Leaking Dizzy

[Chico2k]

Hi All

So Ive Bought my first bus !


I love it, but am having issues ! drove it every day in october driven it 4 times in november !

Im friends with Robbo on here who has asked a couple of questions for me ,so sorry if theres an overlap, but i seem to be going backwards rather than forwards though still forwards !

So today is a bad day and I'm puling hair I've got it running lovely ! ( not perfect ) but better than ever , its quite , smooth , responsive, pulls well ( its a 1600 tp in a bay with a solex 34-3 , its not breaking records but good and fun) no hesitation no flat spots ( it had these when i first got it) .

So I Apologise now for the length of this post but think i need to list all to be clear .

so basics . 1971 bay Panel
1600 Tp ( def twin port size actually unknown south african built SFBR engine number )
Solex 34 pict 3 recently rebuilt ( by neighbour ) has ultrasonic cleaner which helps .
Dizzy recently replaced bosch DVDA ( though blocked/Capped port on carb so was running as svda and was very warn , lots of slack/play in shaft ) now an Accuspark SVDA electronic.
compression test

Front of vehicle

130 (3) 138 (1)
115 (4) 118 (2)

Back

Engine turns over by hand Very easily , I'm comparing this to Robbos who has slightly low compression on 1 cylinder but is much harder to turn over ( pulling the belt around )

plugs are all good number two cylinder is "slightly wet" theres an issue there but don't think its desperate its just not as "dry" as the others .

after replacing the Dizzy i have oil coming out of the dizzy bowl , i.e. coming up the shaft and out of one of the holes in the base , the old dvda did not have these holes so was no leaks then .

from everything I've read this would suggest high crankcase pressure ? , I do have an aftermarket air filter , but have the breather pipe is attached , there is very few other oil leaks one torsion tube seal on cylinder 4 , and it does seem to blow out the bottom of the breather tube which seems to coat the right hand side ( as looking from rear) but not so bad as to be leaving a trail where ever you go .

I have replaced oil strainer gaskets oil (haslo 10w30) plugs (bosch w8)ht leads (petronix standard 7mm) dizzy SVDA accuspark electronic.

Daily drive is 6 miles AM 6 PM temperature this time of year averages about 3 celcius morning 6 c evening . but plus or minus 5 degrees .

Robbo has pointed out that the dizzy isn't sitting "normally" as in the vacuum can is to the left as opposed to facing the rear bumper , this is the same as the original bosch that i replaced .

timing at 3500 rpm is 29 to 30 degrees and falls back to 6.5/7.5 at idle
and is running lovely ish ( idle jumps up down 40 ish rpm)

Have spoken to accuspark who are happy to refund me, but have said there is no point in replacing as will have the same problem , looking at many new dizzys ( including bosch) all now seem to have the holes at the base .

So im in your hands , i have no idea , I'm a fitter rather than a mechanic if that makes sense , so hope you can help .

crankcase pressure ? how to solve ? dizzy ? where to start ?

Original setup

now

Leaking from here

Hope you can help

thx

Chico

[Wildthings]

In general I would say high crankcase pressure. You should make sure the hose running to your air cleaner is not blocked with engine snot. Cold oily condensate will build up in the downward bend of the hose blocking off the flow of crankcase fumes.

You might want to run the hose into the top of the air cleaner to give it more slope. You don't want to be running down the road and have the engine blow all the oil out because the hose has clogged.

[Tom Powell]

Distributor o-ring worn or missing?

Aloha
tp

[Robbo]

[Glenn]

Worn fiber washers (seals) on the mainshaft letting oil up and in.

Time for a rebuild.
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[busdaddy]

[kreemoweet]

Later Bosch dist.'s have an oil return thread cut into the shaft at the upper bushing, pushing oil into the space between
the shaft and the lower housing, and then a drain hole and channel from that space into the crankcase. Maybe your
aftermarket dist. is missing those niceties? Or maybe it's just high crankcase pressure. I can't see how the
distributor position could cause oil to come up past the upper bushing.
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[Robbo]

What are the main causes of high crankcase pressure? Can't be the rings surely as it has good compression at the spark plug holes?

