[T3] Spring "Cleaning"
Jim Adney
jadney at vwtype3.org
Thu Apr 3 18:42:37 PDT 2014
Spring is approaching, and I suspect lots of us are starting to think
about what we should do to get our cars ready for the road again. I
thought I'd put together a list of things I try to do for my cars
this time of year. It's still pretty chilly here, so I won't be doing
any of this yet, but for many of you, now is the time.
Jack up the front end and lube all 4 Zerk fittings. If you can't find
the 2 upper ones, ask. They're there, and they're important.
Check the water level in your battery. It should be just up to the
point where it touches that split gap that's a half inch or so below
the cell cap. If your battery doesn't have removable caps, there's
nothing you can do, but keep in mind that most cell caps these days
pry off in groups of 3, rather than unscrew individually. If you need
to add water, use distilled water, if possible.
Start the engine and run it just long enough to wear any rust off the
valves and seats, but not long enough for anything to actually warm
up: less than a minute. Verify that the charging and oil idiot lights
come on when you turn the key and then go out once the engine starts.
Then adjust the valves: intakes .004, exhausts .006. Very early cars
take different specs.
Start the car and take it for a short drive. Now you want to warm it
up. Stop and leave the engine running and check the system voltage at
medium rpm. It should be 14.1 - 14.4 V at the battery, but I just add
1/2 V and check it at the generator. Divide those numbers by 2 if
your car is a 6 V.
Remove the movable point and carefully clean ALL the old grease and
dirt off the rubbing block and cam. Put a thin smear of fresh cam
grease on the cam. This step is ESSENTIAL to keeping your cam from
wearing out from grit that gets caught in the rubbing block. That
wear is getting to be quite common in all our cars by now.
Check the resistance of all 4 plug wires; each should be ~1000 Ohms
or zero, depending on the plug connectors you have. The distributor
rotor should measure ~5000 Ohms. Some later cars also have another
~5000 Ohms in the HV coil connector. Replace anything that measures
infinity; replace wire that is hard or cracking. I sell good quality
SP wire by the foot. You can just replace bad parts; it's foolish to
replace entire wiresets. If you still have the very nice OE right
angle screw-on distributor cap connectors, hang on to them. You will
never find anything else as nice. Most of my parts are 40 years old,
or more. Everything should be Bosch; it will be more expensive, but
it will last MUCH longer.
Check the dwell and timing, in that order (because changing the dwell
changes the timing.) Verify that your advance mechanisms are working,
by watching the timing marks with your timing light. A dwell meter is
better than just going by the point gap.
Drain the hot oil, remove and clean the strainer. Replace the filter
if you have one. Refill. Check the air cleaner for dirt in the bottom
of the oil. Change that oil if the dirt accumulation is more than
1/4".
Here comes the shameless plug. I have used Delta Mark 10 Capacitive
Discharge Ignitions since 1966. I'm completely sold on them. Each of
my type 3s has one. They make the plugs and points last MUCH longer.
I've had points that lasted 50k miles, only to have the little wire
break inside the insulation. With my distributor cam in good
condition, and with fresh grease on there regularly, I almost never
have to re-adjust my points.
I have several Mark 10 CDI units available for sale. I have a couple
of genuine NOS factory wired Mark 10s for $125 and good used
(thoroughly tested) Mark 10Bs for $125. The only functional
difference between the 2 versions is that the Mark 10B includes a
switch that lets you switch back to standard ignition with a
pushbutton. Delta also sold the Mark 10Bs thru Knight, Radio Shack
and Heathkit. I have versions from all of them and the only
difference is the sticker on the outside.
The NOS units are complete with the original manual. I'll include my
own instructions with either version.
These use the STANDARD coil and points, and wire to the coil without
cutting any wires. You CAN use them with something like a Pertronix
if you like, but there's no advantage. They may need special adaptors
to work with a tach.
Finally, they will not deliver any more gas mileage or power than a
standard ignition in good condition. They deliver faster rise time
spark and higher
voltage spark than the standard ignition, so they will find any weak
spots in your HV wiring. And, they make a high pitched buzz that some
people may find annoying. That is probably not a problem in notches
or fastys. Personally, I like the fact that I can turn the key ON and
hear that it's working. Mine all sit on the cargo floor, just to the
left of the engine hatch. The wiring slips easily past the hatch
seal.
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Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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