Need advice

6 pages and we're eating hummus now...

 

Sabra? or other?

I never heard of hummus until I moved to Dearborn.  Now I have it fresh at several restaurants.  One of the perks of living here.

Hummus?   

 

HUMMUS??

 

Cabernet and chocolate I can see, but.....uh.......Hummus?

 

Really?

 

Be careful there, Lane.......Your "Man Card" may be in jeopardy.......

 

Geez.....I hope you're eating better than that "Sabra" stuff.

 

All it is, is Chick Peas, run through a food processor, with a few herbs.  Make your own, like the rest of us.

 

 

Gordon's correct, it's dirt cheap to make. Google "hummus" you will find many recipes. BTW  hummus, is a very good source of dietary fiber, (from the chick peas, AKA, garbanzo beans). Heart healthy food.

 

Art

I'll have to give that a try because yes, it is Sabra (Roasted Red Pepper).  And worse, I'm drinking chardonnay.

 

I'm secure in my man card and have all of the scars, scabs, and bruises that prove my auto-mechanical manliness over the last few weeks.  Don't worry guys, I still have plenty of bourbon and Irish whiskey in the cabinet.

 

So there!  Nyah!

NO, NOT CHARDONNAY!!!!

 

Reisling, maybe, with Sabra, or Pinot Grigiot, but Chardonay?  Hell, no!!

 

Well, maybe if it's Mirisou or something sweeter.....

 

On second thought, forget the Hummus and white wine and go for Cabernet and 60% cacao chocolate.  You'll never go back.  Honest.

my auto-mechanical manliness.....  That should have been auto maniacal manliness...

We are NOT drinking Merlot! 

 

 

This was taken at the last SOC meet in SLO. That's me trying to take the 'spit bucket' out of Gerd's hands.  

 

Ted

Dancing bull Red Zin...dry as can be and fantastic with everything including donuts

Lane,

Was wondering if "hummus" could be considered to be motown's lowcountry grits? Been using merlot for years as a tire shine. Donuts, pretty much god's perfect food......

"On second thought, forget the Hummus and white wine and go for Cabernet and 60% cacao chocolate.  You'll never go back.  Honest."

 

Try Tullamore Dew and dark chocolate.  Intense and incredible.

 

Ahhh...  thread drift is our friend.

Lane, You've got Irish uncorked? Figure 10 hours from Red Bank NJ, I'll see you at about 6PM.

No ice just a touch of H2O. Thank You

I'll be waiting for you.  I also have the dark chocolate.  Mmmmmmmmm..............

I've got 80% Lindt's dark and a 75 lbs. Golden Retreiver,he's my relief driver

So glad I could take your mind off the Speedster problem for a moment.

A nice little cocktail plate of hummus and crackers

on the second creeper and you're good to go.

Ok, back to "the problem".  It is amazingly warm and humid for the end of October (mid 80s and sticky) but I decided to try and knock off some of the possibilities before it got too dark.  I removed the module inside the distributor and found no corrosion.  That was a nasty job as the two tiny nuts holding it in are impossible to turn with anything besides needle nose pliers.  I have the correct wrench (1/4") but the angle is such that you cannot get it on well enough to turn the nuts.  The centrifugal advance and the two wires to the module are also in the way.  It was a royal pain and, as expected, no corrosion.  Also, there is no adjustment for dwell in this distributor.  The gap between the shaft and the module is greater than .040, possibly twice that.  The studs holding the module in are fastened to the billet base and cannot move, and the mounting holes in the module itself are just big enough for the stud to go through, with no elongation for adjustment.  So endeth that idea.

 

I started the car after buttoning it back up and it ran the same as it did when I turned it off on Sunday - poorly.  We seem to have gone full circle as I am now suspecting the carbs again.  Hooooo boy...

 

It's too dark now to do anything.  I suppose I can check the timing tomorrow and eliminate the last ignition thing.  I suppose it is also remotely possible that the module is bad, but I have no way to prove it that I know of - unless the timing jumps all over the place.  Timing should be 28 degrees BTDC at 3000 rpm, right?

 

Guess I'll finish up that hummus tonight.

 

 

MOUNT PLEASANT, SC (AP) - As decision day approaches, one of the hottest races in the nation is shaping up in sleepy Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, where pundits are closely divided on whether fuel issues or ignition are causing Lane Anderson's Speedster engine woes.

 

What started as a largely one-sided contest in the wake of what local residents now call 'Gasketgate', has gradually tightened into one that is too close to call.

