To Dream the Impossible Dream (Redwing's Z cars)

[Redwing]

Fastwoman - so are you saying that the Large Red Hose across the top of my engine, when car is not running is empty of contents? If so, then no problem replacing it. That is if Site and Gregg ok that change. Don't want to do anything to make their job here more involved. Also, you said I was using a wrong hose for the air check on the vent system. So tell me which hose. Off the carbon canister is a good place, for I am sure I know where those hoses are. I am surprised you think I got the wrong hose, I was pleased I got that test done. (Poo) But I am a novice, so for sure anything is possible.

The starter fluid was put directly into the manifold. I tried to follow the instructions given, squirting it in with bursts about a second long each. When she died, I did a repeat, squirting more, 4 squirts of same time. Now it is possible I that I did not get it right, get enough in, I am very afraid of the starter fluid. Chip told me it is very volitle. I had heard that before too. I put a paper towel around the hole I was squirting into. I did not know if it would be a problem if it got on the manifold and then started her, so was trying not to let that happen. I can repeat the test if you think I need to.

Thank you all for the comments and photos. I will go and see the TIU, and photo it to send. And, will get a can of electric contact cleaner. Seems like that would be much easier than holding a frozen object for who knows how long. Think, I am somewhat physically handicapped. Not sure my body would allow me to be in an awkward position for a long time holding the iced object on it. Hint, if I end up on the ground, it is very difficult for me to get up, without something to hang onto it is almost impossible.

BIG QUESTION since this is an electrical part, any chance I will get zapped? Do I need to remove the negative battery connection while handling the unit? Then hook it back up to try to start her? Another reason why I'm not interested in using a frozen object, water and electric held by hand? Yipes!!!

Thanks all for your helpful assistance!

[bartsscooterservice]

Starter fluid in the air filter is fine, the stuff is very explosive, so only a slight vapor would make the engine react/run if....you have a good spark. So when the engine is dying, and you try to re-start it with starterfluid and it doesn't react in any way, you have an ignition problem.

[Redwing]

Sorry Site, I got names confused when I mentioned you.

[bartsscooterservice]

Johnathan

She will start now, but will quit whenever she decides, 1 block, 1 mile...+ --. No reliability at all. So this is done after she quits, right? Best to do is start her and let run until she decides to quit, right? Then rush in and do this test, right?

My needle nosed pliers will be arriving in the next few days, and when the are here I will do the test as you described to me.

I will let you and all know the outcome! Thank you...

 

Forgot to say if you haven't done allready: drain the fuel tank and put in fresh fuel before diagnosing anything, also replace the fuel filter, and any fuel line that looks bad..

[EuroDat]

Thank you all for the comments and photos. I will go and see the TIU, and photo it to send. And, will get a can of electric contact cleaner. Seems like that would be much easier than holding a frozen object for who knows how long. Think, I am somewhat physically handicapped. Not sure my body would allow me to be in an awkward position for a long time holding the iced object on it. Hint, if I end up on the ground, it is very difficult for me to get up, without something to hang onto it is almost impossible.

BIG QUESTION since this is an electrical part, any chance I will get zapped? Do I need to remove the negative battery connection while handling the unit? Then hook it back up to try to start her? Another reason why I'm not interested in using a frozen object, water and electric held by hand? Yipes!!!

Thanks all for your helpful assistance!

 

You should disconnect the negative on the battery when working on the TIU, any electrical work (other than testing) for that matter.

 

If you do choose to test the TIU this way, it would be the easiest for your situation.

Remove the two screws holding the TIU and turn it around. Don't remove the wires. You will need a flat screwdriver and plyers to pry open the tabs and remove the cover.

Once you remove the cover and fit the TIU back in its place the back side of the circuit board will be visable. That is what you spray with electrical cleaner. Just turn the ignition off and spray it for about 2 seconds and wait a minute or two for it to evapourate and cool the TIU. Then try to start it.

If you buy a can with one of the thin tube nozzles you can lean over and spray it from the drivers seat. See photo for sets to take removing cover. You won't need to remove the TIU like in the photos.

 

Contact cleaner I used, but any contact cleaner spray will do.

http://wd40specialist.com/products/contact-cleaner/

 

I think you need to varify the Starter fluid test is not working before you move forward.

I know everyone has their tried and tersted methods for testing. I found spraying it down the air cleaner for 2 to 4 seconds while someone tries to start the engine works fine.

[FastWoman]

Jai, the big red hose that connects at the top of your valve cover is not a fuel line and not a hazard.  I frankly wouldn't worry about it right now.  Later!

