TheSamba.com :: View topic - What did you do to your Beetle this week?

Thu May 23, 2024 12:30 pm

what is your elevation ?

Thu May 23, 2024 3:21 pm

djfordmanjack wrote: Do you use 1/2 throttle or more at starting hot, without pumping the accelerator ?

I've tried 1/2 throttle, full throttle, 1 pump, 2 pumps, 3 pumps, etc :)

I am at 5500'. It starts like a brand new car when cold, even below 0. It always push starts while this is happening FWIW.

-Joe

Fri May 24, 2024 12:07 am

Interesting, I certainly thought about you probably living and driving on high altitude. air is a lot thinner on 5500' than on sea level. but you have probably adjusted the carb to that anyways.It's peculiar, that the hot start relais won't help.
Is the starter still a lot slower than on cold start ?
It sounds as if it may short out a bit, draw more amps and weakens spark. since it push starts easily (so it must get gas AND spark).
What air cleaner do you have on the carb?

Fri May 24, 2024 7:17 am

If you're pumping the throttle (to the floor), even once, in a warm/hot start situation, you will open the choke, and then, at least in my experience, the car will not start. I have to go back and manually release the choke for it to start.

In today's perfect FI world, people tend to forget how iffy carbs could be in some situations.

Fri May 24, 2024 4:11 pm

The warm engine start procedure is outlined in the owners manuals.
In this case, a 68 read the owners manual page 18, At temperatures above above freezing point or warm starts,
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/manuals/1968b...ransit.pdf
Note the last line in the instructions.

Fri May 24, 2024 10:13 pm

Thanks for all the tips. Tinkering is part of the fun, right 😂. But I think I solved it, I put an auxiliary electric fuel pump in. This is what a local with a baja who has owned a VW shop in town for 40 years recommended and uses on his Baja.

More pics and how I fumbled through it here: https://robonza.com/beetle/index.php/2024/05/25/auxiliary-fuel-pump-for-the-baja-bug/

-Joe

Mon May 27, 2024 2:25 pm

I swapped to 90° elbows on the pump, swapped in the metal 3031 filter and shortened the hoses. The beetle has been great on the two drives since then.

I changed the oil, added MOA and cleaned the strainer.

Got caught behind this cool camper, fortunately it was going 40 in a 65, which is fine by me.

-Joe

Sun Jun 09, 2024 12:13 pm

In my continued hot start troubles I replaced my new beru coil with a Pertronix, replaced the wire from the starter to the alternator and replaced the wire from the coil to both sides of the carb.

-Joe

Sun Jun 09, 2024 1:01 pm

I also added led rock lights on my roof basket to act as emergency flashers. Since they are going through the spod I can run them fully on, flashing or strobe(super fast flash).

-Joe

Tue Jun 11, 2024 11:52 am

OK today I once again think I might have fixed the hot start issue, could it be a bad distributor? I had a no-name electronic distributor and a no name starter. I replaced them both. I put in a pertronix and a bosch starter. It sounds good to me. Short test drive was good, I need to drive a little further. But hopefully this fixed it. I mean... how many more things can I replace ! It sounds noticeably better now.

Wed Jun 12, 2024 8:24 pm

I replaced my generator. It was my first time doing the removing the fan nut without lifting out the shroud method. I can remove a generator in 15 minutes now!

Fri Jun 14, 2024 9:56 am

KingAir42 wrote: I replaced my generator. It was my first time doing the removing the fan nut without lifting out the shroud method. I can remove a generator in 15 minutes now!

your fan is expensive, delicate and sensitive to off balance, misplaced spacers and shims can cause damage to fan hub slot. Been working on vws 25 years, never liked that method, isnt that hard to pull lid/shroud and a properly prepped generator will outlast two full life span motors..... :roll:

Sat Jun 15, 2024 2:11 am

Installed new drums, front brake shoes, front wheel cylinders, master cylinder, and brake light switch.

Sat Jun 15, 2024 7:23 am

WVDriver wrote: Installed new drums, front brake shoes, front wheel cylinders, master cylinder, and brake light switch.
And apparently did a great job, as I see no complaints about brake bleeding !!!

Sun Jun 16, 2024 8:35 pm

Had to change my oil again, when I put the sump plate back on 50 miles ago it developed a leak. It was warped from age and over tightening. I could have banged it straight, but honestly I didn’t feel like risking a leak still being present. So a new Empi plate and fel-pro gasket.

More pics here : https://robonza.com/beetle/index.php/2024/06/15/leaky-oil-sump-plate/

-Joe

Wed Jun 19, 2024 6:46 pm

I slept in it for three nights in a row at a vintage racing festival! I made a folding plywood panel roughly the same shape as the passenger floorpan - at night, I removed the passenger seat, put two milk crates down which I had camping gear in, unfolded the plywood piece, put a camping mattress on top, a pillow on the back seat, and honestly had a very comfortable sleep!

(I am not tall)

Sat Jun 22, 2024 8:45 pm

Bandi that is awesome!

I put a little padded p-clamp on the fan shroud to keep the gas line away from heat sources. I used a nutzert to secure it.

-Joe

Sat Jun 22, 2024 8:53 pm

I also replaced my cracking intake boots with the ingenious EMPI split boots. So easy!

-Joe

Sun Jun 23, 2024 9:55 am

Replaced the in-tank filter today. The old on was nasty! May just be time for a new tank.

More pics here http://robonza.com/beetle/index.php/2024/06/23/replacing-the-in-tank-fuel-filter/

Joe

Tue Jun 25, 2024 9:10 pm

New sew fine door cards!

More pics: https://robonza.com/beetle/index.php/2024/06/26/new-interior/

-Joe