 

Even conservative voices in the community loudly cried, "Fuel!" when Anderson went public with evidence of a compromised intake gasket. The fuelists gained more ground when internet photos of a second such gasket went viral.

 

But ignition forces have been fighting a steady grass roots campaign that has made significant gains in recent days. Their traditional 'coil and wire' arguments don't seem so dizzy to growing numbers, especially in light of Anderson's unassailable record of spotless carburetors. In previous races, Anderson used the campaign slogan, "An idle jet is the devil's workshop."

 

What finally brought the race into a dead heat was Anderson's frank revelation over the weekend of the positive results of a compression test. Since then he has made no further public statements for either fuel or igniton other than to say he would be spending some quality time with his liquor cabinet.

 

Local tow truck operators were standing by amidst growing concern that a final decision may not be reached until after election day.

 

 

Sacto has WAY to much time on his hands, as well as a highly developed sense of the humorously absurd....    Well done "news caster".....   We await the outcome of this trial by fire....   (say what?)

 

{GREAT job, Mitch!}

 

Well, you've messed with the carbs a lot and little has changed.  I would tend to look elsewhere about now.

 

Is it still "Chuffing" or has that stopped?  I thought you had fixed the gasket leak(s) with that last round of replacement.

 

What is the dwell reading??

 

Something greater than a .040" gap could potentially bring your dwell down to around 30 degrees - WAY too short for a solid spark.

 

And Hummus is still just Glorified Chick Peas, just like "Grits" was coined in the South because early Rednecks couldn't pronounce "Polenta" (too many syllables for them.)

There is no dwell with electronic points only on and off.

LOL!! Mitch, your talents are wasted here!

Lane--it's way past time to seek prfessional, competent help!  I admire your wrenching ability and not giving up but I don't like anyone having to deal with such frustration!

 

Hope you get this fixed---everyone is dying to know what is causing thie problem!  Good luck,  buddy. 

Mitch, I bow to your wisdom and humor.  I could use a good laugh.

 

Gordon, I haven't found my old dwell meter yet, so no idea on the dwell.

 

Jack, yeah, but I just cannot give up until I have exhausted every possible DIY solution - which is pretty damn close at this point.  Unfortunately getting the car delivered to somewhere that I trust means taking at least a half day off work, which I really can't do this week or next.  It'd be nice if "somewhere that I trust" was open on weekends but it ain't.

 

Lane, I was hoping that might cheer you up.

 

I know the feeling of being consumed by one of these seemingly simple problems that refuses to get solved, while the good weather rapidly disappears.

 

Remember that one of the reasons we all chose these cars is that anything based on an old VW will be simple and cheap to maintain and dead nuts reliable.

 

 

Now here's a detached, though philosophical, way of looking at this...

 

      "We are continually

        faced with a series of

        great opportunities

        brilliantly disguised

        as insoluble problems"

 

        John W. Gardner, U.S. government

        official and founder of Common Cause

        (1912 - 2002)

 

I wonder if Mr.Gardner ever wrenched the insoluble kinks out of an aircooled four banger?

Ok, this thread has gone on way too long. I have long suspected distributor and/or it's module. Lane it has the Pertronix II module, right? Some people have trouble with that one.

 

RE: Dwell. Yes, it is slightly adjustable on a 009 or the like with an add-on module. But not on Lane's Pertronix billet distributor. It would be nice to know the reading for information, but electronics are usually either good or not. Only way to pinpoint it is to swap the distributor at this point. This article really breaks it down: http://www.ratwell.com/technical/PertronixAdjust.html The last paragraph really sums it up, as the electronics aren't bothered by all the factors that come into play with points, which makes dwell a non-issue in Lane's case.

 

Lane, I have an 009 with Pertronix I in it that was pulled out of my Spyder and is guaranteed to work. I'll mail it to you so you can try it if you want. Then you can mail it back. Let me know. You'll have to set the timing a couple times but that is no big deal. Are we sure 3 and 4 are in the correct order on the cap/wires/plugs?

Firing order is correct.  The rough running is not as bad as it would be with two wires swapped.  It still seems more like just one cylinder.  When I check the timing I will redo the "pull one wire at a time" test.

 

A new module is $99 from Pertronix, but it's a b***h to get in and out.  I'll do a few more tests first.  Let me go up in the attic and see if the original distributor is up there before you send yours, Danny.  Thanks for the offer and I'll let you know.

