Hello kids:
Ummmmm I always thought
“Toe in” Tennis shoes, “toe out”. Sandals or flip flops..
Hope everyone’s haveing a great summer!
tebs
Ha! Shes back on the road again. Had a shake down cruise today. 20 or so miles. Died on the way home. Fuel pressure was at 0psi. I jacked it up and adjusted the fuel pressure up to about 2.5 / 3.0psi. Fired right up.
Couple more kinks to sort out. 4th gear is hard to find. I'll adjust the shifter a bit.
Super exciting to see it on the road again.
Great. Your fuel pump allows you to dial in the pressure? Whose are you using? And you have a fuel pressure gauge? In the engine compartment?
I bet it was warm in your neighborhood. We are painting the house, at least until noon, when the thermometer was 100, before noon !!! 
I have a fuel pressure regulator back by where the hard line exits the pan. While the car was down this winter I installed a full stainless hard fuel line setup from airkewld.com. It came with a nice pressure gauge. The fuel pump is one I picked up from Amazon. It was the same pump that CB and Summit sell for nearly 2x the price.
Off...
On... 
Yeah, it was like 93 today. Hotter than I'd like. The cooler came on which was nice to see it working.
Super grateful to see the car going again.
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Can you screw the gauge to the left more?!?! We need to read it without tilting our heads!!!! Amateur...
*LongFella posted:Can you screw the gauge to the left more?!?! We need to read it without tilting our heads!!!! Amateur...
Having it in focus would help us too.
Robert M posted:*LongFella posted:Can you screw the gauge to the left more?!?! We need to read it without tilting our heads!!!! Amateur...
Having it in focus would help us too.
I thought you guys were drivers? Big red arrow is straight up = good. Easy to read from 1 foot away. Easy to read from 15 feet away.
Maybe a stupid question?
If you bought the pump from Amazon, I'm guessing it's the Carter. This pump is self-regulated at 3 to 3.5 pounds. Adding an adjustable pressure regulator is adding complexity to what should be a simple system. I'd remove the regulator completely.
My 2 cents.
But glad you're back on the road......
You are 100% correct. The regulator was a hold over from when I had the Solex/Kadrons. Removal is on the agenda today. I also need to put a general clean on it.
Took that photo last weekend at a local brew place. Notice how high the rear end sits now? I adjusted it with the adjustable spring plates. Need to lower it a titsch.
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Looks good. About time😀
as for the fuel pressure, Weber’s only want 2.5 psi. Any more unless racing will cause you issues. Float level is also critical. My two sense
I believe it's NO MORE than 3.5, but pretty sure 3 psi is good. Isn't 2.5 a little on the low side? Not trying to be a jerk, Anthony, but you're the only person I've seen recommend 2.5 psi in the 15 years I've been around aircooled.
TRP....I'd leave it a little high in the rear. Seldom do I ever bottom out since I did this. It also feels a little more stable (above 80 mph) since I did this. Since I have IRS, the wheels are only slightly negative camber as well...photo below.....Bruce
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Ted, how close are those to rubbing? Looks like the widest part of the sidewall is darn close. Or my old man eyes.
Ted
Just make sure the rear is not to low so the rope drags on the ground....
tebs
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Art posted:Ted, how close are those to rubbing? Looks like the widest part of the sidewall is darn close. Or my old man eyes.
They only rub under super hard cornering. I shaved my rear fender / inside lips. 
When I remove the spacers they dont rub at all.
Question for the weber experts!
Car is sluggish off the line. Like its loaded up or bogging down. Coughing and spitting and then it clears up. High RPMs in first gear it starts to miss and pop. High RPMs in third gear (4300l4500) the motor starts to miss and break up.
This is all after a clogged idle jet. Maybe some crud in the main jets? Too rich?
DannyP posted:Maybe a stupid question?
If you bought the pump from Amazon, I'm guessing it's the Carter. This pump is self-regulated at 3 to 3.5 pounds. Adding an adjustable pressure regulator is adding complexity to what should be a simple system. I'd remove the regulator completely.
My 2 cents.
But glad you're back on the road......
Just to loop back on this...
I pulled the regulator and found that I would get 4 to 4.5 psi. Put the regulator back in and dialed it to just at 3. The pressure gauge will read 0 from time to time. Manufacturer says to 'burp' it with the little rubber plug on the side of the gauge. Seems silly but it works.
The next bit of info is embarrassing... I share only because we are all friends here.
I figured out why the car kept dying while driving! Symptoms were that the car would die after about 15 minutes of driving. Every time it would die, it would happen at idle. I knew the car was warm/hot because I could hear the fan running. I figured it was vapor lock (0psi on the gauge). Figured out there wasnt a problem there with the burp thing. Then I thought maybe it was the coil. I replaced that. Same issue. Car would die after a bit of driving. I figured it had to be the electronic ignition in the megaspark. I put a call into CB to see what we could do about a replacement.
