Hi all, I have just bought a 1972 Swedish late bay in Green (not sure of the exact colour name as yet!). The only problem is that I cannot drive it as the engine is not running at all well and will not really rev of tick over at all. I have been through the ignition system and renewed the plugs, points, coil, dizzy cap and rotor arm (the garage who were working on it before I bought it changed the points and condensor). It has been fitted with an electric fuel pump which does not appear to have a cut-off and a regulator (with a dial on it). Fuel filters are full of fuel and whilst the fuel is very low I have put a gallon in it to make sure there is fuel. It is fitted with the standard 32/34 PDSIT carbs which although they claim to have cleaned them out I reckon the garage (who were no VW experts by all accounts) have been messing around with. It suspect the carbs could be at fault, especially if it has been run with very little fuel and all the sh&t could have been pulled into the carbs. Does this sound likely and is there anyone around the Solihull (West Midlands) area who has a good knowledge of these carbs and could possibly take a look to see if they can get it running, as I am dying to drive the bus. Many thanks, Ade.
These carbs are quite complex and really require airflow and gas analysers to set up. The idle is controlled by a carb within a carb. The most basic thing is to make sure that the pilot jets are getting 12 volts and click when connected / disconnected and that the fuel cutoff is energised. Have a look at this http://www.ratwell.com/technical/DualCarbs.html. Hopefully someone hrom your area will be able to help.
The pilot jets are getting 12v, but not sure if they are clicking when connected/disconnected. The Ratwell website is very informative but the section on the carbs does look complicated to me! I do not feel confident in stripping or adjusting the carbs myself, so am feeling inclined to change them for some new ones. Someone has offered me a new pair of Brosol/Solex 32/34 PDS13 carbs, which sound like a direct replacement for the original carbs. Would this be a good replacement and would they fit straight on with no further tuning required? Hope someone can help. Many thanks, Ade.
It's easy to check if they click. Just turn on the ignition then pull off and reconnect the spade connector at each carb. There's also a solenoid on the idle system on the left. This could be the thing that's causing your problems if it won't idle properly. In the pic below is my left hand carb. The main fuel cut off solenoid has the red connector. The idle mixture has the blue connector. Check the right carb also. Check these out before going down the drastic step of new carbs. You'll still have to balance the new ones up and set the idle mixture and as you can see from ratwell you'll need a PhD in nuclear engineering to understand all that stuff. :-
Hi Ade , i had this problem on mine a few years ago mate . It turned out to be the rubbers on the manifolds that join to the metal pipe underneath between the carbs . They had perished allowing air to be drawn into into inlet manifolds . Hope this makes some sense ? Not really with it today mate so can't remember the correct name for the pipe and my haynes is a mile away in the van . Worth checking mate as its a relatively cheaap fix and an easy one to do , good luck Mick
Hi & thanks for the replies guys, Checked the pilot jets - they are all clicking when connected & disconnected. Will try and find the rubbers on the manifolds later. Sounds like the engine is almost running on 3 cylinders as not only will it not tick over but ot will not really rev properly either and backfires when you try to get some revs out of it. There is fuel reaching each carb, although the filter on the fuel pipe going to the left carb (looking from the back of the bus) is filling up but the filter going to the rights carb (which is brand new) is barely getting half full. I haven;t checked the valve clearances - the garage reckon they checked them, along with the compression & cleaning out the crabs but must admit I do not have a lot of confidence in their work. Help !!
Mine also sounded like it was on 3 cylinders. It needed the carbs balancing. I got one of these. Pretty cheap and primitive but it did the job OK http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002WN0TT0/ref=asc_df_B002WN0TT09843854?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&tag=googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B002WN0TT0
Flying Pig - don;t take this the wrong way, I am a married man with 2 kids, but I could give you a big kiss !! Checked the pipe you were on about and it had come off the manifold on the right hand carb. Put it back on and didn;t want to start for some time (so it obviously made a difference) then eventually got it started and although it is still running very rough it runs and revs and ticks over to a while. Problem now is that the carbs and timing are well out as everyone has been messing around with them trying to get it to run. The bar between the carbs is pi$$ing about in the wind, so need to bend the brackets that hold this in place so it is a tighter fit, then try and get the timing sorted and the carbs balanced. The timing scale is missing so may have to get one of these and then try and get the carbs set up. Does anyone know anyone or somewhere local to Solihull that could sort this out? I may look into a carb balancer and try to have a go at doing it myself but sounds a bit complicated. Any advice well appreciated. Ade.
no, all the springs are intact, but the bar is shorter than the distance between the left and right bracket, so you can slide the bar from side to side, there is quite a bit of movement.
