The blue coupe in the parking lot was from Quebec based on the plate.
Vintage at Saratoga 2013
- Thread starter Stan
- Start date
An adventure is best enjoyed when it is over
It was a glorious weekend at Saratoga and Lime Rock! The weather started out as a fine mist from Manchester NH through VT but the sun came out and the weekend turned out beautiful. John, Adam and I cruised together from NH.
The Great White had an issue where the engine would start bucking, sometimes backfire then smoooth out, or die. It dies once more as I entered the Saratoga museam lot and Rob the Hack Mechanic Segal was there and jumped into action
Diagnosing the problem as a fuel delivery issue and most likely vapor lock. Releasing any pressure seemed to work...for a while. The car drove beautifully until Lime Rock Park where it died repeatedly, almost denying me my parade laps, but I did manage to get one full lap in and as I pull out to park, Kaput. More frenzied work before lunch and it was running again.
On the way home I got to Great Barrington and
A BMW fan stopped and recommended a local shop. Domenic at AutoBahn sent a tow truck immediately (Hagerty paid), within 20 minutes it was on the lift. An hour or so later with a new fuel pump, I was off.
I wish to thank:
Lawrence Charlemange for coming to the parking lot at night to help diagnose
The Hack Mechanic for getting the car running at the museum
Larry Schwartz for the help getting my hood latch fixed (another story)
Andrew Wilson for pushing the car to the side of the road on the tour drive
John Dickey for staying with me until the fix was complete, missing atennis match where he was competing and driving escort on the rest of the way home "just in case"
And everyone else who stopped to offer help and encouragement!
It was a glorious weekend at Saratoga and Lime Rock! The weather started out as a fine mist from Manchester NH through VT but the sun came out and the weekend turned out beautiful. John, Adam and I cruised together from NH.
The Great White had an issue where the engine would start bucking, sometimes backfire then smoooth out, or die. It dies once more as I entered the Saratoga museam lot and Rob the Hack Mechanic Segal was there and jumped into action
Diagnosing the problem as a fuel delivery issue and most likely vapor lock. Releasing any pressure seemed to work...for a while. The car drove beautifully until Lime Rock Park where it died repeatedly, almost denying me my parade laps, but I did manage to get one full lap in and as I pull out to park, Kaput. More frenzied work before lunch and it was running again.
On the way home I got to Great Barrington and
A BMW fan stopped and recommended a local shop. Domenic at AutoBahn sent a tow truck immediately (Hagerty paid), within 20 minutes it was on the lift. An hour or so later with a new fuel pump, I was off.
I wish to thank:
Lawrence Charlemange for coming to the parking lot at night to help diagnose
The Hack Mechanic for getting the car running at the museum
Larry Schwartz for the help getting my hood latch fixed (another story)
Andrew Wilson for pushing the car to the side of the road on the tour drive
John Dickey for staying with me until the fix was complete, missing atennis match where he was competing and driving escort on the rest of the way home "just in case"
And everyone else who stopped to offer help and encouragement!
nealf
Well-Known Member
I'll drink to that!
I think you fellow coupe owners jinxed me for not driving my car to Saratoga. I too ended up on the back of a flatbed. After leaving at around 3pm and hitting tons of traffic on 87, I looked down and my temp gauge was pinning red. My friend in his euro '84 M6 and I waited, filled my radiator and drove another 15 minutes or so. He and I take different routes home so I gave him the "all ok" wave and we split up. No sooner did I look down and I was heating up again, 170+ miles from home. I knew I was never gonna make it so I called in a tow to a friends house in NJ, then he came with his trailer and we brought the car the rest of the way home to Philly. BTW, the AAA tow driver went over 80 miles in around an hour. I thought he was gonna flip the truck, Tii and all numerous times. He and I had a great rapport by the end of the trip. The best was when he said to me, "you know what they call me back at the shop?, Speedy Gonzalez"...he certainly was right...so I left Saratoga Springs at 3pm, and arrived home at close to midnight.
I think the culprit is a small coolant hose that cools the Kugelfischer pump during warmup. It is really hard to see where the coolant is spilling from I have not had a real good chance to look yet.
