Light Aircraft Association

Hello everyone!

Im running a 1600 vw in my taylor mono, its running very rich at the moment has anyone got a advice on resolving the issue??

Many thanks

ninjasam

The fault will almost certainly be in the carburetter. You do not state what type you have on your aircraft. Stromberg CD carbs. are most popular, though some use Solex types. With both makes, a rich mixture can be caused by high fuel level in the float chamber. This may be due to a passing level control needle valve or seat or due to a sticking or leaking float. Excessive pressure from the fuel pump could also cause flooding of the float chamber, but it is unlikely.

In the case of a CD carburetter, a punctured diaphragm is also a possibility. If the carburetter has an accelerator pump (Solex), a leaking valve could also be the problem.

Hope this helps,
Noel.

Thanks for the reply Noel

I had a look today and it has a solex carb. I also ran it up with the cowlings off, after shut down large amounts of fuel was coming from the over flow would this be due sticking float??

Thanks Very much

S.Bygrave

Hello again,

I think if you give the carb. a good clean and check the float chamber, float and level needle valve carefully, you should have solved the problem.

Best of luck,
Noel.

Ok, ill give it ago!

Thanks very much
Sam

Not meaning to be facecious, but wouldnt the purchase of a Haynes manual for the VW Beetle or a equivalent be worthwhile. Most if not all questions asked on here to do with the VW/Sauer/Limbach/ can be answered by one of these manuals. For those who wish to get into the real nitty gritty then i suggest some of the more advanced books on the VW. Jeez there are enough about.

Not meaning to be critical of your posting Roger but there are only about two or three pages in any of the Haynes or other manuals relating to the VW air cooled engine that are of any use and as most VW engines converted for aircraft use come with a variety of differing carb, inlet manifold and ignition set ups, there is no likelihood of a specific manual for such engines ever being printed.

The good thing is there is a wealth of information out there in the hands of LAA inspectors and aircraft owners and builders who utilise the VW engine and most of them very keen to give advice through forums such as this or through an LAA strut!

Roger, i posted as this question seems to appear on many other forums as well. I am fully aware that the Vee Dub books dont cover AC powerplants generally. My reason was for the basic info on Carb symptoms. They are a mine of info for such things. These were all gleaned when i built my first AC engine. The mechanical side is fully covered in them. At the end of the day Stamo/Linbach/Sauer are just Type 4 Vee Dub conversions.

The carburettor on Sam's Monoplane sounds like the old Solex type . The best places to look for spares are classic car suppliers like Southern Carburettors or Gower & Lee who could probably supply an overhaul kit or possibly even a new carburettor.
And as rogcal quite rightly points out , keep your Inspector updated of your intentions .

My 1834VW has a 150CD Stromberg on it and performs superbly , but I suspect that the Solex is probably quite a snug fit under the Taylor Mono's cowling and going over to a Stromberg would be a bit of a drawn out affair , what with having to re-shape cowlings alter throttle linkages and things.

Another legendary supplier of vintage automotive treasures is Speedy Spares , Portslade, Sussex.
Very knowledgeable, very helpful and incredibly well priced too.

Hi Sam,

If your carb is a Solex 32 PHN, I have a 24 page VW manual for it dating from 1962 which I would be very happy to photocopy for you.

I run such a carb in my Evans VP-1 and, if it would help, I can tell you the sizes of the various jets.

The carbs are rare as hen's teeth but I did manage to pick one up once in order to get a top cover that was less distorted than my original one. It seems that the covers are prone to warping which means that, despite the gasket, they are prone to leaking fuel from the joint as it slops around inside the float bowl.

Gower and Lee are indeed the best people to speak to (Jeff Carter) - they do have overhaul kits and also a good number of different jet sizes.

By all means PM me with your phone number if you wish to chat.

Best wishes,

John.