Heading home yesterday I had a rather unsettling problem. On the way home, on the bridge across GrassValley Creek, I stopped at the gate and the truck stalled. Not a problem, I thought my foot had slipped on the clutch. After opening the gate I tried to start the truck. Nothing. Not even a groan. I tried rolling it backwards, rocking it, still nothing, just a click. I walked up to the house and had lunch (The driveway is just over a mile). Then took the wheelbarrow down to the truck with a fresh battery. Still nothing. So, I took the carb off of it and put it on the wagon (one good carb between two vehicles, Oi vay!). By this time it was six o'clock and I was exhausted. Tomorrow would have to do to move the truck. In the meantime, the bridge was blocked. My neighbor John was on my mind. He's just enough of a jerk to have the truck towed because it's blocking the bridge. Not that this was a problem for him as his house is on the other side of the bridge. He does own the land, though, that the drive runs on.
So, this morning, I went down to the bridge with the wagon, hooked up the truck with the tow bar, and took it up the hill to the house. I didn't make it up the last grade though (a very steep hop running about a hundred feet climbing about twenty or thirty). So, I just disconnected it there (after setting the transmission and blocking the rear wheels), dropping the hitch bar and tow bar (both old UHaul equipment), and put the wagon away. Took me about an hour to get the tow bar off the truck as the chains had jammed in the spring shackles. After the tow bar was off, I rolled the truck down the hill backwards and dumped the clutch into reverse. First two times all the rear wheels did was skid. The third time, the engine turned over. So, I tried the key. SUCCESS! Whatever was stuck is freed. I had forgotten that the carb was off and remembered after I turned the key.
I looked under the hood and had jelly legs. The disconnected fuel line was spewing fuel on the starter solonoid.
thankfully there's a fire-extinguisher available, though I'd rather not have to use it. So, I'll swap the carb over later today and bring the truck to the top of the hill. I have to figure out what the problem was here. It's likely this will happen again. I don't want it to happen very far from home.
So, this morning, I went down to the bridge with the wagon, hooked up the truck with the tow bar, and took it up the hill to the house. I didn't make it up the last grade though (a very steep hop running about a hundred feet climbing about twenty or thirty). So, I just disconnected it there (after setting the transmission and blocking the rear wheels), dropping the hitch bar and tow bar (both old UHaul equipment), and put the wagon away. Took me about an hour to get the tow bar off the truck as the chains had jammed in the spring shackles. After the tow bar was off, I rolled the truck down the hill backwards and dumped the clutch into reverse. First two times all the rear wheels did was skid. The third time, the engine turned over. So, I tried the key. SUCCESS! Whatever was stuck is freed. I had forgotten that the carb was off and remembered after I turned the key.
I looked under the hood and had jelly legs. The disconnected fuel line was spewing fuel on the starter solonoid. thankfully there's a fire-extinguisher available, though I'd rather not have to use it. So, I'll swap the carb over later today and bring the truck to the top of the hill. I have to figure out what the problem was here. It's likely this will happen again. I don't want it to happen very far from home.
the ring gear on this flywheel is indeed quite worn. In fact, I've (quite some time ago) opened a thread on this issue. I apparently had a starter that wouldn't quite engage all the way and it wore off the first eighth inch of the teeth, as well as it's own, by the time I was able to correct the issue. The starter in there now fully engages the ring gear. Perhaps it's engaging it a bit too much in a worn spot?
Phyllis Diller went to the doctor for a pain under her left breast. Turned out to be a trick knee!
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