The Beast I Drive Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Seriously, almost every car I own loves to play mind games with me and mess with my head. So I got my '80 Brat running good yesterday, nice and smooth, good power, ran good at all rpms, everything was perfect. Today, it ran great all day, until about 7:30 or 8. I was up driving the hills searchin for some wild hogs and it would not run for ************ at just off idle, so when i tried to creep it just sputtered and lurched (really annoying). So when I got home, I started checking it out. No vacuum leaks anywhere, I sprayed the whole manifold with carb cleaner. Timing is set at 8 BTD like it should be. So I liberally applied carb cleaner to the carb, like I did last night, which worked that time. This time it only seemed to make it worse. So I changed the fuel filter again, I just changed it last night, but it was already full of sediment... Nothing. So I pull the Weber and tear it down, clean it up real good, and re-assemble it... Ran worse than before. At this point Im seriously screaming WTF at the top of my lungs, wondering why this car wont cooperate with me, Ive done nothing wrong to this car (yet) and I like it alot. So I figure what the hell, Ill take it for a test drive. I try to creep out my driveway, and its doin the same thing it did before I started working on it tonight, so I decide to punch it and see what happens... OMG it somehow grew balls because it could give Turbone's RX a challenge Im like WTF did I do, it all of a sudden got REALLY quick... It loves WOT, and after a couple passes, it idles perfect again, and runs amazing it still doesnt like to creep very well, but it is a million times better now than it was this evening. I have no clue what I did that made the difference, its like punching the gas and redline shifting it a few times seems to have auto-tuned it into a race car... I just dont understand how something so simple can make things so difficult sometimes... Tomorrow I plan to adjust the valves, they are a bit noisy... So we will see what happens after that... Maybe I should just leave it alone and maybe it will be good to me Sorry for the rant, but I just had to get it out, this car has been mentally terrorizing me since the day I got it. I love it to death though, it must just be cranky old man syndrome on the part of the car -Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twitch de la Brat Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Seriously, almost every car I own loves to play mind games with me and mess with my head. So I got my '80 Brat running good yesterday, nice and smooth, good power, ran good at all rpms, everything was perfect. Today, it ran great all day, until about 7:30 or 8. I was up driving the hills searchin for some wild hogs and it would not run for ************ at just off idle, so when i tried to creep it just sputtered and lurched (really annoying). So when I got home, I started checking it out. No vacuum leaks anywhere, I sprayed the whole manifold with carb cleaner. Timing is set at 8 BTD like it should be. So I liberally applied carb cleaner to the carb, like I did last night, which worked that time. This time it only seemed to make it worse. So I changed the fuel filter again, I just changed it last night, but it was already full of sediment... Nothing. So I pull the Weber and tear it down, clean it up real good, and re-assemble it... Ran worse than before. At this point Im seriously screaming WTF at the top of my lungs, wondering why this car wont cooperate with me, Ive done nothing wrong to this car (yet) and I like it alot. So I figure what the hell, Ill take it for a test drive. I try to creep out my driveway, and its doin the same thing it did before I started working on it tonight, so I decide to punch it and see what happens... OMG it somehow grew balls because it could give Turbone's RX a challenge Im like WTF did I do, it all of a sudden got REALLY quick... It loves WOT, and after a couple passes, it idles perfect again, and runs amazing it still doesnt like to creep very well, but it is a million times better now than it was this evening. I have no clue what I did that made the difference, its like punching the gas and redline shifting it a few times seems to have auto-tuned it into a race car... I just dont understand how something so simple can make things so difficult sometimes... Tomorrow I plan to adjust the valves, they are a bit noisy... So we will see what happens after that... Maybe I should just leave it alone and maybe it will be good to me Sorry for the rant, but I just had to get it out, this car has been mentally terrorizing me since the day I got it. I love it to death though, it must just be cranky old man syndrome on the part of the car -Bill LMAO!!!!! Sorry, but I'm glad I let you play with that thing instead of me! Just as a warning, all of my cars seem to operate best at WOT. Not to mention they all have balls Gutless to the end, but if you gotta go, they will get you there. Enjoy! Twitch PS: I don't think it hates you, its just testing you to see if you're