Distributor notch discrepancy

[Tim Donahoe]

I’ve got a friend that just bought a Bosch 034, and he’s replacing his 205T. He’s concerned that the notch on the rim of the 034 is in a different place than in his older 205T. Personally, I pay no attention to the notch location for many reasons, but my friend seems put out. I tried to talk him into going with Bill at Sparxwerks, but he went with some random guy on EBay. But he says the 034 distributor, and he knows his stuff, so I have no worries there.

Is the notch location different between these two Bosch distributors?

Tim
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Richard O'Brien

[tasb]

Yes, the notches are in different places so the distributor will need to be re-indexed and re-timed for the new distributor. Your friend went from a dsitributor that delivers 32 degrees of vacuum only advance from 1970 to a distributor that delivers both vacuum and mechanical advance from 1974. Hopefully he recognizes that the two distributors play with different carburetors.
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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

[Tim Donahoe]

Tasb, yes, be had Tim at Volkzbitz restore his Solex 34 pict 3 to match the Bosch 034.

The car is a 1970 Ghia, and it’s a dual-port 1600. Hopefully, he’ll be happier with the new combination.

Tim
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Richard O'Brien

[Glenn]

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Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
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[Tim Donahoe]

Thanks, guys. I let him know about the different notch locations. And I told him to pay no attention to them, as depending on that notch for number one can be a real kick in the ass anyway.

Tim
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Let's do the Time Warp again!

Richard O'Brien

[heimlich]

The notch on the 113 905 205 T and 043 905 205 about 180 degrees off from one another. You can ignore that notch and set your wires up from TDC.

There's nothing wrong with buying on eBay and I imagine he got a really good deal on it there. It's like buying anywhere else. You need to know what you are purchasing or buy from a seller that guarantees and stands behind their work such as myself and others.
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[Glenn]

[heimlich]

That's one really good thing about TheSamba. The people on here keep a good eye on the classifieds.

[Glenn]

[ashman40]

When replacing distributors....

Start by positioning the engine so it is at the end of #1 cylinder compression stroke (#1 intake & exhaust valves both closed + crank pulley at TDC). For good running engines, the rotor tip should be pointing to the distributor cap post where the #1 plug wire is installed. If your current distributor is properly installed the rotor will be pointing to the notch on the rim of the distributor body.
If you are not certain where the #1 plug wire should be installed (non-working engine) then rotate the crank pulley CW and watch the #1 cylinder intake valve movement to determine when it is at the end of the compression stroke (180deg after the #1 intake valve closes at the end of the intake stroke). Either of these methods can be used to position the engine at the end of #1 compression stroke.

Remove the old distributor.

Look down into the case opening and confirm the top of the distributor drive gear looks like this properly installed gear when engine is at the end of #1 compression stroke:



If it doesn't look like the above it means the gear is installed incorrectly and the position of the #1 plug wire on the distributor cap will be shifted. There are 12 teeth on the drive gear so there are 11 incorrect positions and 1 correct position. Each tooth is a 30deg change in the gear rotation.

Make sure there is a spring in the center of the distributor drive gear top. This spring applies downward pressure to the gear and upward pressure on the distributor rotor.

Install the new distributor noting the offset slot in the top of the drive gear and the offset key at the bottom of the distributor. They mate only one way. Make sure they are properly lined up and mated. If your distributor has a vacuum canister, as you install the distributor orient the canister towards the rear of the car.
Test that the distributor is fully seated by trying to rotate the rotor by hand. It will either not rotate at all (SVA distributor) or if the distributor has a spring loaded mechanical advance mechanism the rotor will rotate in one direction and then spring back to the start position when released. You should not be able to rotate the rotor and it stay where you turn it. If it does it means the key at the bottom is not properly engaged with the top of the drive gear.

Fasten the distributor hold down clamp to the case. Loosen the horizontal bolt/nut for the clamp so you can adjust the rotation of the distributor body.

Make a note where the rotor is pointing. This location around the distributor will be where you need to install the #1 plug wire on the distributor cap. Why? Because the engine is position for #1 cylinder to fire its spark plug. The function of the distributor is to deliver that spark to the correct spark plug wire at the correct time.
To ease future tune ups... rotate the body of the distributor until the #1 plug wire notch is below the rotor tip. From here on the notch represents where the #1 plug wire should be installed around the cap.
If you are unable to rotate the distributor body because the vacuum canister hits something and won't let you line up the #1 notch with the rotor tip... this is one of the problems you encounter when the distributor drive gear is installed incorrectly. You can either reinstall the drive gear correctly, or you can add a new #1 plug wire mark using paint or a permanent marker.
Install the distributor cap. It has a key that fits into the large cutout in the rim of the distributor body so can only be installed 1 way. Insert the #1 plug wire into the post over the rotor tip. Install the remaining plug wires onto the cap in the CW firing order of 1-4-3-2.

Set the dwell/point gap.

Static time the ignition to 7BTDC.

Start the engine. Fully warm it up so the engine is idling and the choke is off.

Use a strobe timing light to set the ignition timing based on the model of the distributor you have installed.

Reconnect any vacuum hoses to their appropriate ports.

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AshMan40
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'67 Beetle #1 {project car that never made it to the road }
'75 Beetle 1200LS (RHD Japan model) {junked due to frame rot}
'67 Beetle #2 {2019 project car - Wish me luck!}

[Tim Donahoe]

I just got back from the guy’s house, and the Bosch 034 distributor was beautiful. The EBay guy even sent him a Shepherd’s crook in the deal. The owner put the wrong rotor in, but I had a spare, so all went well from there.

I had him take off the right valve cover to confirm that he was at TDC for number one wire. We played with adjusting it, but the choke needed adjusting, so we left it there. It runs fine, but too rich at the moment.

Tim
_________________
Let's do the Time Warp again!

Richard O'Brien