May I have the envelope please? The winner is:
Nick Van Matre!
He suggested that it might be that the METAL fuel line from the tank area to
the front of the car might be clogged.
Tonight I undid the connection to the fuel filter and just a little bit of gas
seeped out the end. I ran a stiff wire up the tube as far as I could get it
to go, and then took the tyre pump I keep for my kids bicycles and pressed it
to the end. Making a seal with my fingers I stroked the handle. After
rearranging the pump tube, gas tube and my fingers several times I achieved a
tolerably good seal and stroked the pump as hard as I could. After several
strokes I could hear bubbles in the fuel tank.
A couple more strokes and I took the pump down and turned to the bench to set
it down. As I turned back, I heard the sound of fluid running and falling on
the garage floor! Say HALLELUJAH brothers and sisters! I was dumping fuel at
a prodigous rate onto my nice clean garage floor and I was HAPPY! I quickly
stuck the filter back into the end of the tube and fastened everything up nice.
I started the engine and drove around the block: once, twice -- that's more
then Scott got to ride with me -- three, four. I went away from my
neighborhood, around a bigger block. No stumbles! YAY!
Well, THAT problem is solved. She still backfires a bit when idling and I
suddenly open the throttle: I think the oil in the carbs is too thick. The
exhaust rattles on the body and there's a mysterious squeak somewhere, but she
runs!
Thanks to all the Scions who offered help and encouragement; and especially to
Nick: I owe you a pint or three of you like: Necastle brown, Sierra Nevada,
Red Hook ESB, Castrol LMA, you name it...
As my wife said, quoting Scott Fisher; "There goes a happy man."...
yeah. Now I have two running cars and I don't have to change the clutch on my
wife's Jetta in the rain tomorrow. :-)
--
Berry Kercheval :: kerch@parc.xerox.com
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