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Troubling distributor wiring...

Hey guys, me again.

I have some questions about the distributor on my 66KG. Distributor is original, part 113 xxx xxx. The short condenser wire that comes off the "can" on the side of the dist. leading to the insert on the bottom of the assembly seems to be stretched VERY tight. It comes off the can, comes toward the back of the car runs over a bolt and appears to run through a bracket before entering the connector on the bottom of the dist. Is this normal? Seems like bad engineering on an engine so simple. Could this bolt and the ring it's connected to be positioned incorrectly?

Here is a short shaky vid of the wire. It's not easy to see, but at least I didn't use an iPod to try to capture it.

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Second concern. Is this nut/bolt combo the one I should be loosening so that I can turn the distributor? I loosened it up, but could not twist the dist. at all. I only tried in the CCW direction because that wire is pulled tight against the bolt and I couldn't turn it CW without breaking that wire.

Skip

Reply to
Skip 66KG Lawson
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Looks like a home made mod to me. The wire from the capacitor usually just loops over to the moulded plastic "entry" plug which is held in place by a metal clip. The wire from coil also joins onto capacitor wire here, thence into the points . Not very clear but does the wire go in the bottom of the distributor after someone has removed one of the two pressed in metal plugs?. If it does its a bodgy job. John

Reply to
John

That is wrong!!! It either looks like the spark plug wires are incorrectly positioned with the distributor or the distributor drive is incorrectly orientated. Where is the vacuum advance unit postioned? That would have been good to see. ;-)

Check to see if #1 spark plug wire is pointed to the notch on the distributor body. Take off the cap and look at the rim of the distributor body and you should find that notch. Might be as simple as correcting the positions of the wires and turning the distributor.

Reply to
dave AKA vwdoc1

Spark Plug Wire #1 is lined up with the notch. The plug wires all lead to the correct cylinders, CW from #1 the sequence is 1-4-3-2.

I uploaded some better pics of the distributor and vac advance to show how it's situated with respect to the engine.

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Reply to
Skip 66KG Lawson

On both of my bugs, the collar clamp is turned around so the bolt is on the other side of the distributor. It wouldn't bind up the condenser wires that way. Of course, mine are 70s so maybe that isn't possible on your year.

Reply to
Michael Cecil

It looks that way in the manuals as well. I think somebody with little or no VW knowledge bodged this particular job working on Gmas car.

By the way, the website in your signature launched an attack on my machine when I went there. Might want to "Check yo self..."

Reply to
Skip 66KG Lawson

Do yourself a little favour and clean out the engine compartment, the aircooled's does not like foreign objects such as leaves or other debris sucked in by the cooling fan. It may clog the fan itself or the oilcooler, it it passes both it can still be trapped on top of heads and cylinders.

It looks a bit gunky so it could do with a good wash anyways. :O)

J.

Reply to
P.J.Berg

Flip the distributor clamp over so the pinch bolt goes on the opposite side of the distributor, leaving more room for the wires.

Reply to
Jan Andersson

I think that Michael has this figured out. Most Beetle engines that I have seen have that clamp bolt on the other side of the distributor. Your clamping bracket almost looks like it could be a Type 3 bracket.

JMHO and I could be wrong! :-)

Reply to
dave AKA vwdoc1

that won't work, the mounting stud for the clamp is offset, and the clamp is bent to match.... there are at least three different clamps that I've personally put my hands on over the years(type 1's), and I couldn't honestly tell you what years used what, but I can say the one in the picture isn't right.. the one in the picture I have one of them, and the other two styles both have the bolt on the more "standard" right side of the clamp...

Reply to
Joey Tribiani

Wrong clamp! That was the winning answer. A quick virtual jaunt to Aircooled.net and the correct clamp is on it's way.

Thank you guys. Not sure who had been working on Gma's KG but it's in my hands now and we're gonna do things RIGHT this time.

To tell you the truth, I am surprised that the wire in question hadn't snapped. It really is pulled tight. Sigh. I mean really, how hard is it to do this correctly. And what happened to the original clamp? It isn't like they are made out of paper mache. Grrrrrrrrr.

Reply to
Skip 66KG Lawson

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