Lenny:  "Dwell" is the amount of time the disti module sits in a circuit-closed condition before the cam tooth swings near enough to the module sensor to trip it and open the circuit, causing the spark.  It is a measurement of the number of degrees of disti cam swing go by before the circuit opens - the period of charge time of the coil.  There's no magic here - all an electronic module does is mimic the operation of the points, or open and close a circuit in time with the passing of a cam tooth (or lobe, if you have points).

 

And below, there's a bit more info linked from that article Danny posted.  Gap spacing differences make sense if you understand how a "Hall Effect" sensor (the module pickup) works.  It senses the presence of metal nearby, so it can sense when the cam tooth swings by to make it react (open the circuit).  How long it reacts depends on the width of the tooth, how far away the tooth is at it's closest and the sensitivity of the sensor (pickup) to see it going by. The wider the gap the longer the dwell because the tooth has to get closer to the sensor before it reacts.  

 

The ramp rate of the module (how fast it reacts - opens and closes the circuit) is fixed by the module but the charge duration of the coil becomes longer as the gap increases and the cam tooth has to get closer to the sensor to trip the module to make it fire, hence, more coil charge time.

 

http://www.ratwell.com/mirror/...w-p-c.com/buggy8.htm

 

Lane:  I would take Danny up on his offer and just swap the entire Disti.  Probably a lot easier than trying to swap modules and if nothing improves you're not out a Benjamin, just postage.  You could probably have it in hand in a few days.  Sounds like a cool deal to me!

I should still have the original one that came in mine somewhere.  If I can't find it tonight I will accept his offer.  It's a PITA, but less of one than not having the car to drive.  If that doesn't fix it, it has to be carbs.

Lane,

I have a well working 009 with electronic ignition I can send you , if you want to test the distributor. Just send it back when you're done.

I can send it FedEx today.

*edit*
Doh! Didn't see Danny's offer. Ha! He is much closer. Coast to Coast we''ve got your back.

Let me know.
Ted

Jeez,... this is turning into a 'cliff hanging' detective story with Danny and Gordon in the forensic lab feeding clues and investigative leads to Humphrey Bogart.

 

I'm waiting for Peter Lorre and Sidney Greenstreet to make a cameo appearance.

I'm taller than Peter Lorre (I think....), but then, neither of us are (were) challenged with excess height.  

 

Definitely not a "Sydney Greenstreet" type, tho.....could never hold an accent and Patrician air that long.

 

Sometimes in these discussions, I feel more like "Doc Brown", just far less comical.

 

Holy CARP!  I never thought about it, but it could be the flux capacitor!!!! 

TRP--a gracious offer.  This is why I love this site and the kind folks here!

Lane, let me know. If I send it tomorrow morning, you can have this all worked out over the weekend. I'll send dizzy, ignitor installed, cap, rotor, and wires(OE Bosch ends). I think I pulled it out leaving the distributor clamp on it, so I wouldn't have to re-time my engine! Call me tonight, I think you have my number.

Yes, please go ahead and send it.  I haven't found my old one yet.  Let me know what shipping is.  Thanks a bunch!

There is still dwell (coil charge time), the Pertronix II module just controls the dwell itself. It's not something the user can adjust as with points, perhaps that's what you mean?

 

 

The air gap between the sensor and magnet ring would have a minor effect (1-2 degrees) on dwell (but your description of why it would change is correct) with the Pertronix II, not enough to cause issues. In this case, it's only using the sensor signal's rising (or falling, not sure) edge as a timing point reference, the actual dwell is controlled (and varied with RPM) by the internal electronics. The PII's dwell is not controlled by the pulse width of the sensor signal like you are describing. More likely, if the gap is too large, signal levels can get too low to read which could cause misfires, or no fire at all. However, because he is using the billet distributor, there isn't a settable gap anyway and the built-in air gap should be correct for the sensor it's using (even if larger than 0.030-0.040 of other modules).

 

Just have to see if the distributor swap changes things, though I think the odds are low.

Justin, I think that's what Lenny meant, that dwell is not adjustable so therefore not a factor. I hope the distributor does the trick for Lane as it's pretty much the only item that hasn't been swapped.

 

My money is on dizzy or fuel pump, but hey what do I know?

Why fuel pump?  It seems to be an issue at idle now (something changed?) and pretty much the same across the rev range. Wouldn't that eliminate fuel pressure as a possibility?