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Ailing 34 PICT or the Devil in disguise?

This one is driving me nuts.

Scenario: Just bought a GEORGEOUS '74 SB auto-stick, in pristine condition. Was driving it the other night and it started to cut out on me in turns and accelerations. Push down on the gas, and there's nothing there, just a stumbling engine. The problem got worse and worse, until I could barely get it home, and then only at low speeds. Everything under the hood looked copasetic. Plugs are a perfect tan, points are shiny, no pits. Looks like it is tuned perfectly. It ran like a top (when it will run). Decided the problem was probably fuel related. Replaced the fuel pump with a new one, and rebuilt the 34 PICT carb with a quality parts kit. Found some gunk in the carb bowl, but by and large, it was pretty clean. Replaced the needle and seat, and the idle volume control screw, as well as the big bypass screw, gaskets and diaphragms. Blew out all jets with compressed air. Checked out the electric fuel cutoff, and it works perfectly. All shafts move freely, and the butterflies upper and lower operate perfectly. The choke electric coil/cover had no mark on it at all to line up with the corresponding one on the carb body, but I put it back exactly as it was when I took it off, with the thermo-spring just engaging the choke mechanism, and it seems to be correct. A can of Gumout carb cleaner, two dozen shop rags, and a box of q-tips later, It looks like a new carb. -My wife is still complaining about the smell in the garage (it's below our bedroom). I double checked the fuel level in the bowl twice, and it's right on the money. I installed one of those see-thru plastic fuel filters in the line from the new pump to the carb. I replaced all hoses with new, braided VW stuff. Put it all back, and the damned thing won't start. Plenty of crank, but absolutely no igniting of the fuel. Opened the top of the carb, while still on the engine - everything seems in perfect order. It's getting fuel, no leaks or seeping, fuel level correct, needle and seat seem to be operating perfectly. So I rechecked the distributor (had to pull it and reinstall it to get to the fuel pump and carb). I'm getting plenty of spark, and the plugs are still perfect - not wet or corroded. I didn't move the engine or the distributor while I had it out of the engine. I've checked by looking down the carb throat, and I can see it's metering gas through it when the gas pedal is depressed, yet the best I can get is a backfire through the carburetor, never any ignition in the cylinders.

Any ideas, or suggestions, short of an exorcist, no matter how minor or major, would be greatly appreciated.

I figured I'd give the group a chance for a solution before I tow it to the local bug guy. Come on guys, -help me to save face with the wife!

Thanks, Rich

Reply to
Richard Golding
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Sounds like the spark plug wwires are on in the wrong order or the distributor has problems, points or condensor. Backfire is usually a sign of timing

Reply to
Tim Klopfenstein

I agree. I have had a similair problem and it turned out I was 180 off on a new engine. Check your firing order.

--Dan E

Reply to
Braukuche

Hummmmm... Check the valve adjustments, and verify that the valves are closed on #1 when the distributor rotor is pointing at the #1 mark. These OK? Now, one at a time, trace down your plug wires, 1-4-3-2. Are they correct? When you checked the spark plugs did you remember to tighten 'em down correctly?

Is the distributor fully seated? Is there a crack in the distributor cap? Are all plug wires snug? Is the distributor condensor properly connected to the (-) side of the coil? Did you screw up the timing when messing with the distributor? Use a static light, or a volt meter, and verify that the timing is close enough until you can get a timing light on a running engine.

Check the vacuum fittings on the carb. Are they plugged (assuming that you're running everyone's favorite 009 distributor) securely? And see if there is a vacuum tap on the intake manifold directly down from the carb. If so, is this either running to your air cleaner or is plugged.

Use a new manifold gasket when you installed the carb? Is the carb tightened down? Did you use your voltmeter to confirm 12v to the electric shut-off valve which is on the left side of the carb? (That is,

12v when the ignition is turned to the accessory location).

Keep looking, and whatever is the problem, you will find it. Probably.

Reply to
Luft Gek?hlt

When you've got it going, pull the hose off from between the fuel pump and the carb. Get a pair of pliers and try to pull the brass fitting out of the carb. If you can't, good. If you can, roughen the end of the fitting slightly, squirt on a little loctite and hammer it back in so it won't come out. Throw the plastic fuel filter and hose in the bin, and replace it with a new piece of hose going between the pump and the carb without a filter in it. Loose carb fittings and/or extra weight pulling on them are one of the main cuases of engine fires in aircooled VWs. Believe me, you don't want that.

Assuming you didn't play with the timing, or swap around plug leads, you seem to have an electrical problem. I would have a good look at the distributor cap and rotor, and if swapping them didn't solve the problem, I would try another coil. Of course, if you did bump the distributor, or swap the leads around, putting those things back where they belong would be a good start.

Hope this helps.

Kim

Reply to
Kim Howe

in article 140120040736560855% snipped-for-privacy@omninet.net.au, Kim Howe at snipped-for-privacy@omninet.net.au wrote on 1/13/04 3:36 PM:

Thanks for the advice, Kim. Correct me if I'm wrong, but unless I move the crankshaft in the engine, doesn't the distributor fit back into the case in exactly the same position that it came out? Isn't that the reason for the offset male doohickey on the bottom of the distributor shaft, to allow it to fit into the matching female in the case correctly? I'm sure that the engine was not turned at all while I had the distributor out. As for the coil, there is a good blue spark coming out of the center distributor wire from the coil when I pull it and place it towards ground. Same from the spark plug wire to the plugs. The cap and rotor look virtually new, with not a speck of dirt, let alone a crack on them. The only unusual thing I found was that this distributor (factory vacuum advance model - not a 009), has one of those plastic cover on the inside between the points/guts and the rotor. Never ran into one of them before. But it seems to fit onto the distributor body just fine. It is also clean as a whistle, with no cracks.

-Rich

Reply to
Richard Golding

you can still turn the dist itself.

you may have just a flodded engine. have you tried to start it with the gas pedal to the floor?

Reply to
Eduardo Kaftanski

I'm gonna guess loose points, or wire in the coil. Cut out is more electrical than fuel. Check the wire that grounds the points.

Reply to
Michael Kelly

Does the distrubitor have points, or an pertronics/compufire?

Reply to
Michael Kelly

in article jv4Nb.13102$ snipped-for-privacy@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net, Michael Kelly at snipped-for-privacy@worldnet.att.net wrote on 1/13/04 9:31 PM:

Points. This car is strictly stock.

-Rich

Reply to
Richard Golding

If you removed the distributor by taking off the 13mm nut on the clamp behind the distributor, and engaged the offset correctly, you will be roughly in the same position you started. Roughly. It is possible to think you have got the distributor shaft engaged when you have it about

180 degrees out, and only one of the teeth in the wrong hole. If you look at the base of the distrubutor, it should be seated fully home. It's it has a gap of about the thickness of a match there, you've probably haven't got it in.

On the other hand, if you removed the dissy by undoing the 10mm on the clamp, your timing could be anywere, even if you have got it correctly seated.

Turning the engine isn't important. It's turning the distributor itself that matters.

That all sounds good. It is possible to have good looking parts that still do strange things. I've had a perfectly good looking distributor cap that was somehow sending the spark down a different lead to the one the rotor pointed too. I have no idea how that could happen, but it did, and replacing the cap solved it. It's also possible to have a coil that works statically, but not dynamically. I don't think any of this is your problem at this point though, I think you've managed to mess your timing up big time when you pulled the distributor out.

The plastic cover is good, it's meant to be there.

Time to go check the timing out.

Hope this helps.

Kim

Reply to
Kim Howe

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