At 09:40 PM 7/20/96 -0400, Glen wrote:
>Hey!
>
>Anybody got any good thoughts about why my 1275 cc Midget doesn't want
>to restart when it's warm? The engine's not overheated, maybe 170 F
>when switched off. The thing that jumps to mind is vapor lock. Does
>that seem likely? By the way, what is vapor lock?
>
I usually suspect a rich fuel mixture if it won't start when its warm (but
starts good when its cold). I probably remember this first because it was
one of the first problems I had with my first B, a 1965 car.
To confirm this, I remove a spark plug to see if the electrode is black (it
should be tan). Or I look at the tailpipe to see if it has a black coating
inside (this tailpipe test depends on the car not being an oilburner though).
Vapor lock is where your line is blocked by vaporized gas, stopping the flow
of gas. This tends to be more intermittent, making your car's engine sputter
rather than not start. This problem is also dependent on fuel quality.
Oxygenates tend to enhance this problem. Since I live in Montana, I don't
have to worry about these additives used to reduce pollution so I am not
sure how much of a vapor lock problem they may cause. I did have some
sputtering and vapor lock problems when I used gasohol in my 65B, but my
overall impression was that MGs had pretty well designed fuel systems that
were less likely to vapor lock then typical American cars.
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David Councill
dcouncil@imt.net
http://www.imt.net/~dcouncil/home.html
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