Texas Manx Club

by **staggerwing** » 23 Sun Aug, 2009 3:28 pm

Wanting to get to the root of this BEFORE the Roundup in Boerne, thought I'd take a stab at it today hoping I would find something obvious. The problem has been when I drive this guy highway, or in my case, farm roads and mostly between 50-60, things seem to work just fine. When we putt-putt around #1 plug fouls. It has been clearing itself out after a round of "pops' and after getting on it and basically blowing it out; so to speak, but it always comes back when we putt around. Today I pulled #1/#2 head and both pistons for a ring inspection hoping to find something. Things look okay to me as far as ring alignment goes, the rest has me baffled... here's what I saw today:

#1 piston head and the area around the valves is soot black
#2 piston head and the area around the valves is looks normal
#1 intake valve, tapered section near stem, is pretty clean
#2 intake valve, tapered section near stem, is sludged-up
#1 exhaust valve is sooty and black
#2 exhaust valve is light gray

Carbs are Kadron
Mains are 127
Idles are 50
Spray is 70
"not running the balance tube"
I'm pretty confident the carbs are setup properly and balanced, the only thing that bothers me about the carbs is that when I first started messing with them, I smoothed the walls of the intake manifolds, they're practically polished now but I have heard that that's not a good thing to do. One other thing, I did the balancing using a vacuum gauge connected at the base of the plenum where the balance tube is usually connected.

Engine is 1776
3K miles since purchased from a local builder
110 cam
Today I found that the pistons are stamped Mahle 90P34
Bosch Blue Coil
Lowbudget drilled carb for vacuum and using their SVDA dist. with Cumpufire electronics
Now using 8mm wires thinking that may help at one time.
Timing 32-34
Plugs have been Bosch Super, or NGK B6HS, gapped at 32-34.

Any thoughts?...

by **Jack Duncan** » 23 Sun Aug, 2009 3:46 pm

Here's my thought, for what it's worth since I'm not a VW technician. It may be firing too soon. I've read that the timing should be 28 to 32 degrees advanced at 3000 rpm. If you haven't tried bumping the timing back a little, it's worth a try. I don't think smoothing (porting) out the intakes will make a difference until you remove a lot of material. Some hot rodders like to leave them rough to further atomize the fuel. But, listen to the others, I may be all wet.

by **staggerwing** » 23 Sun Aug, 2009 3:55 pm

Thanks Jack:

It's interesting too that you say that because the transition from low rpm to higher rpm just doesn't sound right to me. It's not smooth enough and it's more noticable before the engine reaches operating temperature. Sounds like - "blum blum blum"! I've been going by what Low Budget recommends on the timing and have been thinking about changing it to see what happens. I think I played the timing game when the engine was new, but all 4 plugs were fouling back then!!! Why #1 though? If timing is 2 or 3 degrees advanced, does that mean #1 may foul?

by **Aquabuggy** » 23 Sun Aug, 2009 4:27 pm

staggerwing wrote: I did the balancing using a vacuum gauge connected at the base of the plenum where the balance tube is usually connected.
Any thoughts?...

These are cheap enough get one and try it or I can bring mine we can try it and see what happens.
http://www.mooreparts.com/store/product/473/AC000123/

by **staggerwing** » 23 Sun Aug, 2009 5:18 pm

Been wanting a inexpensive carb syncro that would fit under the fibreglass; that one looks like it would. Soooo, hot do it work? Ya just set it on one carb, read it, move it to the other carb, read it, then back and forth till things are the same? Looks like it's heavy enough to just set on the carb? Some kind of rubber thingy underneath? Please tell us more!

Anyone know why the push rod tubes under #2 are blocked solid? Tubes under #1 are open and full of oil like they're supposed to be - right?

by **Aquabuggy** » 23 Sun Aug, 2009 8:20 pm

I barely have a clue of how to use it myself :lol:

Disconnect the carb linkage slap the synchro meter on top of one carb, adjust the opening on top of the synchro meter till the little ball is floating in the center of the tube, then slap the synhcro on the other side adjust the butterflies till they are the same on both carbs then reattach the linkage without moving the butterflies.
That's what Ive done may not be the correct way :oops:

With kads you may also need this I'm not really sure Ive never messed with K-dogs. http://www.mooreparts.com/store/product/476/AC000124B/

by **Aquabuggy** » 23 Sun Aug, 2009 8:26 pm

OK forget all the above and go here
http://www.aircooled.net/gnrlsite/resou ... alcarb.htm

by **Bryan Porter** » 24 Mon Aug, 2009 8:24 am

Check the fuel pressure 3 lbs is all you need
I fixed Bills car with the same problem.

by **CoryN** » 24 Mon Aug, 2009 8:54 am

I think fuel pressure is going to be an issue for me as well. Having just put on kadrons, I could see the fuel loading up in them. How does one go about changing it?

by **Bill K** » 24 Mon Aug, 2009 9:06 am

And it's run fantastic ever since, except when Bryan slips up behind my car on a cruise stop and pulls a wire off my engine. :lol:

by **GregR** » 24 Mon Aug, 2009 9:23 am

I had too much fuel pressure on my kads after installing a new fuel pump. Hawkeye suggested I add another gasket under the fuel pump. I did and it's worked great ever since.

