Here we go again!

[Stuart M. Cohen]

Had a good day yesterday and today. Toured a bunch of car collections yesterday and today went to Sunnyland for awhile and then lunch at Shield's Date Garden. On the way back, did a self guided architectural tour of the nice mid century houses in Palm Springs. Very cool, and worth the car dumping some coolant when we filled up with gas after. Other than that one time, the car is running great. I can't get upset with the coolant issue; a combination of highway and stop and go in the 100+ degree heat. I'll check the coolant level before we head to dinner tonight.

No many pictures, but here they are.

[TonyC]

Yes, I don't doubt that heat contributed. That's why I installed a recovery tank in Frankenstein, to prevent that sort of thing...and to avoid poisoning any stray kitties that may happen along. Really does the trick, even though no such thing existed back then.

---Tony

[Stuart M. Cohen]

Nice show day. They had I think about 100 cars, and we were on the fairway of the golf course. There were a bunch of slabsides; 19 were registered and 16 showed. At least half were 61-65. Overall, a really good show and kudos to the team that put it together; they did a really great job!

Never saw so many slabsides in one place! I also saw my first 61-65 other than mine with cruise control. First show in probably 19 years I didn't judge and it was nice; finally got to do what I wanted. Robin did judge again and had no problems. Banquet wasn't bad. Wasn't as long as what I remenber (been at least 10 years since we went to one) and the food was pretty good. Jim Ayers got best of show with his car.

Hung out today because of the really bad winds that blew the sand all over the place. I left the windows cracked yesterday after the show (another 100 degree day) and had sand all inside this morning. Cleaned it up as best i could before breakfast, and buttoned up the car when we got back. Went to leave for dinner and had more sand inside! Oh well, the car's gonna get dirty anyway....

Tomorrow we head over to LA via a bunch of stops. Should have pictures then, and all the pictures to date are also on my webiste.

[Stuart M. Cohen]

Made it to LA yesterday via Barstow, San Bernardino and Rancho Cucamonga. Got in and had dinner with my cousin. Left this morning, driving up to Santa Monica, back through LA (couldn't find the two spots we had marked out), and down through Gardena, Long Beach and Garden Grove. Staying in Dana Point because we wanted to go to a really good Mexican Restaurant we went to 17 years ago.

Heading to San Diego tomorrow with stops along the way. Here are some pictures from the last few days.

[George W]

Great trip, great pictures ! Like Mexican food ?? If in the Washington DC area check out the Cactus Cantina on Wisconsin Ave, NW. Not far off the 495 beltway. Excellent food and friendly, festive atmosphere. Check out the frozen Margaritas. Especially the 50/50 lime-strawberry swirl mix. My limit, two.

[Stuart M. Cohen]

So we made it to San Diego via the PCH instead of the highway so we could enjoy the drive down the coast. Stopped to get some pictures and got into the hotel around 3. Shut off the car to unload, and when I went to start it to park, it wouldn't start. Just cranked, but no go. Great; we drove over 4,200 miles with no problems and NOW???? Took off the top to the air breather and saw the upper flap was closed. One of the bellman came over to help and he thought it needed more air. Gently moved the upper flap and it fired right up. Spoke with my mechanic a few hours later and he couldn't figure it out. Had just under a quarter tank of gas, temp over the past few days was in the mid 60s.

Plan is tomorrow call my mechanic in the AM while I'm next to the car and see what kind of trouble shooting I can do cross country.

[TonyC]

Damm...the choke malfunctioned?? How did that happen?? The only way I could see that happening is if the spring inside the choke broke along the way...but it would require removing the housing to verify the spring's condition. And, being you have the coolant-heated choke (assuming your system is still OE), that would call for extra care in disassembly...not extreme care, just extra care. The closed upper plate only should happen after 10 hours of sitting, because that's the cold-engine setting for the choke. It cannot set itself to that in only a few minutes after running for a long time, unless something inside is broken or dislodged.

