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| [GMCnet] Short trip report [message #98324] |
Fri, 03 September 2010 06:59  |
Gary Casey
Messages: 448
Registered: September 2009
Karma:
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Senior Member |
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Maybe the title should say "report of a short trip" not "short trip report".
After a year of various repairs and refurbishment it was time to get it on the
road, hopefully in time to tour the high country of Colorado. We drove it home
to Denver from Minneapolis with only 3 incidents: Broken alternator belt,
inoperative fuel tank solenoid valve (the only way that was detected was by
running low on fuel - my fault), and wiring short at the battery with the
accompanying minor fire. Did a valve job with new timing chain and distributor,
new ball joints on one side, 2 new wheels and tires (now I only need 2 more
Alcoa's). First trip lasted 2 miles when I discovered fairly massive
transmission leaks. Found all the bolts loose between the transmission and
final drive plus a loose cooler line fitting. Next trip got us 10 miles away,
when something happened to the fuel supply - looked like a stuck float. Took
carb apart, cleaned it and found a bad check valve in the filter. Then it ran
perfect. Yesterday's camping trip got us 40 miles away when. We knew we were
almost out of gas(nearest gas station is 20 miles from home), but that wasn't it
- the ignition wasn't getting power. Jumped it from the fuse box. Don't even
have to go outside to work on these things - aint it cool? Decided to keep
going, but then it started to have vapor lock symptoms. If we stopped to idle
for a bit it would have trouble getting up to speed, but after coaxing it for a
bit everything was okay. So we decided not to go up the grade west of Colorado
Springs and head back home. Next time I'm looking forward to getting 200 miles
from home (each trip is 4 times longer than the last!). The weather was in the
70's and all elevations were between 6000 and 7000 feet.
Questions:
Having trouble finding the open in the ignition feed. Ignition power goes
through the firewall connection, but how does it get from there to the
distributor? The coach was converted to HEI and I assume the resistance wire
was eliminated, but what was put in its place? The "R" terminal on the starter
still feeds power to the ignition (that's how I tracked down the problem
originally), but where does that wire connect into the system? I'm having
trouble finding it.
The fuel system, with a new tank solenoid valve and new fuel pump, acts like it
has a pinched fuel line. But it acts the same on either tank. The PO said he
replaced all the fuel tank lines, and they look relatively new. Even under
"good" conditions it has trouble running full throttle above 3000 rpm - acts
like fuel starvation. The idea someone had of throwing away the mechanical fuel
pump and selector valve (both new - ouch) and installing two electric pumps, one
from each tank, sounds better all the time. Obviously, when new it would run
strong up to the shift points, right......?
When filling the tank, I get a leak when it is topped off. The return line to
the filler neck is hard as a rock - probably leaking someplace, but it seems to
be really hard to get at to change. Right?
The OEM oil pressure gauge shows that the oil pressure is always varying as a
function of engine speed and temperature and at 2500 rpm when hot it is in the
middle of the range. Lower rpm will show it dropping pretty much proportional
to engine speed. I would expect oil pressure to be held reasonably constant by
the pressure regulator. Is what I'm seeing about normal for a 150,000 mile
engine? (20W-50 oil)
The holding tank leaks at the outlet valve fitting - I assume this is a simple
repair....?
Finally, one of the outer CV boot clamps came off. I put on a new one (a pricy
$2.50 from Autozone - for 2) and it slipped off the first time I drove it. The
boot looks good, so I don't want to replace the boot or axle if possible. One
thing that surprised me is that the boot doesn't have a lip to retain the clamp
- it can just slip off. And it doesn't have an internal land as wide as the
groove in the joint, so it is easy for it to slide back and forth. Is there a
"magic bullet" for this problem?
And finally, the real problem - my wife is losing faith in "Bus" (it's yellow),
and is about ready to give it away. Heeeelp.....
Gary Casey
'73 23, Colorado
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