replace my distributor?

[weldvair]

I recently bought a 1971 KG convt. that has a 009 distributor. I have read that it probably
is not the best to use for a stock street drivin car. I am getting to the point that I can drive
it.

The engine is a 1600 dp.

I am not doing well w/the search function........what distributor do you recommend & where can I buy one?

Thanks Don

[FJCamper]

Hi Don,

You didn't say, but do you have a basically stock engine and single VW 34-PICT carb?

009's can (but are not guaranteed to) cause a hesitation on accelleration with a stock engine and carb.

Dual carbs, higher compression, etc. tend to mitigate that.

For the moment, make sure your vac ports on your carb and intake manifold are plugged off, and that the 009 is timed to 10° advance (BTDC) at idle.

FJC

[Piledriver]

Aircooled.net sells a quality stock replacement vacuum and vacuum advance distributor.

The more adventurous might consider a fully programmable unit, crank trigger or distributor speed.
There are several choices, and the price difference is relatively small.

[Marc]

The distributor that's generally accepted as the "best" for a stock/near-stock engine (and can also work well on performance engines if an appropriate ported-vacuum signal is available) is the "SVDA". Single-vacuum, dual-advance, meaning that it has both a centrifugal advance mechanism similar to that of the 0 231 178 009 (although the advance comes in slower on the SVDA) AND a vacuum-advance system which allows it to respond to engine load as well as RPM. This allows it to have more spark advance under light-load conditions which improves fuel economy and can lower temperatures - with the "009" total advance comes in by ~2500 RPM so the total timing must be limited to 30-32°, the most that's "safe" at full load/2500 RPM. Since the SVDA senses engine load, it can have up to ~42° total timing under light load/high RPM since it will cut back under load.
The "flat spot" under acceleration which the 009 is infamous for is facilitated by the larger intake tract of the dualport engine - flow velocity is lower, so when you open the throttle suddenly and manifold vacuum drops fuel tends to condense on the walls of the manifold, creating a momentary lean condition for which the accelerator pump shot may not be able to compensate. It's much more likely to be a problem in cool/damp weather, though, and probably isn't going to be a big problem for you in FL. An intake manifold which is kept warm by the flow of exhaust heat through the "heat-riser" pipe will help - if it's plugged up with carbon or not getting enough flow from the muffler (aftermarket exhaust systems aren't as good as the stock muffler for this) and stays cool to the touch after the engine's been running for a few minutes, a flat spot can be expected. A functional thermostatically-controlled aircleaner also helps by admitting warmed air coming off of the RH cylinder head when ambient temp is low.

There were a couple of SVDA distributors used on early AutoStick cars, but they aren't the desirable one - IT was unique to the 49-state-emission, 4-speed Beetles, Karmann-Ghias, and Things in 1974.
Other DP engines (including your `71) came with "DVDA" distributors, which use manifold vacuum to retard the timing to 5° ATDC at idle - otherwise, they have a curve similar to that of the `74 SVDA. In fact, if their retard hose is left disconnected and the initial timing set to 7.5° BTDC they work just about the same - worth considering as a cheap alternative since they aren't in nearly as much demand as the SVDA and can often be picked up for a song at a swap meet...just be sure that the advance side of the canister doesn't leak since a replacement unit is quite spendy.
There are subtle differences between the 34PICT-3 carbs which came on DVDA-equipped engines and the ones used in `74, but in practice it's not something you need to worry about. However, if the carb has been replaced with one of those "universal" H30/31PICTs, they DO NOT provide a sufficient ported vacuum signal to operate either the SVDA or DVDA properly and you'd be throwing your money away IMO - the 009 will work just about as well, just ensure that the preheat and thermostatic aircleaner are working as designed.

[weldvair]

My engine is stock except a previous owner installed a 009 dist & replaced the
air cleaner w/a little round unit that sits on top of the engine.

Don

[Marc]

Personally I'd put finding a stock aircleaner higher on my list than replacing the distributor - those low-profile ones actually disrupt the metering at higher speeds since they don't provide room for the "standoff" fog which develops above the stock carb...and of course they lack the thermostatic control feature which I mentioned above.

Karmann-Ghias and Buses often had the same air cleaner.
There have been three different ways to control the air flap. The earliest ones used a Bowden cable that connected to an extra lever on the engine's thermostat linkage.
Around `71 they made a style that I consider the best, which has its own integral wax-pill thermostat (mounted on the side of the cold air horn). Others used manifold vacuum and a controlled leak through a thermostat mounted in the top part of the aircleaner which admitted vacuum to a servo diaphragm on the underside of the horn - they work fine when in good condition but have more to go wrong.

Here's the "1971" unit: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/ ... id=1622973

This is an example of the vacuum-actuated type: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/ ... id=1278362

The rubber elbow connecting the aircleaner to the carb is frequently split but new repops are available for ~$30 (same part for `68-`71 Bus or `68-`74 'Ghia, P/N 211 129 615E ).

[weldvair]

Thanks Mark.....DON

[weldvair]

I did as you suggested & bought a stock air cleaner. I do not know if this one will work
....I think its a 1969 & it has no way to operate the flap door.

I'll attempt to show you pictures of it(E-bay find)........Don

[weldvair]

Here is another pic

[Marc]

Yeah, the `68/`69 version used a small Bowden cable that connected to an auxiliary lever on the RH t'stat flap assembly. Very hard to find one of those cables that's still intact (people tended to yank the aircleaner out without bothering to disconnect it). In summertime it's not important, and in the dead of winter you can wire the flap to the "warm" position to improve driveability.
How's the intake manifold heat?

[weldvair]

thanks......I live in Fl so it might work ok. I'll ckeck the intake heat.

thanks Don