All summer, yes, all summer long, we had plenty of time to deal with any problems that might crop up with my son Aaron's Dart Sport, while he was home from college. But no, it had to happen the very day he needed to leave and head back to school.
Last Friday, Aaron and I loaded his trunk with new Cooper Cobra GT tires he bought for his Duster project. Since we weren't able to finish the Duster, and his Dart's tires are about worn out, the plan was to install the new tires on the Dart until he can afford to buy wheels for the Duster. Take them to town for a swap, come back home to load up a few odds and ends, go back to college. Simple plan, huh? Not so...
The Dart would start and run as long as Aaron stayed on the throttle a bit, but it would die each time he let it idle down. We checked everything we could to no avail. With time running out, I decided to call an old buddy that has a repair shop to see if he could take a look at it. Sure bring it by, if you can. OK, it's only about 12 miles to his shop through light traffic and a few stop lights. So, off we go with Aaron two-foot driving the Dart and me following behind in my pickup. Oh, did I mention that my truck just suddenly started shuddering and chugging when under a load the day before? Yep, a coil pack decided to give up the ghost.
We got to the shop without incident, and sure enough, my mechanic buddy couldn't get the slant to idle smoothly, either. He took the Carter BBD 2-bbl top end apart and cleaned out all the accessible orifices. While fiddling with the issue, we determined the engine was running lean and the intake gasket was leaking. Hmmmmm.....could it be?
While diagnosing the Dart, we had someone else fixing my truck. It was possible that the Dart would not be ready in time for Aaron to go back to school, so I considered letting him take my truck while I dealt with his car problem. A new gasket was ordered, so Aaron and I used my truck to go have lunch and give them time to change the gasket.
A couple of hours later, we got the call. It's running great, come get it. What a relief. Yep, the intake was leaking, but that wasn't the only problem. With a new gasket and all sealed up, the ol' slant still would not idle properly. Everything still pointed to the carb, so they took it to the bench and tore it down to find the problem.
Here's a new one for all of you using a Carter BBD 2-bbl to watch out for...
Since I didn't see it, the best way I can explain it is to tell you what my buddy said happened. In the top of the carb are two small brass tubes that siphon gasoline from chambers in the bowl and feed the idle circuit. One of them fell out (apparently they are pressed-fit at the factory) and was causing the "lean" condition. My guess is he was referring to one of the tubes in the venturi cover. He tapped it back in place and applied a little Super Glue for good measure.
She purrs like a kitten, now. We still had time to take the car by the tire shop and have them put the Coopers on. After getting home and loading up for the trip back to college, Aaron checked fluid levels and found the rear drum reservoir of the master cylinder was EMPTY. I wonder how many times I have told him to routinely check fluids...
You guessed it, we had to fill the MC and bleed the brake lines, before he could hit the road. We had all summer for this to happen, but it came down to the very last day for all this to occur. Bad luck or good, it depends upon how you look at it. At least it happened here at home where Aaron had the resources to deal with it, instead of on the road back to school or there on campus where he has no help available.
Murphy had it all figured out...
Last Friday, Aaron and I loaded his trunk with new Cooper Cobra GT tires he bought for his Duster project. Since we weren't able to finish the Duster, and his Dart's tires are about worn out, the plan was to install the new tires on the Dart until he can afford to buy wheels for the Duster. Take them to town for a swap, come back home to load up a few odds and ends, go back to college. Simple plan, huh? Not so...
The Dart would start and run as long as Aaron stayed on the throttle a bit, but it would die each time he let it idle down. We checked everything we could to no avail. With time running out, I decided to call an old buddy that has a repair shop to see if he could take a look at it. Sure bring it by, if you can. OK, it's only about 12 miles to his shop through light traffic and a few stop lights. So, off we go with Aaron two-foot driving the Dart and me following behind in my pickup. Oh, did I mention that my truck just suddenly started shuddering and chugging when under a load the day before? Yep, a coil pack decided to give up the ghost.
We got to the shop without incident, and sure enough, my mechanic buddy couldn't get the slant to idle smoothly, either. He took the Carter BBD 2-bbl top end apart and cleaned out all the accessible orifices. While fiddling with the issue, we determined the engine was running lean and the intake gasket was leaking. Hmmmmm.....could it be?
While diagnosing the Dart, we had someone else fixing my truck. It was possible that the Dart would not be ready in time for Aaron to go back to school, so I considered letting him take my truck while I dealt with his car problem. A new gasket was ordered, so Aaron and I used my truck to go have lunch and give them time to change the gasket.
A couple of hours later, we got the call. It's running great, come get it. What a relief. Yep, the intake was leaking, but that wasn't the only problem. With a new gasket and all sealed up, the ol' slant still would not idle properly. Everything still pointed to the carb, so they took it to the bench and tore it down to find the problem.
Here's a new one for all of you using a Carter BBD 2-bbl to watch out for...
Since I didn't see it, the best way I can explain it is to tell you what my buddy said happened. In the top of the carb are two small brass tubes that siphon gasoline from chambers in the bowl and feed the idle circuit. One of them fell out (apparently they are pressed-fit at the factory) and was causing the "lean" condition. My guess is he was referring to one of the tubes in the venturi cover. He tapped it back in place and applied a little Super Glue for good measure.
She purrs like a kitten, now. We still had time to take the car by the tire shop and have them put the Coopers on. After getting home and loading up for the trip back to college, Aaron checked fluid levels and found the rear drum reservoir of the master cylinder was EMPTY. I wonder how many times I have told him to routinely check fluids...
You guessed it, we had to fill the MC and bleed the brake lines, before he could hit the road. We had all summer for this to happen, but it came down to the very last day for all this to occur. Bad luck or good, it depends upon how you look at it. At least it happened here at home where Aaron had the resources to deal with it, instead of on the road back to school or there on campus where he has no help available.
Murphy had it all figured out...
