1963 hesitation questions

[summer25]

Hey everyone! I know this topic has been beat up already but there are just a couple things I still need clarification on. If anyone can shed some light I would greatly appreciate it.

My bug has been sputtering/hesitating when put into second gear. It takes a few tries for her to turn on and say I stopped to put gas and then tried to turn her on it takes several tries again for her to turn on. I've read other posts on the subject but I think my engine and carb combo is a bit different than the others. I have a 1600 dp engine with a Solex H30/31 PICT carb. The car just came back from having some work done which included a new engine gasket set which tells me the valves have been adjusted, timing and tuning have been done. She also got a new stock muffler. The car was sputtering before and now continues to do so. I check the two jets on the right side of the carb and one was a Brosol gf 50 and the other was a Solex g1-65. Both have the thread closest to the head stripped. The number on the cap of the dizzy is 1235522056. Is there somewhere else I should be looking for the number? The air filter I have on her right now is foam not the gauze type. I do have to order some other parts so if there is something I should add to my cart please let me know.

I know people are apprehensive about touching carbs but I'd like to do this myself. I have a hard time trusting other people to do the work to the detail I expect since I've been screwed over in the past. I'm attaching some photos but please feel free to ask if I'm missing something. I was reading on the vw-resource.com page and read that the carb I have can be used for a 1600 engine but is it really suitable for a dp?

[Eric&Barb]

Yes, you need the numbers stamped in the side of the distributor. Caps can fit several different units.

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[summer25]

Gotcha... so the number stamped on the side is 0231170036

[Eric&Barb]

[Eric&Barb]

Never mind, found it.

[Eric&Barb]

Here is more distributor and H30/31 PICT carb info.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=185095&highlight=043+905+205a
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[summer25]

Eric&Barb: Thank you for all the info! I’ll take better pictures today and post them. I’ll also check on that hose you mentioned. I’m still reading up on carburetor and distributors. Thanks again!

[mukluk]

You say the car sputtering/hesitating when you put it in second gear:
- Does it do it higher gears as well?
- Does it still spit and sputter if you delay your shift until reaching a higher speed?
- What speed are you shifting into the next gear?
- Which position are each of the two jets on the carb side installed in?

Part of working on a car yourself is being able to check normal maintenance and tune up items yourself, as such I would advise you verify the valve lash and timing are correctly set, don't just assume they were done. Likewise, I wouldn't assume that any real tuning was performed if for no other reason than the fact the car still doesn't run right.

The H30/31 carb can be set up to run just fine on a 1600DP, you may just have to spend a little time doing some carb tuning or adjusting jet sizes to match what your particular engine needs. The main thing you need to keep in mind is carb tuning is the last item you should perform, and only after the engine is warmed up -- valve lash, ignition dwell, and timing must all be set correctly first otherwise your carb tuning time will be wasted.
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1960 Ragtop w/Semaphores "Inga"

[summer25]

Mukluk: Hello! I'll try to answer your questions to the best of my limited knowledge.
-It does not do it at higher gears. This happens about 10 seconds or so after already being in second gear. I believe it has done it in first gear as well. But always after already having been in the gear for a bit. Not in the actual shifting process.
-I have not noticed if it happens without having reached a higher speed.
-To be honest I do not know what speed I'm at when shifting. My speedo cable popped out after hitting a bump in the road so my speedometer is currently not working. As I stated before, I just got the car back from getting a good amount of work done to it. I am not 100% happy with it thought as I feel short cuts were taken. If I want to do anything mechanically to my car I have to take it to the in-laws house since I live in an apt with an HOA.
-I'm not sure how to answer about the jets. I added a picture of them. They do not have the slit that I've seen on other jets so I do not know what position they are in. I posted the jet sizes that I took out to clean in a previous reply.

When the car is cold should the butterfly valve inside the carb be closed and slowly open more as the car warms up? I went to take some pictures and the valve is open all the way. I'm determined to learn about the function of carburetors because everyone is so scared to touch them.

I'm sorry if I sound ignorant but I'm just being honest. If you guys can guide me to getting this done right I'd be very appreciative.

One more thing! I saw this hose in the rear part of the carb with a bolt inside of it. Doesn't seem right to me. What do you guys think? If that's supposed to be capped off is there a better way of doing so? I also saw I have a few spark plug wires touching the manifold. Seems like a fire hazard. Is there a good way to tuck or zip tie these cables out of the way so that it safe and the engine bay looks clean?

[Eric&Barb]

Not seeing that hose you mention on the rear of the carb. Rear on these cars is closer to the rear bumper.

