A complete Newbie needs help

I'm not sure who took a shit in your Wheaties, but you have an open invitation to kiss my ass if you're gonna sport an attitude like that. I guess we're not all as great of a mechanic as you are. You're out of line spouting off at the mouth like you are. Don't like it? Tough shit. I don't give a shit if you like it any more than you give a shit if I like your "more mechanically inclined than thou" attitude. that clear enough for you, Mr Goodwrench?

Reply to
Shag
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Reply to
ilambert

yeah that is new for me, eh?

Reply to
Joey Tribiani

you are correct...please forgive me....

Reply to
Joey Tribiani

Hi Ken

I hope you are still lurking there somewhere and haven't been scared away !

This group is GENERALLY friendly and helpful. If you stick around for a while, I am sure you will see this.

Its an internet news group, and as such, ANYONE can put there two cents worth in - in what ever tone of text they choose. Sometimes the language can be colorful !

Some times a thread will veer off away from the point with two or three members slugging it out till they run out of steam. But most of the time those same members come back time and time again with very helpful posts in the future.

I always say 'people are people' everyone is different. get to know there ways and you wont be surprised / upset when their character comes through.

To sum this thread up, if I may ! , most people would recommend the muir book as a must read to get yourself aquainted ,- some dont like it!- also most people would tell you to get the Bentley manual before you start taking things apart or putting them back together.

That is my experience anyhow. I am sure if you googled, the two books on top of the recommended list would be those.

Rich

(duck> My wife of 9 years has been "Yearning" for an old Beetle so yesturday

Reply to
tricky

best example of bad advice in the john muir manual is to disconnect your choke. i worked at vw dealership in 60's and 70's. i use a Bentley.

Reply to
bill may

Why is that bad advice ?

If you have a manual choke you wouldnt use it if the engine was warm. You may not use it all summer !

He does say that it might be a bad idea if you live somwhere cold.

I have trouble starting one of mine (1300DP) if the engine is warm but the choke coil has cooled. I have to put the ignition on (choke heater on ) for a few minutes before it will start.

Rich

bill may wrote:

Reply to
tricky

doesn't St. Muir tell you how to properly start a warm engine? Does St. Muir warn you against leaving your ignition in the on position without the engine running? he should, doing so could leave you stranded....

Reply to
Joey Tribiani

On Thu, 26 May 2005 20:24:52 GMT, tricky scribbled this interesting note:

Our '59 has a manual choke and I use it summer or winter.

-- John Willis (Remove the Primes before e-mailing me)

Reply to
John Willis

John, i'm not sure that everyone knows a "cold" engine is still cold in the summer..LOL

Reply to
Joey Tribiani

I was thinking back to my 1st car, not a VW, but it had manual choke. As I recall it needed little to no choke in the summer.

Still if removing the auto choke is a bad thing I would like to know why ? I was thinking of trying it this summer. Always ready to learn more about VW's !

Muir made sense to me with his reasoning, someone who dissagrees might make more sense . But I cant make up my mind unless I here the other side . Just saying 'its bad' doesnt cut it with me, I like to know why !

Rich

Joey Tribiani wrote:

Reply to
tricky

"tricky" wrote in message news:kpBle.134$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe3-gui.ntli.net...

okay...well...let me try....the choke serves two functions...it enriches the mixture because cold fuel and cold engine tend to end up with the fuel falling "out of suspension" while traveling through the intake...especially bad in a vw with LONG intake runners....this tends to make the mixture at the combustion chamber leaner....the second function that is often overlooked is it puts the throttle to "fast idle"....because the engine is cold and the fuel tends to separate and puddle you need a bit higher engine speed to keep it running...this can be compensated for by putting your foot to it a bit....but usually the operator tends to either goose the engine too hard(not good on a cold engine) or they rev up and down...also not good...this adds to the problem because the accelerator pump on the carb dumps fuel into the intake. the accelerator pump sends a stream down the throat of the carb and it does not "atomize" as it would with higher engine speeds...this leads to the fuel puddleing in the intake....this can also lead to an overly rich mixture if it puddles enough to make it to the combustion chamber...you end up sooting up your chambers, sparkplugs, and exhaust..... the excess fuel also "washes" the cylinder walls of the critical oil that lubricates the rings....this also leads to excess fuel in the oil, etc....so one change can have a long chain of "cause and effect" events.... So, not only is it inconvenient because the car is "cold natured" (stumbling on acceleration, not idling well) but it dilutes oil, lessens ring lubrication, can foul sparkplugs, adds unnecessary carbon build up to combustion chambers(which can lead to detonation) and exhaust, and to top it off it is alot less "efficient" than keeping the choke in proper working order....the choke automatically sets itself when the heating element cools off(doesn't take too long) and you step on the throttle... as you pointed out(I think it was you) this can lead to hardstarting when the engine is actually warm....you can adjust the choke to not close so tightly(most of the time the elements are adjusted too "tight" anyway) and also holding the throttle down about halfway when starting the warm engine is recommended .... is that better?

Reply to
Joey Tribiani

....the choke automatically sets itself when the heating element cools

Much better - thank you.