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j33/nealf2002/photo1_zps7ce678e6.jpg
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j33/nealf2002/photo2_zps770d7d0c.jpg
I think you fellow coupe owners jinxed me for not driving my car to Saratoga. I too ended up on the back of a flatbed. After leaving at around 3pm and hitting tons of traffic on 87, I looked down and my temp gauge was pinning red. My friend in his euro '84 M6 and I waited, filled my radiator and drove another 15 minutes or so. He and I take different routes home so I gave him the "all ok" wave and we split up. No sooner did I look down and I was heating up again, 170+ miles from home. I knew I was never gonna make it so I called in a tow to a friends house in NJ, then he came with his trailer and we brought the car the rest of the way home to Philly. BTW, the AAA tow driver went over 80 miles in around an hour. I thought he was gonna flip the truck, Tii and all numerous times. He and I had a great rapport by the end of the trip. The best was when he said to me, "you know what they call me back at the shop?, Speedy Gonzalez"...he certainly was right...so I left Saratoga Springs at 3pm, and arrived home at close to midnight.
I think the culprit is a small coolant hose that cools the Kugelfischer pump during warmup. It is really hard to see where the coolant is spilling from I have not had a real good chance to look yet.
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j33/nealf2002/photo1_zps7ce678e6.jpg
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j33/nealf2002/photo2_zps770d7d0c.jpg
Good to hear we all got home in one piece (more of less). I was also starting to overheat with all the leaf peeper traffic... the car, too.
Herr Doktor Siegel sieht wie ein verruckter Wissenschaftler mit seinem Latzhose auf Tyvek! (in my bad german)
Herr Doktor Siegel sieht wie ein verruckter Wissenschaftler mit seinem Latzhose auf Tyvek! (in my bad german)
To paraphrase the Hack Mechanic re: coolant hoses, if they're too hard or too soft to the touch, replace them!
Glad you made it home OK Neal, despite the inconvenience...
thehackmechanic
Well-Known Member
Sorry I got it wrong, Stan...
Stan, I am so sorry I got it wrong with your car, or at least didn't get it completely right. The problem was that you had no gas in the float bowls because of inadequate fuel delivery. When I pulled the hose off the T going from the fuel pump to both carbs, it WHOOOOSHED off pressure, which seemed to me like vapor lock. I was chatting with Andrew Wilson on FB about this, and he thought it might have been porous hoses letting in air. In the past, when I've had problems with porous hoses letting air through and not letting the fuel pump suck gas into the float bowls, the problem has been the opposite -- NO buildup of pressure. When I then had you turn the key and I shoved the hose end into a water bottle, the pump did pump gas, but not a lot. Initially I thought, well that's wrong, but then I remembered, it's a carbureted car, not a FI car, the fuel pump pressure is pretty low, it just dribbles gas into the float bowls. In retrospect, if replacing the FP fixed the problem, that means I got it wrong. Sorry I didn't nail it completely correctly.
But hey, my Tyvek suit DID match your paint perfectly.
Stan, I am so sorry I got it wrong with your car, or at least didn't get it completely right. The problem was that you had no gas in the float bowls because of inadequate fuel delivery. When I pulled the hose off the T going from the fuel pump to both carbs, it WHOOOOSHED off pressure, which seemed to me like vapor lock. I was chatting with Andrew Wilson on FB about this, and he thought it might have been porous hoses letting in air. In the past, when I've had problems with porous hoses letting air through and not letting the fuel pump suck gas into the float bowls, the problem has been the opposite -- NO buildup of pressure. When I then had you turn the key and I shoved the hose end into a water bottle, the pump did pump gas, but not a lot. Initially I thought, well that's wrong, but then I remembered, it's a carbureted car, not a FI car, the fuel pump pressure is pretty low, it just dribbles gas into the float bowls. In retrospect, if replacing the FP fixed the problem, that means I got it wrong. Sorry I didn't nail it completely correctly.
But hey, my Tyvek suit DID match your paint perfectly.
Heck I breathe a sigh of relief when I get back from Starbucks ok! I carry a spare fuel pump and ignition tidbits (and some duct tape for a hose repair) under the spare tire just in case.
Glad you guys made it back to your respective hangars ok. And yes, impressive Tyvek suit and gloves!
