Sweet Sixteen – Revived

Over the weekend, I pulled off the engine to put in new seals/packing to fix up few oil leaks in it. But it didn’t end that easy. Worn piston rings resulted heavy carbon deposits on heads/valves as it’s never been de-carbonized.

But I was lucky as all the bores n pistons (Mahle, flat top 85.46) were in good condition which the standard 85.5 rings (KS German) fitted without a problem. Fit all new pushrod tubes (stock), Crank oil seal, engine packing and also to make the job complete, I repainted the engine tin as below. A well worth extended weekend just flew by n still dreaming of getting down a counterweighted crank for her...

How well do u BREATH?

Everyone knows the importance of this to human life; but I don’t think most of us pay attention to how well an engine breaths.

I’ve been experiencing a power loss / hiccups @ high RPM’s with black carbon deposits on the plugs. So much meddling around with jet sizes n fuel mixture, I never could achieve it to a satisfactory level. Hmmm…

One weekend, I removed all to clean the filter n it came to my notice, the stock Van/Karmann hose used to attach the Air filter creates a bottle neck effect.

 

Below is what I came up with a week later… wooh, my baby is breathing fine now!

Trip to "Badulla"

Over 300 miles of driving pleasure...!
Dates: 11th to 14th Oct.
Route: Colombo - Avissawella - Ratnapura - Balangoda - Belihul oya - Haldummulla - Haputale - Bandarawela - Badulla - Victoria/Randenigala - Kandy - Colombo

Supercharging

Cal Look explained!

"The Island" paper article today

http://www.island.lk/2008/09/19/rrrr.jpg

Beetle Sprint 2008

7th Sept. 08 | Katukurunda Airbase track | One of the happiest days in my life. These pics n video will speak for my joy. All the hard work n efforts been rewarded!

Few cool AD's n stuff

Essentials - "Carburation"

Essentials - "Ignition Timing"

Keeping the correct ignition fire timing and idle speeds are one of the most essential things in an engine. Below are factory recommendations for the stock Beetle engines.

 

FAQs n Tech support!

Thanks everyone of those have been asking different questions lately. For the benefit of all the readers, I thought of posting them here with supporting pics off from my '75 Beetle Workshop Manual.

General model identification info:

Good luck n Happy Beetle Motoring!
Keep Buggin!

Exhaust beat - New engine/muffler in action

How to keep your "Silent Partner" happy?

Transmission
Your gearbox does plenty of work, changing up and down many, many times when you drive. It needs lubricating just like the engine, but less often. The recommended time is every 30,000 miles. That's a lot of miles, but considering how old your Beetle is, there's a good chance it needs doing if the previous owner never did it or not having any maintenance records.

Transmission Oil
GL-4 vs GL-5 There is a debate between many users of what API rating to use. My personal analysis is best to go with SAE 75W-90 Fully Synthetic.


And when doing, once you remove the Drain plug; make sure you clean all the dirt, sludge/metal grind its collected there in the center magnate.

Sweet Sixteen - In need of 'Power n Performance' (Part III)

For a long time I’ve been thinking of an engine upgrade and was looking for options. One fine day a sweet deal came in my way thru a nearby mechanic. An imported re-condition engine to swap with mine + balance money.
Its 1500CC as the mechanic said, but having the engine code AD, Dual port, 34 PICT3 Carb, 200mm Clutch n Pressure plate; it has to be a 1600CC.
Combined with my other mods, the thing is near flying with an amazing fuel efficiency. Can’t wait for the next road trip!
Last year trip pics - http://picasaweb.google.com/vwbeetles.lk/Trip10thTo13thDec07

DIY - Rocker Cover Breather Vents

You must’ve noticed a little drop or two (maybe more) of oil on the floor off your engine after a hot run. Why?
When you run @ high revs the pressure generates inside the engine also gets high. The breather line goes to stock oil bath Air Filter off the Oil Filler isn’t sufficient to handle that and it tend to leak the pressure thru Pushrod seals.
Overcoming this, to relieve the excess crankcase pressure, I had to come up my own custom design coz there aren’t off the shelf parts available in SL.

Noticeable benefits are,
No messy oil leaks. Smooth n faster throttle response. Slight reduction of oil temp.

In need of 'Power n Performance' (Part II)

"Mean stock machine"

When I bought my 4th luvbug two years ago, a ’73 Jeans Beetle she had D code 34hp 1200CC engine. But to get more power out and also to run economically, I did her few mods...

1. Standard oil ignition coil replaced with a dry coil.


2. Bosch WR8AP Platinum spark plugs.


3. Mallory SPRINT WIRE® 8MM YELLOW SILICONE JACKETED plug wires.


4. Stock oil bath air filter replaced with a cone filter.


5. Doghouse oil cooler.


6. 7/16” Rocker cover breather vents.


7. Modified equal length single out exhaust - Spiral flow muffler (1.5” tubing, 2” collector, 4” muffler out)


8. RPM/Oil Temp/Volt Meter Gauges.

I had no way of checking the actual gain/output from those, guess I get the max out of it. Probably about 10 horses more for sure!