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Date:         Tue, 18 Jun 1996 19:49:13 -0700
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Mark McCulley <raven@halcyon.com>
Subject:      RE: '71 with Kadron Carbs

I've got a couple of Bosol (Brazilian) Solex carbs on my '74. I bought these from Bow Wow incidentally. Because they came from Brazil, they are apparently jetted for methanol and run really rich on gasoline. I have been unable to find any replacement jets for these carbs. Bus runs like a bat outa hell, but only gets 14 mpg and won't even come close to passing emissions testing. I bought a couple of used Weber 34 ICTs that I'm going to try out. I've never heard of running dual Solex's on a 1600, but that doesn't mean it can't be done.

-Mark McCulley

---------- >From: John Sirutis[SMTP:John_Sirutis@ATK.COM] Sent: Tuesday, June 18, 1996 7:22 PM

========================================================================= Date: Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com> From: Subject: '71 with Kadron Carbs

I have recently acquired my second '71 Transporter/Camper. It comes with a fresh, stock engine (Tom Noble) and a pair of nearly new carbs, presumably Solex, sitting on Kadron intake manifolds. The previous owner advises that the carbs are too rich, to the point of jeopardizing the lubrication of the engine, and that the tank is so fouled with rust that he has needed to replace gasoline filters on a regular basis. The bus came with 1/2 dozen extra filters.

I've adjusted the timing to specs, 5 deg. ATDC, and checked the advance. I tuned the carbs as best I could using installation instructions given to me from the files of a local supplier : Autovice/Bow Wow. These are all verbal, no pictures, and don't seem to exactly match what I see. What's more, the instructions say that the particular Kadron/Solex combination to which they apply are not suitable to engines with compression ratios above 7.0. The VW service manual gives the 1600 engine's compression ratio as 7.5 !

The engine backfires occasionally and the fuel flow to the carburetor appears to be weak, but the translucent in-line gasoline filter seems clean. On my first trip out of the driveway, I needed a tow home. It died in a cloud of smoke after going approximately 3 miles. The spark was present, but the engine wouldn't fire. It started running again, by itself, but I haven't ventured far since then.

I plan to check the fuel pump next. At the same time, I need some info on the carbs, please. Are they appropriate to the engine? How does one identify them? Tune them? Are they worth keeping. What jet size is appropriate? Is there a place to write for manufacture's information? Any advice would help.

John S.


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