[volksworld]

the position of the distributor has nothing to do with it...it just means whoever rebuilt the engine installed the distributor drive gear a tooth or 2 off...and will run fine like that...i can see you have a road draft tube off your oil filler...just make sure some idiot didnt plug the bottom...a leakdown test is more accurate than a compression test to pinpoint if compression loss is past the valves or rings...but i think if the rings were that bad it would be slinging oil out behind the pulley and smoking...in 40 years of owning a vw shop i've never seen an engine push oil up a distributor shaft and leak(except on 16 v golf motors when the shaft wore loose in the housing...and they were mounted horizontal!)...so i wouldnt necessarily want another potentially defective distributor from the same company...try to borrow another one or buy another brand...no substitute for stock vw

[Chico2k]

Hi All

Thank you , this is all obviously a huge learning curve for me .

Dizzy , position i think is ok, as it only fits one way because of the offset and no 1 is at 5 o'clock which marrys up with TDC I've checked when adjusting valves / replacing rocker cover gaskets , and is roughly the same position as the old one . It seems to have timed up ok , in that position. not saying its technically correct , just thats where its happy !

There is some oil leak issues , mainly it seems from the the " road draft tube"
which isn't possibly as long as it should be . is above the bottom of engine , not sure height it should be ? it does dribble oil from here when parked . ( although i thought it was actually capped off when left the factory with a rubber cap ?} the bottom of the case shows oil which i think is the same , the previously mentioned torsion tube etc . there is no oil leak "topside" of the engine I'm running j tubes (thats what it came with ) and no leaks from cover gaskets on to these , there is signs of flywheel oil seal ? ( between engine and gearbox but very slight)

Engine does smoke a little on startup, but clears once choke cuts out , I'm still tinkering with carb after rebuild , so presume/d i just need to lean it out a little / adjust choke .

Im happy to buy another dizzy if thats likely to solve it , but as there are no Bosch units anymore The "Replica" units all look pretty much the same, wether there £50 accuspark or £150 Petronix the castings all seem to be identical .

Is there a simple test to confirm Crankcase pressures ?

Thanks again for all the help

Chico

[Wildthings]

[Chico2k]

Hi Wildthings

Thanks , I did take note , Im on the hunt for an oil bath one , to see if that helps .

thx
Chico

[Chico2k]

Hi All

So done some oil pressure checks today

On start up (cold engine) was at 45psi

after leaving to warm up approx 10minutes choke off etc psi had dropped to between 15 and 20psi

Revving to 3500 rpm pressure rises up to approx 48-50psi never over 50

Does that seem ok ?

Thanks

Chico

[Wildthings]

Oil pressure and crankcase pressure are not very much relate. You oil pressure can be high or low and have no effect on your crankcase pressure, the opposite is true as well.

[mikedjames]

Both the Chinese and Bosch distributors which I have have drain holes in the bottom of the section where the centrifugal weights sit.
And they both have an oil feed screw leading to a hole in the side which feeds oil down a groove in the side of the nose of the distributor and back to the sump.

If you have high crankcase pressure and oil blowing out you either have an aftermarket breather system with a restriction or worn piston rings or both. The worn piston rings will not stop the engine running it just gets worse until the oil starts fouling up plugs.

I had an engine with a stock 20mm breather tube and it would still spit oil out of the dipstick tube (if you left it out) while it was running and out the crank pulley would spray oil too.
In the end I bought new pistons and cylinders for it.
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1979 Westerly GK24 24 foot racer/cruiser yacht Forethought of Gosport.
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[tasb]

If the old Bosch distributor was not allowing oil to drip out the housing and the new one does. It's the fault of the new distributor.

The holes are not for draining oil they are for allowing 02 to enter the distributor housing to eliminate ozone from the sparking points= vent. If the ozone has no where to go you will have a new problem...

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