Hopefully you can get that fixed quickly. I think you may have an advantage of a higher concentration of Suicide-savvy mechanics where you are than I did in the part of Florida I went to. On the other hand, God knows what they'd charge, being Cali and all...and I'm sure the cost of your trip is already starting to be felt. Trust me, I can relate.

---Tony

[Stuart M. Cohen]

So the car started right up today. Went to get gas, no problems. Drove over to the San Diego Auto Museum and the zoo with no problems. Did talk with my mechanic and he told me that the flap opens when the car is hot and closes when cool. Couldn't really diagnose what caused the flap issue, but told me as long as it runs, I should be good to go. Tonight (after letting the car sit for 3 or 4 hours), we went out to get something and the car died right after I got out of the garage. Checked the flap was open. Got it closed and the car ran fine. So, it appears that the flap is not opening correctly. Will call my mechanic tomorrow, but I'm guessing that if I have problems on the way home, at least I know what to do.

The museum was OK. Not real big, but did have a few neat cars. Really good time at the zoo. Saw a bunch of cats I'd like to take home, but no room in the car.....

Will probably be heading out of San Diego on Saturday, taking a few days to get to Vegas with stops along the way. Did take one picture; will upload it later.

[TonyC]

Those symptoms sound very much like a malfunctioning choke. Since it appears to open and close, however erratically, I'm going to presume the thermal spring inside the housing is not broken. However, the linkage, which is a bit of a network on both sides of the carburetor, may be sticking due to gummy deposits building up. If your carburetor hasn't been inspected for a long-enough while before you started your trip, this can happen...and it's even possible for gasohol to contribute in expediting the sticking and causing your symptoms.

What should be done first is clean off all the choke flap linkage; a can or two of carburetor spray will do that. You can get that at any Wal-Mart, at the best price (though in Cali that doesn't say very much, I know). Spraying all the linked parts should help immediately and is easy to do. For more thorough cleaning, you want to unscrew and remove the housing that holds the spring, preferably with a cold engine; spray around inside the choke mechanism thoroughly, including the spring itself; re-install the housing making certain the spring end engages in the fork tab, and secure but don't yet tighten the retaining screws; and check movement of the flap by twisting the housing in place back and forth. If the flap moves without binding, then twist the housing to the point that the flap just closes and no further (again, engine needs to be cold for this job), and tighten the retaining screws. That should cure your symptoms, at least enough to get you back home without further issues. It's a relatively-simple field repair which should not require a shop environment and $700 to do.

Oh, one more thing on a different note: If you happen to run across Xenia Tchoumitcheva before you vacate the area, tell her "Hi" for me.

---Tony

[Stuart M. Cohen]

So Friday morning I did a factime call with my mechanic. I checked the car in the morning, after sitting overnight and the flap was open. He walked me through closing it and it does appear to be sticking. We checked some stuff and the hose coming off the firewall side going to the round thing on the side of the carb that controls the opening and closing (forget the name) was loose. I had been losing coolant, but chalked it up to the heat coming down from Palm Springs. I tightened it up and sprayed some WD 40 on the outside linkages. The car fired up (since I closed the flap). The car ran fine all day. That night, after sitting for a few hours, had some issues starting the car. Closed the flap, and off we went.

This morning, I checked the carb and the flap was open. Closed it and the car started fine. Ran all day with no problems, staying in Barstow, CA. Tried starting the car to go to dinner and had problems. It was 97 outside, and I checked the carb and the flap was open. Played with it and got it going, but stalled a few blocks down the road. Played with it some more, and ran fine to and from dinner.

Not going to take apart the carb to lubricate it since I'm not that familiar with it and don't have any way to deal with any issues that might come up as a result of taking apart the carb. It's about 2,700 miles home, which I figure should take about 8 days. If we stop, it will be over 2 weeks. Plan now is to head straight home, not doing any of the stuff we wanted to. I want to minimize the time I have do deal with this.

Here are some pictures from the last few days.

