Last night, the 10th of November, 2003, at approximately 4:15pm, the Turbocoupe, at the ripe old age of 17years and 227,000km, finaly gave up the ghost.
I can't say for sure what happened, but durring a mad dash down the Whitemud Freeway onramp something inside let go. Now fuel and oil are spewing out the tailpipe, black smoke everywhere, and bucking like a sunovabitch.
She served me well. Hat's off, boys.
"Come all ye lads, draw near to me, That I be not forsaken. This day was lost the old TC, And my life's joy has been taken. I'll race the lights no more."
(an apropriate addaptation of the Jeannie C)
Attached Image. (Click thumbnail to expand)
--------------------
Caw
"I am a Canadian by birth, but I am a Highlander by blood and feel under an obligation to do all I can for the sake of the Highlanders and their literature.... I have never yet spoken a word of English to any of my children. They can speak as much English as they like to others, but when they talk to me they have to talk in Gaelic."
-Alexander Maclean Sinclair of Goshen (protector of Gaelic Culture)
I'll find out tonight. It may be a simple electronic bug causeing it to overfuel and puke out the tailpipe. If it isn't, then it's most likely a blown piston ring. that means a rebuild, and the truth is the car just isn't worth a rebuild. Valuewise, but it's worth a lot more in other ways.
We'll see.
A man who gets attached to his vehicles is cursed.
I'll find out tonight. It may be a simple electronic bug causeing it to overfuel and puke out the tailpipe. If it isn't, then it's most likely a blown piston ring. that means a rebuild, and the truth is the car just isn't worth a rebuild. Valuewise, but it's worth a lot more in other ways.
We'll see.
A man who gets attached to his vehicles is cursed.
Hey Oldraven,
If you really love you car, and the body is in good shape, repairing the engine or what ever the problem is, is still better than buying another problem.
Your Tc is just like a woman, you have to know all of her quirks, you know her likes and dislikes. Is it worth trading her in for something you don't know anything about?
When I blew the engine in Ms. Grebe, I went out and got another one for her. But I wasn't about to give her up to the ghost.
Hopefully it is just a minor problem. 9 out of 10 times they are minor so just hang in there.
My Best Wishes, Richard
--------------------
May your days be filled with Merriment and May you walk in Balance with Creator.
Richard, what are you doing comparing a car to us girls? Have you lost your mind Bro? We are going to stomp the living you know what out of you! Your bad!
Now OldRaven, fork up the money and stop whinning man! That car looks great and even if you have to have a whole new engine in there for $1500-$2k...it's worth it...stop the sniveling! I'd do it...that's a great car! Does the inside of it look as good as the outside?
It's amazing how things work out once the mechanic gets a look. Last June, as the remnants of a tropical storm began to blow through town, one of the lifters in Grover began to make a terrible racket. Suddelly, the enginge shuttered, the check engine light came on, and the motor died. I was sure I blew something. Upon opening the hood for inspection, I noticed that the #4 plug was out of the cylinder head! I could see the $$$$ I was going to spend on this!
Turns out that Grover had a loose plug that stripped out the head. The mechanic re-threaded the hole, stuck in an adapter for the plug, changed the oil, and Grover was good as new for only $150 bucks!
There was never a doubt wherther or not I would fix the car, I was expecting a bill of $2K, but I was going to get him back on the road. Chin up. It may not be as bad as it looks.
These days, Grover is still a daily driver, merrily cruising towards 100K.
--------------------
If you were accused of being a Christian, would your enemies have enough evidence to convict you? -Ralph Waldo Emerson
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him keep pace with the music he hears, however measured or far away. -Henry David Thoreau
Pray as if everything depended on God, and work as if everything depended upon man. - Cardinal Francis J. Spellman
Wow. Thanks so much for the support guys. Yeah, for the entire day I was expecting the worst, and thus the talk of letting the old girl go.
The good news is, it's running again. The bad news is, I have no idea why. So, it's not a blown piston ring, which was one of my fears. There was never any oil. Just lots of fuel. It was black because the over fueling left excess in the chamber for a few hours before I fired it up again. Just enough time to loosen up all the carbon in the chambers, so the fuel was coming out black and gritty. It's not the timing belt, because it's going again.
So, it was simply pouring fuel in. Breating as though it was idling, but fueling as though it was at WOT. That's why when I put the pedal down half way it bogged down, but when I put it down farther it shot like a rocket. Thus the bucking.
Jimmie came over tonight to get the new carb on the truck, and so we fired it up. Ran like crap for a few seconds, just long enough to burn off the excess, then purred as per usual.
She's not trustworthy now, so no more driving. That's for the best anyway, now that the snow's here. I promised I wouldn't drive her in the winter, and she kicked my arse for it yesterday. Now that the truck's ready, she's back to normal. Tell me that's not karma.
The good news is, it's running again. The bad news is, I have no idea why. So, it's not a blown piston ring, which was one of my fears. There was never any oil. Just lots of fuel. It was black because the over fueling left excess in the chamber for a few hours before I fired it up again. Just enough time to loosen up all the carbon in the chambers, so the fuel was coming out black and gritty. It's not the timing belt, because it's going again.
So, it was simply pouring fuel in. Breating as though it was idling, but fueling as though it was at WOT. That's why when I put the pedal down half way it bogged down, but when I put it down farther it shot like a rocket. Thus the bucking.
A Word of Caution Oldraven,
It may be advisable that you change your oil if the was an excessive amount of fuel dumped in.
Is she the one you were looking at that $50.00 Turbo for?? She's just telling you she wants a rest until the weather's better! She's no fool!
I'm glad to hear she's not given up yet. Felt so bad for you earlier. Pamper her until Spring. She'll be alright. In the meantime, you deserve some scotch!
Dreamer1
--------------------
Look with the eyes of a child.
'Hope guides me. It is what gets me through the day, and especially the night.' -- A Knight's Tale "I talk to you as I talk to my own soul...and, Sassenach,” he whispered, “your face is my heart.” -- Jamie Fraser, "Dragonfly In Amber" by Diana Gabaldon @Dremnghrt on Twitter, Dreamnghrt on tumblr - come say Hi!
Is she the one you were looking at that $50.00 Turbo for?? She's just telling you she wants a rest until the weather's better! She's no fool!
I'm glad to hear she's not given up yet. Felt so bad for you earlier. Pamper her until Spring. She'll be alright. In the meantime, you deserve some scotch!
Dreamer1
Dreamer, I couldn't agree more. And this weekend, Angela, Theresa, and I are heading to the Atlantic Trap n' Gill for many a scotch n' stout. It's been a crazy week, and it all started monday with the TC's contankerous behaviour.
Richard. I hear you. If any fuel seeped past the rings, (of which I've no doubt) then the oil will be extremely thin, and won't be doing much lubricating. The weather's back up above 0* for about a week now, so I'll try and do that when I tidy up the garage this weekend.
Thanks all. All of this happened directly after running down the onramp at wide open throttle, so I'm sure something just got stuck open. Not an injector, because all of them would have had to stick open at once, and that's pretty much impossible. I'm just glad it didn't keep on accelerating until I hit something. Otherwise, I'd never hear celticradion again.