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3 years worth of running issues, please help!
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Eric&Barb
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 13, 2025 2:45 pm    Post subject: Re: 3 years worth of running issues, please help! Reply with quote

Also please post at least two images looking up at underside of the engine just forward of the muffler showing the rear side of the engine. Looks like you are missing the lower rear cylinder pair of tins that need to be there to cool evenly #2 & #4 cylinders. If those tins are MIA, that will cause cylinders to warp due to uneven cooling and premature wear of those cylinders with loss of compression.
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 14, 2025 11:22 am    Post subject: Re: 3 years worth of running issues, please help! Reply with quote

So I went out to take some more pics tonight and had a look round the engine bay in general, the rail to attach the seal round is absolutely mangled, I doubt I’ll be able to get the seal to sit in the rail properly if at all. It also looks like the engine is sitting too close to the rear of the car. I’ve attached some more pics of all around, some of the rails and some of the underside as well. I’ve also ordered an idle solenoid which should be here tomorrow hopefully so I can try to remove the one currently fitted that is unbelievably tight in the carb, more just to eliminate it.

I can’t find any numbers or anything on the carb itself which isn’t overly helpful. I’m worried I’ll never be able to get a decent sealed engine bay now after looking at all this tonight. I also have the heater pipe on the OS of the engine I’ve just not refitted it yet after messing on with the plugs and leads etc.


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volky1970
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 14, 2025 11:28 am    Post subject: Re: 3 years worth of running issues, please help! Reply with quote

Brinny,

Looks like you are missing the deflector tin between the cylinders. Can't be like that. Verify.
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Eric&Barb
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 14, 2025 12:47 pm    Post subject: Re: 3 years worth of running issues, please help! Reply with quote

volky1970 wrote:
Brinny,
Looks like you are missing the deflector tin between the cylinders. Can't be like that. Verify.


Concur those tins are missing, and lethal to run an air cooled VW engine without.

Guessing this beetle has only done in town driving for very short trips since this engine was installed. Probably in cooler weather for the most part has helped to have it not seize up the engine.

No muffler clamps, a good way to get monoxide poisoning.

No clamps between the muffler and heater boxes.

Plus heater boxes need welding repairs.

Rear apron has been hit causing the seal problem, but that should be an easy fix with a hand winch and some objects like trees to anchor the beetle in place.
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Eric&Barb
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 14, 2025 12:52 pm    Post subject: Re: 3 years worth of running issues, please help! Reply with quote

A fellow VW bus owner has a thread we are helping with. Engine for bus almost same as beetle, so good reference info and images there for you:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=805107

Especially check out the images OP posted early today.
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Brinny
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 14, 2025 1:21 pm    Post subject: Re: 3 years worth of running issues, please help! Reply with quote

I’ve only driven to work and back when I’ve been able to drive him which is 5 miles each way. What do you guys think is the best plan of action at the moment? I’d like him to be right and run properly and be sort of reliable but the more I seem to look and fix the more I seem to find. I know for sure the floor pans and the heater channels etc are all solid and he’s fully under sealed so surely that’s worth keeping, should I pull the lump out and start a fresh engine build and get the engine bay right? Seems to be the easiest way to make sure it’s gunna be all right.
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 14, 2025 1:26 pm    Post subject: Re: 3 years worth of running issues, please help! Reply with quote

FYI; schematics from VW Heritagepartsscentre.

You appear to miss quite a bit of cooling tinware, interconnects btw. fresh air cooling fan air supply into heater boxes (and maybe into chassis/body?) etc.

While I could not via the pictures see indeed missing actual exhaust path leaks, missing clamps etc. - it is the fresh air part (heating surrounding the exhaust) that is missing clamp etc. - maybe I missed something though.

Easy fixes, and the cooling being important for other than short sprint runs. Even then important enough.



https://www.heritagepartscentre.com/au/volkswagen/beetle/cooling/cooling-tinware.html

https://www.heritagepartscentre.com/au/volkswagen/beetle/exhaust/heat-exchangers-j-tubes.html

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PostPosted: Thu Aug 14, 2025 1:44 pm    Post subject: Re: 3 years worth of running issues, please help! Reply with quote

Also; the pre-heated air to air filter (see example below) and hence cold(er) weather and initial running may be releavnt to adress;

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PostPosted: Thu Aug 14, 2025 3:13 pm    Post subject: Re: 3 years worth of running issues, please help! Reply with quote

Brinny wrote:
should I pull the lump out and start a fresh engine build and get the engine bay right? Seems to be the easiest way to make sure it’s gunna be all right.


Personally would get a core engine to rebuild or have rebuilt.

Meanwhile take a weekend to pull the engine you have now. Strip it down to long block, clean it up. Take one head off at a time so you can replace the under cylinder tin pieces, install new push rod tube seals. Then reassemble it back to a full engine, with all the missing parts replaced.

