Well, my wife and I were planning to attend the British Car Day at Chateau
Ilan on Saturday, along with a canoe ride on the Etowah River on Friday.
Since my wife needed to stay in Atlanta for work for the upcoming week, we
decided that she should follow me in her car as my TSV (Triumph Support
Vehicle). Unfortunately, I didnt get the Spit out of the driveway!
Coming home Thursday afternoon, I the engine started to surge. I was
going at a steady speed of 55 miles per hour on Hwy 80. Then, on a
one-second cycle, the engine would lose power, and then come back up to
speed. I reached back and opened the fuel cap, no change. I did this for
about a mile, losing overall speed until I had get to the shoulder. The
engine stopped as soon as I pulled it over. I popped the bonnet and saw
that the fuel line out of the fuel pump appeared to be kinked. I
straightened the rubber line out, and the engine started with no problem,
and no more surging.
I got home ok, hoping that I fixed the problem. We packed the Spit with all
sorts of spare parts and the extras that we all need for a 5-hour trip. I
moved the Spit out of the way in order to move the other car into the
garage, leaving the Spit idling for about 4 minutes. All set, I got in the
car, touched the gas pedal and the engine died! Dead as a doornail. I
checked the fuel deliver to the Weber carb. No problem.
I checked the fuel system. No problems with the filter, pump and the lines
in between. With the wife (quietly tapping her foot) patiently waiting, I
decided to forgo any further diagnosis and took the other car to Atlanta for
the weekend.
I called my mechanic who took a look at the Spit on Friday, still sitting in
my driveway. His diagnosis? Fuel delivery appeared to be OK, but the car
had no spark. His conclusion, the Ignitor brand of electronic ignition
module just happened to go out! It could have been worse. The module
could have gone out along Hwy 15 in the middle of rural Georgia instead of
my driveway.
What do you all think? Anything that I can check for myself to verify that
the module is indeed the culprit? Should I get a spare module (for the next
time)?
Dan Parrott
Savannah, Ga
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