Glad you guys made it back to your respective hangars ok. And yes, impressive Tyvek suit and gloves!
thehackmechanic
Well-Known Member
Tyvek
Why anyone would travel any further than around the block in a vintage car without a Tyvek suit and latex gloves is beyond me
Why anyone would travel any further than around the block in a vintage car without a Tyvek suit and latex gloves is beyond me
emergency kit
tyvek suit
rubber gloves
fuel filter (closest to fuel tank)
clear filter (so you can visualize gas flow)
fuel pump
?spare Pertronix?
water pump
alternator
tyvek suit
rubber gloves
fuel filter (closest to fuel tank)
clear filter (so you can visualize gas flow)
fuel pump
?spare Pertronix?
water pump
alternator
Coil
Condenser
Points
Distributor cap
Paper towels
Micro fiber cloths
Bug and tar remover
Glass cleaner
Fuses
2 quarts of 20w/50
iconoclast6
Well-Known Member
Great that there were a number of resources available. I had the exact issue 2 years ago that knocked my Agave out of a trip to Vintage at the Vinyards.
Glad you and the coupe are ok and that this episode is over Stan.
I think the listed emergency kit contents will be standard issue for travel ...anywhere beyond around the block...
Glad you and the coupe are ok and that this episode is over Stan.
I think the listed emergency kit contents will be standard issue for travel ...anywhere beyond around the block...
TREMK
Well-Known Member
Nice to meet everyone
I finally got on to the E9 site with the help of Stan, HBchris and Dan. Thanks to all. It was good to meet all of you at Saratoga. Mike & Cathy with the Riviera Blue coupe.
I finally got on to the E9 site with the help of Stan, HBchris and Dan. Thanks to all. It was good to meet all of you at Saratoga. Mike & Cathy with the Riviera Blue coupe.
It was a glorious weekend at Saratoga and Lime Rock! The weather started out as a fine mist from Manchester NH through VT but the sun came out and the weekend turned out beautiful. John, Adam and I cruised together from NH.
The Great White had an issue where the engine would start bucking, sometimes backfire then smoooth out, or die. It dies once more as I entered the Saratoga museam lot and Rob the Hack Mechanic Segal was there and jumped into action
Diagnosing the problem as a fuel delivery issue and most likely vapor lock. Releasing any pressure seemed to work...for a while. The car drove beautifully until Lime Rock Park where it died repeatedly, almost denying me my parade laps, but I did manage to get one full lap in and as I pull out to park, Kaput. More frenzied work before lunch and it was running again.
On the way home I got to Great Barrington and
A BMW fan stopped and recommended a local shop. Domenic at AutoBahn sent a tow truck immediately (Hagerty paid), within 20 minutes it was on the lift. An hour or so later with a new fuel pump, I was off.
I wish to thank:
Lawrence Charlemange for coming to the parking lot at night to help diagnose
The Hack Mechanic for getting the car running at the museum
Larry Schwartz for the help getting my hood latch fixed (another story)
Andrew Wilson for pushing the car to the side of the road on the tour drive
John Dickey for staying with me until the fix was complete, missing atennis match where he was competing and driving escort on the rest of the way home "just in case"
And everyone else who stopped to offer help and encouragement!
Stan, was it vapor lock, the fuel pump, or both?
Hi Mike. Hope to see you at New Hope next year...
Great to meet you too. Beautiful color on you car. If you or Cathy is on Facebook I've started a Nor'E9ers group, would like you to join.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/192645964253711/
I was the Fjord parked next to you.
iconoclast6
Well-Known Member
"I finally got on to the E9 site with the help of Stan, HBchris and Dan. Thanks to all. It was good to meet all of you at Saratoga. Mike & Cathy with the Riviera Blue coupe."
Welcome aboard Mike. Good to meet you and Cathy. Yours is the only Riviera e9 I've ever seen. It looks great....
Welcome aboard Mike. Good to meet you and Cathy. Yours is the only Riviera e9 I've ever seen. It looks great....
Auto Bahn
Also, I can recommend Dominic at AutoBahn in Great Barrington, should the unfortunate befall another E9...
Also, I can recommend Dominic at AutoBahn in Great Barrington, should the unfortunate befall another E9...
I came back from lunch late Sunday p.m. with Steve O'Neill, Len S. (and his most generous, entertaining and car-knowledgeable father) and Len's 3.0CS was the only car left in the area where the coupes were parked. I couldn't take my eyes off of Len's E9 sitting there by itself. Our coupes are truly amongst the most beautiful cars ever produced.
TREMK
Well-Known Member
I second that on Lens dad, we talked to him for over a hour. His passion for life, cars and any topic is inspiring. Stories of the Mille Miglia and Enzo Ferrari. At that time he was just some guy we were racing. Hopefully I'll have half his energy. If I do now? Mike