pre-ignition? problem

Hey all,
I have recently got my engine re-conditioned and added a little while i was there. It's a 1610? i think it was. man its been too long.
Anyways, it has been sitting in my garage for a little bit while i was getting the car ready and i have finally turned it over today...
As it kicked over the combustion came up into the carbi while i was watching it. Tried it again with the air filter on and same thing happened, but with a burst of smoke coming out of the air filter.
At first i thought that something might be living in the exhaust blocking it up but air is getting through. Second thought is that it could be pre-ignition.
I will be ringing the guy i got it done by but they are closed at the moment. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
Anthony

Sounds like your dizzy or leads are in the wrong spot.
Where are you located?
Perhaps one of the fllow dubbers could drop around to help?

Im in bacchus Marsh.
How do i go about checking the dizzy and leads?

Sounds to me like your firing order is outta wack, or youve got whey too much advance.


next to each spark plug hole in the tinware is a number, this is the cylinder number. The firing order is from memory 1-4-3-2. So as the rotor inside the distributor cap spins, it should aim at the point where the ignition lead from cylinder #1 connects, then 4, etc etc.

Make sure this is correct, then mayb start playing with timing if this doesnt work.

good luck, let us know how you go

hey BFH

has it been fitted with a 009 dissy? or does it still have the vac advance one?

-Joel

Was the dizzy in your engne when you got it back? If it was, then it should have been roughly lined up with no.1. If not, you need to do it.
If he dizzy was fitted, turn the engine over by hand until the mark on the crank pulley lines up wth the join of the case halves. Take the dizzy cap off, and see where the rotor is pointed. There will be a mark in the dizzy body where the cap sits, used to mark the #1 position. If he rotor is pointed to this, the timing is roughly correct. Sit the dizzy cap on and locate it. The #1 lead goes into the cap where that mark is in the dizzy body. #1 cyl is the right, forward most looking from the rear of the car. It is marked on the barrel cover near the engine seal..
If you then go arond the cap from #1 ANTI CLOCKWISE, the leads go 1, 2, 3, 4.
2 cyl is the right, rear cyl
3 is left front
4 is left rear.
With all this lined up your timing should be fine. If the dizzy was in and you lined up no1 fromthe mark in the pulley already, you may be 180* out. Switch all the leads 180* if this is the case.

If no dizzy was fitted, you need to wok out no1 comp stroke to work out where it goes.

Hopfully this helps, if you need a hand on finding #1comp, yell out.

Hey thanks for all the input,
The dizzy was on as i got it.
original Vac advance, no 009.
I have just had a quick compare between my dads 1500 and mine, the plugs are all different locations on the dizzy, so when i get back from the pub im gona have a see about swapping over the leads to the correct position.
The odd thing about this is that the guy said he had ran it to tune it, and i havent touched it since, anyway hopefully its only the leads.

i wouldn,t change them around unless you are absolutely sure they are wrong....ie checkdistributor rotor is pointing at the #1 lead when timing mark is in line with split in case etc.......especially if it was reported to be running
more likely to be timing out a little or something else.

give him a call and see what the go is.

If he supplied the engine as turn key, and had it running, Im gussing you knocked the dizzy putting the engine in and retarded the timing a bit.
Wasn't sure if he supplied a long block and you fitted everything else...

Many people end up with the distributor 180 degrees out
for some reason....
I'd change it to what Your other beetle wiring is...
as they are all the same....

then You need to tune the distributor...
if its not in the correct position...
You normally check the points before tuning the dizzy...

Best of luck

Lee Noonan - Australia -

http://community.webshots.com/user/vw68autobug

Okays, well changed the leads over and the problem escalated.
So back to the last layout and i have just checked out the dizzy.

When the rotor lines up with the mark in the distributer case, the pulley is off by 5 degrees from TDC ( i have a degree pulley)
I am guessing that it should be lined up with TDC?
I would assume 5 degrees is wnough to give me these problems?

maybe not...that could be the correct timing for your engine, assuming its 5 degrees to the right on the pulley..ie ATDC

most twin port motors with stock vac dizzys are static timed to 7.5 Before top dead center

i take it its a twin port?

Its 5 degrees to the left of TDC.
It is twin port.
This isnt sounding good.

take the cap off and pull the rotor off.
turn the ign on, do not crank, turn the motor over by hand with the pulley
and look at the gap in the points
when near the TDC mark on the pulley, you will see the spark at the points
stop as soon as you see the spark, and see where the pulley timing mark is.
if its anywhere near 0* or 7* BEFORE TDC it is close enough to start. Your issue is else where.
It will be something simple, just one of those things that is real hard to diagnose over the net!

whoops....btdc
anyway like xornge666x says....if its close enough it won't matter it should still start and run

Talking to a guy i know, he has said the problem is not using the fuel tank. Instead i have been using a can next to the engine. Ahh well, hopfully that will be the problem.
Anyways, stupid me is off to bed, will try tommorrow.
Thanks for all the help

I have some nice scars from burns when i used a tank in an engine bay to start an engine.
Please be careful.

Yeh no problems, i was going to hook up the tank but my dad was like "na she'll be right mate".
Will start her up after the weeked. will report back later on.

Yep, okays it was the fuel tank. Running like a beast now.

Lesson number 64 learnt.

Thanks for the help.

Anthony.

i man do i know your problem been there done that i had a motor rebuilt by a pro so can happen to anyone the dizzy was set up 180% out in other words the no 1 wire was set oppersit the correct place try moving all the wires around starting with no 1 in the no 3 spot than go anticlockwise 2 3 4 good luck