notjustair
Well-known Member
So after much tinkering I finally get my (grandpas) 1935 Chevy truck started today. She runs very well for not running for 30 years and not having the best mechanical care the thirty years prior. I rebuilt the carb and fuel system but didn't check the timing or anything yet. That's where the fireworks come in.
I fired it up in the machine shed and pulled it out lest it burst into flames or something. I have this odd thing about that when I've just rebuilt an engine or started something after a long rest. All of my years working on air cooled VW's made me cautious. It was just about dusk and I noticed sparks coming from the exhaust. It's just a straight pipe as the muffler left sometime in the 70's and didn't seem necessary for feeding cattle. Of course I was a tad concerned because the fuel tank is right above that straight pipe (under the seat). So I let the old girl idle there for about 15 minutes and she continues this sparking business. Not like a sparkler but about like mig welding. My first thought is a nest in there, but it isn't bits of flaming material - it's like slag. I immediately think carbon buildup. Did I mention my uncle never changed the oil in the 30 years he drove it everyday?
The thing is, it never stopped. I drove it about a quarter mile down the road and when I got back I got a "talking to" from the wife about how I WAS NOT driving that truck again until I sorted that out because there were "millions" of sparks up and down the road.
Could carbon buildup take that long to burn off? She was still sparking when I shut it down after 30 minutes. The thermostat had opened many times and it was at full temp for quite a while.
I fired it up in the machine shed and pulled it out lest it burst into flames or something. I have this odd thing about that when I've just rebuilt an engine or started something after a long rest. All of my years working on air cooled VW's made me cautious. It was just about dusk and I noticed sparks coming from the exhaust. It's just a straight pipe as the muffler left sometime in the 70's and didn't seem necessary for feeding cattle. Of course I was a tad concerned because the fuel tank is right above that straight pipe (under the seat). So I let the old girl idle there for about 15 minutes and she continues this sparking business. Not like a sparkler but about like mig welding. My first thought is a nest in there, but it isn't bits of flaming material - it's like slag. I immediately think carbon buildup. Did I mention my uncle never changed the oil in the 30 years he drove it everyday?
The thing is, it never stopped. I drove it about a quarter mile down the road and when I got back I got a "talking to" from the wife about how I WAS NOT driving that truck again until I sorted that out because there were "millions" of sparks up and down the road.
Could carbon buildup take that long to burn off? She was still sparking when I shut it down after 30 minutes. The thermostat had opened many times and it was at full temp for quite a while.