Hello, again i apologize for my poor (technical) english.
My '73 1303, with a 1300 cc engine and dry airfilter, has problem that frequently, not always, the engine stalls, during driving, an constant speed, at once the engine is not respnding at accelerator pedal, Power is gone and rpm going down, lifting pedal and Some patience, engine reffs up again, but no power,(like there is not enough fuel, or maybe To much fuel) going To side of road, stop engine, Wait a minut, start engine again and it runs normal, somtimes i have To start engine 3 or 4 times in first few kilometers, and then no problems again and i can drive for hours And no problems.
Exept on the higway, when driving 90/95 km/h or faster the problem is alway there.
Inside car there is a strong fuel smell, and last week a freind drove behind me, and he kept extra distance because the fuel smell of my car was To much in his car.
I thougt problem was fuel lines/filters/tank air inlet and carb. Not getting enough fuel, but then its strange it smels zo heavy i would think.(and in my opnion is fuel consumption high too)
Any one an idee, or suggestions, What i can check. Or what can be the problem?
Thanks, Gerwin
You can have a leak anywhere in the system. Probably more than one considering the age of our cars. I would start at the fuel tank and work your way back to the carburetor. The rubber hoses are typically the first to dry rot (can be the fuel lines or venting system), but the hard lines can break too. If you have the cloth covered hoses, it's harder to see the cracks. I wouldn't drive it until you can fix the leak(s).
Do you only smell the gas while you are driving or even while it is sitting with the engine cold?
Thanks for answer,
the smell is only when im driving
Gerwin
You might want to post your setup (fuel pump,carb,filters,leak/no-leak before/after something was swapped out etc.). Pictures are always helpful to verify that all the hoses are connected to the correct ports. Another question would be, what emissions do you have? For example, https://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/manuals/73_emissions/1973_Emission_Control_System.pdf (https://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/manuals/73_emissions/1973_Emission_Control_System.pdf) in '73 there are extra places for fuel vapors to be routed, which earlier Bugs don't have (carbon canister, etc.) If you plug the wrong hoses into the wrong ports, you might get fuel smell where you don't want it.
I would grab a fire extinguisher, some jack stands and get her running (level preferably) up in the air. Look for any visible fuel leaks at idle. Then pull the throttle from the rear and look for any leaks at a higher RPM.
If you don't find any leaks, I would possibly suspect that your fuel pump has too much pressure, blowing past the needle connected to the float in the carb and flooding your engine (or maybe your float is full of fuel and won't "float" anymore). Knowing if you have recently made any modifications would be helpful.
Couple the fuel odor with poor engine performance only at average speeds (not at high speeds) suggests to me that your carb is running too rich. Bad fuel lines would not cause this specific problem. I would inspect and then tune your carburetor. You can purchase a rebuild kit for about $25. And, then check your fuel pump pressure. Most aftermarket fuel pumps produce too much pressure against the carb fittings that can contribute to these problems.
Note that since your problem is not related to the autostick system, you might get more responses over on Samba.com
Thanks, enough information too start my search.
Emissions? On a '73 car with carburator i believe that is never checked over here,
Maybe an idee To do.
Quote from: ebbingnl on 31 March 2019, 23:15
Inside car there is a strong fuel smell, and last week a freind drove behind me, and he kept extra distance because the fuel smell of my car was To much in his car
Never heard of a fuel smell being THIS bad, damn. Sounds like unburnt fuel entering the exhaust system which would be the result of a LEAN running carb not rich running. What do your spark plugs look like? If you take one out is it wet with fuel? What do your exhaust pipes (pea shooters) look like? Are they wet? Or do they have a lot of soot in them?
Hi, well the only time I have had a fuel leak that I could smell inside the car was the fuel sender gasket leaking... All the original cotton covered fuel and breather lines have been replaced with new good quality rubber fuel hose... I found the hose under the fuel tank in My car only lasted about 5 years, I have an electric fuel pump located there plus a fuel filter.. I did have the tank out about 5 years ago, when it sprung a leak... the other on going fuel smell problem I have is one plastic washer that holds the fuel sender in place is missing... I have tried a new gasket and copper washers but needs rubber or plastic washers... I have a new fuel sender to go in the tank, so I will try My hardest, to fix the fuel smell by replacing the washers!!!... I have replaced all rubber hoses under the bonnet and in the engine bay about 3 years ago... I keep an eye out for a cracked hose.. also check where the metal fuel pipe is connected to a rubber hose to go to the carburetor... If You do have any cotton covered hose that is a few years old, I would replace it... Also make sure You carry at least 2 fire extinguishers while You have the smell.. and at least one fire extinguisher normally... Mine is located in front of the gear lever... after the hoses have been checked and replaced.... look for signs of fuel leakage [Difficult on cotton covered hose] & then check the fuel pump [make sure You cannot smell fuel on the engine oil dipstick...if it smells like fuel, then the oil needs to be replaced ASAP] and then the carburetor... Check with the engine going too, to see if You can see any small fuel sprays from the hose...