[TonyC]

Okay, then, that does sound very much like my guess is accurate. I still say that you need to get at least one can, preferably two cans, of carburetor-cleaner spray from the first Wal-Mart you come across and carry them with you. Use that on the flap and linkage first; penetrating oil is not a cleaner (not for that kind of cleaning, anyway), and you really need to clean off the deposits that are causing the sticking. I understand that you don't want to run the risk of disassembling the choke-control assembly at this time; and being that you discovered and fixed a leak source for your coolant issues at that area, maybe you won't have to. Just spray the flap and all the linkage down first to get rid of deposits, then spritz a little WD-40 at the moving points to lubricate. That should prevent, or at minimum significantly reduce, any further stalling issues on your way home, where you can disassemble the choke control and clean it out in peace.

Hopefully, the squeak that concerned you earlier doesn't expand into something worse. As I mentioned at that time, usually such a squeak in that location is caused by weakening lower ball joints; but if mine which were definitely starting to wear out got me home, maybe yours can, too (I did have the foresight to carry my new ball joints with me to Florida in case such an operation became immediately critical, which thankfully it didn't). But, if you notice a wobbling of the front that cannot definitively be attributed to a derecho, that is a bad sign. that it doesn't come to that, at least not until after you get home.

On a different note, I too am enjoying the stills you share, especially those wide-open blue skies.

---Tony

[frasern]

Don't be afraid to pump it a little more than normal, and hold the gas down when starting. Let it warm up a couple of minutes before driving. I find carbs sometimes need to be retuned for the climate, and you are driving in conditions much different than home, where it was set up. You may find it runs better as you return. Watch for black smoke, which will show up if it sticks closed, but if it stays open it won't hurt anything, just a little frustrating.
I hope you continue to enjoy the trip, and thanks for the pictures, don't stop posting.

[Mike]

So the flap isn't closing when you pump the gas? I agree, get some cleaner on there because if something is sticking and preventing it from closing its also preventing it from opening ad smoothly as it should.
The joys of carbonated cars

[tomo]

Stu, I am enjoying your chronicle very much and wish that I could be driving along with you.

Tony is correct in advising you to spray the choke and linkage with carb cleaner. Don't do it while the engine is hot, some of the cleaners are flamable. Your choke is probably sticking due to the antifreeze leak allowing some antifreeze to collect on the linkage. WD 40 is not a lubricant, but it won't hurt anything. If carb cleaner doesn't clear up the bind, use a penetration oil on the linkage after it cools at night and then spray the cleaner on it in the morning. Check the operation for binds before you start off. A sticking choke can completely destroy your mileage and is not good for the engine.

When I have had problems away from home, I have found that bringing the car to a dealer shop, gets me plenty of help and have had many minor repairs done for free. The Lincoln Mercury dealer in Dearborn replaced a front wheel bearing , that I supplied with the seal, at no cost to me. This was back in the 1990's. The car people in the dealerships get a kick out of seeing an antique car in their shop and usually are very accommodating. If spraying it doesn't do its usual magic, you might want to try a dealer.

[Stuart M. Cohen]

So today we made it to Cedar City, Utah with no problems. I emailed my Lincoln buddy in Denver and he advised to get the carb linkage cleaner and spray the outsides as you guys have suggested. Will hit the NAPA tomorrow morning to take car of that. He also will take a look at the carb when I pass through there on Tuesday. He'll see if it's a fix or if he needs to swap out the carb yes, I do travel with a spare!

Had no problems with highway driving, but as we drove through town (at 6,000 feet) the car didn't like the thin air. I babied it through town and should be good to go once I hit the highway. Plan tomorrow is to go to Grand Junction, which is only about 240 miles to my buddy's place.

Here is the last picture of the trip from yesterday. Unfortunately, they were closed so we couldn't stop in for a late lunch.

Oh, keep forgetting:

Total miles - 5093 as of last fill up.
Total gallons - 476 as of last fill up.
Average MPG - 10.7
Total $$ - $2,528
Average $$/gal - $5.31

Glad to get out of California; now I can get some cheap gas!