rough running when cold...

I'm assuming it's one of those chokes with the electric heater bi-metallic spring inside to open it up. Pls confirm.

Remove the air cleaner and look into the choke throat next time you want to start it cold.

If the choke is open and it's cold, loosen the 3 screws on the choke adjustment retaining ring and turn the choke assembly in the direction to close the choke. Operate the throttle slightly by hand when doing this to make sure the choke doesn't hang up on the fast idle cam while you are adjusting it.

When you have the choke just closed at the coldest weather temperature you want it to operate at, tighten back down on the retaining ring screws.

Should start and run okay now.

Check with your voltmeter or your hand if the choke heater ring is operating, and that the choke is fully opening after about 5 minutes of operation. You might find the bimetallic heater ring is hanging up in its operating chamber, or maybe the spring has broken sometime in the past and the PO simply cranked it off to run properly in a hot climate.

retaining ring and

throttle slightly by hand

while you are adjusting

You might also want to check that the fast idle cam is still in place and operating properly.

Is your idle properly adjusted using the carb adjustments, and not using the screw that goes against the fast idle cam? When the engine is hot, that screw should just meet the cam on the lowest step, and NOT contribue o any speeding up of the engine past stalling RPM. You should be able to back the screw right out without the engine slowing down at all. If you can't do this, do the carb adjustments properly before trying to screw with your fast idle cam / cold running speed adjustments.

Good suggestions so far. (my bet is that it's the choke). But I'll add my two-bits.

VW had a warm air feed for the stock aircleaner. You no longer have that. Get it back! More: there is a 2" paper or foil hose that goes from the stock air cleaner intake snout then to a pipe under the cooling tin (called the warm-air intake or 'stovepipe'). Very often the stovepipe is missing, as is other under-engine tin, and you are missing the whole works.

You can buy a new stovepipe, or you can do what I did and take a standard

2" PVC recreational-vehicle plumbing fitting (looks like a large, tapered snout) and screw it into a standard PVC elbow: the intake side in the engine compartment, the elbow below the tin facing the engine. Add the stock hose. It's a perfect fit on a '72, at least.

And make sure the swivel on the stock intake snout is working or wire it open.

30F ain't even cold. I've driven a stock carburated SB at -40F. Yeah, I was just flabbergasted that it ran. And heated well enough.

Single header? Lack of manifold heat is my guess. With the stock intake manifold and muffler, hot gas flows freely from where the heat-riser connects to the #4 exhaust stack across to the right side. This is because with the stock muffler, the right side does not connect directly into the #2 exhaust but runs through a tube to the middle of the muffler where the pressure is lower. Without the pressure differential, there is very little flow through the tube and negligible manifold heating.

I am having the same problem with an empi baja exhaust. Note where the right side of the heat tube connects.

http://63.230.74.177/baja/MVC-018F.JPG On the stock system, the tube gets as hot as the exhaust pipes do and just about as quick. On mine it eventually gets luke-warm.

Last weekend I had the intake manifold off and made sure it wasn't blocked. Ditto with the flanges on the exhaust. All open and clear.

This weekend I will attempt to emulate the stock system.

He's asking about cold running. How long does it have to run before that "warm air" is warm?

On a cold engine? How is "manifold heat" going to help a cold engine idle faster? The manifold heater was to prevent condensation of fuel in the long intake pipe, and it doesn't do squat till the thing warms up.

Of course if he still has problems AFTER getting the choke and fast idle adjusted properly, and AFTER the manifolds, headers, mufflers etc and everything else mentioned heats up, THEN he might take your suggestions.

while i agree that he needs to adjust the choke first(which will also handle the fast idle), you don't seem to realize that the "manifolds, headers, mufflers, etc" begin producing heat the first time combustion takes place...those parts will be hot before the choke ever opens up...

