On hot days, I can drive it home from work, but if I need to go anywhere else within 10 minutes of getting there, she wont start. There is spark, but the fuel doesn't seem to come through.
Do beetles suffer from "vapour lock" typically?
If i leave it for about half an hour or so, it will then start, though I have to pump about 10 times to get the fuel through. In the cooler weather and on the first start each day, she starts beautifully. Also noticed that if I sit on 100kms for 10 or more minutes, she starts sputtering, so I am now one of those annoying people on the freeway that sits on 85-90....she is happy then.
Any ideas?

leave your deck lid open for a bit after you park... It's a rick that someone might nick a lead or something if they're a real prat though.. otherwise - hoodjax!

It might also pay dividends to check your tinware to see if it's relatively 'airtight' and also check the pipes that feed the air to your heaterboxes.. make sure they're tight as well. Another thing would be to block off the outlets on the fan shroud to the heaterboxes...

[ Edited on 22-12-06 by oval TOFU ]

make sure ur tunin is all good too... lean engines may have less smoke, but even a slightly lean engine can easily overheat...

Double check the ignition timing. Over-advance timing is a killer for these engines and is the recommend 'first check' when looking for cooling problems.

I would not disconnect the heaters as that may cause temperatures in #1 & 3 cylinders to go up.

[ Edited on 22-12-2006 by PJMS ]

check the filter in the tank a very cunning trap but yhey do clog and restrict flow than when ya stop it settles back down until ya start again than it starts to suck fuel and again block the intakedrove me to the deamon drink god bless it

have you got an engine seal in there?

Thanks for the tips guys, will get out there and look at all your suggestions.
Crewcab...what engine seal do you mean?

between the tin and the body. the horizontal one.

Stops heat rising from the heads and exhaust into the engine bay

well, she did it again today....not hot and only drove to kmart, so less than 5 minutes driving.
shopped for an hour, started her up, and ended up getting less than block before she died. First time shes done it while moving. She is now sitting on the side of the road waiting for me to come back. I decided to walk home with the kids and the shopping.
I think you might be right greedy53. I hope that filter isn't too hard to get to :S

Good luck tracy.. my old kombi hated the hot weather too, i could never do a quick trip anywhere cause id have to wait for it to cool down and start agian and mine would splutter when driving on the highway, there were many times where i would just have to wait.. but i never found out what the problem was..I think mine was a combination of problems... My beetle occasionally takes alittle longer to start in the hot but only once has it not started, and had to wait.. hope you get it sorted cause it can get really annoying!!

I would change the fuel pump, they will play up when hot first, and get worse.
The pump is gravity fed, and hard to get a flow problem to the pump from the heat, so if you are not getting fuel upto the carbs when hot, it can only be the pump. It is not evaporating in the carb, because it sounds like it drives far enough to be running on the fuel in the carb float bowl, then stops when that fuel runs out.
If a filter is blocked, you are more likely to get fuel starvation at high rpm/loads.
Be worth checking the filter/s if not checked in a while anyway, but sounds more like a pump issue...

If the float bowl is running dry there is something causing the fuel to not get there. Start by pulling the fuel hose off the carb and turning over the engine for a second or two, fuel should spurt out (dont get it on the hot engine!!). If thats all good then I would suspect that your needle valve in the carby is getting stuck.
This is the valve that opens when the float drops because the fuel is being consumed. If the valve does not open when the fuel goes down then the carby starves for fuel and when the bowl is empty the engine stops. This can be an intermittent problem depending on temperature and other factors.
It is relatively easy to replace, however it will necessitate buying a carby kit (approx $35). This should include a set of gaskets, accelerator pump diaphragm, and a new needle valve and seat.
You take off the top part of the carby, and replace the needle valve and seat, which is located just under where the fuel hose attaches to the carb.

Hope this helps

If you don't know where the float bowl is, it is on the carby, that big boxy half.
There should be a plug on the side, if you open this, fuel should pour out everywhere (don't let it get on the hot engine). If not much comes out, then the float bowl may be running dry.

All good advice, good luck with old girl, I'll be something simple, it alwways is.

Thanks for all the help guys. I will get the pump changed as soon as the vw parts place is open again!
It turns out that I also have a faulty fuel gauge as yesterday she was completely out of fuel...and the gauge still showed 1/4
so we took the tank out while it was empty, to check the tank filter. But there was no tank filter :S The tank itself is in really good nick, no rust to be seen.
With the little breather hose on the right side of the tank (when facing the car) is that meant to be a u shape, as it goes out of the tank and then straight back in, or should there be something else there?
I'm going to put some fuel line cleaner through it today too, when I fill it completely.
as for the heat issues, will have to see what happens when its hot again

hey tracey

those breather hoses arnet meant to be like that but the reason they are is someone has used a Sbug tank in ur Lbug

they are the same tank but have different breather systems
Sbug tanks have 2 extra breather hose outlets on the left corner which arent on Lbug so thats why its just looped

are u just running a 1600 these days?
it does sound like a dying fuel pump but also check the fuel lines in the engine bay
i've seen beetles with the fuel line coming into the engine bay resting ontop of the inlet manifolds which get pretty hot and can cause vapour lock in summer

especially beetles with twin port motors and no engine lid vents
i know urs is ok but most ppl dont seem to get that vw realised when thye started twin ports in 71 that 2 vents went enough and went to 4
now all these ppl put twin ports in early beetles with none and woulder why there engines are hot....

anyway GL hope u get if fixed soon

-Joel

its a 1300 motor.
I'm confused, I thought it was a superbug? On a superbug, where do those breather hoses go to?
we have put a a rainguard out of an older bug on to the decklid to stop the rain from perhaps that is stopping some of the airflow too.
Where does the fuel line normally go, this one is going right above the inlet manifolds apparently :S
Thanks for the help!

There should be a steel fuel line from the fuel pump, running around the left (3&4) side of the engine and through the front tinware piece, where the flex fuel line joins that steel line to the one coming from the floor pan.
Some engines still have a little clip that hold the fuel line up away from the manifold, which is held by the bolt that joins the fan housing to the barrel cover on the left side. There are plenty without this, and its not usually enough heat to cause an issue, but its a good idea to make sure that steel line is secure so it doesn't rub on anything, eventually wearing through!!
What year is your car?? there is a late 1300 model... twin port 1300, though I think they had a beam front end.

hey tracey,

well its a superbug L to be exact
the 71-72 are superbug S and 73-75 are superbug L
but most call the the Sbugs just superbug and L Lbugs

the Sbugs have a big round breather tube thing under the windscreen that the extra hoses connect to
Lbugs dont have this so if u use a Sbug tank in an Lbug u have to block off those 2 connections other wise they'll leak fuel everywhere

i'll take some photos later when my phone charges up
to many christmas calls today LOL

-Joel