The cobbler finally mends his kid's shoes!

[av8]

:oops: It's so easy to get caught up in doing work for others that one's own automotive ailments often tend to get back-burnered.

I've been putting up with increasingly poor fuel economy and exhaust smoke from the F-1, something that started not long after I bought the truck. I figured it was probably the power valve in the old Holley two-barrel, and kept promising myself I'd take care of it -- soon. Then, about a week ago it suddenly began running super-rich and flooding, so I figured it was time to take care of  it, but had to park it while I finished up some things for others.

I nursed it out to Tardel's yesterday to pick up my block and heads to cart them to the machine shop for bake-and-blast cleaning. I talked to Tardel about the F-1's trouble and he agreed that it was probably the power valve, so gave me a fresh one along with the essential center gasket.

I nursed the truck back home, removed the carburetor and replaced the powere valve, put it all back together and it was worse than before! Foolishly, I had done just the minimum work -- replaced the power valve, and by now I had figured it out.

I removed just the carburetor top this time to see what the float was doing. The float level was okay, but careful inspection of the needle valve (with my strongest reading glasses in place) turned up what looked like a very fine strand of brass "hair" that was preventing the needle valve from closing. That explained the super-rich condition and flooding that began last week.

This morning I took my block and heads to the machine shop and the truck ran better than it has since I've owned it -- no smoke, no hesitation or flat spots, crisp acceleration, just like it's supposed to run.

I'm pretty sure I know where the brass hair came from: I replumbed the engine compartment portion of the fuel system a couple of weeks ago to tidy up the electric pump installation done by the previous owner. I used new fittings and hose, and I'll bet good money that the brass hair came from one of the fittings.

Looking back on the marginal performance I put up with, and considering that the entire operation took me less than an hour,  I feel a bit foolish for not pouncing on it months ago. Now I think I'll go outside and clean and tighten the terminal on the battery sub-harness that feeds the engine-management computer in my Bimmer; it's had an intermittent stumble for a couple of weeks that usually shows up when the subharness connection begins to develop some corrosion!

[Dolly]

Hey Mike, don't feel bad.  Carps has a bazillion similar stories of his own as I'm sure do all the others who frequent this place.  

[av8]

Hey Mike, don't feel bad.  Carps has a bazillion similar stories of his own as I'm sure do all the others who frequent this place.  

Yeah, I didn't think I'd be alone on this one. Nice to hear from you. How's the old fellow doing? Haven't heard much from him since Toyota jumped into the F1 pool with both feet.

[Dolly]

Hey Mike, don't feel bad.  Carps has a bazillion similar stories of his own as I'm sure do all the others who frequent this place.  

Yeah, I didn't think I'd be alone on this one. Nice to hear from you. How's the old fellow doing? Haven't heard much from him since Toyota jumped into the F1 pool with both feet.

He's not directly involved in that project although his help is enlisted when they are here in Oz. Of course the opportunity to visit the F1 'Factory' for the launch was never going to be knocked back.  

He's still pretty busy but has new 'staff' and is actually travelling less, so far this year.  He may even find some time to return to the forum on a more regular basis, sometime soon.

He's also making plans for an August vacation in the USofA, something about a few events he NEEDS to attend, to make sure others don't get up to any mischief.