Old Henry"Crazy Starting Problem"

[keith oh]

Did you solve the "problem"?

[Old Henry]

Well, in a way. The problem seems to have gone away without me ever figuring out what was causing it and not in response to anything I did to try to fix it. It continued one more time after the last thing I did to fix it but hasn't again since. I'm a little nervous with that sort of "cure" as I'm not very confident in it. I'm driving it hard every day to see if the problem will come back before I head to the top of Mt. Evans (highest paved road in North America, 14,256 ft) in a couple of weeks.

Thanks for asking.

[51 MERC-CT]

Originally Posted by Old Henry

Well, in a way. The problem seems to have gone away without me ever figuring out what was causing it and not in response to anything I did to try to fix it. It continued one more time after the last thing I did to fix it but hasn't again since. I'm a little nervous with that sort of "cure" as I'm not very confident in it. I'm driving it hard every day to see if the problem will come back before I head to the top of Mt. Evans (highest paved road in North America, 14,256 ft) in a couple of weeks.

Thanks for asking.

Are oxygen masks required?

[Mart]

Originally Posted by 51 MERC-CT

Are oxygen masks required?

You joke, but it is definitely one place where you don't want to walk and talk. It's surprising how quickly you can get short of breath.

Prof: You should be ok getting up there, but remember you have to come down. Nice and slow, low gears, and gentle intermittent braking. Don't let it run away too fast. Take a break if the brakes start getting too hot.

Good luck.

Mart.

[TStiles]

Did the Mt. Evans drive a few years ago in the middle of summer. 80+ degrees when we got under way. Stepped out of the car at the summit and the cold and lack of oxygen just took our breath away. Wild experience. Have a great time, Professor!

[Old Henry]

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Did Pike's Peak two years ago and after 1/2 hour at the top I was getting lightheaded and ready to come down. I was thinking of taking the "queen mothers" (Betsy 95 and LaRae 88) but thought the thin air might not be good for them. Betsy's got a little respiratory/heart problem so didn't want to risk it.

Unfortunately the parking lot is not right on the top like it is on Pike's Peak. You have to do a short little hike to get to the very top that's 100 feet higher than the parking lot. That will be interesting and probably breath-taking in more ways than one.

I try to avoid using any brakes coming down. Low gears all the way.

[keith oh]

Prof. Please excuse my repeating, to check for carbon resistor wires, not only the spark plug harness but also the coil wire. Also whenever there is what seems like it may be a ignition problem I am sure to run the engine in complete darkness and look for tiny sparks which may be from poor connections, dirty grease paths to ground or heaven knows where else. I once found a spark following a dirty old helmet distributor cap wire.

[Old Henry]

Originally Posted by keith oh

Prof. Please excuse my repeating, to check for carbon resistor wires, not only the spark plug harness but also the coil wire. Also whenever there is what seems like it may be a ignition problem I am sure to run the engine in complete darkness and look for tiny sparks which may be from poor connections, dirty grease paths to ground or heaven knows where else. I once found a spark following a dirty old helmet distributor cap wire.

Good ideas. I have no resistor plugs nor wires. I, likewise, examine sparkplug wires in the dark to look for spark leaks. Have never seen any on this old Ford, must have some pretty high quality wires, but used to see them a lot on later cars.

[Old Henry]

Originally Posted by TStiles

Did the Mt. Evans drive a few years ago in the middle of summer. 80+ degrees when we got under way. Stepped out of the car at the summit and the cold and lack of oxygen just took our breath away. Wild experience. Have a great time, Professor!

I'm interested in more details about your trip; what vehicle did you take? was it stock or modified? Any vapor lock problems? Any overheating problems? Did you leave your thermostats in? etc. Anything else you think I ought to know about the climb.

[TStiles]

The car was, late model, made in Germany, electronic fuel injection, etc. We're in the Seattle area and took the long way to get to Sioux City, IA. Our most vivid recollection of the climb has always been the breathtaking views we experienced. Sorry I can't give you insight to how a flattie handled the experience...

[Old Henry]

Originally Posted by TStiles

The car was, late model, made in Germany, electronic fuel injection, etc. We're in the Seattle area and took the long way to get to Sioux City, IA. Our most vivid recollection of the climb has always been the breathtaking views we experienced. Sorry I can't give you insight to how a flattie handled the experience...

Darn. I thought maybe you went up in your avatar.