Ontopic The new car-seching thread

Gotta eliminate a couple more usual suspects first but if that doesn't work might be asking some of you smart(er) fellas for any ideas on weird electrical gremlins.
Fun times.
 
Dang ol' Poncho's brass distributor gear is plumb wore out, so that project is off for the day.

Nobody stocks a mellonized or parkerized distributor gear, so I've got a composite one and a spare brass one coming in the mail.
 
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I'm gonna write this much here as a placeholder if nothing else and see if I'm missing something. Probably won't get to spend a lot of time with it until tomorrow though.

So it started choking out yesterday due to low fuel pressure. Pump, alternator, and battery are all recent replacements (a year or less) and all check good under normal conditions.

While it was doing that, other shit started acting weird too, like the dash light for the airbags comes on, and my phone plugged in a known good charger says "charging slowly". As if everything, or at least a few seemingly unrelated things are trying to function at reduced power.
Blinkers seem to operate at normal speed.
Haven't had it out at night, in a dark enough place, while its happening, to see if the headlights seem dim or pulse.

Also things have to be fully hot for some time before it happens, then it starts happening progressively. At first only if it demands a lot of fuel, then at 2500 rpm, then 2k, then 15, etc. til you can't hardly get it rolling.
Shut it off for several minutes and it gets better again, though it gets worse much faster as it's starting from already warmed up.

Like something has to draw current, get hot and stay hot for a while before it messes up. And effects more than just the pump.

Things to do....

Run it til it's messing up good then while it's doing that check alternator output, power to fuel pump, cigarette lighter, and anything else that's acting funny.

Check power to and from inertia switch and/or bypass it temporarily.

Go through and make sure power and grounds are clean and tight.

Look for signs of heat or anything weird at main wiring plugs that would affect more than one thing, like pcm, back of fuse and relay boxes, etc.

Keep searching ford forums, etc. for someone with same problem and what caused it.

Cuss at it.

Beat it into submission.
 
Got the 240Z buttoned up instead. No more leak on the front main seal (fingers crossed), carbs are synced, triple-checked the valve lash, shimmed up the front seat so it can go all the way back, it's good to go.

I think it needs a new cap and rotor, then it's ready to go to finish the paint.
 
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I'm gonna write this much here as a placeholder if nothing else and see if I'm missing something. Probably won't get to spend a lot of time with it until tomorrow though.

So it started choking out yesterday due to low fuel pressure. Pump, alternator, and battery are all recent replacements (a year or less) and all check good under normal conditions.

While it was doing that, other shit started acting weird too, like the dash light for the airbags comes on, and my phone plugged in a known good charger says "charging slowly". As if everything, or at least a few seemingly unrelated things are trying to function at reduced power.
Blinkers seem to operate at normal speed.
Haven't had it out at night, in a dark enough place, while its happening, to see if the headlights seem dim or pulse.

Also things have to be fully hot for some time before it happens, then it starts happening progressively. At first only if it demands a lot of fuel, then at 2500 rpm, then 2k, then 15, etc. til you can't hardly get it rolling.
Shut it off for several minutes and it gets better again, though it gets worse much faster as it's starting from already warmed up.

Like something has to draw current, get hot and stay hot for a while before it messes up. And effects more than just the pump.

Things to do....

Run it til it's messing up good then while it's doing that check alternator output, power to fuel pump, cigarette lighter, and anything else that's acting funny.

Check power to and from inertia switch and/or bypass it temporarily.

Go through and make sure power and grounds are clean and tight.

Look for signs of heat or anything weird at main wiring plugs that would affect more than one thing, like pcm, back of fuse and relay boxes, etc.

Keep searching ford forums, etc. for someone with same problem and what caused it.

Cuss at it.

Beat it into submission.
Voltage regulator. Probably going. Intermittent low/high is a classic sign. And onerous to check/"catch" without gear that can place a load on it.
 
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Voltage regulator. Probably going. Intermittent low/high is a classic sign. And onerous to check/"catch" without gear that can place a load on it.
Voltage regulators are built into alternator nowdays, not a separate part, but yeah gonna check that when it's fucking up good.
 
Today's project is rigging up some speaker wire/lamp cord/romex/whathaveyou from various parts into the cab so I can check things with my cheapass harbor freight dmm in real time while driving.
Fuel pressure gauge has long enough hose I can pinch it under a windshield wiper and watch it in real time too.
 
It's an independent, replaceable component. Come on, it's easy enough to go in/out of there. Fine, replace the whole thing.
Fine, maybe it is. Gotta troubleshoot some more before I just blindly replace shit anyway.
Also the alternator is under warranty, can replace the whole thing for free if need be. It's right on top, easy to get at, takes longer to find your 10mm than it does to replace it.
 
The mice that live int he shed scratched away at the gasket for the rocker cover on the lawn tractor, at least I'm assuming that was it. Either way, the gasket ain't gasketing anymore and oil is very slowly seeping out.

So I ordered up new gaskets from MTD, along with new rocker covers just in case, it's all cheap parts, so fuck it.

My question is, once I get the rocker cover and old gasket off:

A) what should I use to clean the surface of the engine block/cylinder head, whatever the rocker cover attaches onto.

B) what, if anything, should I apply to the surfaces to make the gasket do its thing.


Link to said rocker cover.



It's due for its oil change anyway, so kinda good timing. Gotta drain it anyways. Change the fuel filter, air filter, oil filter, etc.
 
The mice that live int he shed scratched away at the gasket for the rocker cover on the lawn tractor, at least I'm assuming that was it. Either way, the gasket ain't gasketing anymore and oil is very slowly seeping out.

So I ordered up new gaskets from MTD, along with new rocker covers just in case, it's all cheap parts, so fuck it.

My question is, once I get the rocker cover and old gasket off:

A) what should I use to clean the surface of the engine block/cylinder head, whatever the rocker cover attaches onto.

B) what, if anything, should I apply to the surfaces to make the gasket do its thing.


Link to said rocker cover.



It's due for its oil change anyway, so kinda good timing. Gotta drain it anyways. Change the fuel filter, air filter, oil filter, etc.
Just scrape it with a razor blade.

I'd probably just forgo the gasket itself and use something like threebond or hondabond to make a gasket, if you don't have to do valve adjustments.
 
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Fine sandpaper if you need to work off some old gasket gunk, shine things up without putting big scratches in it.

Thin smear of rtv helps hold it in place while you put it back together but it's not needed to make it seal.

Watch cranking the bolts down too hard, can squish the gasket too much or force it out of place. Tighten down in a cross pattern like you would changing a tire.