Vw bus rebuild Denver/Brekenridge CO

[jacobcallaghan]

Hello Sambanights,

I currently own a 1970 vw bus with a dual port and dual carb 1600cc engine. She is showing signs of age, misfiring, poor power, leaking a lot and ect... I think it may be time for a rebuild.

Option 1: I was planning on rebuilding myself... but due to my lack of mechanical knowledge and current work load, i am reluctant to do so. It might be worth it to have a pro take on the project.

Option 2: Have a shop rebuild the engine out here in Colorado. This is my main reason for this thread. Does anyone recommend any shops or builders near the Brekenridge or Denver area? I am trying to spend no more than 4k if possible. 4k would be tight on my budget but doable. Is this a realistic price?

Option 3: Buy a turn key engine. I found a company in grants pass Oregon that sells them and seems to be good. There price is about 4200 for dual port and carb 1776ccc. https://www.strictlyforeign.com/

I thank you guys for all the help. If any of you live near the Brekenridge area and want to come take a look I would love to have some help. I would get ya some beer and a tasty meal . Would love to meet some fellow vw heads.

[SGKent]

If the engine runs now and isn't pouring oil, what kind of mileage is on the engine since the last rebuild? Have you done a compression test taking your altitude into account? Have you checked the ignition and timing? Do the carbs have chokes and are they set right? There is as much a need to tune the engine after a tune-up as there is to replace an engine when it is old and tired. Don't think that a new engine is going to be the cat's meow.
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[richparker]

There’s Painters Grinding in Denver, I’ve seen a lot of good engines come out of there. There’s also Kustom Koach Works in Grand Junction, John and the crew over there also do great work.

http://www.paintersgrinding.com
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[Spike0180]

I like my motor (1776cc type 1). A local gentleman here in SE Michigan builds them. He's helpful and the engine seems well built. His name is David Satterley. He's on thesamba: satterley_sr

here is a ad of his. He does anything from stock to 2100 type 4's. Short blocks to fully restored.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2223558

Though you should definelty inspect your current bottom end first. Check end play, compression, and leak down. If all that turns out good, just tear it down, maybe a new set of P&C, clean it up and slap it back together. Could get another 20k mile out of it pretty easy assuming its in good knick.
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[Manfred58sc]

Randy at sportcar in Colorado Springs, expensive but done right ( spend the money ).
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[jacobcallaghan]

So good news!

Did a long awaited compression test today! Things look great. Around 140 in each Cylinder. This is good news. No need for rebuild I don't think.

So here are the big problems I am having and I have a couple of questions.

First off I am up at 10,000 feet in Brekenridge Colorado. I was previously in Utah at 5,000 feet (where my carb was last tuned). So by the look of my spark plugs I am running very rich. This makes sense given the alt change. I have a dual solex 35 pdsi. I am still very confused on how to tune these bad boys. Being at this elevation do I need to rejet? Or am I able to adjust it with a carb adjustment? Does any one have good resources on dual carb tuning

Second my engine has been misfiring. I believe this is a result of my spark plugs fawling from the rich mixture. I just changed the plugs and aded a new ignition coil and there is no more misfire.

Third I am getting gas in my oil. I believe this is all connected. I think since my plugs are shot and misfiring from the rich mixture, that gas is getting into the cylinders and not igniting and thus the gas in oil. I checked my fuel pump and it seems to be in good working order.

Fourth my engine does not really get warm. But as I recently learned, I need a thermostat and flaps. I just ordered them and plan to drop the engine and instal them once they arrive.

I hope this explanation of whats going on makes sense. Thanks for the help!

[Danwvw]

A Dual port in a bus can be tuned and will run strong right up until it's death which usually is not a compression problem. It's usually an Oil leak at the front of the engine and excessive end play that is a sign that the case needs an align bore and thrust cut and new main bearings. This is typically caused by driving the bus over about 70mph a lot. The CCW crankshafts will help a lot here.
Yes up there or even at sea level where it gets below freezing when it's cold they can get gas in the oil. There are two ways this happens.
1.st Way happens while it being driven because it does not warm up enough to open the choke all the way or a float is bad in a carb causing gas to overflow all the time while driving.
2. The other way it happens is if the Fuel Pump is bad and a carb needle valve is sticking and when it sets overnight gas will drain through the bad fuel pump check valve then through a still a little open needle valve in a carb and into the engine. It could also be a broken fuel pump diaphragm. You will know which it is because if in the morning first start of the day it will be hydro locked sometimes. Well if your rings are good. Generally though if this is what is happening, if you don't leave it overnight with more than 1/2 a tank of fuel in it, it won't happen.
When this happens and the oil level begins to increase you should change the oil before driving it that way. It's pretty bad for the rod bearings.
If you park on a slant it may be better slanting the other way. The side of the gas fill should be on the high side. I am having an overnight gas in the oil problem sometimes with mine too and am going to put a solenoid valve on my fuel line: Here
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[airschooled]

[SGKent]

http://bobhooversblog.blogspot.com/2006/11/vw-altitude-adjustment.html

Remember - you are running a heavy bus, not a bug. Unless you can find someone who lived at 10,000' in a VW bus for years, you will want to err on the caution side with timing and setting the mixture. Be sure the chokes are fully opening.
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[jacobcallaghan]

Thanks for the replies!

So the compression test readings i already did the math to convert it to sea level. They read about 110 on the actual reader.

As for the misfire, it seemed to misfire under load. The bus was running good for the first few days I got here. I then ruptured my spleen and did not sr Be the bus for 4 days or so. After driving it a day after the break it started misfiring. My sister lives up a big hill and normally I am able to cruise up in third. With it misfiring I was barely able to make in second/first. I will see how the new plugs and coil hold up. But I need o tune my carb first and get the thermostat in before I drive more.

[airschooled]

Did the stuttering happen after a gas stop? Or has it been going for more than one tank of fuel? How long has it been since you got to Breckenridge?

You're running the lowest octane rating of gas, right? For all stock air-cooled Volkswagens, using the lowest octane rating will keep your fuel more volatile and ready to combust. If your engine is a high-performance engine, talk to your engine builder.

A misfire can be a spark-related issue or a fuel-related issue. Tell us about your dwell angle, timing setting, (and how you got there,) and fuel pressure on a warm engine. Without those details, you're going to be playing parts darts.

Robbie
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[Manfred58sc]

All the above is correct, once that is sorted the timing must be advanced so that idles and revs up correctly ( I do it by "ear" on a warm engine ). I use high octane at high altitude, and let everything really warm up before driving. I lived in Brek over a winter in my 69 years ago ( when Ullerfest was totally out of control)
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[jacobcallaghan]

[airschooled]

[TomWesty]

Before you do anything, change the fuel filter.or you can go through all of the other crap only to find that you should have changed the fuel filter.
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