Oh how fickle the car gods are...

[3Gear]

Well, this weekend had been one Heck of a roller coaster ride!  c23

Friday:
I took the day off and figured I would install my fancy new Flamethrower dizzy with built in petronix. I get the motot setup at TDC on cylinder 1 and proceed to pull off the the existing dizzy. I go to put the new one in and it is 90 degrees off   s#r  IT had Cylinder 1 TDC where 3 would be so I am a bit confised, and I call and chat with bob, and he agrees that it is odd, and we look at my svda and my old fubar bosch and they are exactly the same the new one is the oddball. So since i am running short on time I put my svda back in, until I can verify with petronix that it ok that the dizzy is out by 90, not a manufacturing defect.  (bad car gods)

As I am putting things back together and I notice the my fuel line is weeping a bit from where I crimped it to change the fuel filter, SO I cut the piece of hose off and I notice that my metal fuel line is crimped  shocked  blocking about 85% of the line  :wallbash:  Well, that explains why my car was running like a**, and no matter what I did I could not get it to run right...  (good car gods)

Now I adjust the timing and go for a cruise, and holy sh*%  I have an additional 10 to 15 HP  Yea (good car gods)


Saturday:  (I preface this day with my opinion that Baja's are totally awesome, you'll read why...)
I figure I would change the oil, plugs, and adjust the valves, and get that new dizzy in! SO I dump the oil, and pull the plugs, and 1&2 valve cover. I find TDC on #1, using a pencil to make sure the pulley is correct and all that.  Adjust the valves to .006, cool, on to cylinder #2.  I put the pencil into cylinder #2 and try to get TDC, crunch, snap, WTF!!  The pencil caught on the tin and broke off ithe bottom quarter of the pencil in the cylinder...  m-d &m& m-d2 : -55] m-d  So, after realizing I have no way to get the pencil out, I realize I'll have to pull the head! (bad car god's)   Now, is about the time I am reminded how awesome Baja's are, I do not have to pull the motor to get the head off!!!  I did have to make a small cut in my tins to get them out far enough to get to the head bolts, I had to snip a slit in each spark plug opening to get past the intake bolts...    SO, after 8 hours everything was back together, fresh plugs, oil, and valve adjustment.... (good car god's)

Sunday:
     Great drive to the show, plenty of power, 15+ degrees cooler at 75mph, better acceleration, and less noisy.  ;D  (good car god's) However, about 5 miles out of the show, my clutch cable snapped...   m-d &m& (bad car god's)  Lucky for me, Shawn had a tow bar handy... (good club member, screw the car god's, who needs them when you ride with SJVWC!!!)

What an adventure!!!!!!
PS when I ordered my parts the other day, I either had a premonition or I jinxed myself, because  I ordered a new clutch cable!!!  Guess what I am doing after work tomorrow! :rolleyes:

stoned#  Marc

[Bugaru "JAY"]

 Marc.

You certinly have had a bad week & end. You know that there are many devices made to T.D.C. a pencels cool, but because of the lead center they break very easily. Next time if you don't have the proper tools try a small wooden dowel.

As for your clutch cable if at all possibale try to chase the clutch tube with a wire fish a few times to try to clean it out from any small cable strans or rust etc left behind from the busted cable. Also installing the clutch cable isn't really as easy as 1st meets the eye. After you remove your clutch / brake / gas assenbly pedals your only have about a 2x3" hole to work your fingers into to fish the new cable into the clutch cable tube. The tube is not visable with the eye, and sits back from the pedal assembly about an inch, so your need to feel your way into it. Put down some plastic bags or something on your front drivers floor, and pre Greese the chit out of your new cable before passing it into the tube. Also try to add greese to the cable as you go, the more the better. This is easier done with two people as one holds, and one feeds. Also are you sure that your clutch cable tube is not broken at any of the three mounting locations. Do you hear any clicking or clucking slounds in the tunnel mostly in the hand brake area? That's where the center mount usually breaks, it eventually happens to all older VDubs.  Also before you get to far ahead of yourself, tie a thin string "fishing line etc" to the hook end of the clutch cable. This is just incase you need to pull the cable back foward. It's not really needed but it's just a handle little grab string just incase, and can be snipped off easily once you get the cable connected to the clutch throw out leaver. Before you put the hook onto the pedal end, install the clutch butterfly adjsuting nut loosely, then go back to the pedals. By the way while you have your peddle assembly out of the car nows the time to oil it up well. Now comes the tricky part. Put the clutch cable hook over the clutch pedal hook arm. This is a open J-style hook and the cable easily pops off of this arm when your trying to put the assembly back together. This is what I do to keep the hook on the pedal. I will put a very thin wire tie around the cable hook and around the clutch arm, it's only meant to hold things taunght till you can get the assembly installed, a twist tie from a loaf of bread will work also. Put the two bolts loosely back into the assembly just incase you need to remove it again. Then go to the back cable end and adjust some of your free play out of the cable. Push down gently on the clutch pedal a few times to be sure that the cable didn't fall off. Don't worry about the cable tie because it will break away and and fall free and not be an issue. It servered it's means as a holding device till final install. Once your sure that the cable is hooked, and connected propperly now tighten your bolts and install our gas cable, brake rod, etc. And adjust your clutch for proper freeplay. One last hint.. Note your find that the human body arms, shoulder, hands, head, etc just can't fit in the driver foot well very easily,  your find yourself upside down and have backwards trying to manuver this install, can you say plumbers crack? So enjoy and try to get yourslf a "Rent a Midget" to get in there.  stoned#

[3Gear]

Next time if you don't have the proper tools try a small wooden dowel.

Good Idea, although I think I will be using a metal tube next time... I have something that will be perfect...


Thanks for the advise / info on the clutch cable, I plan on removing the front seat to make access easier... I had been told about using electrial tape for holding the cable on the pedal, I like the wire tie, less chance of it coming undone...

Tomorrow should be fun...

[Baha (Shawn)]

Marc. Do you hear any clicking or clucking slounds in the tunnel mostly in the hand brake area?

Photo from Bugaru's clutch repair post reveals the source of the "clucking noise"




777

[Bugaru "JAY"]

 Ok Shawn. Just who put that Pecker in my Tunnel? Get that Chicken chit out of there.  .///

[scarecrow]

When I replaced my 009 dizzy with the SVDA I had to re-index it to the next postion on the cap (that would be 90 degrees) the instuction on how to do that were on Aircooled web sight where I got the SVDA.
http://www.aircooled.net/gnrlsite/resource/articles/instdist.htm

[lovebus (jack)]

Before you do your clutch cable check this out on our site. HOW TO REPLACE A CLUTCH CABLE

Most of the time a cable brakes between the preload tube and the clutch release arm, where did yours brake?

[lovebus (jack)]

PS, more then likely if you would have spun the engine over with the plugs out the pencil would have come right out. You had nothing to lose.

[3Gear]

PS, more then likely if you would have spun the engine over with the plugs out the pencil would have come right out. You had nothing to lose.

The pencil piece was about 2 inches long... I was afraid of it getting jammed in the head...   there won't be a next time, I have a perfect metal tube for the task now!  But thanks :-)