Skip to main content

Closed32 replies

Angela, TC and Alan save the day ... again.

FM Former Member
I think my car is trying to tell me something. This afternoon, I got the ugly, but functional light system to work again. I have a new wire for every old one in the brake light circuit on the back hatch of the Sloppy Jalopy. I got inventive when I was down to one fuse, and that's going to get serious attention when I take the car apart for a new coat of paint this winter.
I am going to assume that I'll still have the car, just to ease my angst.
So. There I was, minding my own business and having a small celebration over the brake light problem being solved when I decided to turn the key and fire the old girl up. I needed to move it out of the engine bay at the station so the fire truck could pull through, but it wouldn't fire.
It made a ka-thunk, a vague metallic thudding, like it wanted to fire but maybe the teeth of its sprocket weren't moving the flywheel. Starter. Check; I'll take that out. Except ... no. It's never that easy.
I fussed and turned, but I couldn't get the top bolt to come loose. After messing with it long enough to ruin a wrench, I decided to call Alan, because I know he eats starters and wiring for breakfast on Saturdays. He makes a couple suggestions, like "Hey, which end of the bolt are you turning?"
Sure enough, there's a protruding end I can't see, under the shroud hose of the DTM. So it came off pretty easily after that.
TC makes a suggestion (his eyes aren't any worse, BTW) that perhaps I should bench the starter -- and tells me how he'd do it, which I did -- and it turns out to be okay. WHRRRRRRR ...
Crap. Square one. At this point, I've tried turning the pulley clockwise, and it won't go. I've turned it counter-clockwise, and it's having trouble. I know the starter works, so maybe it's the battery.
Nope. And now it's too late to call the usual suspects on the Right Coast, so I thought I'd call Angela for some WTF? help.

(more)
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

FM Former Member
I think my car is trying to tell me something. This afternoon, I got the ugly, but functional light system to work again. I have a new wire for every old one in the brake light circuit on the back hatch of the Sloppy Jalopy. I got inventive when I was down to one fuse, and that's going to get serious attention when I take the car apart for a new coat of paint this winter.
I am going to assume that I'll still have the car, just to ease my angst.
So. There I was, minding my own business and having a small celebration over the brake light problem being solved when I decided to turn the key and fire the old girl up. I needed to move it out of the engine bay at the station so the fire truck could pull through, but it wouldn't fire.
It made a ka-thunk, a vague metallic thudding, like it wanted to fire but maybe the teeth of its sprocket weren't moving the flywheel. Starter. Check; I'll take that out. Except ... no. It's never that easy.
I fussed and turned, but I couldn't get the top bolt to come loose. After messing with it long enough to ruin a wrench, I decided to call Alan, because I know he eats starters and wiring for breakfast on Saturdays. He makes a couple suggestions, like "Hey, which end of the bolt are you turning?"
Sure enough, there's a protruding end I can't see, under the shroud hose of the DTM. So it came off pretty easily after that.
TC makes a suggestion (his eyes aren't any worse, BTW) that perhaps I should bench the starter -- and tells me how he'd do it, which I did -- and it turns out to be okay. WHRRRRRRR ...
Crap. Square one. At this point, I've tried turning the pulley clockwise, and it won't go. I've turned it counter-clockwise, and it's having trouble. I know the starter works, so maybe it's the battery.
Nope. And now it's too late to call the usual suspects on the Right Coast, so I thought I'd call Angela for some WTF? help.

