Cap, rotor and wires question

[starrtrain]

I'm very nervous...all I (think) I know about dad's engine is that it's a 1600cc. Actually that's what my Uncle thinks it is (as well). I got spark plugs and wires, dist cap, rotor, points, condenser, etc. I put spark plugs in and attempted to put wires on...they were too small. Old ones had much bigger holes. So went to another parts store, they sold me another set of plugs and wires. Everything went well, except when I got to the center plug that went from center of cap up to the coil. That short wire didn't quite 'fit' on these parts really well. I recall it not fitting on the coil hardly at all. So much so, that I kept the old one on that connection. They look clean to me ? First question, what will happen when I try to start this thing, will anything blow up !!! LOL What if I have first of all, wrong spark plugs, and secondly, wrong wire set ?? So scared to try to start it !!! Thanks for any help. ~Just that girl in Florida trying to restore dad's trike all by herself ~

[vw driver]

What brand and model number of plugs did you put in? Do a web search and see if you got the right ones. If the reach is too long the pistons could hit them and then you got broken pistons. The corner auto parts stores list and sell some parts for VWs but I've found some aren't an exact match. We're dealing with 40 year old engines so sometimes it's not like buying parts for a late model Honda. I use Bosch Super Plus in my VWs with good results.

[starrtrain]

My engine is marked with this: AM021095 I referenced that number and it comes up a Thing .. is that a 1600cc ?? What type is that. I'm so confused, this is my 3rd set of Spark plugs. Can someone help me figure out the EXACT engine in this thing....Where is dad when I need him !!!! ....resting peacefully in Heaven !!

[cscsonny]

The VW "Thing" did use the 1600 "Bus" engine for the years they were produced.
Before you start you need to be sure of a few things.
If you replaced the points,were they gapped correctly?
If you replaced the plug wires,are they in the cap in the correct firing order? This is important because if not correct,when you start the engine,it will pop and backfire.
The thread length of the plugs you put in can be compared to the ones you took out.
These VW engines are fairly simple to tune-up as you are doing HOWEVER,if you don't already have one,please get a repair manual to guide you.They are also available on line to download.
Have fun.

[vw driver]

As far as I know the US import Thing engines are all Type 1 upright engines, dual port 1600, the same engines that were used in bugs, buses, Ghias of that era so it doesn't use any different parts than any other Type 1. There is really no such thing as a Type 2 engine, they were just Type 1 engines with a couple of extra tapped holes for mounting the engine in a bus. The important thing to know when doing a tune up is the number on the distributor, the timing is set differently for different distributors. It mostly depends on whether the distributor has vacuum advance. You can't assume that your engine has the distributor that it was born with, a lot of them have been changed over the years. None of my VWs have the original distributors. There is also a number on the carb/carbs that is good to know. If you are able take some pictures and post them. Also, it's probably time to get a timing light and dwell meter if you don't already have one.

[tom w]

this sounds like a fun project.

[slick rick]

John Muirs ,,,How To Keep Your VW Alive for Dummies ,,,the holy grail ,,also order nothing but Bosch plenty of parts available on line or in my case a shop 5 miles away . I learned from him and others use Bosch and relieve the headaches .


Bus VIN / Chassis Numbers on Samba .com

[rhino 2]

John Muirs ,,,How To Keep Your VW Alive for Dummies ,,,the holy grail ,,also order nothing but Bosch plenty of parts available on line or in my case a shop 5 miles away . I learned from him and others use Bosch and relieve the headaches .


Bus VIN / Chassis Numbers on Samba .com

Yep, Built VW dune buggy back in the 70's with the help of that book and JC Whitney..