TexasKnucklehead
Jedi Knight
Offline
For those of you wishing to hear about my adventures...
My annual family reunion will be in rural (South Fork) Pennsylvania this weekend. Prudence and I are going. She will fly to Pittsburgh, but we will return to Houston together, stopping to visit her family in (Springfield) Tennessee. For a reason than continues to escape me, I decided (again) to drive the TR3 (again).
You may recall some issues I've had in the past on my longer than average trips. -The most recent involving a failed alternator. But since my very first long TR trip, I've had some stalling and/or failing to restart when hot. I decided I should try to figure out why my car didn't seem to like slowing after running well for a long time. Generally, I avoid driving in temperatures above 95 degrees, but I felt pretty sure my issue was heat related -and I'm bound to get stuck in traffic and heat in July.
Last week, I drove 30 miles to a friends house with the outside temperature at 95. My fuel filter, fitted just before the carbs, measured 176 degrees -I could see fuel bubbling in the clear filter. The car would idle, but barely and not smoothly. I rerouted the fuel line (the pipe from the fuel pump was almost touching the block -I moved it so my finger will easily fit between the block and the pipe) and installed a insulated wrap sleeve over the fuel line from the filter to the pump. The next day, I drove the same 30 miles with the air temperature about as unbearable. When I got there, the temperature at the filter was 130 degrees. The fuel in the filter was barely bubbling, and the engine idled smoothly.
I really don't like it when my car stalls in traffic. The present weather forecast is not calling for heat, but rain. I'm hoping this trip is less of an adventure than last time. If the alternator bearing fails, I have a complete spare alternator with pulley already mounted in the boot along with a spare belt of the proper length. If that one also fails, I have a complete generator with pulley installed, all the hardware and it's proper length belt in the boot. If that one also fails before I get home... I will think I'm having a really bad day.
My next adventure will not start before Wednesday afternoon, but I'm already on the edge of my seat.
My annual family reunion will be in rural (South Fork) Pennsylvania this weekend. Prudence and I are going. She will fly to Pittsburgh, but we will return to Houston together, stopping to visit her family in (Springfield) Tennessee. For a reason than continues to escape me, I decided (again) to drive the TR3 (again).
You may recall some issues I've had in the past on my longer than average trips. -The most recent involving a failed alternator. But since my very first long TR trip, I've had some stalling and/or failing to restart when hot. I decided I should try to figure out why my car didn't seem to like slowing after running well for a long time. Generally, I avoid driving in temperatures above 95 degrees, but I felt pretty sure my issue was heat related -and I'm bound to get stuck in traffic and heat in July.
Last week, I drove 30 miles to a friends house with the outside temperature at 95. My fuel filter, fitted just before the carbs, measured 176 degrees -I could see fuel bubbling in the clear filter. The car would idle, but barely and not smoothly. I rerouted the fuel line (the pipe from the fuel pump was almost touching the block -I moved it so my finger will easily fit between the block and the pipe) and installed a insulated wrap sleeve over the fuel line from the filter to the pump. The next day, I drove the same 30 miles with the air temperature about as unbearable. When I got there, the temperature at the filter was 130 degrees. The fuel in the filter was barely bubbling, and the engine idled smoothly.
I really don't like it when my car stalls in traffic. The present weather forecast is not calling for heat, but rain. I'm hoping this trip is less of an adventure than last time. If the alternator bearing fails, I have a complete spare alternator with pulley already mounted in the boot along with a spare belt of the proper length. If that one also fails, I have a complete generator with pulley installed, all the hardware and it's proper length belt in the boot. If that one also fails before I get home... I will think I'm having a really bad day.
My next adventure will not start before Wednesday afternoon, but I'm already on the edge of my seat.