worthy of driving it. Nobody ever "owns" a BRAT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Beast I Drive Posted July 3, 2009 Author Share Posted July 3, 2009 Its a straight up love/hate relationship, with all my subies. Love the cars, hate the hell that they put me through trying to keep them alive and well The Beast- my first sube, first lift, first wheeler, so Ive had all kinds of Bull**** happen with that one... It never ends The RX... Yeah. We all know how that one turned out... My black Brat... I guess for a car that was once in a junkyard its in remarkably good shape... Doesnt burn oil but I get to replace lots of abused parts :-\ This Brat (rusty)- Got a flat on my trailor on the way home with it, for starters. Its been a money pit since then, I have over 350 buck just into the brakes!!!! the front calipers were 100 bucks each and so far Ive had to re-tune/diagnose the engine every other day this week, this would be the 3rd time so far... But I love it, it really reminds me that I do live on the reservation, I only really get the indian radio station in town and overall I love the car. But it loved to make me hate it :-\ My hatch was cool, till it made noises, so I... made it into another ongoing project Then theres my American cars The lincoln- Balls to the wall, when the trans doesnt slip... also has a strange electrical fault in the column... keeps the 4 ways kinda on all the time... Blew a 350 in my 73 pick up... rod is hangin out the oil pan... I also really liked that truck... My 63 chevy pick up runs great, has an awesome sound system, but the gas tank leaks and the brakes... need work, to say the least... My F-250 turned expensive real fast... eirgo it aint done yet... I could go on, but you get the idea... -Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Beast I Drive Posted July 3, 2009 Author Share Posted July 3, 2009 And dont get me wrong, I love to work on my cars,its what I live to do, but when i have done the same thing 3 times in 4 days, and fry my brain to solve a legitimate problem, and then it "magically" goes away after everything I try fails, its really frustrating.... On a side note, we did find a hog tonight, so that was pretty fun... -Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twitch de la Brat Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Well at least you're able to keep the things on the road (and only one has tried to kill you so far ) One thing I would recommend on that BRAT is to check out the fuel pump connection. It seemed somewhat corroded when I installed the pump. So maybe if you clean up that connection your idling/accelerating off of idle problem may be fixed. Also, I would check your fuel filer again. That tank sat for a few years, never know what made its way into that thing. Twitch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Beast I Drive Posted July 3, 2009 Author Share Posted July 3, 2009 Oh I know exactly whats up with the tank... Its got rusty silt in it BAD. I replaced your filter with a clear OEM replacement... 2 days ago, and it was full of rust tonight. So I replaced it with another one tonight. I got a bunch of NOS stuff from Robbie, so i have some extra filters... The fuel pump works fine, but It could be the alternator going bad, now that i think of it... had the same symptoms in other rigs when that happened... Oh well 100 amp swap is emminent... -Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ever Victorious Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Have you ever considered that you might just be too hard on the cars, and that's why they betray you? Et tu, Brute? In all seriousness, however... this is the risk you run when you play with old, cheap cars. You can get an idea of what kind of condition they're in, but you never fully know until you start driving them for a while. There was a point in my life (About when I turned 23) that I decided being able to turn on my car and not worry about it was more important than having money in my wallet (or, at least, the illusion... since said money was invariably going to fix my car) so at that point I started buying new or at the most slightly used cars as my daily driver. Yes, I love playing around with the BRAT... that being the key. It's a play car. I have another car to get me around without having to worry or think about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yo'J Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Naw, the newer is better ideology doesn't really work, look at your cast iron skillet or your grandmother. My DD is a lifted 82 wagon, about the $5grand mark they turn magically into reliable transpo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ever Victorious Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Naw' date=' the newer is better ideology doesn't really work, look at your cast iron skillet or your grandmother. My DD is a lifted 82 wagon, about the $5grand mark they turn magically into reliable transpo.[/quote'] Not a guarantee. Trust me, I've spent well OVER that on a couple old cars and they'd still randomly spew coolant or not turn over or (insert stupid problem here). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Beast I Drive Posted July 3, 2009 Author Share Posted July 3, 2009 I have no love for new cars... Period. Id love to have a police intercepror, and I almost did, but some B**** at the auction bought ALL 12 OF THEM!!!!! and they were all '03-04 models :mad: Other than a Police cruiser I really dont have any desire to own anything newer than 1987... I cant really say I was hard on Rusty before this stupid carb/running like crap problem started, now Ive been flogging it hard trying to make something happen... Not sure what, but I just want some kind of results... Even if its a rod sticking out of the block. I drove that Brat like an old lady until this. Yeah I beat the snot outa all my other cars... Offroaders cant be babied... Im just really annoyed with this Brat, its doing the same thing now as it was last night before I pulled the carb. I just filled up on new gas too. I think I might run up to Triangle auto and get me a rebuild kit, in the meantime Ill swap the Weber from the Beast onto it and see what happens And before ANYONE suggests it, there is no chance ever of this being EJ swapped or converted to FI of any kind. For 1, the EA71 is 1" narrower than an EA81, so SPFI manifold wont fit. EJ swap wont happen cuz its not worth it in this car and I dont want to notch the frame. I understand carbs, they are simple to me, and I have 4 or 5 webers here to mix and match. I can do that for almost nothing, except for my time. Im just irritated that nothing I do has gotten results. Hopefully adjusting the valves will help, Im letting the engine cool off and then its off to do that -Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyB0y Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 Yeah I hear ya! I put 3 weeks worth of work into my Brat and the thanks I get is not wanting to go into reverse! (I guess we now know the REAL reason they're called "Brats" ) I am a carb man too, and I think you have the right idea getting the kit and boiling it out. I think what your experiencing is more junk coming from the tank, idk how easy it is to clean and coat it, but maybe you might look at that option, or maybe someone makes an inexpensive OEM replacement tank? I used to clean and coat the insides of motorcycle tanks, but idk if that is available/practical for an automotive tank. Anyhow, good luck and I'm envious of your hunting wild hogs. I would love to be able to do that here in Oregon, but I hear there aren't too many left, and most of them are pretty far east? Once I get my clutch working right, I'm going to sight in my CZ Varmint Kevlar (.223) and test some hand-loads, and go find some trouble coyotes to thin out. Lotta people not too far from me are losing their pets left and right to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky92 Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 I wonder if your Brat was talking the the ghost or my evil XT6. Never failed.. a week or 2 before I wanted to do something with it ( show etc) ..something major would break. And it was always something I couldnt figure out. I sware you could here Rocky giggle too every time. But he finally got his..he is sitting in a fielf in upstate NY, last I heard, on his side. As for gas tank coating... I have been trying a new product on the market , and so far I LOVE it. http://www.KBS-Coatings.com They have a Fuel Tank Sealer kit. I like this product alot. I am using thier 3 step rust block/repair stuff, Its like POR-15 but cheaper...and comes in colors. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Beast I Drive Posted July 4, 2009 Author Share Posted July 4, 2009 Well, I didnt get around to rebuilding the carb today, but I got it running better but who knows how long THAT will last... I adjusted the valves, which did help a little, and I put in a second fuel filter on the pre-pump side, but then I decided to play with my carb some more and turns out I was running the idle jet just 1/2 turn too lean... Before I would get this really bad dead spot if I tried to push the throttle just past idle, like the accelerator pump was flooding out the motor or something, but now I dont have that... Distributer gonna have to be replace, starting to get a little bit of shaft play :-\ so Ill have to build me another one... It runs much better, but its still a little rough, but it creeps a lot better now still getting a lot of rust sediment in the filters... it builds up FAST As for the gas tank, I could pull it, clean it, and coat it, and I think it definitely needs it. I'll prolly pull a tank off one of my other Brats that dont run so i have less downtime, and get me some of that stuff Connie has tried... Would be cool to have a bladder made for it but again thats big bucks that would be well spent on something else... We take care of the Coyote problem out here too, my buddy's uncle owns a large portion of the rattlesnake hills as a ranch and he told us to get rid of any coyotes. Even gave my buddy a brand new Savage .223 with a glass bedded stock and adjustable trigger (and