The last four times I took my 1975 Bricklin out for a drive, I ended up on
the side of the road. I decided to tempt fate again yesterday.
It turned out to be a 14 miles drive, and I avoided another return on the
back of a tow truck - barely! The car started to falter about seven miles
out (engine missing, lack of vacuum so braking was scary!), so I turned
around, and the engine smoothed up again on the way back... and died
completely half way up my driveway! After a couple of minutes, I tried to
start the engine again, and to my amazement it did start right away, so I
parked the Bricklin in the barn. I also have a problem with fried batteries
(two in seven months and less than 1000 miles), the VDO ammeter always
registers full charge, and the brakes are not working too well. This
Bricklin obviously has "issues", to use a good Americanism!
A. Part of the engine stalling problem might be the fuel level in the
float. When the engine died in my driveway, I opened the hood, and saw the
aftermarket "see-through" filter I installed was nearly empty of fuel.
Running at idle, the fuel filter is always full. I had previous problems
with rust and dirt plugging the fuel pump and the fuel filters, but the pump
has just been replaced, I changed both fuel filters recently, and there was
no evidence of rust or debris in the filter. I still will have the fuel tank
cleaned and lined as soon as possible. By the way, there is no problem with
the gas cap or vacuum building up in the gas tank. The carburetor was
recently cleaned and a new "rebuild kit" fitted.
B. I also have electrical problems with that car, as proved by the
dead batteries and total loss of electrical power which happened twice
recently. This is what I did and checked, following John T. Blair advice:
1. Connection to the coil. The original connector wiring is clean and
tight.
2. With the engine running, I "wiggled" all the wires going to the engine.
No sputtering or cutting out, all the wires looks fine. I checked all
connectors/bolts. All are clean and tight.
6. The coil connections are fine, but as this is a cheap item, I will
replace the coil in case it is breaking down when hot. Any suggestions as to
the best replacement coil?
7. Distributor cap and wires/spark plugs are new.
9. Ignition wires are tightly seated in distributor cap.
10. I installed a new battery two days ago, and I made sure the connections
were clean and tight.
11. The needle of the ammeter is stuck at the maximum positive reading,
even when the ignition switch is off. I tested the charging system of the
Bricklin, using my Actron digital multimeter. The testing shows the charging
system works fine. According to the Actron manual, parameters for the
charging system are 13.2 to 15.2 volts at idle, and I saw 14.62 to 14.64
volts on the meter. At an idle between 1800 to 2800 rpm, there was less than
0.5 volt difference, which again is normal. With the electrical system
loaded (everything electrical on - lights, AC, auxiliary electric fan), the
readings did not drop below 13.40 volts, again normal.
So. apart from the fact the VDO ammeter is not working but still letting
current through, and that the alternator does not seem to be overcharging, I
do not really know why I had two batteries "fried". The diagnosis was the
same when I took both batteries to be tested: "The battery is fully charged,
but there is something broken internally". Besides changing the regulator
(just in case!), what would you suggest?
C. Brakes! You have to push the brake pedal really hard to slow the
car, and forget about locking the wheels. It does no brake well enough to
even get close to that! Two technicians gave me the same diagnosis - faulty
brake booster. I know the brake booster is unavailable, so I would have to
have the original one rebuilt. but is there another booster I could get new
and that would fit?
JLC in Colorado
#2121
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