[T3] Blue Coil

Sat Jan 29 19:15:04 PST 2011

  I could see something like this being the problem. Is there an  
"easy" way to diagnose a carb problem of that sort, or does it mean a  
mandatory tearing apart of the carb? One of the many symptoms of this  
problem was backfiring through the passenger side carb.... does that  
make any sense?

Here's a recap of what I know (or rather DON'T know) so far.
     1. The problem can be very intermittent, with more than a month  
of perfect running between the first two episodes (the car being  
driven daily). Now it no longer seems to be intermittent; it's here  
to stay apparently.
     2. I THOUGHT it was ignition related since the worst running  
I've witnessed occurred on a nasty rainy day. That was the ONE time I  
could barely get it started.
    3. Until the last two episodes, it appeared to be totally random,  
and not temperature related in any way. It could occur after driving  
many miles, or it could be nearly impossible to start and run  
horrible from the get-go. Now the last couple of drives, I made it  
the exact same distance before running into trouble.
    4. I'm ASSUMING that I'm not experiencing more than one unrelated  
problems at the same time. I've had this car 7 years, and it's been a  
daily driver that whole time, and maintained in a way that I could  
hop in it and take a 2,000 mile trip at any time if need be..... in  
other words, this isn't something I just pulled out of a shed after  
20 years of sitting, trying to work the bugs out.

After the drive today, something is telling me fuel issue. I've had  
so many instances over the years of getting rust-clogged fuel  
filters, and today, for the first time, that's what it felt like.

On Jan 29, 2011, at 4:33 PM, Keith Park wrote:

> Float sticking on one side? Or maybe the needle isn't seating  
> properly?
> If your overflow hose on the tank is bad and water is getting into  
> the tank
> it could clog up your filters or carbs just as it would the FI system.
>
> Keith
>
>
> Top Notch Restorations
> topnotch at nycap.rr.com
> http://www.a383ina68.addr.com/radiorest/main.htm
> 71 Squareback "Hothe"
> 65 Notchback "El Baja Rojo"
> 65 Squareback "Eggcrate"
> 87 golf "Winterat"
> 93 RX7 "Redstur"
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: type3-vwtype3.org-bounces at lists.vwtype3.org
> [mailto:type3-vwtype3.org-bounces at lists.vwtype3.org] On Behalf Of  
> James
> Lingenfelter
> Sent: Saturday, January 29, 2011 9:28 PM
> To: type3 at vwtype3.org
> Subject: Re: [T3] Blue Coil
>
> This car is Weber 34 ICT's, no FI.
>
> Everything in the ignition system has now been checked and is ok,
> except possibly the distributor itself? It's a vacuum advance. I had
> one go bad years ago, but I don't recall what problems it caused.
>
> If I have time, the next thing I'll look into is the fuel pump. If
> that's the problem, I've never had one behave quite like this.
> They've always left me stranded with no warning in the past.
>
> On Jan 29, 2011, at 4:08 PM, Keith Park wrote:
>
>> Well, by replacing parts you may have introduced another problem
>> that is
>> masking the original, or perhaps adding to it.
>>
>> If you can work the points with a screwdriver (shock hazard, hold
>> with an
>> isolated handle) and you get consistant strong spark then check the
>> inline
>> resistors, OK?  Run it at night... no light show?  Then your
>> ignition is
>> probably fine.
>>
>> Stick a fuel pressure gauge on it, that will eliminate that
>> possibility if
>> that's good.  Carefully wiggle connectors,  have you cleaned the
>> trigger
>> points?  Once warm try swapping out the head temp sensor with a 100
>> ohm
>> resistor but I doubt that's it.  It's a matter of isolating things
>> down to
>> what is working and what is not.
>>
>> Do you have my FI FAQ?
>>
>> Keith
>>
>>
>>   Results of latest test drive: Once again, I let the car idle in the
>> driveway about 15 minutes, then drove about 1 mile before problems
>> began; but this time the results were totally different than the last
>> test drive. THIS time, instead of 2 cylinders suddenly shutting down
>> and then returning 10 seconds later, I began to feel a gradual miss
>> which slowly developed into violent bucking under throttle; but idle
>> remained fine, whereas it wouldn't idle at all last time..... EXACTLY
>> as if the car is not getting fuel. Fuel filters are brand new and
>> clear; Fuel pump (electric) is nearly new and hasn't shown any signs
>> of failure.... but from my experience with fuel pumps, it is still
>> suspect.
>>    I am back at square one. Diagnosis between the pre-coil and post-
>> coil drives are 100% different. Unfortunately at this point, I may
>> have to dump the car off at a shop and let them isolate it. It's a
>> daily driver, and my wife and I are short one vehicle while I
>> frantically replace parts and follow various rabbit trails.
>>
>> On Jan 29, 2011, at 10:23 AM, Keith Park wrote:
>>
>>> Yep, same company that makes the auto trannies too.
>>> The coil and condenser (capacitor) are a matched pair, as is the
>>> coil and
>>> the ballast resistor if it has one.  Ill be the stock T3 condensor
>>> is not
>>> the match for the Borg warner coil and hence the problem.  The coil
>>> itself
>>> is probably fine.
>>>
>>> Keith
>>>
>>>
>>> Top Notch Restorations
>>> topnotch at nycap.rr.com
>>> http://www.a383ina68.addr.com/radiorest/main.htm
>>> 71 Squareback "Hothe"
>>> 65 Notchback "El Baja Rojo"
>>> 65 Squareback "Eggcrate"
>>> 87 golf "Winterat"
>>> 93 RX7 "Redstur"
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: type3-vwtype3.org-bounces at lists.vwtype3.org
>>> [mailto:type3-vwtype3.org-bounces at lists.vwtype3.org] On Behalf Of
>>> Mark
>>> Fuhriman
>>> Sent: Saturday, January 29, 2011 1:37 AM
>>> To: type3 at vwtype3.org
>>> Subject: Re: [T3] Blue Coil
>>>
>>> On Friday, January 28, 2011, Jim Adney <jadney at vwtype3.org> wrote:
>>>> On 27 Jan 2011 at 18:06, James Lingenfelter wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> OK, I just removed the now notorious "scummy black coil" from the
>>>>> squareback. Some scrubbing on the side revealed it is a "Borg
>>>>> Warner"
>>>>> coil. Don't know much about these, I'm thinking maybe they were
>>>>> OEM on
>>>>> some American cars? Any way, there is a Bosch coil on the car
>>>>> now  and
>>>>> it is running as I write this.
>>>>
>>>> I don't know anything about B-W coils. If I remember, I'll try to
>>>> ask
>>>> someone tomorrow who might know something about them.
>>>>
>>>> Well, I asked him today, and he never heard of B-W making coils. We
>>>> agreed that they were probably made by someone else and marketed
>>>> with
>>>> the B-W name and we'd never seen one. Quality unknown....
>>>
>>> I have an old Borg Warner coil that I pulled off a junkyard Type 3 a
>>> number of years back.  I keep it around as a spare for my car.
>>>
>>> I wonder if this is the same Borg Warner that made radio sets in the
>>> early 1900s.  Anybody know (Keith)?  I have an old B-W radio here
>>> that
>>> I want to get working.
>>>
>>> Mark
>>> '69 Fastback
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>
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