What does this sound like to you??

[bubba dubba]

Hi all,
thanks in advance if you can help, im hoping someone with much more knowledge than myself can shed some light on my temperamental engine running issues,
so.......its a 1600 twin port with vacuum advance and points and condenser,.....i had it serviced a few weeks ago and have hardly used it since (no time) anyway id been having hot start problems with it hence the service, i thought my carb was worn and flooding when stood after being run for a while (apparently not the case though)......so anyway i was doing a wedding in it the weekend, and from my house to near the pick up it was running sweet....i stopped just round the corner because i was a little early, and then it was a bitch to start ( nearly draining the battery)....it was running rough after that, all the way to the church??, anyway after the wedding i was waiting outside for about an hour,.....it wasnt exactly easy to start, but not as bad as before, and then all the way to the venue it wasnt running as it should, if i put my foot down it would cough and lose power and then regain power if i backed off the accelerator, but after id dropped the bride and groom off, i came home on the motorway and it was running sweet again? ( im confused)......do you think it may be the points?, i checked them the night before and they were spot on, i have noticed that the exhaust is leaving black sooty stuff on the bumper (that means its running rich right?)..............any ideas welcome,..................cheers............. kev

 

[Trikky2]

Your right, the black sooty stuff is normally an indication of running too rich. Since the problem appears to be intermittent I would suspect the needle valve and float assembly in the carb is at fault. If its sticking or jamming then the carb will overfill with petrol and cause poor running and difficult starting. Your MPG will also suffer. Also check the oil does not smell of petrol since it may have got diluted.

If the needle valve is at fault it could be simply worn out but it could also be theres some dirt in it causing it not to seat fully and cut off the fuel properly. If its the latter then, after cleaning, fit a fuel filter and make sure your rubber fuel lines are in good condition. I say this because its not unusual for these rubber pipes to start failing with age and small bits of rubber from the inside break free and lodge in the needle valve.

 

[mattd1984]

Hi Kev

Does sounds like carb troubles to me. Mite be worth buying a re-build kit and changing all the seals at the same time, doesn't take more than an hour or so to do. What model carb is it?

 

[bubba dubba]

Hi all,
thanks for the replies, i was thinking it was electrical, now after your answers I'm thinking it does sound like the carb, i have noticed the mpg is not as good as it was, i haven't smelt the oil, i'll have a go at that later (rebuild kit added to parts list!) i was going to change over to electric ignition anyway and ive had a look on JK website and they do a package with an 009 included, but i keep thinking i read on here somewhere that 009s were not rated that highly?.....why would that be?....or was that just one persons opinion and others may swear by them?,.........i dont mind spending cash but i just want it to run as it should and have some confidence in it again,................sorry im waffling on

cheers.........................kev

 

[justjoe]

009 are ok on twin carbs or progressive not on a solex (flat spot), keep your dizzy and get the electronic gubins to replace your points if you wont , good vac dizzys are getting hard to find , oops wrong thread :roll:

 

[dubdubz]

free cash

as always this is the decider

lots - then go twin carbs, with dizzyless ignition system [est about £600 for bits]

not so much
get your carb refurbed by Laurie Ellis I think it is and pertronix 2 [don't know why I'm putting cost in cos I'm now lost :lol: ]

little
rebuild kit and a maplins ignition thingy [won't remove points but is supposed to make them last longer!

 

[Guest]

if you get a carb refurb kit for a Solex 34 pic 3 then the float needle valve has been completely redesigned from the original, don't panic as it will fit perfectly and do a better job. refurb kit is about £17.

Your problems are intermittent and do sound more like a carb problem. When i cleaned mine out there was 1/4 inch of crud in the bottom of the chamber.

 

[mattd1984]

if you get a carb refurb kit for a Solex 34 pic 3 then the float needle valve has been completely redesigned from the original, don't panic as it will fit perfectly and do a better job. refurb kit is about £17.

Your problems are intermittent and do sound more like a carb problem. When i cleaned mine out there was 1/4 inch of crud in the bottom of the chamber.

Mine was the same as Johnny, I got a can of carb cleaner from halfrauds and a can of air from maplins, followed the guide on vw-resource. The job was really easy and made a massive difference.

 

[bubba dubba]

Hi all,
ive just got back from petes (Funkenblitz Portsmouth),.....what he doesnt know about vw engines isnt worth knowing, have a look on his website,........... he is a top guy as well, said to pop in and he would have a look over,.....his diagnosis is that its the dizzy (he said that it doesnt seem to be the carb at fault and it looks like its already been rebuilt recently)thats at fault, which was throwing the timing all over the place, (he did explain all this to me in great detail and exactly why it was doing what it doing, it all went over my head to be honest) but the bottom line is its making the engine run too hot and and making it hard to start when hot and run like crap,.......he thinks a new bosch dizzy, and a service should do the job,....fingers crossed i should have a sweet running bus very soon,.............you should see some of the bugs he has in his workshop, absolutely stunning, they are works of art, they are members of the greenhearts vw club and spend tens of thousands of pounds on their cars and it shows

thanks for your replies guys, i'll let you know how i get on.....................kev

 

[Guest]

glad you found a pro to sort it,its always good to have someone you can trust who really knows their stuff.