The Dart is back on the road again! After a long warm up and short test ride the motor quit and wouldn't restart. This necessitated a push back into the garage for diagnosis. I was kinda hoping that the ignition system or some part of it had failed so that I could justify an electronic ignition upgrade to Mrs P. However it turns out that it had just run out of gas and a quick trip to the gas station soon put this right.
Tried to then take it out for a spin but hadn't realized just how much fluid had leaked out of the transmission. I got maybe 400 yards out of the neighborhood on the main highway when the trans started to slip and then not shift into top gear. Limped home and stuck a quart of trans oil in and then another and another and it's still not on the full mark. It does however drive now and shift fine but I'll top it off soon enough. Now that the exhaust is quiet I can hear that it needs the tappets done except no-one here has a clue what I'm talking about when I say that so I'll call it a valve adjustment. Likewise they've never heard of a rocker cover and rockers are in fact the sills. So not only am I trying to find long obsolete parts but they don't even speak the right language.
I still have a hankering for an XR4Ti and they are dirt cheap too
Monday, April 30, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
Deepwater Horizon
The garage floor is awash with transmission fluid! I managed to crack one of the transmission cooler lines while trying to "persuade" it to line up with the new (thicker) radiator. I didn't realise this until I started the car and reversed it out of the garage. I've bought a short 20" length of 5/16" OD steel line and some brass fittings so hopefully I can bend and shape it replace the busted section. Ideally I'd replace the entire line but at $75 for the preformed set I'll have to pass on that for the time being.
As you may have infered from the above the engine is back together and the car is now running. It took a while as the fuel had drained back into the tank and before the mechanical pump could draw it through to the carb the battery had gone flat. An overnight recharge and a turkey baster full of gas to prime the carb bowl and we were good to go. Not sure I've got the electric choke set up correctly but it idled well once it was good and warm.
I flushed the block thoroughly by removing the thermostat and reinstalling the housing then I disconected the upper hose from the radiator and stuffed a hose pipe into the rad opening. Turn on the water and start the car and use the upper hose to direct the "waste" water away from the fan. After a few minutes the water should start to run clear and the old antifreeze and old accumulated crud is flushed out.
In other news we've just returned from 11 days in the "old country" and I've developed a fascination with 80's Turbo cars including the Mitsubishi Starion/Chrysler Conquest, XR4Ti and Dodge Charger. I want turbo lag and I want it...............now!
As you may have infered from the above the engine is back together and the car is now running. It took a while as the fuel had drained back into the tank and before the mechanical pump could draw it through to the carb the battery had gone flat. An overnight recharge and a turkey baster full of gas to prime the carb bowl and we were good to go. Not sure I've got the electric choke set up correctly but it idled well once it was good and warm.
I flushed the block thoroughly by removing the thermostat and reinstalling the housing then I disconected the upper hose from the radiator and stuffed a hose pipe into the rad opening. Turn on the water and start the car and use the upper hose to direct the "waste" water away from the fan. After a few minutes the water should start to run clear and the old antifreeze and old accumulated crud is flushed out.
In other news we've just returned from 11 days in the "old country" and I've developed a fascination with 80's Turbo cars including the Mitsubishi Starion/Chrysler Conquest, XR4Ti and Dodge Charger. I want turbo lag and I want it...............now!
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