re: 79 spica spider quit

[Scott Fisher <sfisher71@domain.elided>]

--- Dana Loomis <dloomis@domain.elided> wrote:
> 
> Changing the plugs--even for a set of good used
> ones--is usually all it takes to get the car going 
> again. 

My Spider obviously reads the Digest, and has a sense
of humor.

Last week, Jeff and I tore down the interior wall that
rendered half the garage useless as a car storage area
and, at the end of the task, I started the Spider and
drove it into the garage, happily out of the rain for
the rest of the winter.  Drove it all of twelve, maybe
fifteen feet, let it idle briefly, then shut it down
-- exactly the conditions most likely to lead to
fouled plugs.

Today, I decided to take advantage of what has a 50-50
chance of being the last sunny day of the year and
went downstairs to take the Spider out for a drive.

It wouldn't start.  Cranked and cranked, and gurgled
and snuffed, but no vroom.

So I decided to take my own advice -- guessing from
Dana's comment that the plugs were fouled, I pulled
the #2 (that having the least amount of crud in the
plug well) and sure enough, it looked as though it had
been dipped in motor oil, then charcoal dust, and it
was visibly wet and smelled like gasoline.

One stop to G. I. Joe's for some Bosch Platinums
later, the car roared to life.  

>  In case Fred is reading this, I will
> add that this goes only for cars that are not
> correctly adjusted; if perfectly set up as
> described in the AROC SPICA notes, they are fine.
> So if swapping the plugs fixes the car, get the
> SPICA book and learn how to adjust it

Oh well -- one good thing about having a January
birthday is that if I miss getting anything I want for
Christmas, I have another excuse -- er, gift-giving
opportunity -- right around the corner.

Thanks, Dana.

--Scott Fisher
  Tualatin, Oregon
Send your FREE holiday greetings online!
http://greetings.yahoo.com

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