Post by jhkaster on Jun 14, 2008 20:10:47 GMT -5
So today was the day to drive 2 hours from Charlotte NC to Anderson SC for the Father's Day car show. I left home driving my Mark III and stopped by a friend’s house to check on their cats while they are out of town. Then I went to another friend’s house to pick him up for the drive. Here's where the fun starts...
1. The Mark would not start when leaving my friend’s home after picking him up. The battery was DEAD. We jumped it with his Mercedes and it started instantly. We figured the 2 hour drive would charge the battery.
2. Spent 6 hours in Anderson at the show. Climbed in the Mark and it would not start. So, we jump it with another friend who met us there in his Allante. It started right away.
3. Then, seconds later, the car stumbled, idled rough and stalled after we took the jumper cables off.
4. Rejumped it... Lots of black smoke came out and the car was running like it was missing on a few cylinders. Never ran like this before. I would have thought it was a spark problem.
5. Some knowledgeable guys sitting nearby said the float was stuck in the carburetor’s bowl. We tried jumping it again, but the stuck float was flooding the engine and it would run as if it was missing and die right away.
6. And, there was lots of gas seeping out of one area of the carb's bowl.. which ate the paint on the intake in some spots.
7. So, we wiped up all the gas..
8. Then we jumped the car, tapped carefully the carb's bowl area with the tire iron and that got the float unstuck. There were drops of gas still coming out of the carb. But, under load, the gas stopped dripping.
9. Drove back 2 hours to an exit off the highway and left my friend close to his home where another friend picked him up. And got back on the highway.
10. My other friend and his son in their Allante followed me home where, as I was entering the garage, I skimmed the side of the garage entry.. very slightly denting the vinyl trim on the house.. no damage to car at least
11. Checked the carb and the top of the intake manifold. No more gas was leaking/dripping. No gas smell either. That was positive.
12. Checked my records and the carb was rebuilt 26 months and 1,400 miles ago.
13. At that same time as the carb rebuild, I had the alternator tested to make sure it was charging. And, the battery is only 4 months old. So, we’re theorizing that it could be the voltage regulator.
14. Been researching that tonight… the alternator on the Mark has a regulator bolted to the back of it. Can’t seem to find an exact replacement for this. But, I’ve only started looking to see what it may be. Don't even know if that's the problem. Seems like there was enough juice from the alternator to keep the spark going, but not enough to charge the battery.
Gotta love this car hobby… fun to get out and drive these cars and while frustrating when things go awry, it’s great when total strangers at the shows stop, help and share knowledge and experience.
1. The Mark would not start when leaving my friend’s home after picking him up. The battery was DEAD. We jumped it with his Mercedes and it started instantly. We figured the 2 hour drive would charge the battery.
2. Spent 6 hours in Anderson at the show. Climbed in the Mark and it would not start. So, we jump it with another friend who met us there in his Allante. It started right away.
3. Then, seconds later, the car stumbled, idled rough and stalled after we took the jumper cables off.
4. Rejumped it... Lots of black smoke came out and the car was running like it was missing on a few cylinders. Never ran like this before. I would have thought it was a spark problem.
5. Some knowledgeable guys sitting nearby said the float was stuck in the carburetor’s bowl. We tried jumping it again, but the stuck float was flooding the engine and it would run as if it was missing and die right away.
6. And, there was lots of gas seeping out of one area of the carb's bowl.. which ate the paint on the intake in some spots.
7. So, we wiped up all the gas..
8. Then we jumped the car, tapped carefully the carb's bowl area with the tire iron and that got the float unstuck. There were drops of gas still coming out of the carb. But, under load, the gas stopped dripping.
9. Drove back 2 hours to an exit off the highway and left my friend close to his home where another friend picked him up. And got back on the highway.
10. My other friend and his son in their Allante followed me home where, as I was entering the garage, I skimmed the side of the garage entry.. very slightly denting the vinyl trim on the house.. no damage to car at least
11. Checked the carb and the top of the intake manifold. No more gas was leaking/dripping. No gas smell either. That was positive.
12. Checked my records and the carb was rebuilt 26 months and 1,400 miles ago.
13. At that same time as the carb rebuild, I had the alternator tested to make sure it was charging. And, the battery is only 4 months old. So, we’re theorizing that it could be the voltage regulator.
14. Been researching that tonight… the alternator on the Mark has a regulator bolted to the back of it. Can’t seem to find an exact replacement for this. But, I’ve only started looking to see what it may be. Don't even know if that's the problem. Seems like there was enough juice from the alternator to keep the spark going, but not enough to charge the battery.
Gotta love this car hobby… fun to get out and drive these cars and while frustrating when things go awry, it’s great when total strangers at the shows stop, help and share knowledge and experience.
