Dual carb water?

[RanX0R0X]

A few months back I put a new engine in. A couple of weeks ago I had a shotgun blast backfire but things continued to run just fine. However, it finally got to where it wouldn't start.

After we pulled the engine, popped the heads off, it became obvious that the pistons and inside of the cylinders were getting water and had rust in them. These were new Mahles.

Most of the time I keep the car under a tarp and under my carport. I'm in Austin TX so it isn't like I'm in a hurricane zone.

The only thing I can think is that the carbs were slurping in whatever water they could get and that was getting sucked into the piston. But that seems a rather odd scenario.

I'm putting this back together with new cylinders/pistons and some replacement parts but would obviously prefer to not repeat.

Just as an FYI, when pushing on the piston rods, the crank turned, as one person put it, like butter.

There was plenty of oil and it looked clean. I'd just checked it the week before and it was about exactly in the middle between the two lines on the dip stick. Since there was still a little room, I put a half quart of fresh oil in there.

So I'm a bit mystified and would really like to see if I can get at this problem up front. Otherwise it looks like I'll have to pull the heads after a few weeks and monitor what's happening, the a couple of weeks later, and a couple of weeks later...

I have ordered a water/fuel separator filter from CP Performance. Probably not necessary but it does eliminate one possible source of water contamination.

Amy thoughts? Comments? Anything that might be specific to the Ghia in terms of where the slots are on the decklid in relation to where dual carbs sit?

[scotty timmerman]

do you have air cleaners on the carbs or open velocity stacks? does the deck lid have the water catch tray on it?
_________________
71 ghia coupe
71 type 3 fastback auto
71 type 3 fastback manual
73 super beetle

[RanX0R0X]

There are filters on them. The CB Performa Del'orto filters.

Hmm. i'm not sure about the catch tray. I'll have to look. I do believe so but won't swear to it. I have the books so can look it up but does anyone have a hand pic of it?

[mlhsquared]

Looking at your gallery pics, I see you have a '68. You will not have the catch tray, as this was a plastic removable rain tray on later model Ghias. Yours is like my '67, where the tray is a permanent metal part of the hood.

Sorry that I can't offer any suggestions beyond that.
_________________
Mike
'67 Ghia Coupe "Lumpy"

The Panhandle Aircooled Club: www.panairvws.com

[ovghiaguy]

just for the heck of it, did you use filter oil on the filters?

[RanX0R0X]

[c21darrel]

I think ovghiaguy was asking if your air filters were oiled, K&N has a special oil to pretreat and renew filters.
You gotta findout if there is water in your oil before going forward. Has your engine cover been modified...ie someone cut out the water catch?
Pictures tell 1000 words... Figure out how the water entered (#4) and eliminate #'s 5 and 6 on your list.

[RanX0R0X]

The problem was that when my friend was looking inside he dumped most or all of the oil onto the driveway. So I didn't get a good chance to see. The oil level hasn't change in a number of months though. I'll see what more I can find out.

Nothing was cut out though

[RanX0R0X]

So the filters are oiled.
I verified that there wasn't water in the case itself. Just oil. So it appears that the most likely culprit is through the gas.

But doesn't it seem unlikely that with oiled filters under an unmodified decklid that the water would be coming from the atmosphere? I mean, coming through in any volume that would cause that sort of problem.

I'm mystified and until I can dump the old gas won't have any further info. If there's water in there then we have the culprit, so to speak. At that point a locking gas cap and water/fuel separator filter ought to do the trick. At least with the filter in place I can check regularly to see if there's any new build up of water.

[c21darrel]

agree, not from the decklid. I wonder how much water would need to be in the fuel in order to cause cyl. rust.

[RanX0R0X]

The mechanic just drained the tank and found two gallons of water. Even if the gas tank filler cap was off and the flap open I can't imagine enough rain getting in there to put in two gallons. Neither of those have been the case and most of the time it has been under the car port and I live in Austin Texas where we generally beg for rain.

The day I was trying to start it unsuccessfully I saw the punk from next door having a laugh with his girlfriend. Didn't think much of it at the time. Every the next door neighbors kids come around stuff happens. One day the neighbor across the street knocked on my door because someone had moved all his deck furniture into my yard.

Just happened to occur when the next door neighbors kids were home.

I can't prove anything of course.

[Murdlem]

How old is the neighbor kid? I'd be having a talk with his parent if he is under 18.
_________________
Eric Meldrum
70 Ghia Coupe
72 Ghia Convertible

[RanX0R0X]

Anyone know of a source for a locking gas cap for the size and style of filler on the '68 Ghia. A buddy brought a locking gas cap over that didn't fit. He just bought one off the shelf at a parts store so that wasn't too surprising.

Any pertinent information?