QuestionHi Dick, hope you had a great vacation.
You may recall my problem with vapor lock. Well, replacing the crimped fuel line seems to have taken care of that problem. Ran it around the block for about a half hour, then let it idle in my drive for another 15 minutes and it kept running. But, it got pretty hot, about 190 accorting to the external guage I've added, and when I turned it off, it would not turn over easily. However, that is subject for later, after I've set the timing properly and checked out other possible causes.
Question for now is: if I depress the starter button without the key turned to the "on" position it will turn the motor. That should not happen, right?
Thanks, Ted
AnswerOld 6 volt cars didn't wire much through the ignition switch, because the switches aren't really capable of carrying very high currents such as would be drawn by the starter button. So it is normal for the engine to crank when you push the starter button. Mine did the same thing. If you have a shop manual for the car, you'll find that the starter wiring runs direct from the battery, including the push button.
The 190 is high, but not outrageously so. If you have a 180 thermostat, that is about what I would expect. The car could also use a 160 thermostat - that would keep it a little cooler, but 190 won't hurt anything. Make sure you have a good radiator cap on it, and at least 30% mixture of coolant in the water, and it will be happy unless it gets way over 220.
Glad the vapor lock yielded so easily!
We did indeed have a delighful week, camped on our favorite beach on the central California coast - a little known place where we can let the dogs run in the surf and we can really relax.
Dick
