[T3] Re Invasion Update
Jim Adney
jadney at vwtype3.org
Wed Jun 27 10:21:42 PDT 2012
I'm all recovered from the trip, so here are the details:
2291 miles at an average of 25.75 mi/gal. The best tank was 29.5 and
the worst was 23.6. The worst tanks were on the way out, when we had
very strong head and cross winds all the way. The best tanks were on
the way home, which tends to be more downhill, but the weather
managed to turn around and give us headwinds most of the way,
although they weren't as strong.
The exhaust valves had tightened up just a bit, but most of the
intakes were unchanged. The dwell had increased slightly, which
retarded the spark by a couple degrees. That would have decreased my
gas mileage a bit.
I often smelled gas during the drive, mostly just after filling up,
but a little bit almost any time. So this morning I did a final
fillup, to get the average gas mileage, and then checked everything
over for leaks. I found 2 very small ones, neither large enough to
drip, but still enough to smell.
There was one at the top of the tank, where my overflow hose kit was
installed. I had overtightend one of the crimp rings, leaving a VERY
small passage where the hose had puckered up. I fixed that by
crimping less, and oiling the surfaces so they could slide and not
pucker. That leak would only have leaked when the tank was full, so
it explains why my gas mileage got better after Dave mentioned that
he could smell me when he followed close behind me. I stopped topping
up the tank after that, and my mileages seemed to improve slightly.
The second leak was below the tank, where the pressure hose connected
to the hard line running back on the driver's side of the car. This
is the same spot that I thought I had fixed before meeting the
eastern caravan. I could see a bit of wetness on that tube, but an
extra 1/4 turn on the hose clamp seems to have fixed it. It's really
hard to get a screwdriver on that hose clamp; I ended up using an
open end wrench.
I drove home making lots of left turns and weaving down the streets,
to slosh gas up against the gas cap, but there was no sign of leakage
there.
Everything on the engine is dry, but I haven't gotten underneath to
inspect where the pressurized hard line comes out of the pan on the
driver's side. I should look there, but I suspect that it's fine,
because it's a LOT easier to get a screwdriver on that clamp.
BTW, I've replaced all the pressure hoses under the tank, but the
unpressurized hoses are all the originals. They are still supple and
have their original factory crimp hose clamps on them. That's 41
years and 80,000 miles later.
ALL the hoses at the rear of the car, where they get hot, have been
replaced.
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Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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