67 beetle swapped distributors : updated with HD video

[airkooledchris]

http://www.aircooledtech.com/timing/strobe/

thanks for the link. it looks like one would need one of those fancy shmancy pulleys with the scale on it to time it that way.


they are only $25 or so, if I come across one on the cheap ill try and pick it up.

[hambone]

It's easier to do it statically. Just a little bulb.

[airkooledchris]

no doubt it's easier to do statically.

this was just a confirmation that it can also be done with the strobe if so inclined, or trying to rule out other possibilities in terms of poor performance.

where I am at currently is that it seems to run happily now, I just have that new backfiring issue to work on. ill try what you mentioned about the mixture next hambone, that isn't something ive tinkered with yet on the beetle.

[Randy in Maine]

I keep a golf T in my timing light bag just for timing vacuum only advance distributors with my timing light. Works great.

[dtrumbo]

My pulley is stock, but my timing light has a schmancy knob that lets me set the advance and look for the (normally) TDC mark.

Kinda like so:

[airkooledchris]

I got it out for a longer drive last night at highway speeds and my concern is that this original distributor, while in seemingly great condition, may be simply too worn for use anymore - or it just needs a professional overhaul.

Unless I keep up the revs there is hesitation when I get on the gas, and cruzing at lower RPM's in 4th it seems like there is a little hesitation or missing or something out of the ordinary. it just doesn't feel quite right.

tonight I am going to throw the 009 back in there, so I can go for another drive and just confirm that it goes back to normal and im not just being overly sensitive towards changes that aren't really happening.

if it does go right back to normal and seems like the original distributor was to blame for this, ill send it up to philbingroup up in Portland on suggestion from 'dtrumbo'. I was quoted $125 to overhaul it completely, but hopefully it doesn't need all that much work and maybe ill get a better deal in the end. (on the bench it seems perfect)


PS - I like your fancy shmancy timing light.

[Amskeptic]

I got it out for a longer drive last night at highway speeds and my concern is that this original distributor, while in seemingly great condition, may be simply too worn for use anymore - or it just needs a professional overhaul.

Unless I keep up the revs there is hesitation when I get on the gas, and cruzing at lower RPM's in 4th it seems like there is a little hesitation or missing or something out of the ordinary. it just doesn't feel quite right.

tonight I am going to throw the 009 back in there, so I can go for another drive and just confirm that it goes back to normal and im not just being overly sensitive towards changes that aren't really happening.

if it does go right back to normal and seems like the original distributor was to blame for this, ill send it up to philbingroup up in Portland on suggestion from 'dtrumbo'. I was quoted $125 to overhaul it completely, but hopefully it doesn't need all that much work and maybe ill get a better deal in the end. (on the bench it seems perfect)


PS - I like your fancy shmancy timing light.

There is nothing to "overhaul". If it spins in the bushings without untoward slop, there is nothing to do. If the vacuum advance unit moves smoothly and holds a vacuum, that's it.

Your symptoms suggest that the carburetor may not be happy with the new advance curve. Any new news in your fuel economy department? For all we know, the carb was set up pig-rich to handle the 009 flat spot, and now is drowning the correct distributor.

Check spark plug color, see what the mpgs are, let's see if we can actually nail it down. Might even need to read jet sizes and accelerator pump output. I promise you the original VW set-up was a beauty.
Colin

[airkooledchris]

Your symptoms suggest that the carburetor may not be happy with the new advance curve. Any new news in your fuel economy department? For all we know, the carb was set up pig-rich to handle the 009 flat spot, and now is drowning the correct distributor.

Check spark plug color, see what the mpgs are, let's see if we can actually nail it down. Might even need to read jet sizes and accelerator pump output. I promise you the original VW set-up was a beauty.
Colin

this is the #2 plug. too rich?

I don't have any MPG figures currently, but will check that on my next fillup.

[Amskeptic]

this is the #2 plug. too rich?
I don't have any MPG figures currently, but will check that on my next fillup.

