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russellbd Samba Member
Joined: April 13, 2004 Posts: 60
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Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2005 8:41 pm Post subject: gas cap? and ok to drive at different altitudes |
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first off on my 73 thing the gas cap does not do much as a cap. Any time I take a left hand turn tons of gas spews out. I looked at the cap and it does not seem as if it was every desinged to seal the tank. What are some alternatives every one else has used, or is it just my cap.
Second I have a new 1835 and I just got the single IDF 40 tunned at a shop. I am planning on taking it to California from Denver (5000ft). Will it do any thing bad to drive the from from 5000 ft to sea level?
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glutamodo The Android
Joined: July 13, 2004 Posts: 26306 Location: Douglas, WY
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Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2005 9:02 pm Post subject: |
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Does your gas cap look like like the one I'll list below? It should be one of these heavy thick caps - the heaviest cap that I think VW ever made, which also can be fitted to the 61-67 bugs, I have one on my Baja bug and it seals fine. It's also a "safety cap" which will allow venting if the tank pressure is too high. -andy
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=151361
As for taking a trip, i've drove alll over the country in my Bugs set up for this altitude. Every now and then I've had to stop and retard my spark a little bit when I heard pinging. I'm not sure how your carb is set up, for me I've always had stock carbs, which I run with slightly larger air correction jets to let more of the thinner air up here into the mixture. At lower elevations that would mean the mixture will probably be a little leaner. But I don't think you should have any major problems.
andy |
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russellbd Samba Member
Joined: April 13, 2004 Posts: 60
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Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2005 9:21 pm Post subject: |
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thanks for the reply. That is what I thought about taking it to lower altitude.
Yes that is my cap. The gas goes in the middle and then out around the sides. I am going to look now and see if the check valve is messed up. Is it ok to buy any used one, from the thing shop etc?
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kubelmann Samba Member
Joined: April 13, 2003 Posts: 3266
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Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2005 10:16 pm Post subject: |
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The slosh and loss of fuel on the turn syndrome is usually caused by a sour gasket or a plugged fuel venting system. The gas cap offered on the last post is up for sale by a fellow Thing owner who is a good guy. Buy it without worry. He is honest and a kind person. If you are not happy he will make it right. I bought a load of used caps a numnber of years ago and now every time one goes sour, I swap it out with another. K-mann |
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Big Luni Samba Member
Joined: December 29, 2003 Posts: 427 Location: Hartford, CT
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Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2005 7:52 am Post subject: |
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You may have the aftermarket gas cap that usually went for about $15, whereas the German one usually went for about $70. I bought an aftermarket one several years ago from The Thing Shop, before they offered an OEM one. I had left my original at a gas pump, and needed a replacement. While my old one had worked perfectly, the replacement one sloshed gasoline all over my brand new paint job. I sent it back and got another one, and that one did the same thing! At that point, the lady at The Thing Shop said that the only reliable cap they had was the locking one for $75, so I bought one (though my paint had already been ruined by that point). That one has worked fine ever since (though they shouldn't have sold me the other one in the first place without warning me about the quality issues). In later years, The Thing Shop included a "Not guaranteed" disclaimer with the cheap caps. I don't think they offer them anymore, as they seem to have German ones now for $12!
Anyway, to answer your question, a used OEM one should be just fine at any altitude. My original one was almost 25 years old when I lost it, and worked perfectly. I drove from CT to NM and back, over many altitudes with no issues. The locking ones are fine, too- just avoid the "3rd World" aftermarket ones. |
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Bruce Samba Member
Joined: May 16, 2003 Posts: 17285 Location: Left coast, Canada
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Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2005 2:19 pm Post subject: |
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If your engine was tuned properly at sea level, get some idle jets that are smaller than your existing ones by 5. When you get up to the high elevation you will notice you have a significant loss in power. Switching to the smaller idle jets will restore some of that lost power and reduce the black smoke when you are driving. If you are only going to be there a short time, do not adjust your idle mixture screws. That way your mixture will be perfect when you return to sea level. |
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