With a CVT and could go very fast backwards: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DAF_Daffodil

[@JBofBrisbane]

They tried to put Volkswagen Polo engines in them to make them emissions compliant for German reunification. Unfortunately, putting a halfway decent engine in them only showed up all the other shortcomings of the design.

[@michaelboyko5024]

@@JBofBrisbane well, it was the era of change, people wanted much more refined cars, that's why the Trabant was destined to die. It was in the generation's mind that the car was to impress and to show off, the Trabant could show only you empty pocket...

[@CheckEngineLight94]

@@michaelboyko5024 Indeed; though I think that with more powertrain refinements the styling, modern when it came out in the early 1960s, could have survived thanks to the "retro" trend brought by cars such as the Nissan Figaro. Though I think the Trabant's infamous reputation may have been too strong...

[@michaelboyko5024]

@@CheckEngineLight94 I saw Nissan Figaro in the flesh, quite a pleasant thing, it's based on something like Nissan March. But the production rates were much to be desired, though the sunroof was immensely cute!

[@moetocafe]

I'm from Eastern Europe, I have childhood memories with this type of car. But why on Earth would you buy it and drive it in the US? Makes me wonder...

[@CheckEngineLight94]

People in the US like to see this type of thing; something different!

[@trainsntile]

Probably because not too many in the US have even heard of a Trabi, let alone seen one. It's a super awesome oddball here. It seems that you grew up with them, so you may not think much of them. I'd love to have one, or, maybe, a Russian Lada from the '60s!

[@moetocafe]

@@trainsntile Lada were very good back in the time. Moskvich too (but not as good as Lada) - for the first Moskvich gen - the Soviets used BMW production lines, taken from Germany after the war. Also they took assembly lines from Leica - which helped the Soviets to develop some good photo cameras. There is even Soviet Leica - Зоркий.

[@moetocafe]

@@trainsntile actually I took my driving license on Lada 1600S (four head lights) in 2000. It may sound crazy to you, but it's true.

[@murphy7678]

@@moetocafe I think it was an Opel Kadet Production line. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moskvitch_400-420

[@kenz5469]

Does this have the standard shift pattern?

[@CheckEngineLight94]

It is a backwards H pattern with Reverse all the way in and down

[@terenceskill9526]

Down -> 1st, Up -> 2nd, Pull + Down -> 3rd, Up from there -> 4th.

[@gentle285]

Speedometer in MPH? XD

[@jamestorrens645]

Nope, that's kilometres per hour.

[@gentle285]

@@jamestorrens645 I know, I was just joking :P I'm from Easter-Europe, and I have driven a Trabant. But thanks :)

[@jamestorrens645]

@@gentle285 Ohhhhhhhh.... my bad.

[@johnwade5747]

I was curious what you were doing down by the left side of the steering column near the dash between gears

[@CheckEngineLight94]

I was having caburetor problems (pulling the choke), but all fixed now!

[@u.e.u.e.]

What's wrong with your Trabant? 😉 Why does the red ignition/charging control light comes on? Why do you need to adjust the choke?

[@CheckEngineLight94]

All fixed with a new carburetor jet and voltage regulator

[@u.e.u.e.]

@@CheckEngineLight94 Ok 😉👍

[@ungurdani8346]

Salut my friend super car super video subscribe subscribe ..

[@CheckEngineLight94]

Thank you, my friend!

[@ungurdani8346]

@@CheckEngineLight94 thank my friend subscribe subscribe

[@Sanyey]

U dont need to rev the f*ck out of that thing in each gear.. it tolerates early shifting quite well enough.. U gonna kill your rod bearings like this easily..

[@CheckEngineLight94]

I think this engine was pretty much toast with the crank bearings, partly exaggerating the sound of high rpm. The new engine is much, much better.

[@lehrscherbote]

What the hell? Wie kommt der Trabbi denn nach Amerika ? Hat den tatsächlich jemand importiert ?

