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Fri Jul 16, 2004 7:55 am

I currently have a 1974 Super beetle with the stock 1600cc engine with a pertronix Ignitor in it. I'm looking into putting a 1776 with either dual carbs or a 2bbl carb on it. Right now i seem to be getting 15mpg should i expect much less with a 1776cc engine, or a 2000cc?

Fri Jul 16, 2004 8:03 am

15 MPG? Holy moly man that's sup[er low. I've got a 1904 and I make better MPG then that. Does it have the stock 34 pict3? Even if itt had webers it should get better then that. I say learn how to tune your 1600 before you move on to something that involves more work to do. Oh and welcome to the club! There's no turning back now!

Fri Jul 16, 2004 8:06 am

I've got a bone stock 1600DP in my '71 Super (except for the crappy 009 that I'm replacing next week). I'm averaging 22-23 in the city, and 26-27 on the highway.

Somethin' tells me your car's not in correct tune?

Larry

Fri Jul 16, 2004 8:06 am

well it's never been rebuilt, 30 years old. It goes strong, smells alright (usually), and leaks alot of oil. It just got a tune up. The mixture isn't rich, the plugs are good looking, all the lines are in place, but it eats alot of gas. And yeah, it's the stock carb.

Fri Jul 16, 2004 8:17 am

Well if it hasn't ever ben rebuilt perhaps it needs to. how was your oil when you changed it? maybe gas is getting into there and you need to re-ring at least. Are you planning on using this as a basis for your new motor? If so I think you need to solve whatever issues you have with it now before you upgrade it

Fri Jul 16, 2004 8:21 am

It depends on your driving style and habits. I get 28mpg with my 1904 cruising @ 70mph. But if i go cruising on a Friday night... i can get as little 15-18 mpg.

Dual Dellorto 45DLRAs can suck down alot of gas.

Fri Jul 16, 2004 8:29 am

Terran wrote: well it's never been rebuilt, 30 years old. It goes strong, smells alright (usually), and leaks alot of oil. It just got a tune up. The mixture isn't rich, the plugs are good looking, all the lines are in place, but it eats alot of gas. And yeah, it's the stock carb.

Have you ruled out a weepy fuel line/ fitting on the bottom of the tank?

ever had the strong smell of fuel in the car? Sniff around the e-brake boot in the tunnel.
Another posssibility IMO is...

An engine that old may be so worn/ rings and valves/ seats that even though your perception of "runs strong" seems normal to you, what do you have to compare it too? That old an engine could be using more fuel due to the wear, and it works harder to make any power.

Or there is something wrong with the carb.

Fri Jul 16, 2004 9:09 am

Ok well i don't think it's weeping, yeah it does smell like gas, but that's mroe the top of the tank. I cruise around 60 - 70mph on the highway. the oil is usually black when i change it.

Fri Jul 16, 2004 5:57 pm

there are rubber hoses on the top side of the tank for the fuel vent system, gives a place for the gas vapors to condence. I recommend replacing the rubber lines for it. My 71' super smelled like gas every time I opened the trunk until I replaced the lines. After replacing them, my milage went up by 2mpg.... though I only drive about 3 times a week, so a tank of gas for me has a long time to evaporate... Anyway, I'm running a 1776 with dual 40 carbs and getting about 26mpg city and 30mpg highway. I usually drive easy, though I go 75 on the highway.

Sat Jul 17, 2004 5:28 pm

well we did an oil change yesturday (anybody else have trouble putting 2 seals in?? I seem to have one stud that's shorter then the other 3.) Anyway, the oil was pure black and smelled purely of gasoline. So i'm gusessing a compression check is in order to see what the cause is. Can anybody tell me what a good compression is for a beetle?

Sat Jul 17, 2004 5:50 pm

Compression around 120 is nice. Do not let it vary more than about 15 pounds. It may also be that the fuel pump diaphram is bad & is pumping fuel into the crankcase. Seen it happen. If the car had been sitting for any
LONG amount of time,check the fuel pump out! 8)

Sun Jul 18, 2004 11:21 am

Terran wrote: well we did an oil change yesturday (anybody else have trouble putting 2 seals in?? I seem to have one stud that's shorter then the other 3.) Anyway, the oil was pure black and smelled purely of gasoline. So i'm gusessing a compression check is in order to see what the cause is. Can anybody tell me what a good compression is for a beetle?

I agree with vwcarnut... just thought the same thing after reading your post, then I re read his and see he mentions the same thing.

Well now there is another thing that does come into play... the fuel pump.
don't chance it, change it. Was the oil overfull? if the fuel pump diaphram has a hole in it it will still pump enough fuel to run but will pump some inot the crankcase, and can even continue to drip inot the case when the engine is not running.

That would definantly cause some crappy milage.

Compression check is still a good idea though.

Sun Jul 18, 2004 12:47 pm

speaking of oil, i know theree's supposed to be 2 gaskets on the pan and filter but one of the 4 studs is shorter then the rest and we can't fit the nut and washer on it if there's a second gasket. would a sump extension solve this.

Mon Jul 19, 2004 7:55 am

also, what kind of hp might a 1776cc engine get versus say a 2kcc?

Tue Jul 20, 2004 7:03 am

Might be a good idea to replace the studs that are too short. Replace the cap nuts and the copper washers also since you are in there. You need both gaskets. You do not want to drip a drop of oil from the plate.

I think you can still get that stuff from the dealer or one of the parts places.

Also do it with a torque wrench to the spec so you will know how tight they are supposed to be. Be gentle with those.

Tue Jul 20, 2004 9:15 am

i don't think it's possible to replace them, i thought they were part of the sump.

Tue Jul 20, 2004 9:26 am

They can be replaced. You put 2 nuts on the stud, tighten them together, and loosen the stud with the top nut.

Tue Jul 20, 2004 10:30 am

nice, where can i buy them?

Tue Jul 20, 2004 5:49 pm

I think you could get the VW dealer to get them for you.

CIP1 has them I think:

cap nuts are #VHD-N11-0624 $0.75 each
studs (they have 6 mm x 23 mm I am not sure if that is them or not?) VHD- N14-4512 $0.35 each