Monday, June 18, 2007

Crud killed my bus


crud
Originally uploaded by Phil_Parker.
My carburettor is dead.

After a couple of weeks squirting cleaner through it I’ve had to accept defeat. It’s nearly right but not nearly enough. When I press the accelerator I want the engine to rev – not burble and die. I think the problem was due to muck in the accelerator pump but despite drilling out the outlet and making sure the check ball was free, the problem’s still there.

The cause is the stuff in the photo. A weird silt that built up in the bottom of the carb and all the passages. It’s obviously the residue of the muck that was in the petrol tank. Normally it would have flushed through but with the van off the road it solidified. It also ate its way into the metal with several stains on the body and ancillaries. The stuff in the pump fitting took some serious drilling to remove.

I obviously haven’t got all of it though. Since carb cleaner – a pretty vicious substance – won’t shift it I have to choose between spending lots more time cleaning or take the hit to my wallet and buy a new one. Of course I can’t guarantee this will fix the problem but the first cleaning improved the power a lot so I’m hoping a new carb will get my van on the road properly.

Fingers crossed.

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