IAC Puzzlehand rebuilds birdibus carbs
Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 12:34 am
Prepping for Colin's visit began with selling a trailer, cleaning and rearranging the carport, cleaning the engine and compartment, and shopping for some parts and supplies. I ended up buying stuff at 4 automotive establishments, and 2 general retail shops. This shopping experience was new to me.
Our main goal was to rebuild my dual solex carbs. Having inspected them earlier, he knew which parts he was likely to need. I arranged with satchmo for Colin to pick up some used carbs from which to harvest parts, and those were carried south in the blue and white bus.
Tuesday morning, I was ready at 9am. Rather than stand at the window waiting, I sat at the computer for a few minutes. I got up when I thought I heard my cat scratching on the screen, and there was Colin standing in my kitchen sniffing the scent of fresh coffee.
He poured a cup of the bitter brew and we went outside.
"Look, yellow paint" says Colin as he peers into the engine compartment. When he was here last winter, it was a dark hole in there. I thought it was black undercoating, but it was thick layers of gunky oil and dirt. Nobody to blame but myself. Can't curse the PO. Finally found a good cleaner and wire brushes and cleaned most of it away. Whoo hoo, yellow paint! I explained about the several times the oil filler cap popped off and sprayed oil on everything. "You should tighten it better" he says. Well, yes, but too many times I've had it stuck tight and the shaft just spins around and around. Even with two hands I can't get it off, so I try to apply the cap loosely. Sometimes, that approach fails. Colin's first thought was that the filler neck had never been installed properly, but it turned out the tab or slot was broken. So he found a different type of clamp, and now my oil filler cap can be tightened snugly.
The rest of the day followed with revelation after revelation of dubious or shabby repairs from the past.
First thing, Colin adjusted the valves and I cleaned the covers. I noticed a dent, but did not say anything. Oops, mistake, because later the dent caused an oil leak that took a while to solve. Are dented, leaky VCs gooped up with rubbery caulk the plague of soCal?
Colin found various problems with my engine tins. The worst was a bend that left a big gap down near the right heads, where I have the most problems. He bent it back as best he could. Need to drop the engine for better repair. I knew I was missing a number of engine tin screws, so I had some handy and Colin replaced what he could.
Colin picks my top engine compartment lid and says "lets make this better". The insulation was black and drooping, and there was a hole burned over the right carb. Ugly. He flipped the insulation, covered it with some plastic I provided, and reinstalled the retaining wire. Much better.
Colin removed the crusty engine fan and handed it to me to clean. First thing I notice is a missing blade and another that is bent and partially broken. That can't be good. Nothing we can do about it today, so I spend a long time scraping and wire brushing it clean. Functional cleanliness, that's what it's all about, ya know?
Colin removes the right carb and begins disassembly. By now I've zoned off into the rhythm of scraping the fan blades and there is a series of comments of disapproval coming from Colin about what he is finding. I tell him how my mechanic's partner, John, was the carb guy, and it all went downhill when John moved to Colorado. I told him about the time I had problems in the central valley on I-5, limping 15MPH down the shoulder. The first mechanic tells me my engine is blown and needs rebuilding, but he can't do it because he's leaving tomorrow for Hawaii (luckily for me). I spend the night at Buttonwillow roadside rest, and limp into Bakersfield at dawn. So mechanic number two, a VW specialist, does not want to look at my bus. Doesn't like VWs after 1971, so go to the dealer, he says. Sheesh. What do you know?, the dealer is the hero in this story... turns out the float pin in one carb worked loose and the float was wonky. Cost me $35 for it to be snapped into place. Dumb me, I should have been able to fix that myself. Finally got to see the darned float pin after all these years.
Colin sat in the sun on the cement driveway, and I sat in a chair in the shade. I scraped the fan and he put together the carb puzzle. There were little tiny parts everywhere, some from the two Royze rebuild kits, some from my old carbs, and some from satchmo's carbs. We squinted together over the tiny numbers and letters stamped on the jets, frustrated by one with no stampings. My central idle was not operating, solenoid missing, holes plugged. It was running very rich, and my mechanic had installed different jets trying to make it more lean. Didn't work. I had clouds of black smoke out the pipe, backfiring, and fouled plugs. Would not start at all until Colin changed the spark plugs.