Now I can take the bits of stuff I have read from you and muir and others, and my limited knowledge/experience, and sort out in my own way what 'I' think is right (whether that is actually right or not ! ), and play with the choke, or not.

I like info - lots of it , everyone has a slightly different take on what they think is right. Sometimes you can read a whole new book on a familiar subject and just a few lines from it teach you something new !

Back to my engine ... It only does it occasionaly, when I have been on a long drive, and then stop for about half an hour or so. I need to have the gas padel right down and let it spin for 10 - 20 secs before it starts firing, usually one cylinder at a time, and slowly 'picks up'. It always helps if I switch the ignition on and wait for the choke element to warm up.

Thanks again

Rich

Reply to
tricky

Sounds like overheating symptoms to me.

Jan

Reply to
Jan Andersson

The engine is a 1300 DP in a 68 bus. So it works quite hard ! (though I had the same problems when it was in the beetle) I can drive 300 miles, switch off, start again in 10 mins with no problems like filling up with petrol (gas), but if I stop for half an hour or a bit more I get the trouble ( Like stopping for food etc )?

The engine is only in the bus temperarily, till I get time to rebuild the 1600 sp for the bus.

Then I will probly rebuild the 1300 too :-)

Rich

Jan Anderss>

Reply to
tricky

"tricky" wrote

sounds like your car is flooding....google up one of speedy jims replies on this subject.... look for "speedy jim" and "boiling fuel" ...should get you what you need....

Reply to
Joey Tribiani

I've been playing on the internet since the mid 80's so I know all about "Bad Days" and I've seen more arguments started over the simplest questions. Some call it Arguements,.. I call it "Free Speech" .

For me this Bug is a fun toy to explore and play with. My Mechanic,... who is Very Adept at these old bugs lent me an original Chilton's Guide for the 1964. I'm reading it cover to cover just for the fun of it.

The Key Word Here is FUN!

SO from what I've been reading the Muir book would be "FUN" to read,... so I ordered it. I can't wait to get it since it sounds like it will give me the knowledge I need to maybe do some of the things that is in the Bently book. WhenI get to that point I will order that book and maybe give it a try.

I am honest enough to say that I "DON'T" know a thing about cars! Nothing,.. Nadda. You put the key in,.. start the engine,.. and go. WHen it doesn't do that I call my Mechanic. It's a simple plan that has worked very well for me over the years. I doubt that I will ever want to Yank the engine out of this bug and set it on my computer desk to "Rebuild" it . But I'm OK with that,.. that's what my Mechanic is for . He doesn't work on his computers,... and I don't work on my cars. We are both happy with that.

I'm lucky in the fact that my mechanic is not a theif,.. anyone who knows vintage road racing will recognise the Village of Watkins Glen. And if you know that then you might even know the name Lester Smalley who was one of the key people involved in racing here in Watkins. My Mechanic is the son of Lester Smalley and his shop is the same one that was used back in the 50's for the tech inspection. When you walk into his shop you are apt to see a 2004 Toyota sitting next to a 50's erra MG. Tom's passion is for the old cars and is real excited about my buying this bug. He even has an old 73 sitting in his barn that he is offering me parts from since he just wants the engine. He is a good Man and I'm lucky to have him.

Now if everyone who is bitching and arguing about what books I should buy are having fun,.. then it's OK. The whole idea here is to have fun isn't it?

Ken

Reply to
Ken

.................Hey Ken, I'm in the Binghamton area (Vestal) and I drive a '77 bug almost every day during the warm months. I also have two other 'projects' - a '66 bug in my garage and a '70 in the backyard that might get parted out this summer. I've been to WG several times over the years and I envy anyone who actually lives there!

BTW.........my 17 year old is the starting right guard on the HS football team that's coming to WG on the Sat. after Labor Day to kick some WG butt.......lol

Reply to
Tim Rogers

I love Watkins Glen,.. except when the tourists come to town. Why do they call it Tourist Season if you can't shoot them . Durring the big race weekends it's not fun around here. Most of us make sure that we have everything we need before it starts. It's kind of like setting up stores for a big blizzrd when you know you aren't going to be able to drive any place .

The best time to be here is durring the Vintage Race in September. If you have never been to one I recommend it. On Friday the Village goes all out and it's great. They even do a 2 lap reinactment of the original course. There are about 200 + cars just for that. It's great to be able to see all the old race cars and you can even talk to the owners who are more than willing to tell you about their cars. It's a great way to spend a Friday afternoon and evening. Things usually wind down around 9pm so it's a great Day trip. I don't recommend trying to get a hotel and stay over,.. they are booked way in advance . Here is the link if you want more info,... Most of the stuff going on in town is FREE though parking can be a problem . I'm lucky,.. my house is about 100 feet from Main street and about a block from the starting line .

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All I can say,... they can try to Kick Butt .

Ken

Reply to
Ken

Sounds like the beginning of a really decent business to me. All those folks coming through as tourists will need some laptop software issues fixed.............Sounds like a nice little extra income to me. Sitting in a tourist spot is either love it or leave it territory though, So I guess I understand the "board up the windows" philosophy.

my

What A great mix of old cars on the website !

( I could be envious of your locality......just a little )

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