shaihulud wrote:When I had my buggy in Canberra over a couple of winters, I used to be unable to ever get the engine running warmly, Canberra being so b*%&^$ cold and the engine hanging out in the wind rather than in a warm engine bay.
As is mostly that case there was no thermostat system in place. Come to think of that, I've never seen a thermostat on a Beetle engine.
What I did was to fit a piece of cardboard air hose from the engine behind the engine cooling tin, to the aircleaner and then the carburettor.
I fitted an old tin can, with both ends removed to the end inside the engine tinware and wired it in place.
All of the engine air came from that source. Within minutes the engine ran well as all of the inlet air was prewarmed.
That was probably a bit drastic, but it worked in that very cold climate.
I'd suggest a reconnection of the prewarmed air hose as the only source of engine air.
Thats ghetto as mate, I am impressed!
I hooked up a temporary solution for carb warm air today. I connected the cardboard tube to the air cleaner and to the upper rhs heater box/exchanger ( usually where the rhs dog house outlet goes to). I don't have the main heater boxes connected for cabin heat, just J tubes so the small upper heat exchanger sits right beside where the original stove pipe piece would usually sit (I don't have the stove pipe either).
I wired the preheat/thermostat flat open until I can find a new thermostat as the one that I have is buggered. Its a real hard part to find hey.
I have not driven it like this but when it warms up a bit I will unhook the flap so its sucking air from the top.
I did drive it this arvo with just the counter weighted flap for the crankcase heat connected and it idles heaps better from cold.