At some point Colin set me to work installing the new heater hose I had ordered. I measured carefully and cut it in two. Struggled awhile trying to fit it. Darn, WW sold me beetle hose! I asked specifically for hose for a 74 bus. Beetle hose is 50mm, and late bus hose is 52mm. Not carried there. They will be crediting my credit card, very nicely handled. Gotta find another black heater hose.
I fell into a cleaning zone, and probably missed a lot of what Colin was doing. I cleaned a number of plastic parts that Colin had removed, and some engine tins. He finished rebuilding the carbs, and installed them. He changed the spark plug wires with new ones I had bought. I put some fresh gas in the tank. Colin primed the carb with some gas. Bus would not start. Dead. Nada. Spark from distributor is ok. He pulls a spark plug. Dark black. Tries to clean it, but it won't go back into the hole. "the plug hole, it's all chewed up on the edge. What did that guy do?" "You know, Colin, I have new plugs. You didn't see those sitting on the table?" Made in India. Colin disapproves. Different number stamped on them. I'm not understanding the difference, but we use them anyway after regapping, and they go in without too much trouble. Bus fires up right away. Whoo hoo! Colin adjusts the carb settings, his speciality. It is sounding good. All is groovy, except, what's that white smoke and that little puddle of oil? Darned valve cover! Takes a few tries, but he stops the leak after he finds the dent and bends it back. Yow! hot valves!
By now it is after 7PM. We clean up a bit and go for a short drive. I get another lesson in shifting. The engine sounds good. But, oh!, those brakes! The rears are locking up and are squishy. Return home. I refill brake fluid reservoir which is down to 1/4. I go find my bottle jack and Colin looks at brakes. Spider webs galore inside! Well, its been sitting for a long, long time. I tried to kill all the black widows before you got here. Leaky L/R wheel cylinder, frozen R/R star adjuster, worn pads on front. Need CV boots. Clutch cable at it's limit. More work for the future. Colin must go, another job tomorrow. It's after 8 and the pleasant day in the low 90s with cooling breeze has turned to a balmy evening. I draw him a map to San Diego county, but he ends up in Orange county with Lanval. Huh?
Our main goal was to rebuild my dual solex carbs. Having inspected them earlier, he knew which parts he was likely to need. I arranged with satchmo for Colin to pick up some used carbs from which to harvest parts, and those were carried south in the blue and white bus.
Tuesday morning, I was ready at 9am. Rather than stand at the window waiting, I sat at the computer for a few minutes. I got up when I thought I heard my cat scratching on the screen, and there was Colin standing in my kitchen sniffing the scent of fresh coffee.
He poured a cup of the bitter brew and we went outside.
"Look, yellow paint" says Colin as he peers into the engine compartment. When he was here last winter, it was a dark hole in there. I thought it was black undercoating, but it was thick layers of gunky oil and dirt. Nobody to blame but myself. Can't curse the PO. Finally found a good cleaner and wire brushes and cleaned most of it away. Whoo hoo, yellow paint! I explained about the several times the oil filler cap popped off and sprayed oil on everything. "You should tighten it better" he says. Well, yes, but too many times I've had it stuck tight and the shaft just spins around and around. Even with two hands I can't get it off, so I try to apply the cap loosely. Sometimes, that approach fails. Colin's first thought was that the filler neck had never been installed properly, but it turned out the tab or slot was broken. So he found a different type of clamp, and now my oil filler cap can be tightened snugly.
The rest of the day followed with revelation after revelation of dubious or shabby repairs from the past.
First thing, Colin adjusted the valves and I cleaned the covers. I noticed a dent, but did not say anything. Oops, mistake, because later the dent caused an oil leak that took a while to solve. Are dented, leaky VCs gooped up with rubbery caulk the plague of soCal?
Colin found various problems with my engine tins. The worst was a bend that left a big gap down near the right heads, where I have the most problems. He bent it back as best he could. Need to drop the engine for better repair. I knew I was missing a number of engine tin screws, so I had some handy and Colin replaced what he could.
