OG VW Type 3 Ignition Parts

[jadney]

I'm posting this to help folks out there who have never seen what the high voltage ignition parts looked like when their cars were new. Descriptions follow below each photo. Note that these parts are suitable only for 7 mm spark plug wire with a stranded metal center conductor. I believe early VWs came with carbon core wire, as was common in those days, but those cars wil benefit from changing to modern wire and connectors.

These are OG right angle distributor cap connectors. The one on the left is by Bosch and the one on the right is by Beru. The Beru connector contains a ~1 kOhm resistor; the Bosch connector is a direct connection. The Bosch version is all I've ever seen on one of our cars, but the Beru ones must have come on some. I prefer the Bosch, because they work perfectly and there's nothing to fail.

Type 3s need right angle connectors on the distributor cap to keep the spark plug wires from rubbing against the underside of the engine cover. If they touch, they first rub thru the engine cover insulation, then they will wear thru the spark plug wire insulation. By the time you notice the engine miss due to the damaged wire insulation, your engine cover insulation has been ruined.

In this second view you can see the screw that lets these connectors screw onto the spark plug wire.

Here are the spark plug connectors that our cars share with Beetles and Busses. The red rubber insulators did not come on every car. The small red insulator on the right was a '67 introduction that was a failure because those tend to stay behind on the spark plug when you pull the connector off. Throw those away, even if they came on the new plug wireset you just bought. (Once they stick on the spark plug, you won't be able to get the spark plug socket onto the plug.)

Note that the resistors inside the spark plug connectors occasionally fail and go open (infinite resistance.) They should be checked at every tuneup and replaced if they measure infinity. Reuse the red rubber insulators; they will last indefinitely. To check the resistance, unplug the complete wire from the distributor and the spark plug and measure the total resistance from end to end. It's unnecessary to unscrew anything.

This shows how the connectors and insulators look when they are installed on the plug. The insulator keeps water from getting on the ceramic insulator and shorting out the spark. These are very effective for cars driven in wet weather. The one on the left is the one you want, but they are hard to find these days and are likely to be expensive.

Here are 2 ways of connecting the coil wire to the coil. The Bosch one on the left contains a ~1 kOhm resistor, while the one on the right is just a brass bit. Note that the "skirt" on the one on the left has been cut about 1/2" shorter than original by some ignorant previous owner. I could not find a better example to photograph.

I hear that later Bosch replacement wiresets come with a carbon core coil wire. I suspect that this is just a cheaper way to add a bit more resistance to the spark path.

The simple one on the right will work perfectly, but they have a tendency to stay behind in the coil nose when you pull the wire out. That is annoying.

For completeness, I've added this photo of an OG 12 V Type 3 coil. This is the one you want. Don't be suckered into a fancy or expensive coil; it won't work any better than this one, and it will probably fail sooner. I've shown it with the special Bosch resistor coil connector installed. You can see where the skirt of the black connector would have come if someone had not cut it short.

I didn't get a photo of a Bosch resistor distributor rotor, but you should already know what they look like. Note that they have a ~5 kOhm resistor in them; they should be checked at every tuneup. They seldom fail, but if they go open (infinite resistance) they should be replaced. Note that aftermarket rotors often omit the resistor. This makes the rotor cheaper to make, but does NOT improve engine performance.

If you come across any of these parts on an old engine, except for the small red rubber spark plug connector insulators, they are worth saving. I think only the spark plug connectors are still available new today. If your wireset has screw on connectors at each end of each wire, it's likely that you can replace only the wire occasionally, plus possibly a failed spark plug connection. This is much easier, cheaper, and effective than trying to find a good replacement wireset today.

A note on resistance:

None of the resistances here need to be exact. The function of the resistors is to reduce the amount of radio frequency noise your car's ignition system radiates. There's no magic amount of resistance; any total spark path resistance greater than 5 kOhms and less than infinity will do.

I have a very small supply of most of these parts, some NOS, some good used. The best place to find more would be at a junkyard that still has old VWs sitting around. If there's something you need 1 or 2 of, let me know. Some of these items will be expensive.

OTOH, I buy copper core spark plug wire in 100' rolls and can sell it very reasonably.
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Jim Adney
50+ years of VW Type 3 experience
Specializing in VW Type 3 parts and service

[Bobnotch]

Thanks for pics Jim. I have a question though, does the center of the distributor cap get an angled wire too> Or does it get a 90* end?
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Bob 65 Notch S with Sunroof
71 Notch ...aka Krunchy; build pics here;
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=249390 -been busy working
64 T-34 Ghia...aka Wolfie, under construction... http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=412120