On the Highway to Fail: You did what?

Area for General NON-Jeep related chat. Topics are typically not moderated, but must fall within the Use Guidelines.
User avatar

Dr. Marneaus
Posts: 1718
Joined: Fri Oct 05, 2012 10:04 am
Location: Reno, NV

Re: On the Highway to Fail: You did what?

Post by Dr. Marneaus »

Don S wrote:
Dr. Marneaus wrote:Nothing terrible here, but also, I learned what happens when you install a dizzy 180 degrees out.

Cranking cranking cranking, nothing. cranking cranking cranking and then the loudest backfire I have ever heard in my entire life. I seriously thought the dog stepped on a gun in the house or something. I about crapped my pants on that one.
..

I had a pretty smart dog one time... but I never taught it to chamber a round... :mrgreen:

Have a good one.. Don S..
Lol. I hear ya.

However a gun ain't too much use if it isn't loaded. But then again I don't leave loaded guns on the floor but it would the the first time he dragged something of the counter or dresser haha.
Well it ain't just the smoke and the traffic jam that makes me the bitter fool I am But this four-wheel buggy is A-dollaring me to death.
For gas and oils and fluids and grease, And wires and tires and anti freeze....And them accessories, Well honey, that's something else.
User avatar

90supra
Posts: 175
Joined: Thu May 02, 2013 7:13 am
Location: Los Alamos, NM

Re: On the Highway to Fail: You did what?

Post by 90supra »

carnuck wrote:Way back when I was a 17 YO lot boy for Mazda (Jarman motors in New Westminster, BC) I came in to work and was told to move a car out of the way. I jumped in and tried to start it but it wouldn't go. The idiots in the lube bay drained the oil and put nothing in so as soon as the lines to the carb were empty, the motor seized. Customer brought it in complaining the oil light wouldn't go out even though the oil was full. Turned out he was checking the auto trans stick. Shop tried to blame me for not checking the oil, but it was probably already fried by the time I went to start it.
Shortly after that several mechanics were busted for charging for parts and repairs they didn't do by AAA and ATG and the dealer folded so my last paycheck bounced. I ended up getting the RX2 coupe with a dead motor in lieu of my pay. Took almost a year to get a motor because of an embargo on Japan over whaling or something but I ended up getting a Cosmo 3 rotor motor that I had the Mazda racing guys build up with twin turbos (right before I got married) and a 5 speed.
RX2 with a TT Cosmo 3 rotor?! That sounds amazing. There was a guy I auto-crossed with that had a modified RX3 that was always a good time to ride in or watch heading around course.
The Fleet:
1967 J3000 (258/T18/D20, MC 2100)
1972 240Z (heading under the knife :evil:)
1978 Corvette (wife's HS project)
1987 Grand Wagoneer (Howell TBI 360 HEI, Thorley headers, Edelbrock intake, 727 NP208, Rustys 4")
2013 Subaru WRX
User avatar

carnuck
Posts: 3881
Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2012 2:48 pm
Location: Lynnwood, WA
Contact:

Re: On the Highway to Fail: You did what?

Post by carnuck »

It was fun. Especially over 200 mph (then I started training for the Air Force)
Check my parts for sale near Seattle
User avatar

haminawag
Posts: 724
Joined: Thu Aug 29, 2013 4:54 pm
Location: Springfield, IL

Re: On the Highway to Fail: You did what?

Post by haminawag »

There was a guy who used to frequent the Albuquerque dragway back in the '80s who raced a rotary Mazda. I don't know if it was a 2 rotor, a three rotor or what, it was horrendously loud and harsh sounding, I remember that. I never had the opportunity to pull one apart but was always curious about them. My dad bought the "Visible Wankel Rotary Engine" model when I was a kid and we built it together on the kitchen table, but I was just a kid and didn't retain too much. Are rotarys hard to find nowadays? Are they still made? What's the scoop Wankel guys, clue me in. :)
Let us not forget what our fathers taught us.

Ham-in-a-Wag
1967 Plymouth Fury
1979 Wagoneer
2000 RAV4
User avatar

Mrpatatomoto
Posts: 305
Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2012 1:58 am
Location: San Diego, CA

Re: On the Highway to Fail: You did what?

Post by Mrpatatomoto »

haminawag wrote:There was a guy who used to frequent the Albuquerque dragway back in the '80s who raced a rotary Mazda. I don't know if it was a 2 rotor, a three rotor or what, it was horrendously loud and harsh sounding, I remember that. I never had the opportunity to pull one apart but was always curious about them. My dad bought the "Visible Wankel Rotary Engine" model when I was a kid and we built it together on the kitchen table, but I was just a kid and didn't retain too much. Are rotarys hard to find nowadays? Are they still made? What's the scoop Wankel guys, clue me in. :)
The mazda rx8 came with a rotary so theyre still made.
1982 Cherokee Chief, 258, T5 , NP208, 3.31, 33" BFG KO2's
32/36 weber, MSD 6a, Core/Hurst Shifter
User avatar

carnuck
Posts: 3881
Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2012 2:48 pm
Location: Lynnwood, WA
Contact:

Re: On the Highway to Fail: You did what?

