Mis-firing

[thekeegans]

Hi there,
We are relatively new to this and need some advice. We bought our t25 last June but have only had aborted attempts at holidaying in her. She keeps losing revs, mis-firing and generally chugging after she's been going for a while. A new petrol tank has been fitted along with a twin choke webber carburettor, the electronic ignition has been replaced for a standard one(?), there is a new fuel pump. But still the problem occurs. Any ideas what it might be?

[ermie571]

HI and welcome.

Unfortunately, you don't say where you are, or what engine you have??

Presuming from your reference to twin carbs, we are talking air cooled, and the removal of the electronic ignition means you have had bits changed?

People will need much more information before they can help - what the symptoms were/are, what you have had done, etc etc

Also - go along and introduce yourself in the chat area.....people are often more than willing to help.....but get a bit annoyed when new members post a problem, don't introduce themselves and then disappear once the problem is solved! I am not having a go here....please don't get upset! But this place is about much more than technical support.....its about friendship primarily, counselling when it all goes wrong, and the knowledgeable few share their information with the wider membership.

Also, please don't take what you read on here as gospel....remember most of the diagnosis is done blind.....and the way you do or don't describe things will influence the way people respond.

How much do you know about your engine? Aircooled are Very susceptible to air leaks - you have loads of vacuum hoses....are they all present and correct?

Take care, enjoy the club, and make sure you come and meet us sometime!!

Em
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[Ian Hulley]

Emm, a twin choke Weber is a single carb with 2 chokes which open in sequence ( they used to be a popular soup-up option in the 80's ... normally just a noisier and quicker way to empty your petrol tank) therefore I pressume this is a 1.9 watercooled ?

Ian

[ermie571]

OOOOPs.....I didn't know that!!! You learn sommat every day!

Just goes to show how important it is to read the stickies at the top, or you will get some Numpty like me misunderstand what you are on about!!!

Em
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[VWCamperfan]

I have twin choke webbers and they all open at the same time. IDF 40's they are! But then I'm greedy!
I would take a guess at the fuel filter if it hasn't been changed (Just by the fuel tank where the fuel line comes out).
Then I would guess at the coil. Was this changed when the ignition system was changed? They can cause problems if starting to break down when warm.
Other than that I would look at the valve adjustment next. Could be affected by heat from the engine if not adjusted properly.
When the fuel pump was changed, was the pushrod underneath it changed also. These can wear and cause the pump to not function properly.

Hope this lot helps!

[jason k]

yup coil, but i reckon its got the single central twin choke weber on a 2000cc Aircooled.

best thing for you to do is get it to a rolling road to ensure the carb is not lean which can kill the motor.

they can fault find in a "real world" situation

i use http://www.raceshack.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

they understand these motors / carbs

[thekeegans]

I feel admonished, in a school teacherish way. Sorry for lack of etiquette Em!
Not sure where to begin. . . We are the Keegans made up of myself - George, Lance or him indoors, and our 7yr old twins Connol and Frieda. We love camping and festivals and hanging out and thought a van would be just the job for us. So. . .We bought our van last june from seemingly nice couple but think we may have been stitched. It's a t25 1982 2ltr Aircooled engine. We were told that she had a new fuel pump and fuel pipes, electronic ignition and that she was ready to go. However, a week after getting her home, on filling up with petrol realised she had a major fuel leak. But that seemed to be the only problem. Had driven her back from Luton to Northampton and she went like a dream. On inspection at garage, fuel tank had two holes in top so tank was replaced. When she came out of the garage she had developed this problem with losing revs etc which we discovered on trip to nottingham. Back in to garage (cos we know absolutely nothing about vehicles), carbarettors diagnosed as problem, aparently only running on three but cause unknown. Guy suggested we replace the engine so we changed garages. In come new guys, carbarettor replaced with twin choke, new fuel filter, air filter, and reset(?). Coil tested for breaking down under load (?) but okay? Electronic ignition taken out completely. Now, much noisier than before, problem not so severe - instead of losing revs from say 60mph to 10mph, it now drops from say 60 mph to 55mph but won't accelerate if it doesn't want to and kangeroos when you try to accelerate.
When the fuel tank was changed the original guy drained the fuel and stored in an old jerry can which was corroding. After replacing the tank he poured in the fuel from the can but did say that there was bits flaoting in so he'd used a funnel. Not sure if the bits would have any effect? We love this van, but have spent about £800 on her already and she's still not going so think we may have to sell.

