On the road repair to get home

[mhsprecher]

I took my roadster to a show last weekend. It started running badly, backfiring, etc, losing power on the way home. Two of us were heading back from the show and stopped a few times. Checked timing, point gap, junction box, rotor.distributor gap, carb adjustment. We were going to check the float level and were taking the carb off when the problem became apparent-broken flange on intake manifold, so the carb was only held on by one bolt.

I was ready to call AAA as I did not have much more than wire and tools to repair, but my traveling companion, Rolling Scupture on the barn, pulled some RTV and electrical tape out of his tool collection. The RTV sealed the gasket area and then wrapped the joint between the carb and the intake manifold with electrical tape and I made it the rest of the 20 miles home without incident. It started backfiring again, but I just opened up the GAV to provide more fuel and off we went! I guess RTV and electrical tape should be in every tool box, but I didn't have any with me this time. THAT won't happen again!

[ericr]

glad you made it home ok. in larger terms, the incident makes me wonder what kinds of risks and breakdowns we face in operating aged cars, facing problems that original owners and 1st or 2cd generation owners of used Model "A" never had.

[mshmodela]

Great road side fix... I had a few fits of backfiring last year and as newbie was very green as to the issue... I'm still learning but fast forward one year and I suspect that my backfiring was raw gas getting expelled out the exhaust manifold and (POP!)... My zenith was 1/4 open with 15% Ethanol gas at the time... Since switching to 100% gas and keeping my GAV 3/8 to 1/2 open, I've yet to have a backfire... I cannot say for sure that was the issue but so far so good --lean fuel and maybe crap corn gas.

Good luck with your car.

[tbirdtbird]

clever indeed;
it helps to have ingenuity and just make stuff work temporarily.

Mike good job with the 100%.

EPA fails to understand that 15% ethanol is actually giving the car only 85% of the fuel it was designed for back in 1930....so it will run 'lean' and act 'lean'....ethanol has greatly reduced BTU rating over gasoline.

Modern cars with computer controlled fuel injection can handle it, but not so much the vintage crowd

[Tinker]

intake leak huh?

[mhsprecher]

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Tinker, one of the "ears" on the flange that holds the carb on broke off. Not sure why that happened, but could have been one of a number of potential causes. As for reliability, our old cars can be reliable and troublesome. Worn parts, poor repro parts, rust, bad gas, but at least I got home. A modern car dies, you are not going to RTV and electrical tape it home.

[updraught]

My modern vehicle runs on LPG (propane) cause we've got bucket loads of it here.
It also has less energy rating.

However, switching between LPG and petrol/gas (flick of a switch) hardly makes any difference. LPG has a higher octane equivalent, so you can run a smaller combustion chamber (higher compression).

[tbirdtbird]

" A modern car dies, you are not going to RTV and electrical tape it home."

LOL, amen to that

[old31]

Duct tape and electrical tape and JB weld I have in my kit. I will be adding RTV.

[1930artdeco]

Wow, I am surprised it did not melt.

Mike

[captndan]

Originally Posted by 1930artdeco

Wow, I am surprised it did not melt.

Mike

That's why you also carry baler wire.

[jfreddie]

Our cars are only as good as the ongoing maintenance. When something goes haywire with an A, there's usually a smoking gun...and probably not expensive. When a modern car goes haywire, it's a guaranteed tow and almost always expensive.
I drove my A 4000 miles down the Alcan Highway last year totally unsupported and had only a few nuisance things. Another of our Alaskan members drove 15,000 miles unsupported from Alaska to Nova Scotia and back and only had minimal issues.
These A's are tough little buggers but like any machine, a little preventative maint goes a long way.
Our modern cars lull us away from that.

[SeaSlugs]

Originally Posted by jfreddie

These A's are tough little buggers but like any machine, a little preventative maint goes a long way.
Our modern cars lull us away from that.

True, modern cars if you change parts at the recommended intervals, grease ball joints and steering at every oil change, and do a weekly check of fluids can prevent alot of modern car issues. Also I like to take the serpentine belt loose and give all the accessory pullies a spin - if it squeaks, wobbles, leaks, or feels funky better to replace it now before it locks up.


BUT yes sensors can be working just fine one minute then completely spaz out the next with no obvious smoking gun and all the bailing wire and bubblegum in the world isnt going to fix a knock sensor or cam sensor... Even with today's diagnostic computers and such they can lead people the wrong path in a hurry. Model a about 3 feet of wire, a screwdriver, pliers and some tape you can do just about anything haha - better add some RTV to that list too!

[mcorrell]

Stuff I keep in my older cars:

basic tools
mutli tool in glovebox
wire
zip ties
RTV
roll of duct tape
blanket
flashlight
fire extinguisher
motor oil
2.5 gallon bucket (to catch leaks or haul water, plus you can put most of this stuff in it)
old shirt to wear while working and a small roll of disposable shop towels (don't want to keep oily rags in a car as they could spontaneously combust)
gloves
fuses and bulbs
selection of fasteners
selection of hose clamps and various size hoses

Thankfully I haven't had to use them much.

[Ron Lachniet]

Some things that happen you just can't help. Last week on our 2,500 mile tour we broke the axle on my car in Bayfield WI. Before the flatbed could pick us up we found a model a collector about 60 miles away who had a rearend back in the woods he said we could have and we could also borrow his spring spreader. When the tow truck arrived he asked us what we planned to do. He said he had a repair service but was to busy to work on my car but if we wanted to do it ourselves he would clear out his garage and let us use any tools we would need. When we got to his shop in my friends model a and told him about the axle we had found he said to go get it in his car because it would take less time and have more room to haul the axle. My friend John is a great mechanic and we were able to get one good axle out of the rear end that we picked up. We had to wait for another two days for a seal and we were back on the road to continue on down along the Mississippi river to Iowa and back up to Michigan. At the time it was quite frustrating but someday we will look back and see it as a good thing because of the very generous and friendly people that we met in Bayfield.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Originally Posted by captndan

That's why you also carry baler wire.

And Pliers, string, rubber bands, Swiss Army Knife & a Crescent Wrench.
Saw a mountain race, car ran off the road & a stick poked a hole in a radumator hose. A spectator quickly whittled a plug from a stick & they were OFF AGAIN
Bill W.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Originally Posted by mcorrell

Stuff I keep in my older cars:

basic tools
mutli tool in glovebox
wire
zip ties
RTV
roll of duct tape
blanket
flashlight
fire extinguisher
motor oil
2.5 gallon bucket (to catch leaks or haul water, plus you can put most of this stuff in it)
old shirt to wear while working and a small roll of disposable shop towels (don't want to keep oily rags in a car as they could spontaneously combust)
gloves
fuses and bulbs
selection of fasteners
selection of hose clamps and various size hoses

Thankfully I haven't had to use them much.

GREAT LIST!!!
I glued 2 pieces of THICK foam in a brief case, to "sandwich" in all the small parts. It'll even accommodate a "squished" in distributor & a Carbonator The briefcase makes me look "IMPORTANT"--LOL
Bill Trick