[Public-List] Victory!

[Gordon Laco]

So there I was… 

Recovering my equilibrium after having SURPRISE shunted around the marina who thought I’d sold her.  Normally her Atomic IV fires right up at the touch of the starter button, but no this spring.  Well well, thought I, I suppose I should have drained the carb’s float bowl like I never do and finally have a clog from gelled gas. 

I removed the carb, did the carb-job and reassembled it… still no start.  Hmmm.    Took the carb off again, and this time noticed that the fuel in the carb didn’t smell much,.  Aha.  Water in the gas.  I switched to tank #2 and tried that… same.  Water in the gas.  

So, I began building a head of steam again about the marina’s moving of the boat.  When she was in derelict country one of the problems there was her decks being covered with pine needles from the tree she was pushed into.  Before I discovered her there it rained a fair bit and the pine needles clogged the scuppers.  Because of the way she’d been carelessly set down, both fuel fillers sat under pools of water for several days and evidently water go into the tanks.

Now here’s a pickle to deal with.  Tank #2 is easy to evacuate because it’s filler is direct down to the tank… but the factory installed Tank #1 is beneath the cockpit and there are two 90 degree elbows in the long filler hose… no way I can get suction for a pump down in there.  But, what ho…both tanks already have drain hoses which pull from the bottom… the fuel lines.  I disconnected the fuel line at the filter and stuck a hose barb onto my pump suction.   I had the tank emptied into 5 gal jugs quickly.   I did the same with tank 2…replaced the fuel line to the filter,  refilled with fresh gasoline mixed with ’Sea Foam’ (the only one of the miracle snake oils that seems to do anything) and some fuel line antifreeze (to emulsify what watery gas might still be in the tank).

Back up into the cockpit… switch on… pull choke… set 3/4 throttle, hit the starter… no start.  Damn.

So, it’s getting air, compression is good, start looking at the ignition system.  Replacing the plugs was quick and easy.  I lay on the engine, removed the distributor cap and lightly wiped the points contacts… still nothing.   But what ho, maybe those burns on the distrutor cap contacts and rotor are more than the engine likes… $28 dollars later I’ve got a new rotor and cap (thank you George Dinwiddie for that page of reference numbers).  Put the new fittings on the distributor…  taking immense care to put the spark plug leads into the right holes…  

Back up into the cockpit.  Pull choke...  Switch on…set throttle to 3/4...  press starter….  Rrrrrrrrrrrrr.  Engine started up just like it should.

I called my friend Clint the auto mechanic who looks after my MG and told him I’m ready for my mechanic’s licence… fixed it myself.  He was pleased for me.  He said ‘Gord you’ve learned two things.  One is that there is always a reason for what’s not happening.  The second thing is that you should trouble shoot by removing the possible issues, starting with the easy ones and working back till the problem is solved.   And…  there is often a problem hiding behind another problem.  If there’s air, compression, fuel and spark, it has to run, and it did.  Good for you!’

Now, I just have to get this covid thing out of the way….

Bring on 2021




Gordon Laco
www.gordonlaco.com