1973 Volkswagen

Here are some basic starting points- if you can tell me which carburetor and distributor you are using I can give you some more specific direction.

The 1st and easiest test- take the car out of gear and start it. Does it idle fine then? If so you are most likely dealing with a vacuum advance issue. Make sure the vacuum pot on your distributor will hold a vacuum (again, I'm assuming you have the stock setup). If not, check the hoses first before determining the vacuum pot is bad.

As mentioned in the last post, check out your breaker points. If they are pitted or have a raised bump on them it is time for new ones. The new points should be gapped to.016" If you want it to run a little smoother use a dwell meter to get your dwell angle between 58 and 61 degrees. Don't forget to put a little bit of bosch grease on the distributor lobe and a few drops of oil on the felt wick (underneath the rotor)

Now onto timing. The stock distributor for your car is part # 113-905-205AN This distributor is timed to 5 degrees at-top-dead-center at idle with the vacuum hoses attached. Note- It is important to go over your points before adjusting your timing, as adjusting your points will change your timing!

I am assuming you have the stock carburetor for that year- the Solex 34 PICT-3.

Start by checking your fuel filter. Is it pink or rust colored? Crank the engine over a few times to get some gas in the filter. Turn the car off and shake the filter- do you see sediment?

If you answered yes to any of these your fuel system is suspect. The best thing to do in that case is to drain and remove the tank and have it sealed. You can buy a kit to reseal it yourself, or most radiator shops can do it as well. While the tank is being resealed inspect the fuel lines. If you don't know when the rubber lines were last replaced, replace them. Original style German hose will work best, as it is metric hose and will fit more snugly on your metric fittings.

If the fuel filter is looking fine check your fuel pump. Remove the fuel hose from your carburetor and connect a fuel pressure gauge. Remove the wire connecting your ignition coil to your distributor cap. Your pump should be putting out about 3-10 psi. If your readings are low, make sure the pump is tightened down fully.

There's a few areas to start on- let me know exactly what your setup is and if these steps don't solve your problem and we can work from there.

If you can confirm which carburetor you have I can walk you through cleaning and tuning it, and rebuilding it if necessary.