[ermie571]

oi Keegans!!

Sell!!!! That's a four letter word round here!!!!

And anyways....won't get much for a non-running van.

YOu any good with the IT? Host a picture or two? Of the engine? First thing...check your fuel filter! You can do this yourself. Crawl underneath, follow the line from the tank - should find the filter round about the front wheel arch. If its dirty, replace it. heck, for what it costs, replace anyway!
Then continue along the fuel line and make sure there are no more (some have another filter in the engine bay, but it shouldn't be there!)

And sorry - didn't mean to tick you off!

Where abouts in Northampton? Mum and Dad are in Moulton, so up there fairly regular!

Em
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[Gunslinger]

When you say the electronic ignition was taken off, do you know how so as it was standard on this vehicle unless you've had the distributor replaced? I'm not suggesting thats necessarily the problem but it sounds a bit odd.
If its been replaced with a Bosch 009, with points, these are apparently no good for these engines although you will hear differing points of view.
Maybe if you could let us know that much we are starting to build a picture at least.
As Em says though, check and replace the fuel filter under the drivers side by the centre cover.
Was it an electric fuel pump you had fitted?

[VWCamperfan]

Check the correct operation of the cooling flaps. An overheating engine due to these being stuck closed or partly closed would also give these symptoms of a loss of power.

[jason k]

i dont know where you live give us some idea and perhaps someone with some knowledge of these motors can help.

dont panic it just sounds like its had some muppets working on it.

these are quite easy but only when you know

first thing i would be doing is getting all the correct dizzy and ignition stuff back on.

the points dizzy you now have dont work properly on a 2000 cu motor.

[thekeegans]

Em,
We are near Roade, if you know it. Husband works in Moulton.

The distributor was replaced but I would have to check with guy to know what it is. The filters have been changed twice by different people but will look to change again. I'm a bit worried that things have been removed for no reason at all and made the van worse. I'm so out of my depth! Can anyone recommend a garage in this area?

Thanks for all your replies, really appreciated.

[ermie571]

Yep - know Roade.
oh - and I was stiched by a terribly nice man with my first air-cooled too...so know what it is like....and it was a club memeber (NOT this club, I hasten to add, so that seemed to make it worse!)

Now if it were my van, I would be doing the following

1) Read the wiki and look at the picture of the air cooled engine
2) Search and read the forums on vacuum hoses and a sperate search on 009.
3) Find out exactly what was done - what was changed...and have you still got the originals?
4) Have you got a manual or electric pump?
5) Open the engine bay and gaze at it. Then look at the wiki picture. Look the same?

As above, don't panic!

Basically - just try and absorb as much as you can about the van from reading the help. Don't shove it at anothe garage without knowing what you are shoving at them for!! Put a note in General for Aircooled experience in Northants - sorry, only know local. However, I do know a chap that does mechanics in Moulton - Dad uses hime for his cars and ride on lawn mowers etc. He aight be able to take a look at the basics - what cylinders are firing, condition of spark etc etc. If you want me to get his contact details, let me know. He is not, however, a VW speciailist - he is a good old fashioned "mechanic" that knows the fundementals of engines.

oh - just had a thought...the kangaroo-ing...could that be flat spots on the carbs? ie if you kep trying to accelerate it, does it suddenly pick up? Any backfiring at all?

Good luck,

Em
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[thekeegans]

yes that's exactly what it does! Will suddenly pick up but mis fire a little.

I have been reading about the 009 but feel panic with all the unfamiliar terms. Will get better the more I read I suppose. School holidays start tomorrow so will have time to have a look at her with the husband and dad. Just afraid that we might do more harm than good! we have both been thinking of taking a mechanics course, hate being in the dark about anything and having to rely on garages.

How long have you had a van, Em?

[ermie571]

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