[@CheckEngineLight94]

Ja, ich habe es von der Person gekauft, die es von der Person gekauft hat, die es importiert hat. Trabant USA importiert sie, aber ich habe meine woanders bekommen. Ich habe einen überholten Motor von Trabant USA bekommen, der jetzt im Auto ist.

[@noahbianchi1920]

Why do I want one of these? The sad thing is that these weren’t driven by people who had never seen a car before. No they weee driven by people who drove Mercedes before communism.

[@hallodu6492]

Warum schaltest du vor den abbiegen so lange in den Leerlauf?

[@pappenchrischan5775]

Das musst du tatsächlich stellenweise so machen. Das mach ich auch so. Wenn man seine Gegend kennt, dann weiß man, wann die nächste Kurve kommt oder wo es Berg ab geht. Hinzu kommt, dass, wenn man mit größerer Geschwindigkeit fährt, den Gang vor einer Abbiegung dann auch eher herausnehmen muss. In Ortschaften oder in Gegenden mit vielen Kurven und Kreuzungen, da schaltet man seltener in der 4. Gang mit Freilauf.

[@niklash.1076]

Just a litten Thing, so not rev the engine this much, its better when you shift muxh earlier

[@laurin_stg446]

Meiner ist Baujahr 1989

[@user-bn5il5yg3t]

So perky car, but what does he twist in the glove compartment all the time?

[@CheckEngineLight94]

I am engaging the starting circuit on the carburetor to richen the mixture. This issue has been fixed with the new engine and jetting.

[@darkoprokovic9749]

Прелеп је,свиђа ми се јер је једноставно

[@CheckEngineLight94]

Договорено!

[@octavioibarra5645]

Hey! Those Trabant are not in Germany... They are in the USA!

[@most1933]

Man schaltet einen Trabant nicht mit der ganzen Hand sonder nur mit zwei Fingern. 😮

[@CheckEngineLight94]

Repariert! Ich musste das Gestänge fetten.

[@most1933]

@@CheckEngineLight94 Alles klar😉

[@andreashebisch4283]

USA oder Kanada...??

[@CheckEngineLight94]

USA

[@andreashebisch4283]

26 ps in Amerika...

[@CheckEngineLight94]

It can be tough!

[@alexanderlanger7766]

Hycomat?

[@CheckEngineLight94]

No, I had trouble shifting smoothly with the linkage not greased (fixed now).

[@tigonking8586]

Nice! But you're speeding and you're accelerating a little too much

[@JohnSmith-eo5sp]

This car does not look easy to drivedrive. The driver has to constantly make adjustments to some gizmo underneath the -

[@CheckEngineLight94]

It's not too difficult. I am much better now after becoming more familiar with it and changing the transmission fluid. The gizmo is a knob to apply the carburetor starting circuit. I have since cleaned the carburetor and installed a 130 main jet to richen the mixture. You'll see no constant adjustments and the recent videos :)

[@Robert-wk5nf]

Nein! So fährt man keinen Trabant!

[@terenceskill9526]

Aber so importiert man ihn in die USA. Spende dem Mann ein bisschen Applaus - da drüben nen Trabi fahren zu sehen, ist der Hammer ;) Nebenbei: Er stellt sich besser an als 95% der Wessis, die in einen 601 einsteigen und versuchen, vom Fleck zu kommen! Ja, er schaltet zu spät und hat nen nervösen Finger am Choke - aber wen kümmerts?

[@CheckEngineLight94]

Alles repariert mit einer Vergaserabstimmung und einem neuen Motor; Ich hoffe bald ein neues Video zu machen :)

[@ignazbubbi5212]

Wie dann?

[@rudolfschwarzer1175]

warum fahren sie so seltsam ständig am Chock und immer Leerlauf?, so fährt man nicht ich komm aus der ehemaligen DDR und kenne die Kisten

[@CheckEngineLight94]

Danke für deinen Kommentar. Ich hatte Vergaserprobleme und habe ihn seitdem repariert.