Post by carnuck »

Not anymore. 2012 ended production. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda_RX-8
Check my parts for sale near Seattle
User avatar

Topic author
Tatsadasayago
Posts: 3684
Joined: Thu Aug 28, 2014 2:22 pm
Location: Sacramento, CA

Re: On the Highway to Fail: You did what?

Post by Tatsadasayago »

This isn't my FAIL, but my one my Dad made:

We had a family friend who had a neat 76 Dodge Power Wagon with a 400 BB and a very well built steel flatbed. Rocky had it built up by my dad and the thing was awesome. Not long after it was finished, it developed a rattle noise coming from somewhere inside the engine. Dad couldn't figure it out and the decision was made to tear the top end down to find out what it was. Before that could happen, the engine started running very poorly, smoking, sputtering and dying.

Rocky told me his ex wife had actually put a curse on his truck and he believed it was best he get rid of it after bad things started happening to it.
He simply gave the truck to me!

I towed it to my place and started checking things out. After confirming spark I checked for fuel. It was getting fuel, but something about the look of the gas coming out of the accelerator pump nozzles made me think there was water in the fuel.
After pulling the top off the Thermo Quad carb I saw mostly water in the bowl.
Winter was coming so I let the truck sit until the temps went below freezing. I pulled the fuel tank, pump filter and carb then dumped the fuel out. I brought the parts into the garage and let them thaw out. When the fuel tank thawed, about 12 gallons of water came out of it.
I found out later that his son had stolen fuel from his dad's truck and replaced it with water so the gauge read correctly. :banghead:

Having solved that issue, the truck ran great...except for that mysterious rattle.
I pulled the intake manifold and found a Bonney 7/8" impact socket laying in the lifter valley. It's black oxide finish was pretty well silver from all the bouncing around.
I went over to Dad, showed him the socket and asked with a grin: "So, you been missing a socket for awhile?"

Jim
1977 Cherokee Chief - The Blair Jeep Project III
A collection of parts flying in close formation
User avatar

haminawag
Posts: 724
Joined: Thu Aug 29, 2013 4:54 pm
Location: Springfield, IL

Re: On the Highway to Fail: You did what?

Post by haminawag »

Tatsadasayago wrote:This isn't my FAIL, but my one my Dad made:

We had a family friend who had a neat 76 Dodge Power Wagon with a 400 BB and a very well built steel flatbed. Rocky had it built up by my dad and the thing was awesome. Not long after it was finished, it developed a rattle noise coming from somewhere inside the engine. Dad couldn't figure it out and the decision was made to tear the top end down to find out what it was. Before that could happen, the engine started running very poorly, smoking, sputtering and dying.

Rocky told me his ex wife had actually put a curse on his truck and he believed it was best he get rid of it after bad things started happening to it.
He simply gave the truck to me!

I towed it to my place and started checking things out. After confirming spark I checked for fuel. It was getting fuel, but something about the look of the gas coming out of the accelerator pump nozzles made me think there was water in the fuel.
After pulling the top off the Thermo Quad carb I saw mostly water in the bowl.
Winter was coming so I let the truck sit until the temps went below freezing. I pulled the fuel tank, pump filter and carb then dumped the fuel out. I brought the parts into the garage and let them thaw out. When the fuel tank thawed, about 12 gallons of water came out of it.
I found out later that his son had stolen fuel from his dad's truck and replaced it with water so the gauge read correctly. :banghead:

Having solved that issue, the truck ran great...except for that mysterious rattle.
I pulled the intake manifold and found a Bonney 7/8" impact socket laying in the lifter valley. It's black oxide finish was pretty well silver from all the bouncing around.
I went over to Dad, showed him the socket and asked with a grin: "So, you been missing a socket for awhile?"

Jim

Ha ha, so I'm not the only one, I KNEW IT! We used to build these little 300-350 hp Mopar 318s, we got good at it and could turn them out pretty fast, so much so that we had four of them in the shop with no homes, anyway we always put Milodon valley plates under the intake manifolds, this was before the Edelbrock Air-Gap manifolds, so one day my brother gets a call from a customer who's getting a weird noise from his 318 that we'd built, we pulled it apart and found that the nuts and bolts that go through the plate and the spring steel stretchers that keep the valley plate in-place had not been Loc-Tited, vibrated loose and were gone! The plate was rattling around inside, the stretchers were rattling around inside, we had to pull the entire engine apart, replace the camshaft, it was a mess, iron filings coating everything. It was my job to Loc-Tite the nuts, but when we found the bolts there was no Loc-Tite on them, Long story short I had to call customers, explain the situation them, and have em bring their cars in so I could pull the top ends apart and check that I'd Loc-Tited those bolts, a few hadn't been, most had been. I still can't laugh about it, it's a bad memory, and another of my 18 year old eff-ups, but I'm feeling much better now, hah.
Let us not forget what our fathers taught us.

Ham-in-a-Wag
1967 Plymouth Fury
1979 Wagoneer
2000 RAV4
Post Reply