[T3] T-3 Distributor

Tue Mar 11 10:04:58 PDT 2014

Will circle the spot but it is pretty obvious. (I saw it arcing so it's easy for me) Looks like the end has a hairline crack.
We routinely drove the car and got 27-28 regularly and up to 30-31 0n the freeway, as you suggest at 55-60 mph.
Just checked the injectors again. Yellow,with the female plug having all square corners. The male plugs have 2 rounded corners and 2 square. Black boots 1-3, grey boots 2-4.
I purchased and installed your fuel hose kit which eliminated the fuel smell when we made a left turn.
I recently purchased a new ( used ) thermostat and installed it. I then checked it to verify it was working which it is.I don't believe there are parts missing there but I could be wrong. Last time I was in there I believe everything was there.
 I'll use it to run to the P O to mail out the distributor and see what it feels like. 
I'll dig out the other injectors and come up with a test to check them out. I think I'll put them in some #2 diesel for a while first.
Tim

On Mar 11, 2014, at 7:11 AM, Jim Adney wrote:

> On 10 Mar 2014 at 22:31, rheorojo at F wrote:
> 
>> Got the distributor ready to go. I'll include the capacitor also as it
>> is a little different, but is a Bosch. The arc point is visible on the
>> barrel of the unit.
> 
> Circle that arc point with a marker if you can, so I know exactly 
> where to look.
> 
>> I've been slowly checking the fuel economy issues, to rule out
>> components. I replaced the voltage regulator with the new electronic
>> version, and installed a small volt meter direct from the battery. I
>> get a solid 14.1 at mid rpm's. I tried disconnecting the throttle
>> position sensor and didn't feel a lot of change. 
> 
> Okay, this is good. The charging system is not a problem and the TPS 
> actually never has much effect on gas mileage.
> 
>> The fuel situation started a few years back after I was advised my old
>> injectors were faulty. Since then it's been around 20 mpg. I got taken
>> on that one. I have another set but as of now have not attacked them.
>> They have been sitting dry for several years and I'm uncertain on the
>> proper procedure to get them in. I've read the seals can dry out and
>> then they leak. I don't want to go there so I'm a deer in the
>> headlights. 
> 
> 20 mi/gal really isn't particularly low. I often get this kind of 
> mileage in city driving, especially in cooler weather when warmup is 
> longer. How about your thermostat system? Is it all there and 
> working? If it's been removed, that will dramatically prolong warmup 
> and reduce your gas mileage.
> 
>> I don't see any obvious signs of wrong injectors such as fouled/lean
>> running plugs, or excess smoke/vapor when it's running. The exhaust
>> doesn't smell like unburned gas so I'm not convinced the injectors are
>> wrong. Just a suspicion. Besides I really enjoy driving the car even
>> though it's not right, I just keep reading and thinking and tinkering.
>> Last time I checked the fuel pressure was at 28 psi. I haven't changed
>> the fuel filter in a while so that is next.  This forum is a must for
>> me with my coffee every morning. 
> 
> If your injectors have the yellow plastic bodies, they're probably 
> right. You want them to be Bosch, not aftermarket, but that can be 
> hard to tell when they're installed. Look closely at the shape of the 
> plastic around the electrical connector. The Bosch ones will have 
> smooth and rounded corners, while the aftermarket ones I've seen will 
> have squared off corners.  
> 
> I've never seen fuel pressure change on its own, so if you've checked 
> it once, you should be set. (Keith had something odd happen to his at 
> one point, so it's POSSIBLE for something to go wrong, but very 
> unlikely.)
> 
> My FLAPS has an injector cleaner and I've used it. The head guy there 
> tells me that certain styles of injectors tend to get clogged and 
> others just don't. Our style does not tend to get clogged. My 
> experience with his cleaner is that cleaning our injectors does not 
> change anything.
> 
> One thing that WILL affect the injectors is water in the fuel. This 
> will cause rust that can affect fuel delivery. The cleaning machines 
> out there won't improve this. (BTW, no one takes our injectors apart 
> to replace the internal O-rings. It's too much work. They just 
> replace the hoses and the little inlet filters. If they leak to the 
> outside world, other than hose leaks, you really have to replace 
> them.)
> 
> I store my used injectors in kerosene, in plastic peanut butter jars. 
> That will keep the O-rings from drying out.
> 
> The most important thing that you might need to do would be to fix 
> your overflow hose, under the RF fender. If it's cracked, so that you 
> leak gas when you fill up the tank, it's cracked. Those cracks will 
> let gas out, but, more importantly, let dirt and water in, especially 
> when driving in the rain. The OG part is NLA, but I make up kits to 
> fix this problem, and my repair is more robust than the original 
> part.
> 
> At 20 mi/gal I'm thinking that you may not have a problem at all. 
> Take it on a trip and see what you get. If you keep your speed down 
> to 60-65 you may get as high as 28, but your mileage will go down as 
> your speed goes up.
> 
> -- 
> *******************************
> Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
> Madison, Wisconsin, USA
> *******************************
> 
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