164TS won't start - solved (I think), CA here I come

[Lawrence Leong <leongccl@domain.elided>]

Hi everyone!

164 won't start
- ---------------
Turns out the fuel delivery related problems (hard start, stuttering at
high rpm, stumbling under load etc) were due to the pump!  Not the pump
itself, but one of the 2 rubber hoses leading to it.  Doug Gould got 
pretty close to it when he described it as a faulty pump "pumping up the
pressure."

However, it does pull as strongly as another 164TS I tried.  So, next 
on the list is the filter and possibly the pressure regulator.  Those 
who fingered the filter and pressure regulator are probably right too.

My thanks to (in no particular order) Lars Arvidsson, Fred diMatteo, 
Vladss, Doug Gould, Dan Nicholes,  Jonathan Coates, Daniel Pham, 
Bernie Bennett & Carson Damm.  My apologies to anyone I missed out.

This list is great!

(BTW, my ex-regular mechanic (ex- only about 1 week ago) insisted 
it was a ECU problem.  His explanation didn't make sense, and I 
didn't want to go about buying an extra ECU.  Anyway, he became 
an ex-mechanic not due to this, but for a series of incidents 
which have lead me to doubt his honesty and sincerity.  That's 
all I'll say on this matter).


Fuel pump vs regulator survey  
- -----------------------------
Surprisingly few respondents - 2 in total.  I conclude that neither 
of these fail frequently, or everyone was laughing at me for asking 
such a silly and obvious question :-)

In summary:  
 - 1991 164 L, 108,000 miles.  No pump nor regulator failure.
 - 1991 164 L, 125,000 miles.  No pump nor regulator failure.
There's some comfort in those numbers.


33 no longer on sale
- --------------------
Just sold my 33 today.  Got a bit less than what I had expected, 
but at least its one load off my mind.  


CA here I come
- --------------
Tomorrow, I'll be leaving for San Jose, heart of Sillycone Valley.
Tentative plans for a 1 month stay, with some side trips to 
Washington, Vancouver, Mass & Texas.  I'll still be contactable at 
this address.  Anyone wants to meet for a meal/drink?  From 
Friday evening (24 Sep), I'll be reachable at (408) 428-9900.
E-mail access only from Monday onwards.  In fact, my e-mail 
is now on autoforward, so I won't be able to read any replies
or invitations until Monday :-)

Have a nice weekend!

Cheers
Lawrence

86 33 1.5 QV (Sold!)
92 164 2.0 TS

------------------------------