New tires make all the difference
Spent $250 at Samaritan Tires this afternoon to replace the positively ancient and crappy tires that came with the car with some Republic Ultra Metrics. The rear were actually snow tires and had several bald spots on them. They made horrible noises at any speed and especially while cornering and I could just imagine them having a blowup on the highway. Not good.
I knew the car would ride a lot better with the new tires, but it almost looks like the guys at the tire shop did some work with alignment because the passenger front tire isn't as cambered-in as it used to be, the steering wheel is a bit straighter and it doesn't pull as badly to the right when I brake. Bonus!
On the way there and on the way back I stopped several times to tweak my carburetor, too. Ever since getting it back from Quality Coaches Friday it hasn't quite driven like it should. Specifically, it's been hesitating and missing at low RPMs and not idling as smooth as it should.
After studying the idle adjustment instructions in both the Muir book and the Haynes manual and reading up a bit on-line it looks like the mechanic confused the flow control with the bypass valve! I turned the flow control valve a lot further in and turned the bypass valve a lot further out and the car drives quite a lot smoother. I'll need to use my skinnier flathead screwdriver to really tweak that small flow control valve correctly.
I really should get a tachometer to adjust the idle on the car, but I think I've got it pretty close just playing it by ear.
I also came home to parts! I got the clock and speedo mounting brackets, windshield washer container with hose and heater cable. I'm still waiting on the backordered windshield washer hookups, however. I'd really like to know how to hook up the spray control to the hose and all that. Hmm ... Dad? Picutres? =)
I knew the car would ride a lot better with the new tires, but it almost looks like the guys at the tire shop did some work with alignment because the passenger front tire isn't as cambered-in as it used to be, the steering wheel is a bit straighter and it doesn't pull as badly to the right when I brake. Bonus!
On the way there and on the way back I stopped several times to tweak my carburetor, too. Ever since getting it back from Quality Coaches Friday it hasn't quite driven like it should. Specifically, it's been hesitating and missing at low RPMs and not idling as smooth as it should.
After studying the idle adjustment instructions in both the Muir book and the Haynes manual and reading up a bit on-line it looks like the mechanic confused the flow control with the bypass valve! I turned the flow control valve a lot further in and turned the bypass valve a lot further out and the car drives quite a lot smoother. I'll need to use my skinnier flathead screwdriver to really tweak that small flow control valve correctly.
I really should get a tachometer to adjust the idle on the car, but I think I've got it pretty close just playing it by ear.
I also came home to parts! I got the clock and speedo mounting brackets, windshield washer container with hose and heater cable. I'm still waiting on the backordered windshield washer hookups, however. I'd really like to know how to hook up the spray control to the hose and all that. Hmm ... Dad? Picutres? =)
posted by Chris Druckenmiller at 5:16 PM
2 Comments:
Tell me speifically what pictures you want and I'll try to accomodate. Probably won't be able to get to it till Wed, or Thurs though. I know you also want pictures of the horn wiring etc.
I should have a shipment come in today or tomorrow for my heater cables and hose. Still waiting for my jack. It was backordered.
I should also oreder new stuff for the window washer. I think the hose that connects to the tire for pressurization of the system is broken. What alternatives are there for a window washer that don't involve sending washer fluid to the steering column? The mechanic said they were notorious for leaking all over your lap. Anyway on my system a hose leads from the bottom of the fluid tank to the steering column where it connects with the washer lever and then another hose leads back to the spray nozzel. The top of the bottle has a pressure valve that connects to the spare tire. This valve is supposed to automatically close off when the tire gets down to a certain presure (22 ppi I think) so that you don't end up with a flat tire. Evidently this valved doesn't work very well and frequently the tire would be flat at the most inconvenient of times.
I was thinking about how simple it would be to get an after-market washer fluid pump and just installing it in-line in the hose from the container to the spray nozzels. Wire it to an available terminal and then to a switch under your dash and you've got an electric pump with no need to pressurize the container!
I did finally see the two nozzels in the steering column, so that answered that question. I also found a few spare tire connector pieces at TheSamba.com for a reasonable price. I emailed one seller to ask if it worked. He tested it right away, responded and I just ordered it for $8.
So, no need for pictures of your washer fluid setup, but I would like a picture of your horn relay and which wires are going into which terminals on your dual horns. =)
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