TheSamba.com :: View topic

Mon Nov 02, 2015 11:04 am

I've been reading a TON of posts about the SVDA 034. The general consensus is:
OG Bosch = good
Chinese = bad

I'll go along with that but, even if you have a Bosch, isn't it now a moot point?

In this thread
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=640860&highlight=034+distributor

Glenn wrote: Individual parts are not available. You'll need to salvage them form other cores.

And even if you had the individual parts, who would you get to rebuild it?

tasb wrote: nope, don't have them and the used ones will break when you try to remove them. I will not work on 034's. I do restore lot's of "German distributors" but not the 034 or mot of the later units.

Steven

Mon Nov 02, 2015 11:58 am

And here's another thread where we talked about the 034...

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=628917&

they just weren't designed to be dismantled. It's not hard to screw up the breaker plate trying to remove it.

Mon Nov 02, 2015 12:01 pm

rebuild it yourself. The vacuum pot or pull off are available, Caps Rotor points are available. Honestly there is not a whole lot to go wrong.

Mon Nov 02, 2015 1:05 pm

What parts are not available and will break when you try to remove them from a core?

Mon Nov 02, 2015 6:12 pm

Points plate available here: http://www.autoatlanta.com/Porsche-Distributor-Poi...5227C.html
I've never had much difficulty removing the plate from SVDA/DVDA, after rotating the plate so the indents in the housing line up with
notches in the plate. Usually they've also snapped back in place with a few taps of a rubber/plastic mallet.

The shaft bushings seem to be made of some kind of sintered iron, and tend to fracture when removed, but I've recently
successfully replaced worn bushings in a SVDA with bushings removed from a core DVDA. Pressing rather than hammering seems
to be the trick. I wasn't able to source new bushings of the proper size, but I didn't look very hard, either.

Mon Nov 02, 2015 6:37 pm

I've rebuild a few for friends. I just don't want to tell someone that it can't be rebuild and have them freakout.

The aluminum models differ from year to year so you can just salvage parts from different models. They have plastic parts inside that are very brittle and can crack easily. The breaker plates can be difficult to remove and if they get tweaked/bent, the vacuum advance will not work. The vacuum canisters are different from model to model and finding replacements can be rather difficult.

Tue Nov 03, 2015 4:19 am

Howdy, anyone know what would be a suitable replacement for an 034?
I.E. any of the 205,s have a similar advance curve?

Tue Nov 03, 2015 9:52 am

The 113905205AL (the SVDA used in the early 70s in non-USA markets) and 211905205S were similar. The later 043905205K and 043905205L (again, both non-USA) were also very similar.

Wed Nov 04, 2015 10:54 pm

I've had very good luck with both the 043-905-205C and the VW 113-905-205AN

Here are the specs to compare. I just put a single vacuum can on them and turn them into SVDAs, so disregard the retard readings, and I time them just like a 034.

Beetle 1974 * 1600 Federal Manual Trans
The original 034 was Bosch 0231 170 034 / VW 043-905-205 (per Glen)
Distributor: VW 043-905-205, Bosch 0231 170 034
Can Use: VW 113-905-205AL, Bosch 0231 146 101, VW 043 905 205 ZB (Mexico) (See Note Below)
Points: 01 011
Condensor: 02 074
Rotor: 04 033
Cap: 03 010
Parts Kit (Shims, Washers & Hardware): 059-998-211, Bosch 1237 010 007
Vacuum Can: 07 059
Timing Set At:: 7.5deg BTDC @ 800-950rpm w/strobe and w/single vacuum hose disconnected and plugged
Advance/Retard Range: Vacuum: 8-12deg Adv; Centrifugal: 7-12deg @ 1600rpm, 20-25deg @ 3800rpm

Beetle 1974 * 1600 Calif Manual Trans
Distributor: VW 043-905-205C, 0231 176 028
Can Use: VW 113-905-205AN, Bosch 0231 167 070
Points: 01 011
Condensor: 02 074
Rotor: 04 033
Cap: 03 010
Parts Kit (Shims, Washers & Hardware): 059-998-211, Bosch 1237 010 007
Vacuum Can: 07 114
Timing Set At:: 5deg ATDC @ 800-950rpm w/strobe, vacuum hose(s) connected.
Advance/Retard Range: Vacuum: 5-8deg Adv, 11-13deg Ret; Centrifugal: 6-12deg @ 1500rpm, 22-25deg @ 3800rpm

Beetle 1972-1973 * 1600 Manual Trans
Distributor: VW 113-905-205AN, Bosch 0231 167 070 > 043-905-205C, 0231 176 028
Can Use: VW 113-905-205AJ, Bosch 0231 167 049
Points: 01 011
Points Replacement Plate Assy: VW 311-905-227C, Bosch 1237 110 161
Condensor: 02 054
Rotor: 04 033
Cap: 03 010
Parts Kit (Shims, Washers & Hardware): 059-998-211, Bosch 1237 010 007
Vacuum Can: 07 102
Timing Set At:: 5deg ATDC @ 800-950rpm w/strobe, vacuum hose(s) connected
Advance/Retard Range: Vacuum: 5-8deg Adv, 11-13deg Ret; Centrifugal: 6-12deg @ 1500rpm, 22-25deg @ 3800rpm