Colin picks my top engine compartment lid and says "lets make this better". The insulation was black and drooping, and there was a hole burned over the right carb. Ugly. He flipped the insulation, covered it with some plastic I provided, and reinstalled the retaining wire. Much better.
Colin removed the crusty engine fan and handed it to me to clean. First thing I notice is a missing blade and another that is bent and partially broken. That can't be good. Nothing we can do about it today, so I spend a long time scraping and wire brushing it clean. Functional cleanliness, that's what it's all about, ya know?
Colin removes the right carb and begins disassembly. By now I've zoned off into the rhythm of scraping the fan blades and there is a series of comments of disapproval coming from Colin about what he is finding. I tell him how my mechanic's partner, John, was the carb guy, and it all went downhill when John moved to Colorado. I told him about the time I had problems in the central valley on I-5, limping 15MPH down the shoulder. The first mechanic tells me my engine is blown and needs rebuilding, but he can't do it because he's leaving tomorrow for Hawaii (luckily for me). I spend the night at Buttonwillow roadside rest, and limp into Bakersfield at dawn. So mechanic number two, a VW specialist, does not want to look at my bus. Doesn't like VWs after 1971, so go to the dealer, he says. Sheesh. What do you know?, the dealer is the hero in this story... turns out the float pin in one carb worked loose and the float was wonky. Cost me $35 for it to be snapped into place. Dumb me, I should have been able to fix that myself. Finally got to see the darned float pin after all these years.
Colin sat in the sun on the cement driveway, and I sat in a chair in the shade. I scraped the fan and he put together the carb puzzle. There were little tiny parts everywhere, some from the two Royze rebuild kits, some from my old carbs, and some from satchmo's carbs. We squinted together over the tiny numbers and letters stamped on the jets, frustrated by one with no stampings. My central idle was not operating, solenoid missing, holes plugged. It was running very rich, and my mechanic had installed different jets trying to make it more lean. Didn't work. I had clouds of black smoke out the pipe, backfiring, and fouled plugs. Would not start at all until Colin changed the spark plugs.
At some point Colin set me to work installing the new heater hose I had ordered. I measured carefully and cut it in two. Struggled awhile trying to fit it. Darn, WW sold me beetle hose! I asked specifically for hose for a 74 bus. Beetle hose is 50mm, and late bus hose is 52mm. Not carried there. They will be crediting my credit card, very nicely handled. Gotta find another black heater hose.
I fell into a cleaning zone, and probably missed a lot of what Colin was doing. I cleaned a number of plastic parts that Colin had removed, and some engine tins. He finished rebuilding the carbs, and installed them. He changed the spark plug wires with new ones I had bought. I put some fresh gas in the tank. Colin primed the carb with some gas. Bus would not start. Dead. Nada. Spark from distributor is ok. He pulls a spark plug. Dark black. Tries to clean it, but it won't go back into the hole. "the plug hole, it's all chewed up on the edge. What did that guy do?" "You know, Colin, I have new plugs. You didn't see those sitting on the table?" Made in India. Colin disapproves. Different number stamped on them. I'm not understanding the difference, but we use them anyway after regapping, and they go in without too much trouble. Bus fires up right away. Whoo hoo! Colin adjusts the carb settings, his speciality. It is sounding good. All is groovy, except, what's that white smoke and that little puddle of oil? Darned valve cover! Takes a few tries, but he stops the leak after he finds the dent and bends it back. Yow! hot valves!
By now it is after 7PM. We clean up a bit and go for a short drive. I get another lesson in shifting. The engine sounds good. But, oh!, those brakes! The rears are locking up and are squishy. Return home. I refill brake fluid reservoir which is down to 1/4. I go find my bottle jack and Colin looks at brakes. Spider webs galore inside! Well, its been sitting for a long, long time. I tried to kill all the black widows before you got here. Leaky L/R wheel cylinder, frozen R/R star adjuster, worn pads on front. Need CV boots. Clutch cable at it's limit. More work for the future. Colin must go, another job tomorrow. It's after 8 and the pleasant day in the low 90s with cooling breeze has turned to a balmy evening. I draw him a map to San Diego county, but he ends up in Orange county with Lanval. Huh?