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Of floods and gasoline.

To: <mgs@autox.team.net>
Subject: Of floods and gasoline.
From: Aaron Whiteman <aaronw@wsu.edu>
Date: Sun, 28 Jan 2001 22:31:19 -0800 (PST)
So today was a day of both great exstatic joy, and great sorrow.

The HIF's are now on my B.  As is the new exhaust (I still haven't
decided if I like it, but now I am stuck with it for a while anyway).

Started up to a nice tone.  Really nice.  Wow.

So I tuned the carbs as best I could, but had a hard time getting the
idle to settle down.  No biggie I figured, but curious.

Once set, I said goodbye to the kind farmer who is lending me space to
work in his shop, and started the 8 mile journey home.

First thing to happen is the throttle cable housing falls into the
cockpit.  Suddenly, I only have my pedel travel, since the damn thing
is falling to the floor.  Thats ok, it is icy out, will fix when I get
home.  No Big Deal.

Get to stop light.  Car dies.  Wont start.  So I back it off the road
using the starter and my sprained ankle as power.  See a trail of
fluid following the car, and from the looks of the road, I have been
leaving it for a wee bit o time.  It isn't water, but surely isn't
gasoline, the carbs are on the _other_ side of the car.

After getting myself and the car out of harms way, I investigate fully
(and get a nice dripping of said fluid on my cheek in the process).

It _is_ gas.  Gas, dripping from the Anti-run on valve (the one I
broke if you recall).  So, my carbs are flooding.

A DPO converted to SU to an aftermarket, pressure unknown.  I know
this could be an issue, I am picking up a pressure regulator tomorrow
before I retrieve my car from the Safeway parking lot I was towed to.

Now, the car was idling (more or less) for a good 40 minutes while I
learned to tune the thing (without a UniSyn, Moss sent me something
else--lesson learned).  No problems.  It was only after I started home
at speed (40-50mph) that I had issues.

Is this classic excessive fuel pressure symptoms, or am I looking at
more (stuck float, etc)?

I read the archives, but want to make sure I am not ruling out the
obvious.  Besides, I have to give Ed opportunities to nail me for
something :)


Of course, when this happened, my cell phone was dead, and I had to
walk a 1/4 mile (in 6 inches of crusty snow) to get to the closest
house.  Up hill.  After calling a friend to tow, she asked what it
was.  "MG".  Oh, what year?  "1975".  Ha!  With a car like that she
says, I get no sympathy from her.  When she found out it was red, I
had no chance.  Expensive hobby these cars, but better than spending
my money on drugs I figure.

Oh, and I got pulled over while being towed.  Always fun to explain
why I am 10 ft behind a truck with blinkenlights flashing, while
travelling on the shoulder of US 195 at 30 mph (at most).  Especially
in Pullman, where a good deal of the population takes its drinking
very seriously (no, I wasn't).

-- 
Aaron Whiteman - aaronw@wsu.edu - email with subject 'PGPKey' for pgpkey
   RCW 19.190 notice: This address is located in Washington State.
 My opinions are mine and do not reflect the views of the University.
:wq

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