roadside auto repairs
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 1,616
Likes: 2
From: Round Rock, Texas, USA Texas
roadside auto repairs
Took the Vette out this morning - normal driving all of a sudden under moderate acceleration she dies - stone dead. I coast into the drive way of an upper end apartment complex - check for gas no problemo (that‘s a check at the gauge and the carb). Call the wife to bring a rotor (figuring it was the most likely candidate) - while she is on the way I pull the distributor cap to discover the rotor must have gotten loose -- not only was it broken (the ear with the metal thingie that send the spark to the appropriate wire) but had taken out the top of the distributor cap to the point the little nub that contacts the bottom of the coil is no longer up in the cap- OUCH. Quick trip to the nearest AutoZone for a distributor cap and some tools (yep, I got tools out the wazoo - and they were all at home) - little bit of roadside mechanic’ing and we are back on the road again......
I have a rebuilt HEI in a box in the garage, not sure if I’ll put it in or just check the rotor more often.
I have a rebuilt HEI in a box in the garage, not sure if I’ll put it in or just check the rotor more often.
Instructor
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 116
Likes: 0
From: Parker TX
Re: roadside auto repairs (R. Bruno)
Nice job- So your wife will run out to your location with parts? May I send my wife to Texas for a while for some "retraining"? :lol:
:cheers:
From Bahrain
Desert Rat (for now) :flag
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 1,616
Likes: 2
From: Round Rock, Texas, USA Texas
Re: roadside auto repairs (rrent)
Terry - its all air/fuel/fire. Correct air fuel mixture and correctly timed spark and BAMM starts every time.
Thanks for the congratulations, but I was highly motivated by the thought of NOT shelling out $75.00 bucks or so for a tow truck (might have influenced the wife's pit crew fast parts delivery, too).
Thanks for the congratulations, but I was highly motivated by the thought of NOT shelling out $75.00 bucks or so for a tow truck (might have influenced the wife's pit crew fast parts delivery, too).
Pro
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 531
Likes: 0
Re: roadside auto repairs (rrent)
Is the distributor worn out? There must be a really good reason that happened. Bummer though. I had something like that happen when I had my 73 Mach1. I had just finished a very high speed run down my favorite test & tune back road when the engine just shut off. Upon further inspection the rotor wasn't turning. The wife came out with the truck and towed me home. Turns out that a small piece of casting inside the oil pump broke off and tied up the pump. That in turn stripped the teeth off the distributor gear. It was a new HV Melling pump. Anything can have problems. Now I don't put a new oil pump in anything with taking it apart for inspection first. Live and learn.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 1,616
Likes: 2
From: Round Rock, Texas, USA Texas
Re: roadside auto repairs (Racer16k)
I've thought about possible distributor wear. Only thing I could think of is if the distributor shaft has excessive play and is moving up and down - but seems like if it was "climbing" the gear at the cam I would feel the timing off (you know the way you can feel a loose/off sparkplug wire) and one of the screws was missing from the rotor. I'm sure there was no catastrophic
distributor failure (ie. broken gear teeth) since I started it right up and drove it another hour or so.
I'm going to check - if the new rotor show any wear - I'll replace the whole distributor.
distributor failure (ie. broken gear teeth) since I started it right up and drove it another hour or so.
I'm going to check - if the new rotor show any wear - I'll replace the whole distributor.
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 3,123
Likes: 13
From: Hollywood, Florida
Re: roadside auto repairs (rrent)
Very nice wife :yesnod:
I put together a small "survival" kit just in case. Cap, rotor, duct tape,etc.
No matter what you replace, SOMETHING is gonna break :D
I put together a small "survival" kit just in case. Cap, rotor, duct tape,etc.
No matter what you replace, SOMETHING is gonna break :D
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 1,616
Likes: 2
From: Round Rock, Texas, USA Texas
Re: roadside auto repairs (shoptek)
Matt the whole event happened inside the distributor cap - no motor movement indicated.
