i know its a ghia but its where my problem starts. I bought this car to save myself some gas. This car isn't very gas friendly. I later find out it has a porsche from the previous owner. 1.8 liter. While the car is very fun to drive i think i need to change the engines or fix it. my questions are:

1)i cant find this exhaust anywhere? in case i keep engine, i think i need a new exhaust? Where can i find it?

2)In case i am able to sell it, what can i expect for it? It pulls very strong and it has only a minor oil leak. It now has a carb (its how i got it)

I am getting about 20 mpg...its not enough for a broke student. Im sorry to bring my ghia into your forum, but i dont know where else to go

oh, we have a bus with a 1.8 and it doesnt feel anything like this car. Car feels better when it is in the higher rpm range. And i have gone 110mph in this car, it was scary and dumb but just had to see.

I think that is actually a bus motor
Basically the same as a 914 but some differences.
Could be the power band is not optimal for the ghia so that is why your mpg is suffering.

that carb will kill all economy and preformance.

look for a dual carb kit in the 36mm range, it won't be cheap.

i'm not sure if you could retro a fuel injction system on to it but that would be the ideal.

What carb do i currently have? I am sorry for all the questions, i am new to this.

You have a bus motor with a Weber or don't remember the other manufacturer otherwise known as a "Ford Pinto Carb". On the base it should say DGV 32/36 as I remember.

Hi Snowteller:

Since I also went to school with a Karmann Ghia, albeit 40+ years ago, I know you should be seeing MUCH better mileage! The Old Ghia had dual single-throat carbs + Stock cam + Bursch exhaust and still got 30+ MPG.

So, I believe SOMETHING is wrong for your car, given how you want to use it:
1) Does the car have a HOT CAM? (Is the idle lumpy and un-even? Will it only idle at 1200 RPM?: that's a hot cam with lots of OVERLAP and a hot cam HURTS mileage)

At 20 MPG, you are getting the mileage I'm getting with my 2-TON Kia Sorento that I use to tow my 914-V8 which is 6.3 Liters, BUILT to 500 HP and gets 13 MPG.

2) While a Carburetor is not as strong on mileage as F.I., you should still be in the 30 MPG area. So If a full race cam is not the issue, is your Carb a total disaster?
If the jets in your carb (I believe it's a copy of the dual-throat Weber which Ford used on the old Pintos) are way too big, then you will just be pouring gas into the engine and puffing black smoke. Check you exhaust pipe (s): it they are completely dark BLACK, then the engine is running TOO RICH. Proper jetting should show you an ashy gray color. Better still, check the plugs: I'm sure you can find on-line photos of rich, lean and properly rich plugs. Too Rich is a BLACK coated plug, proper jetting is a light Brown center porcelain and too lean will have an almost purely white porcelain.

Since I was also a poor college student with a 'Ghia, I appreciate that $$ are dear.
However, since it appears that working on the car is not your "happy place" I can only suggest taking the car to an HONEST private VW shop and see if they can correct your problem. YES, it'll cost you some $$, but people you TRULY KNOW VW engines can short-cut the process and get you FIXED quickly.

If you have a STOCK cam and a correctly jetted carb, you SHOULD be able to achieve 30+ MPG!

I hope this helps,

Terry

I'm honest, I have a shop, I've worked on VWs for over 50 years, and I wouldn't let that thing in my door. I'm even close to So Cal. The expense involved to make it a good runner with respectable fuel consumption far outweighs the value of the car. Even returning it to it's original configuration would be cost prohibitive.

Sorry, I think it's a lose/lose situation.

The Cap'n

The kind that belongs at the bottom of a lake.

Kidding aside. I would try to sell that engine and swap back to a stock ghia engine, although Solex carbs from a bus can be found fairly cheap and may get you the fuel economy you're looking for.

Unless there is more sheet metal around the engine then is in the picture, I’d be more worried about overheating in traffic. Like most VW engines, it needs to be sealed from top (cooling air) to bottom (hot). When your car is running and stationary, your cooling fan is sucking hot air off of the exhaust. Your best bet for help is TheSamba.com they can help you sort out your multiply problems, or there’ll be someone who wants to take it off your hands.

SHORT and sweet. WELL said.

Since no one else answered your question about the exhaust, I'll take a stab at it. I have a '74 914 with a 1.8L and have that same stock exhaust. At least ove been told it was stock. It looks like yours is upside down and the flanges have been redrilled. Hope that helps.

It's a ghia with a type 4, whats not to like?

your requirement is fuel economy and you're a poor student? Why did you buy a 40 year old german oddball car?

My advice: sell that thing for $5k and buy yourself a well maintained 2000 honda civic. You'll get 40 mpg, all you'll have to do is change the oil, and when you're ready to sell it, you'll probably be able to get back 90%+ of your purchase price.

Buy a ghia or a 914 or a beetle or whatever when you have a job, time to work on it, and enough disposable income to not depend on it for your only car.

Good luck

Rich

Go here and post your questions: The Type4um
It's a discussion forum primarily devoted to Type 4 conversions. What you have will be familiar to most of the regulars there.

I disagree that the carb needs to be ditched to get the economy you're looking for.
While not ideal for a T4 engine, it should work just fine in a warm climate.
There is probably a mismatch with the distributor, ignition timing, or carb jetting which is causing your poor fuel economy.

The cooling fan intake should be isolated from the exhaust if you don't want the engine to run hot.

I agree with Rwilner. If you're not prepared to do your own work you should probably sell it and get a Honda.

This requires a little more information:

1) Do/Can you work on your car and more importantly, would you enjoy it?
2) Are you still at home (easier/more available income)?

If you answer yes to both, then get yourself the 'Bentley Manual' and John Muir's manual "How to keep your Volkswagen Alive" and a decent set of tools.

Next, join http://www.thesamba.com/vw/ , and http://forums.aircooledtechnology.com/ .

READ, SEARCH, AND READ SOME MORE!!! The answers are there to most all your questions. There are a lot of good folks out there that will give some good advice/pointers/help.

I too have a Ghia and with your engine properly set up, you should see improved gas mileage and better overall performance. Don't get me wrong, it will take some work and elbow grease, but you will enjoy it and have a neat ride.

I had a similar carb on my 914 when I bought it and I got +35 MPG on the highway.

Is the choke working properly? It looks like an electric choke; make sure it is opening up.

The motor appears to have the stock late Bus heat exchangers, possibly with the wrapping around them removed? The muffler is an aftermarket part, possibly by Sebring or Bursch.

The single-carb setup is quite difficult to tune on a Type IV engine. If you can get heat to it, you can make it easier, but in general dual carbs are preferred for these engines. It is also possible the carb has been tuned quite rich to keep the heat under control, at least to some extent.

If you can duct cool air straight to the fan inlet, that can help keep the engine cool enough to live a good life.

I would recommend keeping the Ghia as a "weekend car" if you can afford it and have a place to stash it. Pick up a cheap beater for your daily drive, and save the Ghia for fun. And for tinkering on until it works the way you want it to.

--DD