[DeTomaso] Fouled Spark Plugs

[Will Kooiman]

Well, we were all wrong.  At least you guys have the excuse that I gave out
incorrect information.

When my car died, I pulled the air filter and saw a cloud of gasoline vapor.
I pulled the throttle and saw gas come out the accelerator pump.  That means
I had gas - right?

Next, I pulled a plug wire, hung it over a valve cover, cranked it over, and
saw a big fat spark.  That means I had spark.

I didn't do any more diagnosis on the side of the road.  It isn't real fun
working on a car with 18-wheelers humming by at 70mph only a few feet away.

When I got the car home, I hooked up a timing light, and verified that the
initial timing was exactly where I left it.

I pulled 3 spark plugs and they were all black.  That's when I posted about
fouling spark plugs.

This morning, I replaced the plugs with 8 brand-new 3926's - the same plugs
that I had.  As I replaced the plugs, I noticed that 3 plugs were very
clean, the others were a little black/brown, but not bad.  At any rate, I
cranked it over, and nothing.  It would barely hit if I pumped the gas -
really hard, but it wouldn't start.

I sprayed some B-12 in the carb, and it fired right up - and then died.

So, it wasn't the plugs, it was...

Wait for it...  

I ran out of gas.

Yes, I'm embarrassed.

I put about a gallon in the car from a can in the garage.  After a few
cranks to fill the fuel bowls, it started right up.

Did I mention I'm embarrassed?

I think I grounded the fuel gauge wires or something.  It said I had 1/4
tank when I was on the side of the road.  Now it's stuck on empty, even
though there are 20 gallons in the tank.

That's another project - gauges.  For now, I'm running again.

Thanks to everyone.


-----Original Message-----
From: detomaso-bounces at realbig.com [mailto:detomaso-bounces at realbig.com] On
Behalf Of JDeRyke at aol.com
Sent: Saturday, November 07, 2009 12:02 PM
To: wkooiman at earthlink.net
Cc: detomaso at realbig.com
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Fouled Spark Plugs

Got much in the way of blow-by out of the breathers when they're removed? 
Oil in the combustion chamber will foul plugs as fast (or faster) than an 
over-rich fuel mixture. And a cracked wire will immediately cause its plug
to 
be soaked by gas and oil, looking for all the world like a fouled plug.
Might 
be time to change wires if this happens more than once to the same cylinder 
with new plugs. Dyno guys say the most common problem they encounter is a 
bad plug wire; most 351-Cs make so much power and the car's engine load 
around town is so low that one (or more) intermittently-bad wires may not be

noticed until there's a real demand on it. Good luck- J Deryke
_______________________________________________

Detomaso Forum Managed by POCA

Archive Search Engine Now Available at http://www.realbig.com/detomaso/

DeTomaso mailing list
DeTomaso at list.realbig.com
http://list.realbig.com/mailman/listinfo/detomaso
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com 
Version: 8.5.425 / Virus Database: 270.14.52/2483 - Release Date: 11/07/09
07:38:00