BKiller

Holy crap. You guys make it sound like the Al Qaeda is going to use Starting fluid for its next big attack...
Replaced the 3 relays. Car fired right up. Don't know which one it was, don't care to find out.
Thanks for the help...

Bill Ball

Shhhsh. Don't let the enemy know how bad this stuff is. I think we'll see it used to immobilize America on the next episode of 24.

Anyway, glad to hear it was one of the relays. I thought you had already swapped/jumped all 3 of them. It's always relay, relay, relay until proven otherwise.

Drive on.

Until the next relay-related incident.

Charley B

I'm sure a case can be made against using starter fluids but I've been using them for 45 years with no ill effects. Just lucky I guess. Wonder how much longer I can count on that.

blown 87

Time to let this one die, if you have good luck with it then use it by all means.

SharkSkin

How do you know they aren't?

Bill51sdr

Just wait'll somebody reports a thrust bearing failure, you think this is bad!

dr bob

So starting fluid causes thrust bearing failures? Cool!

In my mini-superfund test site, I have three or four cans of starting fluid that have come to roost over the years. I never bought any of them, they just seem to 'show up' in cars I've handled.

So what do you use it for? In chem class in high school, a spray of it on the floor, wait a minute while it travelled around a little, pick the feet up out of the vapor then a flick-of-the-bic. Big blue slow-moving flame that disaapeared as fast as it showed up. It's a nice 'cool' flame so no damage past some melted stockings on the girls. Of course this is nothing that --I-- would ever do myself.

Bill Ball

Thanks, dr. bob. Now we all have something useful we can do with those cans of banned substance.

SharkSkin

FWIW, Berryman's B-12 will also run the car if there is spark, and it's nowhere near as explosive as ether. As a side benefit, it will clear gas-fouled plugs enough to run. Started many a flooded car this way in my AAA days.

Bill Ball

Thanks, Dave. That looks like a good alternative with no residue to coat the MAF wire as well.

Bill Ball

Uhoh. I looked at the composition of B12. It is 20-30% acetone. This would be potentially harmful to the plastics in the MAF throat. I'll bet the CRC MAF cleaner, which has no acetone, and is designed for MAFs would probably still be volatile enough for this purpose.

WallyP

You could also use starter fluid to inflate really big tires really quickly. Works way out in the boonies when you are desperate...

dr bob

BTDT with off-road run at very low pressure in the sand. Sometimes a bead would unseat if it wasn't screwed tight to the rim. A puff of something flammable, stand back and toss a match at it. The BOOM and the tire would be reseated in a second. Add some air, and off for more fun. I guess starting fluid would work. We often used a dribble (no more!) of gas. Using starting fluid for the air? That would be desperate unless you are going really slow with no heat generated in the tire. I guess it's right up there with the propane used in the flat-fix cans, still way better than freon.


Ah, the good old days! It's amazing that we survived them.

Imo000

What aobut the farmes that use propane as an AC refregerant intheir farm equipment. Has pretty much the same properties ans R12 with only a "minor" side effect!

SharkSkin

Very good to know. If I ever find myself in a position where I would be tempted to use B-12, and it's on a MAF-equipped car, I'll squirt it in through one of the manifold vac fittings instead of through the MAF -- or pull the MAF first.