Aircooled VW South Africa

rant mode on.

sick to bloody death of the temperamental nature of the aircooled engine. works perfect for 5 days, then the next day it runs like a wet dog in a snow storm. no changes, no tweaking, just weird behavior.
now the bitch won't idle, idle gradually drops from a normal level down to it stalling. yesterday it was running fine all day long.

seriously reconsidering this mode of engineering as a daily run about now.

vac leaks?

yeah might be, can't seem to see anything that's jumping out at me to suggest otherwise though.

quiet often when one starts getting these funny issues, its time to start from scratch so that everything is back up to new standard.

eg, when you think you have an ignition problem and find a dead lead or worn out plug... change it all - dizzy cap, points, condensor, rotor, plugs and leads. Then its all new and you wont have issues for plenty km to come.
Same with the rest... sometimes, you might need to pull the manifold off at the heads, replace the gaskets and the rubbers. Then you have it all new and you know its good for another 3 years or more. Plus you get to check if you have inlet valve leaks.

It doesnt work out that expensive in the end, just uses up time. Its very seldom you get a mechanical failure with a properly maintained engine

Appreciate that, right now time isn't on my side im afraid. Busy finishing off this documentary for the deadline in nov and also getting ready for new work that's starting next month.

i guess it will come to it in the end, need to squeeze more hours out of the day.

My time is probably coming,....but my bus has never given me a days shite.

Dont worry dude, mine snapped a valve spring on friday. and there is an oil leak from the fuel pump??? I know how you feel. just have to struggle through.

My worst mistake was buying this Brosol carb. Honestly it's the biggest piece of shit i've ever seen. Brand new and leaked like a mofo after 100km's. Still struggling to get it to idle, tightened everything and cannot find any vacuum leak.

Tomorrow I'm getting a proper original german carb, enough of the cheaper parts, they don't work in the long run.

I agree with The Z.

Start from scratch and redo a system at a time, i.e. ignition, fuel, etc. Make sure all the lugs are crimped nice and tight. Use decent tools. Work in a clean environment.

I know it sounds like a lot of effort, but in the end the rewards are so much more.

Hang in there young man.