OK - Some history 1st...
1971 1302 Japaneese Super Beetle - 1300DP (yes) engine - stock (euro / asian) set up: 32pict3 (yes) carb - 009 distributor (has 34-itis...) engine has domed 1300 pstons and makes 7.8 to 1 compression and 50 hp... Now the fun.
Today I decided to "tune up" the beetle, the valves and oil had been adjusted and changed last month and have like 30 miles on them. So today I put new correct bosch plugs and wires in the engine. (Plugs are a little harder to get in and out as heads seem smaller...)
I have had this 205AJ disto since I sold Zen the Rail buggy a few years ago.
It looked OK under the cap and wasn't that bad when I dissasembled it today to clean it out and clean it up.
I spent 2 hrs dissasembling every thing but the weights on the shaft, (didn't have a safe way to remove the little clip under the rotor button sponge.
I got the weights loose and moving freely so I buttoned up the unit poped in the petronix that I have had since before thanksgiving and guessed the timming and fired it up. Dialed in the timing at idle and went to rev it up and it just about died, back fired out intake, etc...
When I hooked up the vaccume advance (tested good, held vacuume!) it was much better, but still has a nasty LAG requiring MUCH pumping of the throttle to get it up to 2K+ RPM.
Watching the timming mark it seems that opening the throttle seems to somehat RETARD the advance. When the throttle evens out it advances up great.
INTERESTING NOTE: When the vacuume advance is disconnected and the hoses pluged, NO ADVANCE AT ALL!!! Timing marks do not move, and of course engine hesitates and sputters as a response.
SOOO, I pull out the dreaded 009 I had just removed reset the points (they were clean and gapped way to wide) put on a bosch cap and rotor (used but good) and the Jap Beetle is running much better. I had to adjust the pump arm all the way rich and had to redial in the main idle and mix screws Main idle is at 4 turns out and the tiny mix screw is 1.5 turns (any deviation = sputtering at 3K rpm.) The 34-itis seems to be gone, and power seems up a little.
Any way I am bumbed about the vacuume advance unit. Any ideas as to why it isn't advancing at all off of the weights. This was my 1st attempt to crack open a disto and I was careful to note correct placements and locations of all the parts. This isn't rocket science, and with out removing the weights, there were not that many parts to keep track of. I did remove the springs and clean up the weights as best I could, and they swung freely on their axis as I rolled over the shaft outside of the housing.
I would perfer to run the vaccume advance unit, will continue to run the 009 until this is figgured out though.
Thanks for any and all info / help in advance.
KC
