More fuel delivery problems it seems...after my stuttering and stop at Beer and again at Swanage last year, I made the cardinal error of leaving the buggy stood still for the winter (albeit pretty much empty of fuel). Now, it turns over but just won't start.

It will try, a little half-heatertedly with a short squirt of Easy Start into each air intake and I know I have a good strong spark. I have topped up with E5 fuel which I know is being delivered to the (twin Kadron) carbs. I have removed, stripped, inspected and thoroughly cleaned every bit of both carbs (which appeared fine anyway), blasted compressed air through every orifice (the carbs, not me), lost and replaced both of the tiny steel check balls (2.38mm diameter), refitted, removed again, stripped again, cleaned again, refitted again and still have the same problem of fuel starvation into the throttle body.

Nobody I can find in the UK stocks a fully complete Kadron rebuild kit including an emulsion tube which I originally suspected as being at fault so I have two kits on order from California via a friend in Kentucky which I won't get until he comes over at the end of May. I am now thinking that the accelerator pump diaphragm may be the culprit preventing fuel getting through from the bowl into the venturi but both diaphragms look OK with no visible damage and I have the exact same problem on both carbs, manifesting at the same time.

I have separately ordered new diaphragms anyway as an almost last resort. I've also ordered The Complete Kadron Manual and both should be here tomorrow

If I fit them and still don't solve the problem, I am now thinking that even if the rebuild kits work when I finally get them, (too late for this year's trip to Beer ☹️), there's nothing that says the same thing won't happen again, and I will still have that annoying persistent flat spot that was always there even when it was running well.

So, after all the rambling, what experience is there here with swapping from twin 40mm Kadrons to an EFI system?
Which system would you recommend and why?
Will it be worth it for the lack of grief frequently dished out by carburettors?

Cost and ease of installation & set-up are factors. I'm no mechanic but have learned a lot every time I have had to tinker and tweak (thats what it's all about, no?) so a complete kit that's as "plug and play" as possible would be ideal.

I don't relish the prospect of spending £2K to get my buggy running reliably now and every time I go to start it in future, but I will if it means I'm back on the road and might even make it to Beer next weekend (as long as it's not peeing down).

Finally, if I bite the bullet, does anyone want to make me an offer on these twin Kadrons (complete with two brand new rebuild kits and some spare diaphragms) to offset the cost a bit?

For "emulsion tube", read "accelerator pump spray tube"

Have you considered fuel pump at fault?
Do you have me manically or electric?

Worth checking it's pumping well under pressure

Same comment as I have posted many times....    This issue of poor starting. Crap idling. Engine cutting out Coughs and sputters through acceleration until full throttle is reached....  All ok until buggy laid up over winter.  Appears the moment you try to drive after getting buggy out again..

This is typical of carbs sat idle for months with Unleaded fuel in them. The ethanol absorbs moisture, settles out and hardens into crap that looks glazed. There is a dead simple cure that just needs patience ...  Get buggy out. Start it up and work thro the coughs and splutters taking care at junctions, roundabouts etc. Travel at high speed for about 50 miles......  Make take a few journeys BUT  lo and behold you will be travelling along then out of the blue the engine stabilizes, idles just as it did prior to layup. Pressing the pedal then has the engine going from idle to full throttle smoothly as it should. All back to normal.   Thai is until you lay it up again   

The flow through carbs at high speed clears the crap out completely... 

Too good to be true I hear you say......   No have done this on my buggy, other peoples and many other vehicles since unleaded first showed it face on our forecourts. Under no circumstance use E10. This just gives a bigger problem to overcome.

Is going fuel injected as step too far....  absolutely.

I have Kadrons on my spare engine. They proved to be a revelation. Brilliant carbs in my opinion. So simple to set up correctly. Downside, and there is always one. is fewer miles per gallon than ICT`s, or single solex 34pict 3...  

Put the kadrons off your spare motor on if they are fine or if a different engine size also swap the jets. It will prove carbs or fuel delivery or something else is the cause.

Was asked a question yesterday as apparently the initial query here appeared on facebook. (Facebook is something I rarely look at it).