(more)
FM Former Member
She keyed right in on the 'unable to turn the pulley.' She suggested I pull the old spark plugs and check for gasoline or oil in the cylinders. Hmmm. Incompressible liquid? In MY cylinders? Heck no -- that stuff happens to Ricardo, not me!
Uh. Nevermind. He was the deep sump that got ripped off the car ...
Single-minded and determined, I decided that she's smarter than me, so I'd try it. She had also asked me if I had an electric fuel pump. Why, yes indeedy. Sure do. Why?
Well, it seems, while I was busy working on those infernal lights, I had turned my lights on and off a bunch of times without the car running -- and I had been hitting the fuel switch out of habit. I managed to over-pressurize the fuel system, and it feeds progressive Dell'Ortos. So, guess what?
See? She's a damned GENIUS. It didn't smell like fuel, so I never would have thought of it.
Off came the right pair of wires. Off came the coil's wire. Off came the left wires. Out came the right and left rear plugs, without incident or liquid contaminants. The last plug, however, was soaked with gasoline. I turned it over manually about twenty times to try to puke most of the gas out onto chemical wipes piled under the engine, and then motored it over to see what vapors I could remove that way. It ran like a champ through the cycle, albeit without sparky parts connected.
Spouts at first, and then puffs of vapor on a regualr cycle.
Right now, the car's outside (there's not supposed to be any dew) out-gassing until morning. Should be all I have to do is put the plugs in, the wires on, plug in the blast-o-matic coil and start the car. If that doesn't work, I'm screwed.
It should work, though, 'cuz the SOC brain trust were involved in the fix. Thanks, guys!
FM Former Member
You're not an idiot Cory, you just learn the same way I do... I know this trick because, well, I'll just 'fess up...

I did this to Steve's 911 when we were first dating. I was driving the car and the ignition began to cut out. The car was CIS and will deliver fuel without spark (which I did not know at the time). Tried several times to restart the car. Then we had it towed home. Tried many more times... Figured out the CDI box had crapped out.

Got a new one, tried to fire it up and it did, well, it did exactly what the Hoopty did! So, that's how I know this trick because I seem to learn everything the hard way!

Have a good night Cory. Sorry I missed your return call, Steve and I were at a Joan Jett and the Blackhearts concert. That gal STILL kicks butt!!

angela
Alan MerklinAlan MerklinDrclock - Elkins, West Virginia Supporting Member
Cory,

You are becoming the "Well Educated Consumer"...we continually learn through are flubs and or senior moments. As I mentioned on the phone, I was trying to fire the speedster I bought that had sat since 1989, installed a new Facet electric pump cranked the motor a couple of times only to have the Webers puke a generious amont of fuel (floats stuck)all over the garage floor.
WildBillWildBill
Dump the sump by all means. I almost did the same trick many moons ago but caught myself when I heard the pump running. Now I put a "lock out" tag on my pump switch when doing electrical work, not only to be safe while doing the work, but to remind me to turn it back ON, so the engine doesn't crap out a half block away. The things ya gotta do to back up them spent brain cells! DOH!
Gordon NicholsGordon NicholsMassachusetts 1993 CMC Supporting Member
I agree with Bill: Drain the oil and just install new (and a filter, too). Ya don't know how much gas seeped by the rings on that side and found its' way to the sump. Easy service with many benefits.

Everyone learns from their own (and others') experience. I had very fortunate pre-and teen years in that my Dad had a fleet of School Buses and did his own service, so we had a HUGE garage and an equipped machine shop. That meant that my brothers' friends (he was older) and then my friends all brought their cars over to work on them so you saw (and fixed) all sorts of weird stuff (I remember welding a big bolt in between the rear axles for "poor Man's Positraction" once, but that's another story).

A cylinder part full of gas is more common that you might think, but now you'll think of that when someone else can't turn their engine over, right?

Glad it's all working out for you, and I wonder what the next odd one will turn out to be?
FM Former Member
You're lucky, I've seen engines where one cylinder was full of gasoline (Hydraulic lock) and as it tried to start, it bent a rod.