Best of Luck
68autobug LEE in Australia
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Il start replacing all fuel lines and sealings, filters etc. Out of precaution(Seen the word fire extinguishers bit To often in the comments ;D )And then let garage check te carburator, wil let know if problem is solved, thanks again all!
Gerwin
If You have a fuel filter in the engine bay, please take it out of the engine compartment, as many of these fuel filters have pulled the pipe out of the top of the carburetor... because when they have fuel in the filter and they bounce up & down... Many engines have burnt because of a fuel filter.... Mine is under My fuel tank.. It used to be between the end of the steel pipe under the LHS of the chassis , and the rubber hose going to the carburetor....
The best person to work on Your Beetle is YOU... Not many VW mechanics about these days...
Best of Luck
Lee in Australia
May want to check your carburetor float. They can develop a leak and let way too much fuel into the chamber which can cause the problem you describe. Can also dilute your oil if it is bad enough. My guess is that if you pull the top off your carb and lift the float out you will be able to shake it and hear gas sloshing around inside.
Tom
Hi Guys,
Naturally this can occur, although I have never ever seen it happen in 50 years ....
Probably because I replace most parts that should be replaced.... during servicing... etc...
Easy to check though and you have no idea how old the float is.... also
I recommend to replace the needle and seat in the carburetor as they do wear out frequently causing fuel problems....
and they should be replaced during normal servicing...
Best of Luck
Lee in Australia
Previous owner told me that my car was maintained well, he has more aircooled Volkswagens and i thought he had pretty good knowledge of aircooled, but i have reasons To doubt that, Some more little issues solved, wrong mounted disbrutor cap, wrong oil, etc. so i orderd the first Parts for decent maintenance..... and Will see if problem wil be solved.
Thanks all for replays
There are many distributors and caps that fit into a beetle but many were made for stationary engines etc. but having the wrong oil..!! and I do know of VW Beetle owners who "think" they know everything.... and some even spend huge amounts of money on the wrong parts.... At least You now know to look at everything.... with a fine toothed comb.....
Best of Luck
Lee in Australia.
Short update, because vacation etc i didnt have time yet to look propperly for the problem, since several weeks ago, out of the blue, i have problems with coldstart, takes a minute or langer starting full throttle befofore engine runs, but since the engine didnt stall anymore during driving.....So one problem solved lol.....
Seems To be 2 problems, carburator isnt working well, and fuellines/tank blocked.
Is there a fuel filter in the tank?
Make sure You check the fuel cap.... try without the fuel cap on to see if the tank needs to be vented.... look down the carburetor and see if fuel is being pumped in there when You push the throttle down.... leaking carburetor FLOAT means flooding the engine with fuel....
You are supposed to push the accelerator pedal down before You start the engine, this operates the automatic choke... and the engine should just start with the auto choke on.... You really need someone who knows a lot about Beetles....
Lee in Australia
Thanks, with or without fuel cap makes no diverence, i installed a transparent fuel filter just before fuel pump, and i noticed that is was empty when engine stalls,
(Quickly parking the car, seat belds of, running To the rear and opening hood, was probably funny to watch :))
Thats why i like To know if there is a filter inside the fuel tank, if there is, then would make sense replacing it...
Maybe hard To belive, but i drive autostick for 20 years, and had never any real problems, so never touched them with a wrench or screwdriver....... had a great mechanic/garage who idd the standard maintenance, but he is retired :'(
Yes there is a gauze filet in the tank where the fuel comes out.. a fine gauze filter... I remember taking it off MY Beetle when I had the tank out.... so it seems that is the problem.... Best of Luck
Lee in Australia...
Filters replaced, new fuel pump with heat exchanger, or how bit of plastic under pump is called in english, new seals in carburator, and its now running perfect, only stalled once(i gues i have To replace fuel gauge/float/resistance also ;D) empy tank.
I replaced MY fuel sender in the top of the tank recently and I have just found when I went to fill the tank , the gauge was showing under 3/4 full with the tank over flowing.... so I don't know whether to refit the sender ... maybe I have it in the incorrect position....??? or just leave it and remember never to fill it up going by the gauge.... so only replace the fuel tank sender if Yours isn't working correctly..... and remember a full tank of Gas is safer than an empty tank of gas fumes......