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Alternator/Accelerator
Pump Linkage Interference
See
the end of the article for difference between the German and
Brazilian carburetors.
~~~
Dave's
'73 Super Beetle has a 1971 1600cc dual-port engine. However,
a previous owner (or perhaps the mechanic who rebuilt the engine)
installed an alternator in place of the generator (which were
used on VW engines up until the mid-1973 model year). The alternator,
of course, is "fatter" in diameter at the rear, whereas the
generator is the same diameter over its entire length. This
increased diameter at the rear alternator caused an interference
problem with the accelerator pump linkage in Dave's setup. Dave
replaced the alternator, but the diameter of the new alternator
was the same as the old one, so he had the same interference
with the new alternator.
Specifically,
Dave found that the accelerator pump linkage on the right side
of the carburetor was rubbing against and hanging up on the
alternator body, causing the throttle to be abnormally open
and the idle speed too high. The situation made it impossible
to tune the carburetor properly -- a big problem, very common when an alternator
has been installed on a car originally fitted with a generator, according to Rob.
Dave
found that he had to grind the body of the alternator away a
little bit to provide clearance for the accelerator pump linkage
so the throttle lever would close all the way and the screw
at the top of the lever would rest properly on the stepped throttle
cam on the left side of the carburetor.
Dave
found that a PO had left out the two bottom bolts where the
alternator attaches to the fan housing, probably to shift the
alternator over to the right a bit so it would clear the accelerator
pump linkage. When removing the fan shroud with the alternator
attached, Dave found that he had to take the top off of the
carburetor to provide the necessary clearance.
A
number of "fixes" to this interference problem were suggested:
-
"Speedy
Jim" wrote to say that "VW used a carburetor linkage
that was "flipped" up-side down to clear the alternator
body. You can also increase the height of the carburetor
using a spacer between the intake manifold and the carburetor."
Rob
commented on this -
Ive never come across this myself, but then I've dealt mostly with
generator equiped bugs. Ater checking, it would appear that
there are two forms of linkage for the 34PICT3 carburettor. Your's
might have had the earlier form of link if that's the
case ('71 carburetor). Since you say that this new carburetor
(Bocar) is exactly identical to the old one in every respect
(except for the size of the main jet), it would appear that your
replacement also has the earlier form of carb linkage. Since I
have not had this problem myself, I haven't ever turned the
link upside down. "
You have three choices:
-
Flip the linkage over on the throttle shaft (you can do this
on some carburetors).
-
Bend the linkage (I have done this with no ill effects).
-
Use a spacer under the carburetor as "Speedy Jim" suggests.
Dave
wrote regarding "bending the linkage" - It's actually the
bolt head on the adjusting bell that impacts the alternator
body; I'm not sure how flipping or bending the linkage would
change that.
John
responded - Because the bolt is then on the TOP of the alternator,
not hanging down. Late model carburetors did just this!
Just see if you can invert the linkage that actuates the
accelerator pump so it's on the top. Then, make sure it
works. :-)
Dave
was unable to find a spacer to raise the carburetor -- Rocky
Mountain Motor Works (now Mid-America
Motor Works) had one for '61-'70 single-port Bugs, but this is actually a 30/34 adapter plate
so you can fit the ealier small-flange carbs on to the 1600 twin port manifold,
but their catalog doesn't show one for the dual-port
carburetor/intake manifold interface.
Someone wrote about his success putting a spacer under his 34PICT/3 carburetor. He purchased some gasket material and cut out five gaskets using the regular one as a template. Then he "pasted" the five gaskets together, coating them with Indian Head lacquer gasket sealant. He also coated the outside of the bundle with the sealant and let it dry overnight. This "spacer" raised the carburetor about 3/8 of an inch and solved the interference problem. "HOLY COW!" he wrote. "This thing is like a brand new car! It accelerates like a rocket now ... well maybe not a rocket... But a whole lot faster than grandma with a baby buggy!" :-)
Dave resolved his interference problem (though not completely) with a little judicious
bending of the accelerator pump linkage and slight grinding
of the alternator body. A more expensive resolution is replacement of the carburetor. Aircooled.Net
sells three 34PICT/3 carburetors: a Brazilian Bocar ($179.95),
a Pierburg model ($185), and a German model ($250). The
latter two models clear the alternator; the Brazilian Bocar
carburetor will not. The Brazilian carburetor requires alternator
grinding, which Dave learned the hard way. Dave purchased
a Pierburg 34PICT/3 carburetor from Aircooled.Net, which resolved the interference problem. Later Dave replaced the carburetor again with a rebuilt German 427-1 model from Keifernet (keifernet@hotmail.com).
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