About this time the car developed a clogged idle jet. I knew I needed to chase that down so I went to yoga and practiced my downward praying mantis dog maneuver. I found the little bastard. #2! Haha. Cleaned it out and went to putting everything back in order. It had been a while since I had checked the carbs so I figured I'd check everything. Finicky ignition or not... the car still idles like a champ and runs well for about 10 minutes. I took it for a quick burn to warm it up. Came home and went about getting into resetting the caeb. I was fiddling with the Sync Linc and getting ready to install the snail when I heard the fan click on... and then the car died. So close.
*** wait a minute ***
The fan was running each and every time the car died. Could the fan be killing the motor? I unplugged the fan power wire and tried to start the car. Sure enough. Car fired right up.
*** But Ted, why did this just show up recently? ***
When I put the trans in I moved things around a bit. I moved my oil cooler to the rear of the right fender. When I wired in the fan in it the new spot I grabbed 12v off the ... (don't judge me...) coil. Here is the issue... When I was wiring it up, I found 12v by turning the ignition on (car not running) and used my test light to find 12v. I found 12v on the top side of the coil! And and open spade?! Perfect! Why hadn't I done this before?!? (Stan, Gordon, Al, Danny, and Anthony are all coming to take away my tools.)
So? What's the problem? 12v + on the coil changes to - when the coil collapses to deliver its spark. I knew this. I even had a voice in my head saying not to use the coil for power.
How does that make the car die? When the thermostat switch on the fan reads 180 it completes a circut and needs 12v to power the fan. If that 12v is being delivered to the fan apparently it can't charge the coil.
Lesson learned. Now I am left to track down this miss at 4500 rpms (while under load) and the super soggy / loaded up / rough transition while coming off idle in first (at a stop light, etc.)
Lesson learned.
Dedicated 12v to the coil is a must as you discovered a voltage drop will kill the electronic ignition op. OEM Volkswagen the only thing that was connected to 12v coil was the keyed ignition wire and the remote "Bakalite" fuse housing wire for the backup lights. Similar follies the time I couldn't get a fresh engine to run but would crank ok, finally in frustration I pulled the engine and took it to the builder, of course with much embarrassment, it started right up in an engine stand and I knew instantly what the problem was, a bad engine to chassis ground connection ...and so, we learn.
A good place to 'grab' 12V at the back of the car is the B+ connector on the alternator, which is connected via heavy cables back to the battery (via the starter). Just remember to use an inline fuse with whatever you connect there, as there ain't none twixt there and the battery.
Idles good, runs good at moderate revs, breaks up at high revs 'under load' (which probably translates to when you've got it floored).
Have you ever set the float levels in the carbs to spec? (Hint: let Tony do it for you.)
Keep your tools in place - we all do something like this from time to time.
Mitch wrote: “A good place to 'grab' 12V at the back of the car is the B+ connector on the alternator, which is connected via heavy cables back to the battery (via the starter). Just remember to use an inline fuse with whatever you connect there, as there ain't none twixt there and the battery.” (My italics)
If you don’t use a fuse on anything connected to the B+ terminal, you have a potential there for 600 amps to ground, turning the wire you’ve connected into a lightbulb filament if it gets shorted to ground. It’ll go up so fast there won’t even be much smoke.
You'll have a vivid awareness should you be holding into said wire too...burnt flesh stinks.
Yeah. You wanna see something like that?
Next time you meet me, look at my left thumb or index finger.
Pretty impressive scars, for sure.
OK, so it’s an RF burn, but it looks the same. UGLY!
Drove the car to the office today. Sure is great to drive it again. Pulled the carbs apart to check for crud in the jets. All ship shape. Pulled the tops off. All clean.
Can't figure out whats causing this crappy miss under hard acceleration / under power.
I will check the floats: 
So each of these photos above has the float arm just touching the spring loaded BB. One is 20mm at the edge of the furthest float. The other is 22.
FULL droop is 28 on one 30mm on the other, plus the gasket
9mm inside / 11mm outer side (closest to my thumb)
9.5 / 9.5
This is all voodoo to me. Thoughs?
Ted
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How’s the timing curve look as your engine revs up? Are you getting proper spark advance?
I will check that tomorrow. Good call.
Ted
@Stan Galat / others
Any suggestions on the floats? I'm at a loss. I read the stuff in the KB. Not sure I' too far out of spec and may error on the side of not messing with them at all and just reassembling the carbs. What do you guys think?
Ted
Here is my suggestion:
french vanilla I cream a dibble of Carmel and some hard root beer (6% abv)
tasty and a buzz in one awesome FLOAT!
Was that the question?
Tebs
I'm wondering if I need to mess with my carb floats. Car is running like pooh. High RPM miss in first. If I hammer the throttle in first the rpms start breaking apart like crazy above 4200. Same thing with a long pull in third. 4300 the car starts to stumble and sputter. Its a crap show.
Need a weber mechanic local.
Havent ruled out the ignition module from when I wired the cooling fan to the negative side of the coil.