I think the simplest response to the question I was asked is this....   If the buggy/engine ran absolutely fine before " lay up" and then doesn`t when first brought "back to life" the answer is there plain to see in most cases.The absence of use and fuel flow through carb/s. Fuel is not getting through to the cylinders in the quantity that it should as determined by the throttle opening.  Bangs and pops are a prime clue. Fuel does not exit the carb to manifold as a liquid. Mixed with air it is an "emulsion" hence the term "emulsion tube". Fast idle  is determined by the float not any of the screws on the carb. (Fast idle right.... as per say a choke in operation fully- not "normal idle).
Try my suggestion... there is nothing but time to lose and it has worked for me many times over the years. You would think there would be some signs of throttle response with bang, struggles of the engine "picking up" as pedal goes down etc as the carb "clears of the partial blockage but there isn`t. One moment you are pressing the pedal down with coughs and splutters and literally the next moment everything is as smooth as silk and yes this occurred with the two Kadrons that I put on my spare engine.
Something that I cannot remember now.....   The very early type of "single" injection as found on Mexico Beetles and many other car of the 1980/90`s era were very simple devices. Havn`t seen one for quite some years now but am sure there are modern solutions out there somewhere.

Hi Paul,

Thanks for your recommendation which I got quite excited about when I started reading, promising as it did, a low cost fix that just needed time. There's just one tiny flaw in the plan. You say "Get the buggy out. Start it up" and therin is the whole problem.

It just won't fire up.

At all.

If it would, I can see how blasting fuel through it on a few vigorous drives would help but alas, that's a non-starter (pun intended). If I had the luxury of a spare engine, or even a couple of spare carbs (which clearly would be a more than 50% cheaper solution than an EFI kit but doesn't prevent recurrence), swapping them out would be my first solution.

Quote from: Doon L001 on April 30, 2026, 03:42:25 PMHave you considered fuel pump at fault?
Do you have me manically or electric?

Worth checking it's pumping well under pressure

Hi Doon,

Thanks for your input.

Considered and disregarded on the basis that the fuel pump is working and fuel is getting to the carbs without any issue, just not through them. I am convinced that the problem lies within the carburettors themselves as I have pretty much ruled out any other potential fault.

i always  run all my cars every few weeks   through winter    just around the garden always use stabilizer  in the fuel never a problem have  you thought of fitting the fuel injection    of a late beetle   they do come up for sale quite frequently  they run superb and average 40mpg  on a run

Have you thought about throwing a £35 Chinese Solex copy on a single manifold on it just so you can enjoy the summer? I can help with a manifold if you're stuck.

Quote from: ChinaShop on May 01, 2026, 09:00:07 AMHi Paul,

Thanks for your recommendation which I got quite excited about when I started reading, promising as it did, a low cost fix that just needed time. There's just one tiny flaw in the plan. You say "Get the buggy out. Start it up" and therin is the whole problem.

It just won't fire up.

Missed that bit..... Does it cough and splutter.... that`s got to be fuel or a coil issue. If it`s just dead and no spark it`s a coil problem.  It`s really easy to fry a 12 volt coil on a classic ignition system. Simply leaving the ignition on for a short while with the engine not running can do this. Way back in the mists of time this was a no no issued by VW themselves. Despite knowing of this I have just recently fried the coil on my Stag. Left ignition on didn`t I   

Petrol engine with a carb or two....  If you have a spark at all 4 plugs and the leads are in correct order and you have not fiddled with anything else...  Pour half a cupful  of petrol down the carb intake or both if two carbs. The engine has to start then and should run for 30 to 45 seconds before the fuel poured down run out.

At all.

If it would, I can see how blasting fuel through it on a few vigorous drives would help but alas, that's a non-starter (pun intended). If I had the luxury of a spare engine, or even a couple of spare carbs (which clearly would be a more than 50% cheaper solution than an EFI kit but doesn't prevent recurrence), swapping them out would be my first solution.

I think i'd be looking at a pair of dells or webers for half the 2k for ef or send them off for a rebuild and ultrasonic clean.  Sounds like the idle circuit is blocking, fuel hose ok? You can clean then all day and night but if the hose is persisted inside it'll just put more debris in them once fired over. Float heights been checked? Take the pipe off and check flow Vs time see how much it's putting in the carbs? blocked filter? Leaking gasket giving a lean mixture? Probably checked all that but.........

I think if I was spending 2k on EFi alone I'd be wondering at that point why I wasn't just putting a modern EFi engine in for the same money and twice the power that's already mapped, setup and fires up every morning...