[DeTomaso] Three steps forward, three steps back....

[MikeLDrew at aol.com]

Hi guys,

You may recall from my GPS post the other day that my Pantera is once again 
on the road.   I fixed my fuel starvation problems by installing a mongo-sized 
fuel filter in line with the standard filter.   Afterwards I was pleased to 
see a full 7 psi on my fuel pressure gauge (plumbed directly into the carburetor 
fuel feed).

Today was another beautiful day.   You may also recall that a few years ago, 
I wrote a post about sharing my cars, where I described letting the guy who 
does my wheel alignment drive my Cobra for an afternoon:

http://www.realbig.com/pipermail/detomaso/2005-April/056798.html

I realized last week that although he has aligned my Pantera, and those of 
several other people whose steering racks I'd rebuilt, he'd never actually had 
the chance to drive one.   Since yesterday was his birthday I figured now was 
the time.

This afternoon I picked him up after work, and we set off on exactly the same 
route that we had taken back in 2005.   We were just cruising in 4th gear on 
a two-lane road through the country with a 45 mph speed limit.

Eventually we got to a fork in the road and turned onto a road that was still 
two-lane, but much straighter and potentially faster.   I told him to punch 
it, and we zoomed off for about five seconds, WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA and then 
WAAAAAAA-BU-BU-BU-Bu-Bu-bu-bu...bup.

Damn.   Fuel starvation again.

We let the thing sit for a minute and then he started it up, and let the fuel 
pump 'catch up'.   He pulled away and as long as he was mellow, we could 
drive along at 45-50 mph, no problems.   We eventually got to the freeway, the 
same freeway where I had been driving at 80-95 mph just the other day, and now 
the car would resolutely refuse to go anything more than about 60 mph.   We took 
the next exit and returned home via not-very-entertaining back roads.

When I got home, I checked the fuel pressure gauge, and it showed exactly 
ZERO even as the car sat idling.

So, is this another blocked fuel filter?   Has the 'sock' somehow lodged in 
the fuel pickup and blocked it?   Are the new fuel lines too close to the 
exhaust and causing vapor lock?

Tomorrow I'll start it up and check fuel pressure; if it's still low, then 
I'll start tearing into the fuel filters.   I might also try blowing compressed 
air backwards through the fuel line from the tank to the pump, in an effort to 
clear out any debris that might be clogging the fuel pickup.   (The tank is 
almost full by the way).

Las Vegas draws ever nearer, and this is rather disconcerting.   On a 
positive note, I did successfully install and ops-test my revamped windshield wiper 
motor; the fact that it is functional virtually guarantees dry weather, whereas 
if I had left it off the car, a typhoon would have hit Las Vegas.   I also 
successfully removed, painted and reinstalled the aluminum reinforcements I had 
made for my front spoiler, and that system (at least) seems absolutely 
perfect.   And I tweaked and adjusted my five-point harnesses for proper fit and 
operation.

In fact, my 'punch list' of things to do to the car is getting increasingly 
shorter and more trivial, which is encouraging at least.

Now, if I can just convince the car to run properly, and keep running....

Mike


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