You are missing a lot of the engine tin screws which is not good. Several of the missing are for mounting the rear lower cylinder tins, so those tins are missing, which is worse.

Are you running J-tubes for the exhaust or heat exchangers? Some images up underneath will show that and more.
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[mukluk]

So you accelerate in first, shift to second, then while cruising at a steady speed in second gear for about ten seconds it starts to sputter and hesitate? That sounds very odd, especially if it doesn't have the same issue in other gears as well. Please clarify if that summary isn't correct, and add more specifics if possible.

To help answer your question about the choke and to get a little better understanding of carburetors, I would suggest reading through the two VW pamphlets located in the technical section here:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/manuals/looklisten_11.php
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/manuals/dlt_carbtuning.php

The short answer for your choke is it should have a mark on the element itself that you will align with one of two marks on the carb body, depending on the season/weather. With a cold engine, fully depressing and releasing the throttle once should allow the choke to close at least partially, the fast idle cam then holding the throttle open to aid in starting the engine. Unless it's currently over 90°F where you're at, the choke will need to be adjusted if it's staying full open all the time.

The hose with the bolt in it is just capping off the vacuum port on the side of the intake manifold. Your intake manifold is from an Autostick car, the purpose of that particular port was to provide vacuum to the reservoir for that system. You may swap the hose and bolt out for a dedicated cap made for that purpose if you can find one large enough, but the hose and bolt method is usually more effective and longer lasting albeit not very attractive in appearance.

The spark plugs are supposed to be held in clips snapped into the fan housing, your clips appear to be missing. Replacement clips are available from most any parts supplier.

With those questions aside, this would be the list of things I'd suggest:
- As noted in my previous post, ensure you have the valve lash, dwell, and ignition timing all set to specification before proceeding on with carb adjustment.
- Adjust your choke as required.
- Fix your speedometer cable.
- Make sure the two jets on the side of the carb are in the correct location: the rearmost, angled jet should be the g65, and the straight in the g50.
- Push your fuel lines all the way onto the fuel pump fittings, we don't need any more VW BBQ's. You should also consider rerouting your fuel supply line over the left intake end instead of between the intake end and the heat riser.
- Post back with any extra information you have to clarify the issues you're having.
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1960 Ragtop w/Semaphores "Inga"

[pbenn]

Two weird questions:

Dirt in the gas tank?

Loose motor/tranny mount?

[tasb]

You have a carburetor/distributor mismatch. A correct pairing will improve the drivability if not cure your problems.

Keep the carburetor?
replace the distributor with a SVA 113 905 205 M or T.

Keep the distributor?
replace with a 34 PICT 3 carburetor.
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Roads Scholar &
1957 Kombi low mileage 36 hp governor equipped M 178 Slow Drag Winner 2014, 2015, 2018

1965 hardtop Deluxe Microbus owned since 1990 M 620 factory 12 v 1500cc

1961 (October)Single Cab- Road Trip Workhorse

[summer25]

Mukluk: That's the correct summary. After thinking about it, it hasn't happened to me when I drive it. Only when my partner does. So maybe it can be a driver issue that needs some work. On the other hand, I do still think I'm having carb issues. I'm considering getting a 34 pict 3 if after doing the suggested work doesn't give positive results. I had actually found a video form of those pamphlets on youtube so I'll do some homework and watch it. As for the manifold, I didn't know that it was for an autostick! I looked up manifolds online but there are quite a few. Would you happen to know which one would work best?

Eric & Barb: I had installed all the correct engine tin screws before it went to the shop. That's how I got it back. I don't know what happened but I'm missing most of them and you made me realize I need to take a look underneath to make sure I'm not also missing the lower tins. SMH. They installed new J tubes and a new stock exhaust. Why?

pbenn: The tank is clean. I wouldn't be able to say about a loose motor/tranny mount. I do know I need a new tranny this year for sure.

I'm having a frustrating day I went to check something under the hood and realize it's stuck. I read how to try to get it open and nothing is working. There's a small gap where I can fit my hand so I might try pulling on the release cable or cutting it and getting a new one. While under the front end I realized the dual master cylinder I supplied to be installed was not installed. They put a new front disc brake kit that I had previously bought. I knew I had a bus master cylinder with the resorvoir on top and I wanted that changed out to the proper master cylinder and connected to the original resorvoir under the hood. Nope! The old on is still under there with a new reservoir on it. I'm at a loss. I appreciate everyones info and I'll get to checking all these things first before messing with the carb.

[Eric&Barb]