If you want to be really sure, send the carbs away to carb exchange for a full refurbishment. I sent mine away last year, a months turn around and the van is running brilliantly.
Hi Grub , good news there mate . There is a starting point for the carb on the left side to get the van running and ticking over . Its just a case of taking the two screws in there stoppping point and then letting them out a couple of turns if i remember correctly ?. I'll check it out later today as i'm going down to my van today . The linkage ends can be brought in a bit to tighten up the bar itself . I'll have a look over mine and see if i can find anything else you can check over aswell . Glad your getting there mate 8)
Had another go today and couldn't even get it started at all - feel like i'm going backwards now. I have tried screwing the screws all the way in then opening them a couple of turns, but to no avail. I think that as the timing is probably so far out now and the carb settings are all screwed up the overall effect will not allow the engine to run. Can anyone tell me how to set the timing to approximately the correct position so I can at least be confident that this is not stopping the engine from running then at least hopefully any other issues are down to the carbs? I have not manage to balance or tune the carbs at all as I cannot get it running now! Anyone got any recommendations for getting the crabs rebuilt, or should I just buy new ones? Thanks guys.
Hi Ade , i'll dig out my book later on today mate and give you the basic settings . Sorry for the delay getting back to you mate . Make sure you have the thin pipe connected to the middle of the balance pipe and to the fuel tank vent pipe just above the engine lid ? . I'll be on later with the sets as i know them . I'd take off the air filter to make things easier , cheers mate Mick . ps shame i was'nt closer i'd pop round and give you a hand with it mate 8)
Cheers Flying Pig - your help is very much appreciated mate. The vent pipe you mention with the T piece on it - one pipe goes up into the vents at the side of the bus, the other pipe goes up to the other side and the pipe where they join in the middle has been cut and doesn;t go anywhere! Wish you were closer, as I bought the bus with all these pipes disconnected, I do not know where they go and what is missing. Any assistance with the basic set up for the timing would be helpful. Cheers again, Ade.
aaaghhh... Tried to get it going again this morning.. Been charging the battery for 2 days now, come to start it, and it will barely turn over on the starter (brand new battery). So connected a second battery via the jump leads. Will just about start but not tick over. If you sit there pumping the accelerator pedal it will not pick up but just bangs and backfires all over the place. tried turning the dizzy round, but still can't get it to tick over or pick up. Does this sound like ignition or fuel, or could it be something else? Getting really fed up with this now, just want to get it to run so I can take it somewhere to get it properly sorted, but I cannot find anyone who will come out to me and if I get it transported to a garage I will incur even more cost and I will be at the mercy of the garage - if they cannot get it sorted my bus will be stuck there. Pleeeease, can someone help?
Hi grub, When you say you have turned the dizzy.... have you got it in a firing position? You need to time it so that it will fire in roughly the correct position, this is pretty easy to do, just do a quick search on static timing. This should then at least get the bus running (albiet probably badly). To then balance and tune the carbs there is a pretty basic write up here http://www.type2.com/library/fuel/dualsol.htm, I followed the Bentley procedure last time I did it myself (after that I got someone else to). By the sounds of it you have been playing around a fair bit, I think one of the books (either bentley or haynes) has a section that says 'dont do this unless they have been stripped doen or something, with the 'fiddling' you have done I would follow this and set it to a kind of default setting. It can be a very slow and painful process especially if the carbs havent bee refurbished for a while (took me a whole weekend the first time). Good luck Stu
This goes from bad to worse... I have taken plug no 1 out and tried to get it to TDC - I then turned the dizzy round to line the rotor arm up with the mark on the dizzy - wouldn't even fire or start. I then turned the dizzy round (had to turn it quite a bit) until I could actually get it to fire. managed to get it to start but it would not tick over, and would not pick up at all - if you hold your foot flat to the floor, it will just knock and bang and not rev much at all. Tried for some time with a second battery connected via jump leads. Charged the battery up over night - the battery seem to be charged as checked the main beam and this works. When I checked the bus this morning there was some oil under both rocker covers and under the drain plug. But, when i tried to turn it over as soon as I turned the key, there was a click & the ignition lights went off then the battery was dead. Connected to the second battery with the jump leads and it will turn over slowly, but still not start. Have I damaged something in my persistent efforts to get it going yesterday? Anyone want to buy a bus?
