> Damian Penney, Developer, asks...
> Which is worse for a car dieseling or back firing ?
>
Well Damian, since this is the Triumphs List, I'll assume you do not
actually have a diesel, in which case it would be, well, more than OK to
diesel.
Backfiring will eventually earn you a trip down to the end of Howard St to
the Midas shop.
Dieseling will do much more internal damage to things like rings, pistons,
bearings, and all the other bits and pieces lurking beyond your valve
cover. The real question here is what is causing your problem, and how to
fix it.
There is a litany of problems (and fixes) that could be the culprit. Some
of the problems are more common than others on certain types of cars, but
here's an incomplete list of thoughts...
Bad Air:
Improper mixture due to poor mixture settings, worn throttle shafts,
worn
jets, cracked diaphragms, bad gaskets, bad vacuum lines, or DDPO (Dreaded
Dumb Previous Owner), are just a few of the many things that spring to
mind.
Bad Electrons:
These pesky buggers are like no-see-ums (I know that whatever I say
here,
this reference will bring the most questions...so I'll deal with it now for
all you insect challenged types. They're really, really tiny black flies
that buzz all around in your face till you inhale a few of them, and then
they close in for the kill, biting you on all exposed surfaces with a bite
waay out of proportion to their size. Can we go on now ?). Look closely at
your distributor. Check the advance mechanism, weights worn, point plate
wobbly, springs weak, whole thing frozen ? Delve into the vacuum
advance/retard diaphragms. Airtight, do they move, connected ?
Bad Government:
Fact-of-life, smog rules here in Kalifornia. Gulp valves, anti-backfire
valves, ignition retards, and toasty warm cats. Check all the vacuum lines
(and their proper routing), operation of the valves (do they hold a vacuum,
do they move, etc.).
What I'm tryin to say here is that there are too many reasons for your car
(whatever it is, you never said, did you ?) to do either of these things
(diesel or backfire), but neither of them should be allowed to continue,
and can be fixed.
If you think you have the abilities (and inclination) to face Dr. Moriarity
straight on, go for it, we'll all be here to help on more specific
problems. If you feel you need Dr. Watson to help you out, I think that
Bob, at British and European is about the only guy in San Fran who even
knows what a TR is anymore.
Elementary...
Nick in Nor Cal
OK, I did rent a Sherlock Holmes video the other night...how did you know ?
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