 

The red "fuel" hoses that worry me are on the passenger side of your engine.  You will see a network of tubing shaped like a skinny trumpet on the driver side of your engine.  That's the fuel injection rail, and it's pressurized with fuel.  Those tubes run around the front side of your engine and meet up with red hoses.  Those red hoses should be fuel rated and should also be the correct size (5/16").  At least one, if not two, of them connect to your fuel filter.  Those are the hoses I'm worried about.  The hazard is that these mystery hoses could leak, split, or pop off their fittings, releasing raw fuel under your hood while the engine is running.  Then your engine can catch fire.  (Fortunately these hoses don't sit over the exhaust manifold, so there's less risk... but there's still risk.  Many a Jaguar has been lost this way, even with correct fuel lines, and I once had a fuel-related engine fire in a '66 Mustang.  So I'm very wary of raw fuel.  To be clear, your replacement fuel hoses (at least in that area) should be 5/16" diameter fuel-injection rated hose, which sells for about $4/ft.

 

With regard to the starter fluid test:  You did introduce starter fluid in the correct place -- directly into the manifold.  That part is good.  But I wonder whether you actually got enough in there to fire the engine.  At this point I think it's looking a lot more like ignition, but we might not have completely ruled out fuel.  I usually squirt about 2 seconds (not squirts) of spray into the manifold when I'm doing this, but all of my spray goes in.  The spray is very volatile and will evaporate very quickly if you get it on any part of the outside of the engine.  That's fine.  The stuff isn't dangerous, as long as you don't spray it into an open flame, past electrical sparks, or something like that.  Instead of trying to spray directly into the manifold, I would suggest using Jonathan's approach of soaking the air filter.  You can pre-loosen your air cleaner bolts and just leave the top of the air cleaner assembly resting on the bottom half.  You might clean up the inside of the air cleaner with a damp paper towel so that you don't accidentally suck any dirt into the engine.  Then run the engine until it stops, flip open the air cleaner housing, soak the air filter down, flip the housing closed again, and try cranking the engine.  You will need to spray the filter enough to get it wet.  Or do as others are suggesting: Find a friend to crank the engine, while you spray starter fluid on the filter.

 

Eurodat's advice about the ignition module sounds golden.  I'd do what he's suggesting.

Edited July 12, 2015 by FastWoman

[Redwing]

Today is interesting. I missed my ride to church this morning. And after calling all of my other friends I did not reach anyone. So! My only choice was to take RedBird. My church is about 3 miles from home. I figured that if she ran for 30 minutes before stopping yesterday, that maybe she would be ok. She did fine, I was grinning ear to ear both ways.

There is a Mazda ad on tv. It is about a boy growing up with the cars involved. Starting with a roadster, then medium before marriage, finally a bigger car with wife and child. The last image was saying "something new "(as the garage door opened up to a new roadster) "for you to remember When You Were You!"

Oh Boy that says it all, resonates with me totally with my RedBird. I feel like me when I was myself!!! Oh joy!

[Redwing]

EuroDat and FastWoman

I checked out the placement of the TIU. I think there is no way I can reach that area to do as EuroDat suggested. I am going to have to wait for help with it.

Also for the starter fluid test, I need help. Perhaps this all may have to wait until next Saturday, and hope Chip can come back then. I do not have the can of spray yet either. Wish I had better news to tell you, but these are my limitations to getting these tests done.

FYI I cannot ask my son to help, he is a surveyor and is out in our horrible heat (upper 90's with heat index over 100) all day, usually 6:30-7 a.m. until 5:30. He comes home deflated, needs a shower and AC. Not up to doing Anything except vegetating and eating, totally exhausted.

[Redwing]

Oops, have starter fluid, but do not have the electric board cleaner.

Sorry...

[siteunseen]

FYI I cannot ask my son to help, he is a surveyor and is out in our horrible heat (upper 90's with heat index over 100) all day, usually 6:30-7 a.m. until 5:30. He comes home deflated, needs a shower and AC. Not up to doing Anything except vegetating and eating, totally exhausted.

Will you please call my Mom?  I just spent 2 hours putting a $150 alternator on her American junk, Sunday 93 degrees to boot.  But she's going to dog sit while I go to ZCON so I owe her, hell I owe her my life. 

[Redwing]

Site... you're a good son. I applaud you.

How to get the emoticons on your text here?

[siteunseen]

Click on the smiley face on the very top menu bar, right about in the middle, to the left of "My Media"

 

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