Engine cutting

When I first looked in the engine bay today I did wonder about this tube. It’s just loose feeling and didn’t feel as though it was in the right place. Annoyingly I only have one other pic of the engine bay and I can’t really make it out! I will have a proper look tomorrow

 

Fan shroud is missing in that pic. Bit of a trapping risk having an open pulley

 

And there are a few big open holes in the tin, half a timimg scale, untidy wiring, wrong distributor, worst possible choice of carburation...

 

Never mind, it was going ok I'm sure. It doesn't looked uncared for but perhaps the victim of a few less than ideal modifications in it's life. That combo probably goes great in sunny climes.

 

Feels like a bit of a blow that there may be many things wrong with it as we only just bought it! I’m trying to learn but on the back foot a little.

All the things you’re mentioning, what’re the issues? Explain like I’m 10 years old haha

 

Foam seal for tinware missing

Fan guard and timing scale

 

Thanks. The foam seal is actually there now, you can see on the original pics I posted. The last pic I posted is the only engine pic I have to compare the current prob with and it was before the foam was installed! I will look into the other two things though

 

Both cheap. Guard is easy to fit. Foam is a bit of a fiddle but important to contain cooling air.

I guess most people fit twin carbs, yours just has one. Guess will still run ok, but a twin set up would be better in the long run

 

It might not go so well in the winter.
Originally that engine csme eith twin carbs and later with fuel injection.
The long runners between the carb and heads are poor for keeping the fuel in suspension which is helped on earlier factory single carb engines by heating the manifold with exhaust gas via a cast in pipe and large cast aluminium ends taking heat from the heads. It also had a regulated warm air intake to assist cold weather running.

The distributor would original have aditional low load vacuum advance that helped mpg a bit and smoothed things oitbpulling away from a stop.

Having said all that, someone will be along to say they have a setup just like yours that goes like a rocket, good mpg and no running problems. It's not impossible.

The carb looks to have been neatly installed with a conection to the case oil breather and (floating about?) What looks like another for the fuel tank breather. Some people love em.

 

It’s bizarre really as the carb was installed only about two months ago before it was sold, I have the receipt from PO. Makes me wonder why that was the case now! Guess there’s no way of an upgrade easily, it would be a new one which I assume is a lot of dollar

 

I imagine the original solex carbs were worn and replaced. Yes lovely new shiney but I believe the cheapest way of doing lovely new shiney.
Next is twin single barrel carbs equivalent to the originals.
After that twin dual barrel carbs, not something you would instal before selling.

 

But again a cheap easy fix

 

Thanks all, feeling a little dejected but will push on! Will check back tomorrow when I get another look at the breather pipe

 

Your carburettor is the cheapest replacement for the original fuel injection. Your bus will run badly on cold days. It will run rich and waste fuel.

Because the engine has no provision for heating the pipework carrying fuel/ air mixture to the cylinder heads, the fuel will condense out. It also lacks the hot air feed to the carburettor that is needed to help the idling.

Fitting the dual carburettors in the way VW installed them before they switched to fuel injection would help.

 

Thanks. I truly have learnt more about carbs in the last couple of hours than at any point in my life. Obviously I bought it with that installed and it's not really an option financially to replace it at the moment, but definitely something I will look at when funds allow having read up on it.

You say it will run badly on cold days, what we talking about here? Sluggish?

 

hey @zedders is a clamp something I could easily get from a Halfords today? Do you have a picture of what I might be looking for? Thanks!

 

Jubilee clip, yes to Halfords.
Measure the hose outer dia and chose an appropriately sized clip. I would get enough for every connection you can see and at least 2 more for the one way valve.
They don't need to crush the hose just tight enough...
It's a vacuum hose so they shouldn't be blowing off but...you also don't want the leaking air into the sucking manifold.

 

Fixed it for now! The little plastic plug was lying around in the engine bay. Will sort it out properly at the weekend.

Thanks for the help!