Finally, last Sunday I took Sybil, my Fawlty TR-6 out for a drive. It
had been quite a few weeks since last I drove her, but Chris
Kantarjiev's visit to inspect the Bentley drove me over the edge of
saying "I really oughta..." into "I'll do it *now*".
After a bit of cranking to fill the float bowls she started right up
with the throaty roar from her headers and resonater I love so much.
(I can't really call it a muffler since it doesn't really muffle
anything.)
Checked vital fluids, topped up oil and coolant and drove off to the
station for air and petrol. Pumped up the the tyres to the correct
figures (offside tyres were at 10psi!). Filled the tank and collected
a car wash chit for the Jetta.
Then I proceeded to take a 5 mile tour we call "going arund the block
the long way". Coming back home I was on the last twisty bit before
my neighborhood (Chris, you know what i mean) when somethingodd
happened. The engine started acting peculiar, almost as though half
the cylinders were no longer working. My first thought was "Oh good,
I'll have something interesting to post to british-cars next week!"
My second thought was "This sounds familiar. It looks like fuel
problems." Especially when I noticed that the power came back on when
I turned to the right, and cut out when I turned to the left or went
straight.
Later that afternoon I took my 5-year old daughter out for a ride
("Please Daddy? PLEASE Daddy? PUHLEEEZE!") and the scenario repeated
itself. The first 5 or ten minutes were fine ("Vrooom! Poop poop!
Hahahahaha!") and the odd "miss" returned.
My suspicion is the float in one of the Stromberg carbs, and that this
is a good time to install the GroseJets that have been sitting on my
workbench for 5 years.
--berry
(P.S. It looks like I'm going to start working on the Bentley soon.
Thanks for the metaphorical kick-in-the-pants, Chris!)
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