The symptom I had; after cruising at 35~40mph and letting off the gas for a stoplight, it would die. It would always start right back up and run fine but... Anyway, the extra gasket did the trick.

by **Bryan Porter** » 24 Mon Aug, 2009 11:13 am

Cutting the push rod down to make it shorter and check pressure cut some more and check again repeat as many times till pressure is 3 or 4 pounds. I cut Bills about 1/4 inch
Just grind the end down.

by **Hawk** » 24 Mon Aug, 2009 5:18 pm

If you grind the rod down, the next pump you put on you may need to replace the rod also. Gaskets are cheap! Good luck!

by **MURZ** » 24 Mon Aug, 2009 8:01 pm

One thing for sure is that you need to narrow the plug gap to about .028.

by **staggerwing** » 24 Mon Aug, 2009 9:48 pm

How bout " cylinders weren't honed correctly". Right now that's what we suspect and it makes since because after only 3K miles, the cylinder walls on 1 and 2 were practically "glassy". #2 rings were somewhat seated, #1 rings were probably NOT seated and oil was getting by. Everything else looked okay, no cracked head or bad valve guides. Got the cylinders honed today. Found out that these rings are "positive seal" rings, that's a good thing, and procured some instructions on how to clock them correctly and so on. No time today to install, maybe tomorrow. Break in is smash the gas in second then let off, do it again then go to third then smash the gas and let off. After about a mile things begin to seat and you can pretty much drive normal after that. Sounds good to me - can't wait to report back to you guys! Dang, haven't had this much fun in quite a while :shock:

After the Roundup, #3 and #4 come off and we repeat the process if all goes well.

by **staggerwing** » 25 Tue Aug, 2009 11:13 am

Another interesting thing discovered while having this thing apart - push rods for #1 were open and full of oil when I removed them; push rods for #2 are closed solid. Solid like one would have to drill them out to open them. Is that normal; aren't push rods supposed to be open?

by **CoryN** » 25 Tue Aug, 2009 2:21 pm

the gasket to add to lower psi is the lower pump gasket like this correct?

not the upper pump gasket like this

by **MURZ** » 25 Tue Aug, 2009 8:22 pm

CoryN wrote:the gasket to add to lower psi is the lower pump gasket like this correct?

not the upper pump gasket like this

Either gasket will do it. I typically use the upper ones.

by **staggerwing** » 09 Wed Sep, 2009 8:26 pm

The "only" thing I never checked after going through all the stuff listed on the A.J. Sims Kadron website was "check the squirt tube for drip after adjusting max squirt". Tonight I checked the drip on the right carb at idle and there it was, dripping like a big fat dog. Adjusted the accelerator pump "in" until the drip stopped, plus another 1/4 turn for good measure, then reset the idle mixture adjustment slightly. Checked the other carb for drip and it was fine. Took her for a spin and things feel and sound so much better. A fresh set of plugs and some low-speed cruising will hopefully write the final chapter to this year-long saga.

by **Bryan Porter** » 10 Thu Sep, 2009 7:54 am

I knew you would do it you are the man.

by **David Head** » 10 Thu Sep, 2009 8:10 am

HooRay for A.J.

by **Aquabuggy** » 10 Thu Sep, 2009 3:59 pm

Oh dang! No more pop pop :cry:

What will we do for cheap entertainment next year?

Sure glad ya finally got a handle on it.

by **staggerwing** » 11 Fri Sep, 2009 7:24 pm

Man you got me on that "what are we gonna do for cheap entertainment" question. I was sort of thinking about a starter pistol today (all day long), then I started thinking about getting in trouble with Bill and/or Brian, so I dunno what'll take the place of the popper?

BTW... back to the comment about plugged pushrods on "page one" of this post. Took a drill that was sized to fit the pushrods that were open and flowing oil, to the pushrods that were closed and NOT flowing oil, and just drilled em out. Blew em out real good with compressed air and stuck em back in there.

Question: Now that this car seems to be running right and I want to go for a ride every day when I get home, why is it raining so much (8 inches so far)!!! Not complaing at all, I'm just saying.

by **Bill K** » 11 Fri Sep, 2009 11:13 pm

After looking at the weather this weekend, I sure am grateful for what we had last weekend for the Roundup.

by **David Head** » 12 Sat Sep, 2009 10:30 am

Could be worse.. I hear Salado got 13 inches yesterday.

by **yoboy** » 12 Sat Sep, 2009 11:08 am

They must have thought we were in Salado and did a repeat of the Buggy Blast weekend weather.... :shock:

by **Bill K** » 12 Sat Sep, 2009 11:16 am

I'm betting there was a Dune Buggy somewhere in the area of Salado. :lol:

Texas Manx Club

plug foulin mama

plug foulin mama

plug fouling mama

Re: plug foulin mama

fuel pump rod!

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