I've got a Corvette tool bag - never have used it - I'm going to put all the needed tools and a few spare parts in it so I can throw it in for trips or at least have it all together for the wife to grab.
Don't know if I could have gotten the her to:
"get the 1/4" wrench off of the peg board, second drawer in the tool chest for a regular and philips - make sure the regular is 8" to 10" long, better get a 1/4" drive ratchet and couple of sockets 1/4" and 5/16" - oh yeah and don't for a pair of needle nos pliers, hand cleaner and rags......."
I've got a Corvette tool bag - never have used it - I'm going to put all the needed tools and a few spare parts in it so I can throw it in for trips or at least have it all together for the wife to grab.
Don't know if I could have gotten the her to:
"get the 1/4" wrench off of the peg board, second drawer in the tool chest for a regular and philips - make sure the regular is 8" to 10" long, better get a 1/4" drive ratchet and couple of sockets 1/4" and 5/16" - oh yeah and don't for a pair of needle nos pliers, hand cleaner and rags......."
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 795
Likes: 0
From: Madison MS
Re: roadside auto repairs (Matt Gruber)
I once had the same type of experience. Driving along, hit a bump and dead. I mean nothing. Radio quit, headlights wouldn't come on, would turn over, NOTHING. Had no wife at the time so it was fix it or walk. I was on the side of the interstate 5 miles from anything. Had 18 wheelers buzzing past at 80. Not a pleasant experience at all. Kind of gives you a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach. Boy was I happy when I saw the big red wire (not battery cable but the other big wire) had broken loose from the connector at the starter.
dl
dl
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 6,362
Likes: 7
From: Brazos TX
Cruise-In IV Veteran
Cruise-In V Veteran
Re: roadside auto repairs (rrent)
Good job. It's not fun to do a roadside repair but it's a nice feeling of accomplishment. The motor mount comment means if it was broken the engine could torque over and cause the cap to get pushed into the rotor, which would break it. I've had it happen on my '70 Nova. It's a valid point, I would recommend looking over your mounts. One of the screws on the rotor may have just backed out for some reason but it doesn't hurt to check all possibilities.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 1999
Posts: 5,768
Likes: 3
From: San Diego CA
Re: roadside auto repairs (rrent)
Roadside auto repairs - I had to do a Fuel pump in the middle of Salinas when I went up to Laguna Seca for the historics - I was fortunate in that I was able to limp to a NAPA - swapped it out in their parking lot.
I carry a small toolkit with me on longer trips like that - All we had to buy was a tubing cutter and a screwdriver to finish the job.
I carry a small toolkit with me on longer trips like that - All we had to buy was a tubing cutter and a screwdriver to finish the job.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,123
Likes: 145
Re: roadside auto repairs (fauxrs)
Did something like that in my old Beetle. I was driving home from a research project in the law library a few towns over when the car cut out and died. I absolutely HAD to get home to meet the FedEx and send a report to my boss.
So I thought: "fuel, air, fire." Air was simplest, so I pulled the air cleaner to make sure nothing was obstructing it. Pulled the fuel line and cranked the engine to see if fuel was getting to the carb. No dice.
So I started going back through the engine electricals. Decided it had to be the coil. I borrowed a lawnmower coil from a farmer, and it got me home in one piece, driving like a madman to meet the FedEx guy and saving my job in the process.
I always keep a spare coil now, even though coils rarely fail.
So I thought: "fuel, air, fire." Air was simplest, so I pulled the air cleaner to make sure nothing was obstructing it. Pulled the fuel line and cranked the engine to see if fuel was getting to the carb. No dice.
So I started going back through the engine electricals. Decided it had to be the coil. I borrowed a lawnmower coil from a farmer, and it got me home in one piece, driving like a madman to meet the FedEx guy and saving my job in the process.
I always keep a spare coil now, even though coils rarely fail.