Help/ideas needed for reluctant starter

[Justin & Muttley]

Hope the mods don't mind but it's a question about my '67 bug engine (it is aircooled though!). It refused to restart the other day after a very short trip so I moved its winter service forward a couple of weeks:

I've replaced the coil, plugs, dizzy cap, rotor, points and condensor.

I've set the timing statically (original SVDA dizzy) according to the Jon Muir method - it's always worked for me in the past. Points gap set to 0.016", plugs gaps set to 0.6mm.
Position the pulley wheel at the timing mark for 7.5 deg BTDC, then slowly rotate the dizzy until my test light comes on, clamp it up.

The engine starts and runs, but if I switch it off and wait a few seconds it's reluctant to start again!!

I was going to check the timing at idle with my strobe gun but it started smoking when I used it this morning so I've had to abandon the idea :shock: :lol:

No fuel issues that I can see - carb in good order and getting fuel.

Should the timing be set at 0 deg TDC in stead? Any help gratefully received!

 

[Gadget Boy]

Hi ya Dude :mrgreen:

Ok when you start the car from cold it fires up no probs But after driving it or idling it does it start to splutter / miss fire then cut out ....?

When its stopped and not running put your fingers on the manifold intake under the carb ... Is it freezing cold to the touch ? If so then your manifold is icing up inside due to the cold weather .This is due to the pre heat manifold ( the two bendy legs that come out either side of the carb manifold intake and the ones you bolt to the top of the exhaust ) Being blocked with heavy carbon depoists and not allowing hot exhaust gases up the pipe and pre warming the manifold like its designed to do .

Now theres a few ways to fix it and that is remove manifold and try wire and or caustic to unblock it or in extreme cases and I have done this, is to cut the legs off clean them out and reweld them back on again all cleaned and working as Vw intended

The other quicker way is to fit an IMDU which as the name suggests is an Inlet Manifold De Icing unit and is basically 12v hot wire elements wrapped in heavy vinyl that fastens around the neck of the manifold and does the same job as above but runs off the coil and is alot less hassle

I hope this helps , If not let me know


Gadget

 

[Justin & Muttley]

Thanks for the help Gadget!

I've set up the timing again and starts (and restarts) as it should - but I don't feel like it's running quite right and I have icing on tha manifold which is something that hasn't happened before; I'm running a totally stock setup (stock air-filter, dizzy etc) but it's never iced up before!! Could the timing be slightly off and be causing the icing?

 

[BJ1]

Does it have a proper warm air feed to a stock air filter or does it have a pathetic pancake filter? If the latter then that's your problem and even a clear riser pipe won't entirely solve it. Carb icing is especially bad right now partly because it's effing cold but also because there is high humidity.

 

[Justin & Muttley]

Does it have a proper warm air feed to a stock air filter or does it have a pathetic pancake filter? If the latter then that's your problem and even a clear riser pipe won't entirely solve it. Carb icing is especially bad right now partly because it's effing cold but also because there is high humidity.

No pancakes for me - it's totally stock!!

It conked out again today - I'm not sure the timing is out again and I'm going to investigate the dizzy clamp as it doesn't seem to be set the same from one day to the next!

Starting to get fed up with it now though especially as the heating in my scooby has packed up now :evil: :evil: