Running Well, Heating Well, & Leaking Still

The carburetor work Tom did last week has got me running as good as ever. Nice, smooth idle and no dying at stoplights.

Last Saturday they got my heating system working correctly by installing the thermostats that control the opening of the rear shroud doors. Closed doors (which they haven't been) cause the engine to heat up faster and direct MUCH more air into the passenger compartment.

It's been raining here, and even though my defroster is working better than it has in years, I continuously have lots of moisture on the inside of my windows. This is due, in large part, to the leaky rear window seal STILL allowing water to seep in. Ariel and her dad have me drying out in the heated garage so that Tom can apply more butyl rubber sealant tonight.

Thank Goodness for the CorvairCenter Forum

The other night Ariel’s dad, Tom, spent about three hours messing with my flooding right carburetor. He wrote an e-mail to his buddy all about it. I’ll quote an excerpt that summed up the evening.

“Here are the numbers:
· 4 – Number of test drives
· 3 – Number of times I pulled the top off the carburetor
· 2 – Number of needle-and-seats tried in the carb
· 2 – Number of times I checked and adjusted the float
· 2 – Number of fuel pumps tried
· 2 – Number of choke pull-off vacuum hoses tried
· 2 – Number of times I removed, cleaned, and blew dry carb parts
· 1 – Number of times I got gasoline in my eye (not much, but still not fun)
· 1 – Number of times I replaced the bottom carb spacer”

After searching the definitive online Corvair forum, he found a posting that informed him that GM went to a smaller float in 1964 (the age of my carburetors and drivetrain) and added a helper spring to help keep the needle shut. He remembered that the carburetor he’d been fighting with did NOT have the spring. He went home; found an older, larger float in his stash; installed it in place of the smaller float; no flooding. Yahoo! I’m back on the road again.

New Fuel Pump and Clean Spark Plugs

Do NOT equal Good Running. Seeing seepage around the joint of the fuel pump prompted Tom to replace it with a nice used one off the shelf. Ariel took me for a drive soon after and I did not want to run smoothly. Tom pulled all my spark plugs and cleaned all the oil fouling off them - and there was lots to clean. After reinstallation, I still didn't want to run right. Tonight Tom says he'll look at my carbs. He thinks that replacing the fuel pump might have sent some crap down the line causing one of the carbs to be blocked.

Mileage - 85,800