Well.... She runs! She runs, and that is just insane. The engine sounds
better the more I drive around the block. I am so incredibly stoked.
I think I have a stuck brake caliper, though, as the car does not roll
downhill when in neutral, nor does it maintain momentum forward when I
shift up. I tried scrubbing the brake pedal while I was accelerating, but
so far that has not helped.
I now can hear the fuel pump running -- somewhat loudly, I hope that does
not portend disaster -- when the car is running. Right alongside my noisy
throwout bearing.... The 'pocky' sound I was hearing eventually just
faded away. The fuel gauge, which worked when I first added gas and
then stopped working after I'd started the car a few times, is now working
again.
John Brase had made the suggestion of de-varnishing the injectors by
starting the car daily for a few days, and in my case, it took 2
days. Today I went out and got more gas and more injector cleaner with the
intent of letting the sucker run for a while, and much to my surprise,
after I added the doctored gas the car started easily and ran fairly normally.
I still have to go back and do the things I skipped over. For example,
changing the oil. "WHAT?!", you scream. In my defense, no matter how hard
I tried I could not get that drain plug off. I tried jacking the front end
to reach it with both arms and still no dice. So I ended up topping up
with just a little bit of new 5w30, thinking maybe heating everything up
by driving the car might help loosen the plug .... And I promise to
change out the spark plugs once I figure out what to buy. The throttle
linkages need to be fiddled with. I would like to follow Biba's suggestion
of checking the fuel pump and filter. If I can figure that out. And I need
to bleed the brakes. Baby steps. Baby steps.
BTW, I'm not sure what one does to get new tabs when a car has been
sitting for a while (like years). Will I have to go through the inspection
again at the State Patrol? I guess if I need an emissions inspection I
have to get a Trip Pass to do this.
I hope the rest of you are enjoying as much as I am the very interesting
and elegant troubleshooting suggestions being proffered. I have learned
quite a lot so far, from "jiggle siphons" to what triggers the fuel pump.
I thought Michael Tiefenback's post about co-opting the cold start
injector was quite a trick. But I don't know whether to applaud Michael
Liu or not for introducing me to Harbor Freight (which turns out to be
about a mile from my house.) I walk in there and find I simply cannot
leave. Then I make excuses to go back. I've been there four times
already. How can you not be mesmerized by a place that stocks at least
four different kinds of mini soldering devices that supposedly run on butane?
I see the light at the end of the tunnel! (Let's hope it's not a
train....)
Keep the suggestions a-comin'!
THANKS!!!!
Tess
in Bellevue, WA USA
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