Aussieveedubbers · Tech Talk

Can a 'rich' mixture stop an engine?

https://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/threads/82434/can-a-rich-mixture-stop-an-engine

phantom ·

Hi all, advice would be appreciated on my issue. Patient is a '60 Beetle with a standard 1200 engine. It was needed for a special occasion this weekend but now looks like it won't make it. The carby I had on it had issues so I borrowed a carby of the same kind (28) from a friend. It ran much better than mine in the garage and I only needed it to do a short drive for the special occasion.

It drove OK, giving a bit of a gurgle sometimes but OK. Today I had to drive it across town in preparation for its trip, it started to get fairly warm in the cabin but was driving OK, I checked the engine once to make sure I had no leaks but all was dry. After maybe 20 mins driving it seemed to start to struggle, having more of a cough / gurgle, driving less and less, until the accelerator would do nothing. When I pulled over I had some smoke coming from the back, I have a leak on one valve cover and it leaks onto a heater box, so assumed the smoke would be this oil burning off.

After maybe 5 minutes I tried the car and it started again no issues, off we drove, getting maybe 5 minutes up the road before it did the same thing - gurgle cough, no power, stopped with some smoke. Both times there has been a petrol smell occurring. I didn't try the car after that and had it towed.

I am thinking it is possible that the carby is running rich, this situation happened when the car warmed up, and so I was wondering if the car is drowning in excess fuel? The fact that the car restarted and drove for a while makes me hope it isn't a terminal activity (just got rego'd Friday), if it isn't an easy fix the car certainly won't make it for its planned trip.

Ideas? Thanks heaps!

jacky_moo ·

what colour was the smoke?

black, grey, white?

phantom ·

My daughter was driving behind me and said she saw a fair bit of grey and some 'blueish' smoke (I assume that is supposed to be black maybe).

68AutoBug ·

Hi

Yes, a flooding carby will stop an engine....

needle & seat in the carby can leak at any time...

should be renewed every few years...

cheers

LEE

PS: most beetle engine leak oil... its what they do... lol



phantom wrote:Hi all, advice would be appreciated on my issue. Patient is a '60 Beetle with a standard 1200 engine. It was needed for a special occasion this weekend but now looks like it won't make it. The carby I had on it had issues so I borrowed a carby of the same kind (28) from a friend. It ran much better than mine in the garage and I only needed it to do a short drive for the special occasion.

It drove OK, giving a bit of a gurgle sometimes but OK. Today I had to drive it across town in preparation for its trip, it started to get fairly warm in the cabin but was driving OK, I checked the engine once to make sure I had no leaks but all was dry. After maybe 20 mins driving it seemed to start to struggle, having more of a cough / gurgle, driving less and less, until the accelerator would do nothing. When I pulled over I had some smoke coming from the back, I have a leak on one valve cover and it leaks onto a heater box, so assumed the smoke would be this oil burning off.

After maybe 5 minutes I tried the car and it started again no issues, off we drove, getting maybe 5 minutes up the road before it did the same thing - gurgle cough, no power, stopped with some smoke. Both times there has been a petrol smell occurring. I didn't try the car after that and had it towed.

I am thinking it is possible that the carby is running rich, this situation happened when the car warmed up, and so I was wondering if the car is drowning in excess fuel? The fact that the car restarted and drove for a while makes me hope it isn't a terminal activity (just got rego'd Friday), if it isn't an easy fix the car certainly won't make it for its planned trip.

Ideas? Thanks heaps!

Uber Kafer ·

regarding your question "can a rich mixture stop an engine" yes... big time!

Too much fuel in the combustion camber will wash away the oil which is required around the contact area of the rings in the barrel. Excessive wear will result, worst case you could seize an engine in a short time with a badly over-rich fuel supply.

ian.mezz ·

check to make sure nothing stuck in fan.behind generator.
if it was getting to much fuel it oud run like a pig as soon as you started it.