------------------- Chris Perdue

*All opinions are those of the author of this post* "Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug" reply take your PANTS off

Duh - I've had my share of manifold burns from just started engines. If you are so effing smart, why don't you tell us how many minutes/seconds it takes at a temperature of - wha'd he say - 30, for the hot air to actually start to become available at the intake of a standard engine, and ditto for the intake manifold pre-heat.

Maybe he has to fix/change that stuff - maybe he doesn't. Don't know till the choke/fast idle is adjusted, do you?

Although unclear from the original post, I got the impression the problem exists after the engine has been cold. "... seems to NEVER choke down..." Or at least run long enough to be "irritating to have to heel and toe and keep the car revved up at stop signs". That last comment is a perfect description of how mine behaves when it's under 30ºf out. I have a 20 mile commute but the 1st stop is 8 miles out.

It does seem likely Paul is dealing with multiple problems. But dollars to donuts one of them is the lack of manifold heat.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding his problem also - I thought he meant it was okay after warming up, but maybe that's wrong also. No more posts till he calrifies it.

No donut shop here, so I'll put up the dollars, hahaha.

obviously i'm "effing smart" enough to judge for myself, unlike you, according to this following quote from YOU:

so i'd wager that if it is hot enough to "burn" you and is a "just started engine" then its just a matter of seconds...why don't *YOU* tell us, mr know it all?

*MAYBE* you so fixated on being "right" that you lost your ability to read and comprehend...i do believe that i did state that the choke needed to be adjusted *FIRST*....i can link you to it if the quote you provided *IN* your response is not enough...just let me know....

------------------- Chris Perdue

*All opinions are those of the author of this post* "Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug" reply take your PANTS off

You're on!

Here is my attempt to emulate the stock VW setup. Don't know if this will work, but it can't be any worse than before.

http://63.230.74.177/baja/page8.html Now I need some cold weather.

And I am looking for a stock oil-bath air cleaner. Because it's a Baja, I'll need to fab a warm air pickup, probably where the cooling system dumps out under #2. Stay tuned.

Max

after warming up, but

I went out and took the choke assembly off today. It's a 34 pict, and I noticed the little hook inside the choke (on the wire/circular spring) doesn't seem to hook onto anything. When it's cold, it's not like the manual chokes I've had on old MG's...the engine doesn't just keep revving and roaring - it's more like it doesn't operate at all... I'm taking it to an expert who knows his stuff (really) in a few days...I'll find out what the deal is - it idles like

1,2,333,4...instead of a steady idle... I'll check the plug wires, etc... when I get the time and $, the single header is being replaced with stock muffler, and I'll scrounge the original type air cleaner... this car is pretty much stock, but with cheap aftermarket parts... now - how much power will I lose with the stock mufflers on instead of the single right side "header" setup? thanksalot folks :+)

I wouldn't be surprised if you GAINED some.

Max

you may gain "power"....with the stock intake and carb and stock valves a header does not really help anything...and depending on the header size can actually hurt low end performance...

------------------- Chris Perdue

*All opinions are those of the author of this post* "Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug" reply take your PANTS off

Okay. That little "hook" if it's what I'm thinking it is, it's supposed to fit into the loop on the bimetallic spring, so the spring can position it depending on the temp of the spring. If the spring has no loop in the end, it as broken off and must be replaced - get a spring from an old carb.

If the loop is there, simply reassemble the choke making sure the hook that you want to move goes into the loop in the spring, then adjust the choke as I mentioned before.

fit into the loop on the

spring. If the spring

from an old carb.

you want to move goes

Since I've fiddled with it, it has been running just fine - I guess I "fixed" it without concentrating - the car idles smoothly, w/o the screw touching anything, and there's no choke action at all to speak of - I can't believe the car has less power with a 1 +5/8 plus single header...sorry I can't be more exact with the particulars...thanks again and I hope I don't see anymore donut fighting around here. RAMVA has always been a great newsgroup, and has helped me a lot!

I guess I don't get a donut, huh?

Only if you pull the little lever in your cage. ;-)

Hey Paul, do I understand that you changed back to a stock muffler?

Max