the break down in Barstow
08-03-2005, 02:05 PM
#1
The Hoffinator
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the break down in Barstow
well this years cross country trip is not with out incident. all was fine until i hit Beaver, Utah about 200 miles north of vegas. filled up with gas, came out from the gas station.. wanted to run extremely rough, hardely didnt want to go under load and was just popping and spitting. pulled right over and... grey smoke.. black smoke.. FLAMES. 
my drivers side carburator caught on fire. i quickly put it out with halon... everyone should cary around halon. fire went out in no time. aside from one really gnarly air cleaner, and some singed dynomat no one can really tell what happened.,
called the 912 gurus for advise. they told me if i take off the ar cleaner (k&N) i shoudl be able to limp onwoards. so i did.. made it to vegas. there was a registryt member willing to lend me a spare solex to get to so cal. the registry is filled ith the nicest peop;le who are alwatys wiling to help out
btw.. my carb was fried. venturi's were melted, velocity stacks were hardly there and warped and messed up from the flames. pics can be seen here http://www.912bbs.org/index.php?a=thread&p=105371
so.. i drive onwards.. go through the mojave.. running worse, figure it has to be this mystery carb and god knows what jets or what condition its in.. next thing i know, it doesnt wa to go under power. broken down in barstow
try anything i can think of -nadda. get towed to an auto parts store. ask for a bosh blue coil.
clerk: eh.. what kinda cars that go to.
me: (thinking ok, i know how this game works.. they wont know a 912 from a hole in their head.. it uses a vw coil so lets roll with it) VOLKSWAGEN!
clerk: eh.. what year?
me: any year, pick a year, its bosch, its blue, its a coil, gives spark, its the most common and simple part in the world. got it? (i was pissed, i stood in the hot dester sun at noon for 30 mins trying to figure out what happened and then another hour waiting on a tow truck that cost me 150 to get towed off the freeway to a store 2 blocks away.. so yeah i snapped at him. i later did appologizeand explained my tale of woe and wunderbar to him. he was cool)
he went to his sup. he knew exactly what i was looking for (yes on thr right track now!).,..
Supervisor: you mean a blue coil for like a 70 beetle
me: YES!!!
supervisor: dont cary bosch..
me thinking: [DOH!!!!]
me: do you have an equivalent!?!?
yes.. here ya go.
i get some crappy oil filed coil. put it on. it firews, but wont cary a load and quickly dies.
long story short. i get towed from barstow to santa ana [over $500] to jeff trasks house. he is one the the board of directors for the 912 reg. from there i get towed again to Jack Staggs! NOW WE"RE GETTING SOMEWHERE!!
Kerry at jacks shop looks at it.. distributor clamp was messed up.. looks like the dist is loose.. he turns teh dist.. starts the car, drives into the garage
cause of probs:
dist clamp was boogered up wouldnt tighten al the way. the dist wa;lked itself retarded.. made car run like ***, carb filledw/ gas, backfired and boom.. fames.
going through barstow, the dist just got too retarded to run.
Kerry at Jack STaggs shop rebuilt my burnt carb usuing parts they had, fixed the dist clamp, and got me back on the road, minus one air cleaner..
runs like a champ now.
just need an air cleaner.
when in doubt..
Keep the faith
Harry
ps
maybe i should have known somthing bad was going to happen when i saw a 'murphy's gas' outside of dayton ohio on the way west. yes.. that ws the name of teh gas station... even have a pic to prove it, just not on here
my drivers side carburator caught on fire. i quickly put it out with halon... everyone should cary around halon. fire went out in no time. aside from one really gnarly air cleaner, and some singed dynomat no one can really tell what happened.,
called the 912 gurus for advise. they told me if i take off the ar cleaner (k&N) i shoudl be able to limp onwoards. so i did.. made it to vegas. there was a registryt member willing to lend me a spare solex to get to so cal. the registry is filled ith the nicest peop;le who are alwatys wiling to help out
btw.. my carb was fried. venturi's were melted, velocity stacks were hardly there and warped and messed up from the flames. pics can be seen here http://www.912bbs.org/index.php?a=thread&p=105371
so.. i drive onwards.. go through the mojave.. running worse, figure it has to be this mystery carb and god knows what jets or what condition its in.. next thing i know, it doesnt wa to go under power. broken down in barstow
try anything i can think of -nadda. get towed to an auto parts store. ask for a bosh blue coil.
clerk: eh.. what kinda cars that go to.
me: (thinking ok, i know how this game works.. they wont know a 912 from a hole in their head.. it uses a vw coil so lets roll with it) VOLKSWAGEN!
clerk: eh.. what year?
me: any year, pick a year, its bosch, its blue, its a coil, gives spark, its the most common and simple part in the world. got it? (i was pissed, i stood in the hot dester sun at noon for 30 mins trying to figure out what happened and then another hour waiting on a tow truck that cost me 150 to get towed off the freeway to a store 2 blocks away.. so yeah i snapped at him. i later did appologizeand explained my tale of woe and wunderbar to him. he was cool)
he went to his sup. he knew exactly what i was looking for (yes on thr right track now!).,..
