Our 1970 SB Project - Laverne

[Donnie strickland]

[trythis]

Showing off the layout of the AC hoses in my engine bay. Sorry the image isn't the best. I should be able to finish the AC system next week, but my wife finally got to drive her car to work for the first time since we got it over a year ago. Hooray!

I am so glad I didnt have to do all the body work some of you have to do.

Oh yeah, I also replaced my outer window scrapers with the new inner scrapers at ISP west. I used the fancy and very expensive ($30 a tube) windshield glue. It took 20 minutes to do and about an hour to dry and looks good enough to me! Not having to dismantle the door to fix this was worth the $30! I will post a photo when I get a chance.
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Laverne, our Squareback project:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=664462

[trythis]

Gotta ask about a brake pedal issue. My pedal has the correct free play in it before the rod starts pushing on the master cylinder but the brakes don't really start braking until the pedal is about half way down. It stops fine, but its kinda irritating to have to push so far down to get things stopping.

I replaced the old blue master cylinder fill tubes and the stupid fuel lines between the reservoir and metal tubes. (thanks again PO, for stripping the paint in the frunk for me.. ) I was careful to never touch the brake pedal before refilling the supply lines to prevent getting air in the master and waited 10 days or more before touching the brake pedal.

Other than that I have left the brakes alone but figure that I need to address this. I do not see any marks on the rod that would indicate that it has been tampered with and do not plan to mess with it. My first though it to bleed the brakes just so I have fresh fluid.

Does this sound like a typical problem that has a known answer?
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Laverne, our Squareback project:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=664462

[Bobnotch]

[trythis]

[trythis]

Brakes seem fine after bleeding all the way around.

Today, in November it was nearly 80 in St Louis so I charged the AC system, not sure its right yet but a new problem is losing power at higher RPM with the AC compressor running.

Symptoms:

Loses power with AC on on top end,
Sputters a bit at high rpm under load, losing power/speed. RPMs drop
occasionally backfires at top of gear,
battery wont hold a charge


It runs fine without the extra load or at lower RPMs, but the ac compressor bogs me down with more than 60% throttle at the top of every gear. I assume the car would do the same if we had any big hills here.

Any ideas?
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Laverne, our Squareback project:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=664462

[Donnie strickland]

First find out why the battery won't hold a charge. That may be related to your other issues.

How fast does it drain? Will it hold a charge overnight?

I ask because if the voltage is low, it can cause problems with the FI system.
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71 Elm Green FI A/T Squareback

[trythis]

It wont hold a charge for 10 minutes. It will let me start it once after running it for a half hour but if I wait more than 20 minutes the battery is dead. I have had to jump start off my daily's battery to get the AC charged today.

I also will check that I dont have something wired wrong like a relay coil wired to a non switched fuse...

I will check my alternator output tomorrow and get new battery, this one came with the car, it was inevitable that I would need to replace it.
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Laverne, our Squareback project:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=664462

[Donnie strickland]

If you disconnect the battery cables, will it hold a charge then?
I would charge the battery first, and then have it load-tested...no need spending over a hundred bucks if you don't have to.

But the battery needs to be fully charged before you check the alternator output.
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71 Elm Green FI A/T Squareback

[trythis]

Well the battery was not the right size, had a small bulge on one side so I spent the cash to buy one. The new battery helped.

I think my alternator is maxed out with AC and headlights on. The charging voltage drops when I turn on the AC and at idle is 12.8V, 13.8 with the AC off.

A little extra revs and its up in the 13.5 range so I think it will be fine if its sitting at idle for hours on end.

I still think the engine is not revving well at the top end. Its much better but now its the same with the AC on or off. Its not sputtering or backfiring now, but just a little bit of a bog down in gear at the very top of the gear.

I will check the fuel pressure and make sure the timing is correct.

Also wondering if there is a way to kick up the revs when the AC is on.

Thanks for all the help Donnie
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Laverne, our Squareback project:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=664462

[Donnie strickland]

Multi69s made a device to raise his idle when his A/C is on. You can see it on page 3 of this thread:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...p;start=40

But your voltage shouldn't be dropping that much, I wouldn't think. How many amps is that alternator? Is it new?
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71 Elm Green FI A/T Squareback

[trythis]

[Donnie strickland]

[trythis]

[quote="Donnie strickland"]

[trythis]

Ugh.

My wife has been driving the car to work once a week or so, plus a few errands with the family for fun and all has been well until yesterday:

Symptoms:

1. Idles decently while sitting still, except that if I push forwards gently on the distributor it flattens out the idle speed fluctuations. It will roll up and down from 700 to 1200 according to the meter. I think that is maybe a red herring, but why not mention it.

1a. Occasionally while idling it will backfire, maybe once every 10 minutes.

2. If it sits for a while, you can get it moving in 1st gear, then 2nd but then the throttle stops doing anything, it loses all power and the engine RPM stays at near idle. To get it to move I have to push the clutch the pump the gas slowly until it starts to rev a little, then you can hold the revs put it in gear and get it to drive to the top of the gear (high rpms)
Its not a smooth run but it will move the car along. Once you slow down though, you'd think its run out of gas, a little sputtery.

Its a friends house, so I was only able to fiddle with it and not diagnose much.

This happened breifly at the end (1/4) of the last tank of gas, and again this was the end of a tank.

I am thinking:
water clogged fuel filters ( I have 2 )
check fuel pressure
TVS could be bad
Timing its way off?
If its a fuel mixture thing, Then I may need to head over to the FI help thread, which I have read over the last year.



Researched threads that may be related:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=637927&highlight=backfire
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Laverne, our Squareback project:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=664462

[Donnie strickland]

Attach your fuel pressure gauge and leave it hooked up. Use a long enough hose so that you or a passenger can watch it while you drive.

If your fuel pressure is low, the fuel won't properly vaporize, and will come out of the injectors as "blobs" of fuel instead of a fine mist. This leads to poor combustion.

Have you ever removed the outlet at the bottom of the tank? Dirt and/or water tend to accumulate there, and the sock filter inside there can get plugged.

You say you have 2 fuel filters. Where are they? And what kind?
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71 Elm Green FI A/T Squareback

[trythis]

[Donnie strickland]

Was there a particular reason you felt like you needed two filters?
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71 Elm Green FI A/T Squareback

[trythis]

Only did the 2nd one because I was worried about the mess in the tunnel tubing. The first was obviously to protect the pump.
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Laverne, our Squareback project:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=664462

[Donnie strickland]

Just wondering.

Check your fuel pressure, and then you'll know more.
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71 Elm Green FI A/T Squareback