1969 Bus - Loss Of Power

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appetite
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1969 Bus - Loss Of Power

Post by appetite » Sun Jun 21, 2009 1:44 pm

Hi list,

69 Bus, 1600 dp, Solex 34 PICT 3, vac advance dizzy.

It's been raining a lot. Yesterday, the bus felt like it had really lost power. Acceleration is about half of what it used to be.

Check plugs; snug. What's next? Could the rain be a factor? It has never done this before.

Suggestions?

James in NJ

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midatlanticys
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Post by midatlanticys » Sun Jun 21, 2009 2:35 pm

Hi James, I'm a new guy doin' a neck out stab fer ya!!

Did this lack of poop happen from one day to next?

Daily driver or a parked bus?

Throttle cable and carb linkage all OK?

Is a brake/e-brake draggin' or hot?

Distributor cap dry & clean inside & out? Rotor end shiny, not pitted? 4 x cap contacts nice-n-clean or worn? Cap seated correctly? Coil wire firmly in at both ends? Spades on coil clean/shiny?

Distributor locked firmly in place?

Have you checked timing?

Have you checked the vacuum lines for leaks/cracks?

hmmmmm . . . . . that's where I'd start!!

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Randy in Maine
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Post by Randy in Maine » Sun Jun 21, 2009 4:27 pm

Does the vacuum cansiter at the distributor hold a vacuum? With your timing light hooked up, does the timing actually advance when your rev up the engine?
79 VW Bus

appetite
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Post by appetite » Sun Jun 21, 2009 4:48 pm

Daily driver.

Checked wires at the cap. Firmly in place. Ditto dist cap.

I don't have a timing light.

Throttle cable and linkage OK.

Newbie here - How do you check for vacuum leaks?

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RSorak 71Westy
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Post by RSorak 71Westy » Mon Jun 22, 2009 7:54 am

"How do I find vac. leaks?"

Listen for hissing sounds while it's running or you can spray some carb cleaner around the engine until and if you find a spot that changes the way it runs.
Take care,
Rick
Stock 1600 w/dual Solex 34's and header. mildly ported heads and EMPI elephant's feet. SVDA W/pertronix. 73 Thing has been sold. BTW I am a pro wrench have been fixing cars for living for over 30 yrs.

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Amskeptic
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Post by Amskeptic » Mon Jun 22, 2009 8:13 am

Loss of power must be investigated seriously. Check valve adjustments cold. Compression test next. If no gauge, pull #15 coil and crank engine to listen for an uptick sound at one cylinder. If it is steady, then we can move forward.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

appetite
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Post by appetite » Mon Jun 22, 2009 4:49 pm

Thanks for the suggestions. After some head scratching, i think I solved it.

Removed wires one by one from the dizzy to see if there was a misfire. Removed #2 and nada. Checked the plug. It was wet. Oh no!

Changed the plug and checked the ignition wire. Some of the rubber had worn away.

So I think #2 wasn't firing because all the rain and humidity had caused that bad ignition wire to crap out.

Swapped out the wire, and viola!

Thanks again.

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midatlanticys
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Post by midatlanticys » Tue Jun 23, 2009 4:44 am

appetite wrote: Swapped out the wire, and viola!
Bingo!! Well done!!

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