Advance handle very hard to pull

[myke_w]

The advance handle on my rabbit is really hard to pull, doest return well either. Is there aAnthing I can do to fix this besides get a new pump?

[QuickTD]

Lube the cable?

[myke_w]

It's not the cable, I should have been more clear, its the pump arm that is stiff. I hadnt noticed it until I had the pump back on the motor... or I would have worked on it when I had it off...

[fspGTD]

Behind the cold start lever cover, there is a steel dowel oriented sideways that is set in grooves in the end of the timing advance piston.  A disc with a camplate shape is attached to the inside of the cold start lever and rotates and presses against the steel dowel, pushing the cold start piston out against spring tension when the cold start lever is rotated to advanced position.  I have seen the grooves in the end of the timing advance piston get washed out and damaged when things got buggered up in there due to all the friction needed to overcome the pressure of the cold start advance spring on the other end of the piston.  This is probably a vicious cycle that can only get worse, as fixing the washed out grooves would require swapping the cold start piston - which would entail nearly complete disassembly of the pump.  Pump that have this problem unless they are somehow rare and worth saving, might be best simply swapped out and replaced with newer fresher ones.

Another thing that can increase friction of the cold start lever is if the pump is drained of diesel.  So if you've got a pump removed from the car and is on your bench and drained of fuel and you're noticing the lever is hard to turn, don't worry it will probably get much easier after the air is purged out.

[myke_w]

Wow, good call. I'll drop some fuel into it and see if it helps to free it up a bit. It was either use this old clean pump, or a newer pump that as covered with goo, I figured the latter leaked. I'll give it a whirl.

[chrissev]

I had that problem with an old 79 NA diesel rabbit I used to own.  What I did was before I attempted to pull the cold start out I cranked the engine over one time, just a quick crank, then I was able to pull out the cold start easily.

[myke_w]

Thanks, that hasn't proven true for me. I've been told that that is lowest partv of the pump, andvthat watrer may settle there, if it doess it will mess the sfhaft on the plunger up. Once i get her back up and running I'mm going to run biodiesel, maybe that will help dissolve and crusty depsits that are living there, otherwise, ill drive around with it advanced all winter and replace the pup when money frees up.

[chrissev]

Thanks, that hasn't proven true for me. I've been told that that is lowest partv of the pump, andvthat watrer may settle there, if it doess it will mess the sfhaft on the plunger up. Once i get her back up and running I'mm going to run biodiesel, maybe that will help dissolve and crusty depsits that are living there, otherwise, ill drive around with it advanced all winter and replace the pup when money frees up.

If you have the engine over 2000rpm the advance doesn't do anything anyway so it's not a big deal to drive with the handle out