Supervisor: you mean a blue coil for like a 70 beetle
me: YES!!!
supervisor: dont cary bosch..
me thinking: [DOH!!!!]
me: do you have an equivalent!?!?
yes.. here ya go.
i get some crappy oil filed coil. put it on. it firews, but wont cary a load and quickly dies.
long story short. i get towed from barstow to santa ana [over $500] to jeff trasks house. he is one the the board of directors for the 912 reg. from there i get towed again to Jack Staggs! NOW WE"RE GETTING SOMEWHERE!!
Kerry at jacks shop looks at it.. distributor clamp was messed up.. looks like the dist is loose.. he turns teh dist.. starts the car, drives into the garage
cause of probs:
dist clamp was boogered up wouldnt tighten al the way. the dist wa;lked itself retarded.. made car run like ***, carb filledw/ gas, backfired and boom.. fames.
going through barstow, the dist just got too retarded to run.
Kerry at Jack STaggs shop rebuilt my burnt carb usuing parts they had, fixed the dist clamp, and got me back on the road, minus one air cleaner..
runs like a champ now.
just need an air cleaner. when in doubt..
Keep the faith
Harry
ps
maybe i should have known somthing bad was going to happen when i saw a 'murphy's gas' outside of dayton ohio on the way west. yes.. that ws the name of teh gas station... even have a pic to prove it, just not on here
Last edited by hoffman912; 08-03-2005 at 04:01 PM.
08-03-2005, 11:12 PM
#3
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Harry...
I think you just should stay the heck away from California. Your 912 trying to tell you something!!! Listen to it!
Hey, look at the bright side..... at least it wasn't in Amarillo!!!
Glad you are on the road again. Can't wait to see you AND your car HERE in R Can Saw in Novemeber! YOU PROMISED!!!!!! Anyway, have a blast in Cali. I know you will. You always do, no matter what, don't you?? Keep us posted, okay?
Hugs, JoAnne
PS: Murphy gas??? They are all over the South and just about anywhere you see a WalMart. Cheapest gas in town. $2.15 Gallon
I think you just should stay the heck away from California. Your 912 trying to tell you something!!! Listen to it!
Hey, look at the bright side..... at least it wasn't in Amarillo!!!
Glad you are on the road again. Can't wait to see you AND your car HERE in R Can Saw in Novemeber! YOU PROMISED!!!!!! Anyway, have a blast in Cali. I know you will. You always do, no matter what, don't you?? Keep us posted, okay?
Hugs, JoAnne
PS: Murphy gas??? They are all over the South and just about anywhere you see a WalMart. Cheapest gas in town. $2.15 Gallon
08-04-2005, 10:30 AM
#4
Harry - glad all is safe.
If it makes you feel better, I had my 050 take a walk into retard land 2 years ago on Ferry P's birthday. Car hasn't run right since, and I've not had time to really play with it. I didn't catch fire though...
If it makes you feel better, I had my 050 take a walk into retard land 2 years ago on Ferry P's birthday. Car hasn't run right since, and I've not had time to really play with it. I didn't catch fire though...
08-04-2005, 10:40 AM
#5
Drifting
Hi Harry...the heat is on when you hit Beaver! ;- )
Good to know you're safe...
By the way I went to Beaver once...actually I was driving to Salt Lake City for a business meeting and I was wearing a dark grey suit and a pink shirt...I went to this diner to have breakfast and the waitress was staring at me as I was from another planet...weird city! Well...this was late 80s, probably with the Internet and everything, they are a little bit more civilized by now...
Keep the faith Harry...
Good to know you're safe...
By the way I went to Beaver once...actually I was driving to Salt Lake City for a business meeting and I was wearing a dark grey suit and a pink shirt...I went to this diner to have breakfast and the waitress was staring at me as I was from another planet...weird city! Well...this was late 80s, probably with the Internet and everything, they are a little bit more civilized by now...
Keep the faith Harry...
08-10-2005, 05:44 PM
#7
The Hoffinator
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eh not quite.
800 total towing costs so far. been to 3 different shops and its still not running right. i will leave a shop, drive a day or two and then it acts like crap again. it will act like its running on only two, then ill rev the **** out of it, and it will clear up. blew an exhaust gasket too revving the iss out of it to clear what ever it is up. i started the trip with $2800. ive already had to get 700 wired out of my account just to have enugh to make it home, baring another break down or stop at a mechanic. ps, i be in Marysville, CA just north of Sacramento
800 total towing costs so far. been to 3 different shops and its still not running right. i will leave a shop, drive a day or two and then it acts like crap again. it will act like its running on only two, then ill rev the **** out of it, and it will clear up. blew an exhaust gasket too revving the iss out of it to clear what ever it is up. i started the trip with $2800. ive already had to get 700 wired out of my account just to have enugh to make it home, baring another break down or stop at a mechanic. ps, i be in Marysville, CA just north of Sacramento
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08-11-2005, 05:43 PM
#8
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Harry I swear, STAY AWAAAAAAY from California!!!!
Shoot, I feel so bad for you man.
HOWEVER, if you don't come to Hot Springs this November I'll cream you!!!! I'll think you don't like us anymore!!!
Seriously, Be careful and please keep us posted!
JoAnne
Shoot, I feel so bad for you man.
HOWEVER, if you don't come to Hot Springs this November I'll cream you!!!! I'll think you don't like us anymore!!!
Seriously, Be careful and please keep us posted!
JoAnne