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Altema
Samba Member
Joined: June 20, 2010
Posts: 2904
Location: Lower Michigan
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 Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2013 9:46 pm Post subject: Fuel cutoff install |
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I decided get rid of the manual fuel cutoff valve on our Ghia, and installed a 12v fuel solenoid instead. The valve is a fail-safe that makes sure NO fuel gets to the carb unless you want it to. It's good for those times when the car sits for a month or two, it prevents disasters caused when a float valve fails or leaks and you have a full tank, and it can act as a theft prevention device. A side benefit is being able to drain the fuel bowl for jet changes or other work, without giving your engine a gasoline bath. The drawback with the manual valve was having to open the decklid every time, and sometimes I would forget. With the solenoid, it does it's job without you having to think about it. The mounting plate is made from bar stock that I trimmed to size, the valve body was drilled and tapped, and the carb mounting plate for the dashpot was also drilled and tapped. Stainless steel machine screws were used to attach the valve to the plate, and the plate to the carb. Like mentioned, this is an industrial valve and is too heavy to used without being properly supported. Connections are a ground lug secured by the ignition coil mounting bolt, and the positive side was terminated to the positive side of the ignition coil. This solenoid has a low current draw of 0.75 amp which is less than the autostick control solenoid which our Ghia no longer has. There are no clamps on that last piece of hose because the hose cannot move without the solenoid being unscrewed and removed, and this mounting position can also be considered a safety feature because the brass fitting cannot pull out of the carb. Operation so far has been perfect, and being wired this way means it opens before the engine turns over, and shuts the instant the ignition is turned off. I have to say it must be preventing fuel bowl siphoning or seepage beause I noticed a decrease in fuel consumption on the first day. The valve is made by Advanced Fuel Components in the USA (part AFC121), seals air tight when closed, handles up to 312 PSI, and has a 10 year reliability record. You can order yours from a variety of sources including RV and Marine suppliers. I ordered mine from Dan-Marc RV supply and they shipped it quickly, but they forgot the optional mounting holes which I requested.
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Altema
Samba Member
Joined: June 20, 2010
Posts: 2904
Location: Lower Michigan
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| Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 11:56 pm Post subject: |
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| By the way, just wanted to report that this is working perfectly... and it's nice to start it back up and find the gas gauge pointing to the same spot as it was when you parked it. Before the cutoff, that was not always the case. |
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SoCalJes
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Joined: November 02, 2011
Posts: 1093
Location: Broward, FL
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| Posted: Thu Apr 11, 2013 5:41 pm Post subject: |
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Think about a manual bypass incase your solenoid fails and you need to get home.
_________________
Jesse
71 Ghia
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Just because it didn't come that way, doesn't mean it shouldn't have. |
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Altema
Samba Member
Joined: June 20, 2010
Posts: 2904
Location: Lower Michigan
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| Posted: Thu Apr 11, 2013 8:45 pm Post subject: |
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| SoCalJes wrote: |
| Think about a manual bypass incase your solenoid fails and you need to get home. |
If that happens, I'll just pull the fuel line off the solenoid and put it on the carb. I actually did consider the manual bypass, but I'll see how it goes and maybe carry the old manual valve with me. It's plastic and weighs next to nothing, so I can toss it in the glovebox. With the reliability record of a simple industrial grade solenoid like this, the fuel pump is likely to fail first anyway. I discussed the setup to a professional mechanic who specializes in vintage VW's while I was in his shop today, and he thought it was good. He also acknowledged that the fuel seepage problem for ACVW's is quite common but mostly ignored.
Paul |
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Altema
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Joined: June 20, 2010
Posts: 2904
Location: Lower Michigan
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EverettB 
Administrator
Joined: April 11, 2000
Posts: 69827
Location: Phoenix Metro
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Altema
Samba Member
Joined: June 20, 2010
Posts: 2904
Location: Lower Michigan
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| Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2013 10:18 am Post subject: |
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| EverettB wrote: |
This seems like a good idea for safety too but it seems like it would be better to put it on the fuel pump inlet side.
So in case of an issue, you cut off all fuel from the tank.
I also wonder if under the gas tank would be better too, if it fit there. |
Yes you're right, that would be better. It could deal with a line coming off the fuel pump that way... |
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