the problem i have is when i go to start my bug up sometimes she starts, sometimes she doesnt, if she starts, its within the first couple of turns, but if she decides not to, i have to crank her for a good minute or two before she slowly bubbles up to idle. this happens no matter the throttle position.

also the first start (cold) she'll start up straight away but when i reach the bottom of the driveway shes usually died but ive put this up to the cold starts since its allways happened.

at the moment one of my j- pipes snapped and is pretty much venting directly into the air, but besides that, everything is in good order, its all stock except for the extractors and maybe the distributor is different since i cant see any vaccum tubes or modules or anything. ive also removed the foil tube thingos that go from the fan housing to the heater boxes cos they came off during a drive and got chewed up by the fanbelt and pulleys.

this is a new problem to me (the cranking, within the last week) but it only really showed up since my j-pipe problem got worse

umm, correct me if im wrong, but dont those 'foil' tubes blow air around the engine to keep it cool?

dude, this is a problem

no, i dont think. as far as i can see they just run from the front of the shroud, around through the tinware, then through the heaterboxes, and finally into the cabin and doesnt go near the engine. otherwise if theyd be using the same air to cool the engine to heat the inside?

anyway as soon as ive put in the new J-pipes, these tubes will become useless, since theres no heater box for them to go into

unless of course i have this all wrong and my engines about to melt

ok, yup apparently they are just for the heater.
looked at the picture in a manual, i cant see where it goes in my bug!

and u need to block them off if they are disconnected otherwise you may have overheating problems

[Edited on 9-10-2003 by *did*]

mmm, ill look into that, but still that doesnt entirely explain the starting problem

any ideas?

well i dont know what you are referring to with these 'j pipes'.
could it be a fuel problem?
can you smell fuel?
have you checked the spark plugs? leads?

sorry if these are basic suggestions, i am not sure of your expertise

[Edited on 9-10-2003 by *did*]

could b many things, do u let it warm up ?
is the drive steep?
changed the fuel filter/lines?
carbies wacked out?
busted dizzy or dizzy connecting rod thing?
cold air sucked strait into the heads casues problems
give engine specs, age, everything as it will help the gurus help u

well it was tuned within the last month, and no more than 500km have been put on, the tune involved points & timing, replaced plugs, there are no fuel leaks between the engine and the tank as the fuel line was replaced, the engine shouldnt be flooding because the problem still happens regardless of wether the throttle has been touched.

as for the driveway, its steep, and i reverse out. but im not concerned about that, because generally i dont have problems here, its when im down the shops, and shes been sitting for an hour, i go to start her, and she wont start right up. i have to crank for a bit before anything

the only reason why i thought it might be linked to the J-pipe is because within the last week its completely snapped, and it was about then the problems started to arise

besides the extractors, and maybe the dizzy, its a bone stock 1600dp, and as far as i know from 1973, i dont know if its been reconditioned or if its origional or anything.

it may be a pump problem, but once she starts, she runs happily, so i doubt its the pump or dist. plus i cant smell petrol in the bay. ill try and check the oil sometime.

i wouldnt think its a compression problem or anything cos i havent really noticed any loss in power but ill try and check for blow through aswell

as for experience, ive only been dubbin for a few months now, but i have a bit of an idea around most stuff but i would hardly consider myself even a backyard mechanic

As *did* said, you need to block off those ducts in the fan housing where the heater hoses go, or replace the hoses. You will lose a lot of pressure through the open holes and your engine won't get the same quantity of cooling air, leading to overheating. This could lead to lots of problems such as cracked heads and dropped valve seats. Don't put it off, block them one way or the other. :thumb

Did your tune-up involve adjusting the valve clearances? This should be the first step of the tune-up, before adjusting timing or carburettors.

The only reason I could see that may relate your J-tube to your symptoms is that perhaps you damaged the cylinder head when you damaged the J-tube? :o

i dunno what went down last tune up, i didnt do it (hey, im 17 and the only tools i have are a couple of screwdrivers). ill rig something up tomorrow to try and block off those vents because the old hoses were blended up when they came loose

im going to try and lay low until i replace the pipes, and have the mechanic have a good look over her

before then, is there a way to check the heads without having to remove parts or dropping the engine. (like i said i havent got the tools or know how)

till then lets hope i havent killed a head

[Edited on 9-10-2003 by ahemizm]

A compression test would be the place to start. :thumb

hmm im almost starting to regret buying an old dub for my first car, i can see this is going to eat into my bank balance

no way man, dont regret it!
its all part of the fun you know.
once you learn how to look after her she will be good to you!

dont worry, ill never regret it. im just pissed cos im not going to have the money to get her going if the worst happens, and then being stuck without my transport, and my best friend (i give her a kiss goodbye if i go out and leave her at home.. i think im getting a problem.. ) which atm, seems very likely

:cry she starts cold no probs, but theres a bit of white smoke coming out of the exhaust anytime i give her a rev, cold or warm. it feels fine to rev, except it feels like one of the cyls are missing, or theres lack of compression or something, plus i have the sneaking suspicion whichever cyl that is, is the one blowing most of the smoke

my engine broke in half when i first got my car (after a month or 2 anyway)
there is always a cheep way to fix things while u save up for when it will brake again so u can do it properly........

dont stress too much it'll work out

Why did the J-tube break,any particular reason,was it broken when you bought the car and getting worse since then.