1971 Type 3 with f.i.--won't start w/ new points

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whc03grady
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Location: Livingston Montana
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1971 Type 3 with f.i.--won't start w/ new points

Post by whc03grady » Fri Jan 07, 2011 2:35 pm

Gertie's starts were getting progressively harder, often requiring a second (or third) turn of the key to finally kick the engine over, so I suspected the points.

I adjusted the valves first since they were overdue anyway; nothing was amiss.

I inspected the rotor and cleaned it up a bit by lightly brushing it with an emery board. The contacts in the cap didn't look so hot, but not terrible. I ordered a new cap and rotor anyway, which will arrive tomorrow.

I removed the old points and sure enough one point had a crater and the other a mountain.

I replaced them and the condenser, got them to about 0.016" in anticipation of doing the timing, and now it won't start. Crankedy-crankedy-crankedy-crankedy, nice and even but obviously no spark. Plug wires are on in order, everything's back together correctly. There is plenty of gas.

Frustrating.
Ludwig--1974 Westfalia, 2.0L (GD035193), Solex 34PDSIT-2/3 carburetors.
Gertie--1971 Squareback, 1600cc with Bosch D-Jetronic fuel injection from a '72 (E brain).
Read about their adventures:
http://www.ludwigandgertie.blogspot.com

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Sylvester
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Post by Sylvester » Fri Jan 07, 2011 3:05 pm

Condenser plugged into the coil?

Rotor back inside the distributor? (I HAVE DONE THIS AT LEAST ONCE!)
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue, I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace. Where never lark, or even eagle flew. And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod, The high untrespassed sanctity of space, Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

vdubyah73
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Post by vdubyah73 » Fri Jan 07, 2011 3:48 pm

X2 ^^^

use a test lite yet?

try old condenser?
1/20/2013 end of an error
never owned a gun. have fired a few.

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whc03grady
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Post by whc03grady » Fri Jan 07, 2011 5:31 pm

Sylvester wrote:Rotor back inside the distributor? (I HAVE DONE THIS AT LEAST ONCE!)
Yes, I double-checked as I HAVE DONE THIS AT LEAST ONE MILLION TIMES!
vdubyah73 wrote:try old condenser?
Ding ding ding ding ding!

Fired up right away. The new and the old were slightly different, in that the old one had a slot in the strap for the gray plug to slide onto. The new one didn't. Maybe this cosmetic external difference is correlated to a non-cosmetic internal difference?

Dumb question: does the screw holding the condenser to the dizzy ground it (the condenser)?
Ludwig--1974 Westfalia, 2.0L (GD035193), Solex 34PDSIT-2/3 carburetors.
Gertie--1971 Squareback, 1600cc with Bosch D-Jetronic fuel injection from a '72 (E brain).
Read about their adventures:
http://www.ludwigandgertie.blogspot.com

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dtrumbo
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Location: Mill Creek, WA
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Post by dtrumbo » Sat Jan 08, 2011 7:34 am

whc03grady wrote:(not)Dumb question: does the screw holding the condenser to the dizzy ground it (the condenser)?
Yes, it must be nice and snug.
- Dick

1970 Transporter. 2015cc, dual Weber IDF 40's
1978 Riviera Camper. Bone stock GE 2.0L F.I.
1979 Super Beetle convertible.

... as it turns out, it was the coil!

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