[DeTomaso] Fouled Spark Plugs

[boyd casey]

Don't feel to badly. When I installed the Pantera electronics ATO fuse box I
screwed up the wires to my gas gauge. My gauge said it was full and I
believed it until I ran out of gas!. I now have a clear glass fuel filter in
addition to my fram racing fuel filter. One glance and I can see if the
filter has gas in it. Nothing like seeing the gas in the filter to answer
the question of is there gas or not? I also keep a spark indicator in the
center console. I got it from Harbor Freight. It plugs in line between the
spark plug and the spark plug wire or between the distributor and the coil
and it has a small element that lights up when you get  an ignition pulse.
It doesn't say anything about the quality of spark but at least you know the
ignition circuit is good., so it's good for a quick diagnostic when your
stuck somewhere ( and it was only $2.99). With a MSD ignition I am always
worried about a failure. I have heard so many anecdotal stories about MSD 6
AL's crapping out. I keep a spare MSD 6AL and a spare coil in my in car tool
kit. That and a road side assistance policy and a credit card. Don't leave
home without  them.
Boyd

On Sat, Nov 7, 2009 at 6:51 PM, Will Kooiman <wkooiman at earthlink.net> wrote:

> 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
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