My 73 beetle 1600 dual port has not been tuning up very well lately. It has a centrifigul advance distributor, but is otherwise stock. There is a hesitation on acceleration that lasts for quite awhile, and the real power doesn't seem to kick in until I've been holding a certain speed for a few seconds. So the acceleration...well...it sucks. These are the things I've done so far. This weekend I,
-adjusted the valves
-replaced rotor, cap, points.
-replaced air filter
-cleaned carb
-made sure accel. pump is functioning, it is, and the spray is directed on the throttle plate.
-set points gap
-set timing
-compression is fine I have not checked the spark plugs. I forgot to do that while they were out for the compression check, but they looked ok, not too black, and not burned up. I didn't check the gap or look to see if the electrodes are worn. Could this be the cause of all my problems?! Should I just install new spark plugs to see?
In additon, I've been timing my engine to 10 deg. BTDC. Several folks told me to set it at 7.5, but the local respected VW garage said 10 because of the altitude.(7000 ft) Does this seem correct for a mechanical distrib? My concern is that the dipstick is often to hot to hold when I arrive at my destination. It was at 7.5, and it is at
10 as well. Thanks for any help.-Anthony