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Distributor clamp - it's weird, but that's the way it is. I guess they have used the Beetle clamp but put a longer bolt through so you can get at it between the rod and the fan-housing By the way, that rod has the air flaps fixed to it, and must turn as the engine warms up, or it could overheat. Type 3 firing point (ignition timing). It's weird too; there are several different points to set to, depending on whether you have the single or twin vacuum distributor, and have fuel injection or carb engine. If the twin carb setup you have isn't stock, you may not find the attached any use. (Sorry I couldn't attach it - rules is rules! Anyone else at Type3.org want the factory sheet on timing, please e-mail; for the post '66 it's only 8KB, but I have the full sheet including Type 4 info at 36 KB. If there's lots I may put it on the Club site instead). The 040 isn't made for the Type 3 so I guess you can't complain if its bits are not in the most convenient positions. Just make sure the plug firing is picking up its spark at the right position! 1-4-3-2 as the engine turns clockwise. (1 = far right; 2 = near right; 3 = far left; 4 = near left). Black plugs? Look to see if they are sooty or greasy. Sooty = too much fuel, and may be caused by auto-choke staying on, float chamber needle valve not shutting off, or various air jets in the carb not working properly. Also ignition not working 100%. Greasy would mean oil getting into the cylinders - maybe bad rings. Don't overfill; it can damage oil seals. Engine shaking could be imbalance in carb idling mixture. Are they stock (Solex 32PDSIT2/3)? If so, only two adjustments are possible; mixture (big knurled head screw) and throttle stop screw (after adjusting you have to make sure the accelerator rods are correct length to not change the adjustment). Hope this helps a bit. Dave. ( www.hallvw.clara.net/ for UK VW Type 3 & 4 Club pages) -----Original Message----- From: oofacts@earthlink.net <oofacts@earthlink.net> To: type3@vwtype3.org <type3@vwtype3.org> Date: 08 August 1998 20:53 Subject: [T3] Distributor Questions OK lets remember, 72 Squareback, dualcarbs... So I pulled the distributor today. Took me about 1.5 hours figure out how to get to the distributor clamp. It was way over on the left, way under the distributor and ran back and under a rod that ran left-to-right just in front of the fan housing. Nightmare. Finally, after a couple turns, the bolt BROKE. See the thing I though was the nut at the frontmost part of the clamp was the head of the bolt. Tore the head right off. Then I found the nut tucked under that rod. Got it loose after about ten minutes moving the 10mm wrench in 1/64 increments. Took out the distrib and the clamp. Now here's one thing: I need a new clamp. That bolt is welded through it, and I think it's backwards. I can't imagine VW wanting a clamp to be stuck in a place so impossible to tighten. Pulled out distrib. loked at shaft. Engine was at TDC 0¡. Drive shaft was at an angle, but not quite as extreme as that shown in Bentley. Bentley says pull out shaft with a magnet or expansion tool. My magnet wasn't strong enough and where do I get an expansion tool? I've never seen one. So I didn't mess with it. Besides, eyeballing it proved that if I were to correct the angle of the drive shaft, there would have been no room for the condenser on the distributor. My cond. is to the LEFT of the vaccuum plate, and there's not too much room over there. Now I can at least understand my mechanic. But heres something further: The way my distributor is (Bosch 040) the rotor CANNOT point at the notch on the rim if the drive shaft is positioned correctly (with the smaller half pointing front and slightly left) and the distributor is inserted correspondingly. In this position, the rotor is 180¡ from the notch.But there IS a little nub on the back of the rotor. Could this have been some sort of indicator/pointer Bosch put on this distributor? Its very confusing. Either that or my distributor is completely built backward. Anyone have any ideas? Presuming that all was well ANYHOW, I changed the points (used Bosch because I had them - sorry Keith) and did the static timing. Now: I have 4 notches on my pulley, seeing it from above. I looked at bentley and they said to time it at 5¡ BTDC, which on the diagram looked like the third notch. BUT my guess was that this was presuming I was using a strobe, and that I had FI. So I looked at Muir. Muir said to use 0¡ TDC, and his chart makes it out to be the first notch on the left. Not where the bridge actually begins, but the first notch in the bridge. Static timed it. Checked the Dwell on the points: 26, not bad for a beginner. But while the engine was idling, it began to shake hard (what does this indicate, yes lugging, but why when warm and idling?) - not something it usually does unless its cold, at which point I give a little steady gas until it goes away.. Thought maybe I timed it wrong, so I Futzed with the timing. Keith had told me to try 7.5 BTDC which on Muir looks like the 3rd notch in the bridge. HEY WAIT A MINUTE. Looked at muir, looked at Bentley. Why does one say notch 3 is 5¡ and the other say 7.5¡ Somebody clarify whats what here. And when you do, bear in Mind that my chassis is 72, but my crankcase says 73. Anyway, futzing didn't help. Went back to 0¡ as I understand it. Hey, how does one advance and/or retard timing? Is before TDC advancing it? Is ATDC retarding it? Its a stupid question but answer it anyway. Didn't have a friend to help me do compression. Actually made me a little depressed. But when I pulled out my sparks, damn they were black. I had a tune-up this past March, and I've done a couple 400 mile trips since then, but BROTHER! So here's another question. I know that ovetr this time, since I have an oil leak I can't trace, which gives my car a bit of a habit, therehave been a couple instances early on where I checked the oil after I'd driven it some and the oil looked low, on the low mark, so I added a quart. Next morning I'd check the oil and it would be well above the high mark. I know this isn't good, but will someone tell me why this isn't good? SO I put in new plugs, cleaned up knowing more but with all of my previous questions completely unanswered by experience. I think I want new distributor. Should I? Muir says he doesn't like vacuum advance, but that's what I have now, actually Vacum-mechanical combined. Do I need to have vacuum? I just want a distributor that makes SENSE, that looks like the ones I see in the manuals. WITH THE CONDENSER ON THE RIGHT of the vacuum plate. Are these expensive? What kind should I get? Remember, I have dual carbs. Anyway my work is done today. It was fun, actually. But I would appreciate some questions, answers and/or comments. Exactly what to the four notches stand for, left-to-right? Where is the standard STATIC timing mark? 0¡? Why is my distributor built backwards? Where can I get a new clamp? (I clamped the distrib back on as tight as I could get it those cramped, almost impossible quarters under that rod.) Why do my spark plugs get so black? Could it be because I put in too much oil a couple times? What distributor should I have in my car? A 009, like all those stupid magazines with the bikini chicks say? Once I get this figured out I can attend to my emissions woes and then my rust anguish. I love my car; help me make it proud to still be around. Mike ------------------------------------------------------------------- List info at http://www.vwtype3.org/list or mailto:help@vwtype3.org