a crappy scope :-\) Yeeha -Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyB0y Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 Well, I didnt get around to rebuilding the carb today, but I got it running better but who knows how long THAT will last... I adjusted the valves, which did help a little, and I put in a second fuel filter on the pre-pump side, but then I decided to play with my carb some more and turns out I was running the idle jet just 1/2 turn too lean... Before I would get this really bad dead spot if I tried to push the throttle just past idle, like the accelerator pump was flooding out the motor or something, but now I dont have that... Distributer gonna have to be replace, starting to get a little bit of shaft play :-\ so Ill have to build me another one... It runs much better, but its still a little rough, but it creeps a lot better now still getting a lot of rust sediment in the filters... it builds up FAST As for the gas tank, I could pull it, clean it, and coat it, and I think it definitely needs it. I'll prolly pull a tank off one of my other Brats that dont run so i have less downtime, and get me some of that stuff Connie has tried... Would be cool to have a bladder made for it but again thats big bucks that would be well spent on something else... We take care of the Coyote problem out here too, my buddy's uncle owns a large portion of the rattlesnake hills as a ranch and he told us to get rid of any coyotes. Even gave my buddy a brand new Savage .223 with a glass bedded stock and adjustable trigger (and a crappy scope :-\) Yeeha -Bill Right on! Sounds like your on your way to getting that fixed, funny how one problem always leads to another, I swear it's like they multiply, kinda like when you think there's a rabbit or two around and next thing you're trying not to step on them! Wow! Your friend's Uncle is amazing ... does he need an adopted nephew?!! That's really funny about the nice rifle with the crap scope! You always want to do it the other way around, pay more for the scope as I'm sure you know, but my first deer hunt I had some old-timers teaching me, and they thought the only rifle to use HAD to have a bolt. They didn't like my .308 Saiga (Russian Sporterised AK action). I had just got out of the Air Force and I got it new by trading my Kimber .45 pistol. It's a "Evil Black Gun" :headbang:and isn't far from it's military roots, it's a Klasnikov action, but it's really tightened up! I regularly shoot sub MOA groups with it. :cool: But since it wasn't a bolt gun, they kept giving me crap about how less accurite it was going to be since it's a semi-auto, UNTILL everything I shot was a one-hit drop, buck at 220 yrds, doe at 180. And those poor guys had the worst luck! One's scope started going south (me thinks he had the "bargan scope" syndrome :-p ) and it would hit a target pretty decient then be off several inches another. I was also getting crap for the fixed 6X military scope it came with, they were telling me my limited field of view was going to make it too hard to find the game, and my sight picture would be too shakey. Well, the one with scope problems only managed to wound a doe at about 150yds (that really sucked, he was really upset that he had just hurt her instead of put her down humanely) and the other had to hit his buck 3-4 times b4 he dropped. Needless to say, I got the nick-name "Dead-eye Dayn" and NO ONE gave me crap about not having a bolt gun anymore! Oh and btw, my CZ? check it out: http://www.snipercentral.com/cz527.htm Hammer forged barrel, HS Precision Kevlar Synthetic Stock w/Aluminum bedding block, average trigger but it has a set trigger that is like budda! smooth and about 10 oz pull I'm guessing, so you only use it when your just about to shoot anyway, so no real safety issue unless your an idiot and carry it like that with a round in the chamber. If my Uncle gave me a sweet rifle for free with the "bargain" scope, I'd just spend a little cash on a deceint Burris or Leupold. I have a very nice Burris Varmint 6-18X scope with up to 500yrds then Infinite range settings. Got it used at the same place I bought the Saiga and I got full credit of the value of the Saiga against the price of some Swaravski Binoculars New. Man I miss that place, Missoula Mercantile and Pawn (Axeman South) just also happends to be the largest Gun store in Montana! Sorry for the hi-jack he he I am gearing up to hunt 'yotes and I am chomping at the bit to get my brat going so I can. P.S. how big was the wild hog you got? Good eating? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ever Victorious Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 I understand carbs, they are simple to me, and I have 4 or 5 webers here to mix and match. I can do that for almost nothing, except for my time. Quite the opposite for me. I hate carbs with a passion, always have. I have no patience for finicky equipment that goes out of tune for no reason other than you looked at it funny. Hell, I'd GIVE someone my EA81 with Weber if they'd EJ my BRAT for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.