Drive about4 to 6 miles the car starts to sputter and spit in fourth gear?

OLDDAD

MEMBER
1974 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE
4 CYL
RWD
MANUAL
75,000 MILES

When I start the car it runs and idles great once I drive about4 to 6 miles the car starts to sputter and spit in fourth gear I shift down and have petal to the floor only runs at 50 mph for maybe a mile the car shuts off and won't start acts like its out of gas. Once it set for 20/30 mins it fires up and the process starts all over again. Replaced plugs distributor cap button wires and coil. Also traced the wire to coil no shorts found. Ne idea what might cause coil to heat up to cause car to not run

1 Reply

HMAC300

MECHANIC
48,601 POSTS

It should have 9 volts when running to coil only 12 volts on start. You may be missing a ballast resistor. There should also be 3 wires going to positive of coil. The symptoms you're describing in your 1974 Volkswagen Beetle could be caused by a variety of issues. While I can't provide a definitive diagnosis without physically inspecting the vehicle, I can suggest some possibilities based on the symptoms you've described: