[DeTomaso] Vegas Drive Day 12

[David Tucker]

Day 12

4/29/2007

 

Shipped close home at the business center, said goodbye, packed up and left
the Orleans at 11:25. Headed north on 15 towards Salt Lake City. The car
lost power and came to rest as we stared at the welcome to Arizona sign. We
were just past the last NE exit, Mesquite, where the GPS told me of an Auto
Zone. I called them to see if they had my third suspect in the fuel problem
triangle, a fuel pump. They did and they had several #s for people in the
area who do mobile repairs. I got the car to start and with 8 miles to the
next exit, Kathy authorized me to U-turn at the authorized U-turn only on
15. We made it to the Auto Zone just as the car died again. I’m not sure how
many lives it has left before reincarnation. I screwed with it for a while
until we got a call back from one of the Mobile repair guys who was able to
come out to help. In 2 hours he managed to adapt the new pump to my old car
and it started right up. Everything seemed great. We made a turn, went one
block to the Shell for some V-Power and when I restarted it lost it and died
again. I got it to run some again and heard a sound that reminded me of last
summer when it had trouble idling. The idle control sensors in the throttle
body got dirty and it ran like crap. Some spray carburetor cleaner fixed it
right up then so I walked across the street to get some. I sprayed and
started it and sprayed some more. It was filthy in there. The fuel pressure
came up and all seemed grand so we were off to St George for dinner before
heading up towards Salt Lake again. When we came out from dinner, it was the
same crap all over again. It is as if there is a glob monster hanging around
the fuel intake and chomping down on it at the most inopportune times. I
would get good fuel pressure and then it would just drop off and then come
back again. I pulled the fuel sender and pickup tube out again, opened up
the screen, and bent it up some to raise it above sludge that may be in the
tank. What the hell can I do? I’m in the desert, it’s Sunday, I’m at least
300 miles from home and who’s going to help? Put it back together and it ran
fine. It is 9:30 at this time and I’m not going back out on the highway so
we head for a hotel. We pass an A&W root beer stand and I want a float but I
better get a room first. We got one, put the bags in the room and got in the
car for that float. NO POWER!! This is great. We walk a mile uphill to get
it and they closed 5 minutes before we got there. In that whole mile of
businesses, there is one convenience store open so we go there and get water
and ice cream. My legs barely made it back to the hotel where the room had
cooled down the 10 degrees required for our comfort. However I am not
comfortable. I don’t have dependable transportation. I think that a sensor
is having a problem and my key for the Accel DFI software is at home in the
computer case. My hope it to find a performance shop that has the capability
to plug into it and see why I am not having a good time. I may still have 3
or 4 weeks vacation left. But I’m not staying here. Get me out of here!!!

 

I’m OK, just not thrilled as usual.

 

Covered a whopping 127 miles today in just 8 ½ hours.

Lost 1 hour to Mountain time.

 

Dave & Kathy

Still in the West