Close to perfect. A tad leanish actually when you consider that cold misty environment you insist upon living within. I would expect a nice tan insulator with a little more blackishness on the ground electrode IF this is around-town driving represented here. If this is right after a 50 mile freeway run, then it is looking pretty good.
Colin

[airkooledchris]

Well I either screwed something up, or something happened in the middle of this switching distributors process that has me stuck.

....put that #2 plug back in after pulling it to ID it's color, then went for another short drive this morning. Still hesitation on acceleration and backfiring on decel, so I came home and pulled the original distributor and put the 009 back in.

I plugged the vacuum line off the side of the carb, set the motor to 7.5* BTDC, put in the 009 distributor and made sure the rotor was pointing to the notch on the rim where #1 should fire. I then made sure that when you put the dist cap back on that this is where the #1 plugwire is connected, then going counterclockwise I made sure they were going 1, 2, 3, 4, or 1, 4, 3, 2 clockwise.

Try to start it up and it sounds terrible. Almost like a mechanical issue, like a clunking sound. I was sure it was something with the plugwires so I re-re-retraced those. It fired up at one point, and idled terribly but I was able to confirm there was spark at each plug - but when I tried to give it a touch of throttle it ka-chunk and stopped.

I tried to put the original distributor back in, same, back to the 009, same. If I have something hooked up wrong im consistently hooking it up wrong. I don't know. It just sounds like something more is wrong than simply my removing and reinstalling the distributor could do.

Came into the house, took a little nap, reviewed by manual a bit, I don't think I have anything setup wrong. I don't want to do any damage to the motor by trying to push it into starting if something else is amiss. At this point im either going to push it back into the garage and take a look under the valve covers to see if anything is obviously wrong there - or just wait until Monday and have it towed to the local shop. I need an extra pair of eyes at this point, or at least a nights sleep before I think about it again.

signed,
befuddled.

[hambone]

Sounds like the distributor drive shaft isn't lined up right with the distributor....

[Randy in Maine]

The 009 is putting the wires on the cap 90º out of phase. March them right around the distribitor cap please.

[airkooledchris]

ok, back to where I left off.

I just started with the basics and it ended up working just fine again.
not completely sure what I did wrong.

adjusted valves, reset timing, reset points, removed and reinstalled dist and plug wires to the cap, and it fired up.

I ran it around for a bit with the 009 back installed and it went back to running fine. When cold there is a hair of hesitation, especially from 1st to second, but no more backfiring and much less hesitation overall.

If I forcefully decel hard in 2nd I can still get it to backfire a touch, but that's it, and I think that's where it started. It won't do it unless I really try to now.

The carb must just be setup specifically to make this 009 happy, so if I want to run the stock one im going to have to learn a bit more about tuning the carb on this thing to get it even happier than it is now.

Just knowing I was able to get back to my starting point is a joy, because I know I can move forward again - now that I know where ive been.

[Amskeptic]

ok, back to where I left off.

I just started with the basics and it ended up working just fine again.
not completely sure what I did wrong.

adjusted valves, reset timing, reset points, removed and reinstalled dist and plug wires to the cap, and it fired up.

I ran it around for a bit with the 009 back installed and it went back to running fine. When cold there is a hair of hesitation, especially from 1st to second, but no more backfiring and much less hesitation overall.

If I forcefully decel hard in 2nd I can still get it to backfire a touch, but that's it, and I think that's where it started. It won't do it unless I really try to now.

The carb must just be setup specifically to make this 009 happy, so if I want to run the stock one im going to have to learn a bit more about tuning the carb on this thing to get it even happier than it is now.

Just knowing I was able to get back to my starting point is a joy, because I know I can move forward again - now that I know where ive been.

Between now and our visit, feel free to experiment. I will try to get the info on jets and carbs and distributors synchronized. Perhaps we can do a quick check-up when I am there.
Colin