Questioni have recently rebuilt every part of my T2 1.6 Camper engine, it starts and runs and revs up as it should but when under load there is no power, i have stripped the carb, and blown the jets out...no luck! I have checked the timing, tappits, plug gaps and points all correct! Also every now and then it decides to burn the coil points and condenser out.... help!!!
AnswerChristopher,
I would focus on the burned points, this can definitely cause engine power issues. My guess is the point gap is set too close. You may be setting them .016, but try .020 instead. When you are finished cleaning/filing/setting or completely replacing the points, you should run the engine and dynamically check it with a DWELL meter. It should measure around 45 to 55 degrees with points; too low and the point gap needs to be increased, and vice versa. Make sure there is a small amount of grease on the points rubbing block (where it touches the rotating distributor cam) otherwise the contact point will wear out quickly and change the dwell, leading to the same problem all over again.
Also inspect the distributor for shaft wobble, and check to see if the points rubbing block is square to the cam and doesn't wobble as the vacuum advance linkage is pulled by hand (if applicable.) If you find any of these issues, you should replace the entire distributor.
Another thing you may want to consider is to convert from mechanical points to solid state (electronic). If you do, your point/condenser/dwell problems are history. I have done both of my Vdubs and have not have any issues in years. See here for one product example:
http://www.hot-spark.com/
By the way, with solid state the dwell reading will be lower, but is not as critical as with mechanical points and cannot be adjusted.
Rick