That way once you have the new engine rebuilt you have a spare runner on the shelf, or sell/trade it off if need be.
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 15, 2025 1:54 pm    Post subject: Re: 3 years worth of running issues, please help! Reply with quote

Thanks for all the info and help on this everyone, looks like I’ve got some work to do haha! Now I’ve just got to find the right bits to order which is always another fun game I’ve found with this engine, for example the idle solenoid arrived today and it’s the wrong one Laughing
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 15, 2025 2:40 pm    Post subject: Re: 3 years worth of running issues, please help! Reply with quote

Brinny wrote:
Thanks for all the info and help on this everyone, looks like I’ve got some work to do haha! Now I’ve just got to find the right bits to order which is always another fun game I’ve found with this engine, for example the idle solenoid arrived today and it’s the wrong one Laughing


Just keep us all updated. That way all of us here can help to steer you from any pitfalls coming up.
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 21, 2025 12:06 pm    Post subject: Re: 3 years worth of running issues, please help! Reply with quote

Evening all, so tonight I rebuilt my carb, replaced all the gaskets cleaned out all the jets by removal and spraying through everywhere with carb cleaner, cleaned the bowl out and changed the float and set it back to starting settings (2.5 turns out on volume and bypass screws etc). Cranked it over after rebuilding it and it wouldn’t fire so I popped the dizzy cap off and the timing was 180° out so I’ve corrected that, cranked it a few different times when it was obvious the timing was still out so I’ve done little adjustments to try get it close and it’s now cranking over freely again but still won’t seem to fire. Im pretty sure the leads are on in the right order, I’m not sure whether it might just be flooded after cranking so much while I’ve adjusted the timing or whether it’s something else entirely. Does anyone have a picture of the correct lead positions just in case it’s that or any other things I should check as to why it won’t start?
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 21, 2025 12:55 pm    Post subject: Re: 3 years worth of running issues, please help! Reply with quote

This post, start to end...

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=804968

While your specific question (but please do read);

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PostPosted: Thu Aug 21, 2025 1:13 pm    Post subject: Re: 3 years worth of running issues, please help! Reply with quote

If you have compression, then check for spark (plus color of the spark) and if fuel is getting to accelerator nozzle in the carb.

Did you fill the float chamber of the carb so the entire fuel system does not need to fill??? Mechanical fuel pumps work much much better at a idle speed to suck the fuel from the tank to the pump.
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 21, 2025 3:14 pm    Post subject: Re: 3 years worth of running issues, please help! Reply with quote

I think I’ve figured it out in my head but just to clarify with the 1-4-3-2 firing order, if my rotor arm faces cylinder 1 at TDC that’s where #1 lead will be then next in sequence clockwise would be #4 am I right? I currently have them in 1-2-4-3 if that’s statement is correct.
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 21, 2025 3:17 pm    Post subject: Re: 3 years worth of running issues, please help! Reply with quote

Brinny wrote:
I think I’ve figured it out in my head but just to clarify with the 1-4-3-2 firing order, if my rotor arm faces cylinder 1 at TDC that’s where #1 lead will be then next in sequence clockwise would be #4 am I right?


Correct.
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 21, 2025 3:40 pm    Post subject: Re: 3 years worth of running issues, please help! Reply with quote

The stupid way I have always remembered the firing order has been to write an "X".

Remembering that you always start with the Cylinder 1 (Front right), if you write a capital X like I do (or maybe most do), you start with the top right, then cross down to the bottom left, then the top left to the bottom right.

That always gets me the 1-4-3-2 order.
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 22, 2025 1:06 am    Post subject: Re: 3 years worth of running issues, please help! Reply with quote

Brinny wrote:
So I went out to take some more pics tonight and had a look round the engine bay in general, the rail to attach the seal round is absolutely mangled, I doubt I’ll be able to get the seal to sit in the rail properly if at all. It also looks like the engine is sitting too close to the rear of the car. I’ve attached some more pics of all around, some of the rails and some of the underside as well. I’ve also ordered an idle solenoid which should be here tomorrow hopefully so I can try to remove the one currently fitted that is unbelievably tight in the carb, more just to eliminate it.

I can’t find any numbers or anything on the carb itself which isn’t overly helpful. I’m worried I’ll never be able to get a decent sealed engine bay now after looking at all this tonight. I also have the heater pipe on the OS of the engine I’ve just not refitted it yet after messing on with the plugs and leads etc.



AS others have observed, there is a fair amount of vital engine tinware and air deflector plates missing. Most likely will have to remove engine to get these installed.

But the main S-shaped rubber seal that goes around L, R, and REAR (of car) of the engine can be installed without removing engine, though you will greatly test the Fruit of the Spirit (joy, kindness, patience etc.. ) Very Happy in doing so.

Screwdriver and pliers to remove old hardened rubber and straighten out the c-shaped metal channel the seal slides in on the body. And then baby powder/mazina/soap to help slide the new seal in from one open end the whole way along.
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 22, 2025 3:44 am    Post subject: Re: 3 years worth of running issues, please help! Reply with quote

The missing engine tin is critical for engine cooling. I agree w/blues, you will have to drop the engine to fix that. Some pieces, like the underside cylinder deflectors, can't be installed w/out dropping the motor, loosening the head, and temporarily removing the pushrod tubes.

W/the engine out, you can replace the rear seal. I use the foam one sold for '72+ plus Busses. Every online vendor sells it. Super easy to install, can be done easily w/the engine in the car....which you need to drop.
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 22, 2025 10:13 am    Post subject: Re: 3 years worth of running issues, please help! Reply with quote

I would pull the engine and replace all the seals. While you're at it address the cooling tin and exhaust situation.
Then before you reinstall the engine sort out the body and get a proper perimeter seal installed as well.
Its good to see that it still has the thermostat and flaps.

Its a lot of work but it will have a huge impact on year-round drivability and reliability.
What you have here is a prime example of a typical neglected VW.
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