So my 1973 Bus, a tin-top camper came to me from a very motivated seller who was clearly just done with the whole keeping a 46 year old vehicle running. The bus had long-stopped running, the sliding door fell off, lots of rust (covered by duct tape the same colour as the body which was amazingly effective at first glance from a distance), etc, etc. Trying the quick couple of usual tricks in the used car lot after we bought it showed no signs of life. There was zero engine foam. The entire rear valance was....missing. So we trailered it on home. I spent part of the rainy season inside redoing and improving the camper section wiring that I always do. It's fun, relaxing, gives a sense of accomplishment and did I mention: it's inside.
So now that the sun is shining, it was finally time to get to work on the engine. My wife's 1979 super beetle had "borrowed" the AFM all last summer but after finally getting her a correct replacement, Bart's AFM is now back in his engine bay. If nothing else, I certainly know the AFM works fine.
Problems resolved so far: Lots of really bad ground connections. The battery connectors were corroded, worn, broken, loose, etc. The negative wire to the body of the bus was poorly connected. The ground strap from the tranny to the undercarriage was a rusted mess. Next was the rotor and distributor cap looking very worn out. Surely the person trying to get this bus going would have replaced them? Who knows what people do. Points looked ok so I have not yet changed them but will do so soon. Oil needs to be replaced. Etc, Etc. All plug wires are now sparking away properly from what I can tell. Engine turning over with some vigor again. Got life/response with Quickstart spray (yes, I know) for the first time. So....where's the fuel? Braving the zillions of bees that were all over the Crocuses beside the bus I put my hand on fuel pump and when my wife turned the engine over, there was nothing going on inside that pump. Checking connections and voltages and just for fun running a battery directly to it proved the pump is dead as a doornail. So I'll be getting one of those.
Then I went under the bus to look around as it's always a great way to get a sense of just how much there is going to be to do of the obvious things. And then I saw what was possibly the demise of the pump. Either way not so great: Someone must have decided the filter was clogged but did not have another one so they just did this little operation in front of the pump:
The pump is quite new to have failed so quickly so I do suspect the missing filter did not help it much. Heck the connectors were still nice and clean under their rubber boots. And yeah, it may well be an early warning to what might be going on inside the gas tank....
So, we'll order a new pump and while waiting for it I'll do the oil change and transmission fluid change as well. Then we'll see if he finally fires up and we can get the timing done. Valve adjustment not too long after that (once I get the current vehicle off my lift).
Loving the sunshine !!!!!