Pertronix module? You know how I feel about that. What you are describing sounds exactly like a bad module. You can prove it by throwing a timing light on and watching the spark scatter all over.
I’m not wild about the floats being a different height side to side inside the same carburetor, but I think your miss is ignition. Those floats have been exactly like they are for a long time- they were like that when the car was running well. Nobody got inside and bent them while you were sleeping.
95% of all carburetion problems are ignition.
Totally agree.
It's the Magnaspark II distributor. If that's a Pentronix module then you can put me in the same camp as you. I think this was my fault though. 
I ordered a new one. $70.00 plus shipping. I slap the carbs back together tonight.
I will say that I drove the car all over yesterday and it was joy. The 5 speed was nice but it wasn't life changing. (eeek!)
TRP posted:...The 5 speed was nice but it wasn't life changing...
Wait until @Terry Nuckels is chasing you down a twisty mountain road.
Sounds like the start of a bad dream... 
Drive the car!!!!!!!! be honest with us. shifting thru the gears with that five speed has to be better than that four speed. If it isn't, maybe it's time to buy a boxster.
Give it time
But if you were looking for a drop in rpm cruising with an aircooled you dont get ghat with a five speed
IaM-Ray posted:Give it time
But if you were looking for a drop in rpm cruising with an aircooled you dont get ghat with a five speed
It's all about how you build the five speed to achieve your goal. yes with tire size, motor size/cam/head combo and the right fifth gear you can dropping the rpm at cruising speed. type of shroud and fan speed are also a factor.
Anthony posted:Drive the car!!!!!!!! be honest with us. shifting thru the gears with that five speed has to be better than that four speed. If it isn't, maybe it's time to buy a boxster.
Hahaha! Let me gwt through this spell with the ignition and then I will be able to focus.
I will say going from 5th to 4th is great. No more pegging the RPMs with each down shift.
Ironically, the close-ratio five-speed makes more of a difference the slower you drive.
If you normally blast around all day at 4-5000 rpm, and make most shifts near the redline, you may not need a five-speed. Yeah, you'll get off the line and through the quarter faster with that extra cog, but if that's all you care about, you can probably just juggle the ratios in your four-speed box and accomplish almost the same thing.
It's the rest of the time - when you're just noodling around in the neighborhood, or carving through some twisties, or cruising a fast two-lane with some steep hills, that you start to really appreciate the five-speed.
I think my engine is just about in the middle of the heap as our cars go. A mildly-tuned two-liter set up to have some low-end torque, but to keep its cool here in the land of Dry Heat. It's strong, but not a screamer. It's happiest around 3000 rpm. By 3500, it's starting to work. By 4000, it's tapping me on the shoulder and saying, "Hey, how long are we going to keep this up? I take it to 5000 when I really need to scoot - like merging onto a freeway. It's a blast and comes on strong there, but that's not where I or the motor want to spend most of our time.
Ted rang one of the five-speed bells - that 5-4 downshift is one of the main attractions. You're on the highway, around 55-60, and you come to a hill that's a little too steep for top gear. With my four-speed, I dreaded that downshift to third. Bang, there we were at 4500, and I had a buzz saw in my ear. Now, it's 3800 or 4000, and no big deal. A two-liter will pull up almost any hill in that gear at pretty low speeds with no complaints.
That gear is also my cruising gear of choice on a lot of the foothill roads around here. These were graded for horse-drawn wagons in the Gold Rush - tight turns, and short, steep grades. You're cruising at 35-60 and need short bursts of torque to power through. A freeway gear is just too tall here, but third is too short.
Bottom line is that the car is just a lot quieter when you want it to be with the five-speed. You've got more options. Tear it up or just cruise. You never worry about having the right gear in a Civic or a Corolla. This brings the same kind of ease to a Speedster, even if you don't have a monster in the engine bay.
Three - four through the twisty stuff.
You either get it or you don't.
Stan Galat posted:Pertronix module? You know how I feel about that. What you are describing sounds exactly like a bad module. You can prove it by throwing a timing light on and watching the spark scatter all over.
I’m not wild about the floats being a different height side to side inside the same carburetor, but I think your miss is ignition. Those floats have been exactly like they are for a long time- they were like that when the car was running well. Nobody got inside and bent them while you were sleeping.
95% of all carburetion problems are ignition.
Listen to Uncle Stan. We all know the Pertronix (piece of sh*t) modules are made to a price point and are not up to the heat of a VW engine compartment (was it Gordon who said they weren't made of sufficiently hardened components for the intended use? Typically built for the cheap assed VW aircooled market!).
And yeah, the extra gear isn't life changing- that's what getting married, having kids, committing to buying a house and changing careers (you know- growing up and becoming (ughh; I hate this word!) responsible!) is for. Listen to Mitch, though, and go chase Terry down through a nice canyon drive. I'll bet when you tell us about it you'll be pretty excited when it gets to the part where you were able to keep up with him and sliced and diced those guys who thought they'd blow you away and make you both look like fools.
That's what 5th (and a 2 liter) is all about...