HELP!!! Gas in Oil

[[email protected]]

Ok, my bus has been sitting because Im not really driving it till this summer. It has only been sitting about weeks. I drive it about twice a week. It has been pretty cold here in CO. I woke up one morning and there was gas everywhere on the ground. I didnt worry because it has happened before and someone told me that the cold probably just pushed the gas out of the lines. Now to my problem. I went to change the valve cover gaskets because they were leaking when I quit driving it. (remember, I havent driven it in two weeks) I pulled the valve cover off and tons of gas came spilling out. So, I figured this was trouble and tons of gas came spilling out of the block when I drained the oil. Is this a problem?? What would have caused this? Thank you very much.
matt

[NeverHadaBeetle]

Is this a problem? Is it April 1st already or are you just jumping the gun a little? You should first start by ignoring any dumbass that would tell you not to worry about gas on the ground and that it was just the cold pushing the gas out of the lines. What does this even mean and what makes them think it should wind up on the ground anyway? Since it's happening when the bus is sitting then your carb is obviously leaking fuel into the intakes and it's just running on down through the intake valves, into the heads, into the case, onto the ground. The float in your carb bowl has obviously malfunctioned and the float valve isn't stopping the fuel. I would say it may be your fuel pump, but since you have a lot of fuel in the heads then chances are it came through the carb. A leaky mechanical fuel pump usually just dumps fuel into the case. Remove the carb and rebuild it yourself or take it to somebody that knows how. Obviously you shouldn't drive it until this problem is corrected since gasoline doesn't work well for internal engine lubrication. And keep your bus away from the person who said this was just the cold pushing the fuel out of the lines. This dumbass is your VW's worse enemy.

[keifernet]

if it is that much fuel getting into the case IMHO it is the fuel pump, still I agree the needle valve should be looked at too, but the pump will allow the tank to "siphon" and the needle/seat would not.

[[email protected]]

I have an electrical fuel pump not mounted on the engine. Do you still think it could be the fuel pump? I changed the oil, ran it for about a minute, then changed it again to make sure the gas is out. It seems to be running great, but I found another problem. The fuel filter had a very rusty color in it. So, I changed that also. The guy at the parts store told me to put ISO HEAT in it to help control the rust. How hard is it to pull the fuel tank though. Because I would rather have it clean than to have to keep replacing fuel filters. Thanks.
matt

[NeverHadaBeetle]

Search under "Gas Tank" and there are several recent threads regarding the removal of the fuel tank. However, rust in the tank would not likely cause your current problem. If you have an electric fuel pump then your problem is definitely the carb. Your electric fuel pump is not designed to stop the flow of fuel even when the bus is not running. However, the float and needle valve in the carb are designed to accomplish this precise function. It needs to be fixed because chances are slim that this type of problem is intermittent. If it has happened once it will not stop until you fix it. Even if you drive the bus everyday and even if it seems to run OK the carb is still leaking and it is dangerous. It is also causing very premature wear in your bearings, pistons, rings, cylinders, etc. At least it is also removing any sludge built up inside the case, but at a high cost in engine wear. See most everything has a bright side.

[vwsrus]

Take care of it quick. It happened to me a long time ago. The carb leaked gas into the block thinning out the oil. When it came time to drive it, all the gassy oil burned off and I lost all comperssion quick. It toasted the engine. I didn't trust the berrings on the crank after that.

[[email protected]]

Ok, So I will take off the carbs and rebuild them. There was only gas in the right head, so do I only need to rebuild the right carb? Also, is there a good write up anywhere on how to rebuild this particular carb. I have rebuilt chevy carbs but not VW. The thought of rebuilding it actually kind of scares me. Thank you everyone, you all are a great bunch of help.
matt
P.S. Do you think the cold had anything to do with it. If so, I will still fix it, I am just curious. Thanks.

[NeverHadaBeetle]

The cold had nothing to do with it. I assume you have a 1972-74 bus with the stock dual carbs. I have never rebuilt one of these, but they aren't complicated. For the most part Solex carbs are simple and easy to rebuild. The Bentley manual or other printed manuals show an expanded blown up view of the carbs which is about all you need to rebuild them. The Bentley gives a lot of good advice and help. Since you are rebuilding one you may as well rebuild both. Rebuild kits are about $10 each and you can get a gallon can of carb cleaner at a parts store that has a soaker basket. Disassemble each carb, soak the parts overnight, allow them to dry thoroughly (compressed air works well also), and reassemble with the rebuild kit. Since you have dual carbs they should be syncronized after you rebuild them. Fairly simple project that can save you a lot of money by doing it yourself. Good luck.

[keifernet]

sorry, I ASSumed you had a stock pump, Gokayaking has you going in the right direction... good luck.

[Amskeptic]

I had a gas flood after the High Quality Carburetor Rebuild for which I am internationally famous.
The reason?
I finished the rebuild at 11:00PM, went beddie-bye with a promise to start the engine in the morning. HA!
Even with NEW needle valves/seats, gas leaked out of the fuel tank all night into the carbs/heads/crankcase/because they NEED fuel pump pressure to seat the neoprene on the needles the first time.
When you rebuild those carbs, count the threads sticking up on your fast-idle links.
You will need to put these exactly back where you found them. Or you can rustle up a .024 feeler blade suitable for setting up the throttle plates, not recommended if you are just going to pop the tops off the carbs to stick in new fuel inlet valves.
Colin

[[email protected]]

Ok, so do I need to rebuild both, or just the one on the side with the problem. Ie. the right side, which is where gas was in the head. Thank you all again.
matt