Ironically, my 911 CIS engine hydraulically locked during the time I was changing out the fuel distributor. Remove plugs, place rag over spark plug holes and turn starter. Fired up with no problems after cleaning out the cylinders of the excess fuel. And, of course, a mandatory oil and filter change.
El FrazooEl Frazoo Supporting Member
Well, ain't that the cat's pajamas?! Another great tidbit that I hope I never have to remember. I suppose that one might have been able to go right to the problem cylinder if you consider that in a 4-banger, only one cylinder is going to have an intake valve open at any one time. And here is an idea, if not too late: in addition to changing the oil, which is a no-brainer, I think I'd be inclined to squirt some oil into the flushed cylinder, as the walls of that barrel are likely well cleaned of their precious oil film. I'd use engine oil (not WD-40 or some such). Get some in there and turn the rascal over (no sparkys) a few times to get it all worked around. No point in scuffing up the cylnder walls w/ metal on metal for the few revs it will take to get all the oil sloshed around properly. It's why you run 60 wt over all the parts when you put a new engine back together. Tell me it's not too late. PS: the first firing of the engine w/ the oil in there will make nice cloud . . .
FM Former Member
Besides the electric fuel pump issues the mechanical pump can do the same(not hydrolock) thing but differently. The diaphragm tears and the fuel drips thru to the case at the base. If you ever check you oil and the expected level is higher than you think it should be--sniff it. You may find fuel contamination/dilution.
Cory, check your level. Then change it anyway.
FM Former Member
At least once, everyone should catch a car on fire. It is extremely exciting. Much running, screaming, digging for the extinguisher. Absolute adrenalin rush.

After you've done it once, you'll never do it again... Whatever you did wrong that led to the fire you'll NEVER repeat!

angela (been there, done that, caught it on fire...)
FM Former Member
"The diaphragm tears and the fuel drips thru to the case at the base."

That happened to me with my first MG. Of course, the fuel sunk to the bottom of the sump . . . where the oil pump pick-up is located . . . and I washed all of the oil off of the bearings and spun them in the block.

Real good reason to ALWAYS use a quality (NOT Facet ! ! !) electric fuel pump.
Alan MerklinAlan MerklinDrclock - Elkins, West Virginia Supporting Member
ever build a MGTD, engine cover with the spare forgetting to attach hinge nuts,said cover AND spare launch from the car off the road in front of the neighbors as I grab 2nd gear

OR ...Build a '23 T' Bucket Roadster over the winter,only the brakes to bleed and a steering wheel to add, fired it up back it out into the sunlight for a photo op.
Restart, drop into gear, tap the throttle failing to into account a 2,800 RPM lock up torque converter
Neighbor said, quite a site, the front lifted off the ground, rear tires a' smokin as I tried to steer the car minus the steering wheel, with the palm of my hand....
C cfuller
In '77 (?), Im proud owner of '70 Challenger R/T 440 Magnum (that I later sold for $1500 - somebody shoot me!). Anyway, time to show off for my buds so I get ready to do the burnout from hell! Rev about 4Gs, dump the clutch, and put the pedal down. Furious smoke engulfs the whole car and I'm grinning ear to ear at HOW COOL IS THIS!!! That's when I notice my friends rolling on the grass laughing and pointing out that my back tires haven't moved... You ready for the good part? Close throw transmission is in 3RD not 1ST and I spent like 30 seconds FRYING a clutch like no other. I'm talking charcoal frisbie. We all have our moments :)
Post Content
Remove This Ad

Membership Required

We're sorry. You must be signed in to continue. Sign In or Register
×
Are you sure you want to remove from your Block List?
×
Loading...
×
When you block a person, they can no longer invite you to a private message or post to your profile wall. Replies and comments they make will be collapsed/hidden by default. Finally, you'll never receive email notifications about content they create or likes they designate for your content.
Note: if you proceed, you will no longer be following .
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×

Access to this requires a premium membership.

Supporting Member

Please help keep us running!

Supporting members have donated about $4.00 a month ($49.00 US per year) paid annually.

  • Priority support
  • Removal of inter-page (between thread) advertisements.
  • Access to Build Manuals
  • Access to Knowledge Base
  • Access to Supporting Members events.
  • Access to Leveraged Group Buying from site Merchants.

AUTO RENEW: You membership will auto-renew after 12 months. If you prefer not to auto-renew, you can cancel your premium membership at any time and it will remain in effect until the end of the 12 months. To cancel, sign in at SpeedsterOwners.com and navigate to: (Your User Name)  > Premium Membership.

PLEASE NOTE: Your credit card will receive a charge from CROWDSTACK PAY, the payment processor, not SpeedsterOwners.com.

$49.00 per 12 Months (plus tax if applicable)
×