For those who have fuel Injected engines, and
you know who you are. Should you ever get a wild hair and decide
(like David did) to get that infernal contraption off your
beloved Beetle, Bus, or Type 3. Below are a few helpful hints
that we have found out (mostly through trial and error!).
Sometime
soon I will be adding a page on HOW to switch over from Fuel
Injection to Carburetor (but it will take time, sorry)
The fuel pump
for all fuel injected air cooled VW's has a fuel pressure of 65 PSI.
All Solex carburetors use between 3 to 5 PSI.
In simple terms your factory fuel pump will flood your carburetor
and blow out the needle and seat. (That's a very bad thing to have
happen when you are stuck in bumper to bumper rush hour traffic!)
On the subject of fuel pumps "Well I will just
use the stock mechanical" I don't think so, Tim. The
mechanical fuel pump requires mountings that don't normally exist on
fuel injection engines. you can get one mounted as long as you
drill out the holes, then tap them and hope that you don't tear up
your case. So, is installing a $15 fuel pump worth an engine
overhaul of $1200 to $1800? Not in my book.
What is another option? Electric.
you can buy any electric fuel pump designed to pump 3 to 5 PSI from
any auto parts store (I got one for Dave at O Reilly's Auto Parts
for $49.99) Problem: they are not repairable. Those
types of fuel pumps may last 2 to 5 years but when you consider that
Dave and I took off the
stock fuel pump
off of a 1977 Beetle, that still works, after 27 years and almost
400,000 miles. Cheap pumps will not go that long.
So, we have decided not to use the stock
mechanical or a cheap electric fuel pump. what is left, you
ask. One very good option is using a Holley "red" fuel pump
(HL-801-1) along with the red regulator (HL-12-804 or 12-500).
You will want to use the regulator since the red fuel pump is rated
at 7 PSI with a flow rate of 97 gallons per hour. Stock
configuration is 3 to 5 PSI and a flow rate of 6 gallons per hour!
(Stock configuration is based on using the Solex 28 pic 1 to the 34
pic 3) Yes, Holley makes a "blue" but that is only for racing
applications since it puts out 14 PSI and flows 110 gallons per
hour, way more than needed in a stock Beetle.
The Holley red regulator has two outputs on it
for use on TWO carburetors. Do not use the return line.
Plug up the return line and use a 3/8 inch NPT (National Pipe
Thread) plug on the second port of the regulator.
The Holley fuel pump and the regulator can be
rebuilt and you can purchase the rebuild kits from sites listed on
our links page.
I know you are thinking "boy, you are really
biased in favor of the Holley" There is a reason. Holley
carries a very good warranty along with great tech support (yes,
that is experience talking)
The pressure at the carburetor, after
installation, should be about 4.9 PSI, well within range of what the
carburetor can handle.
On the Holley regulator, you may have to
adjust it down in pressure. To do this effectively, you will
need at Fuel Pressure Gauge. We had to readjust the
regulator down to about 3.4 PSI, so that the carburetor would idle
without overflowing it. But that was our experience with the
regulator, your results may vary.
Photos of the installation of the
fuel pump
and Soon for the placement of the regulator.
Page last
updated:
Monday, 12 July 2010 14:01:09 -0500
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