Re: [DML] rough week

["Walter Coe" <Whalt@xxxx>]

Kevin,

> Is there a market for plastic bottles in good
> shape?

I see them on eBay occasionally. I replaced mine, too, so I have a good
plastic one for sale -- 19K miles on it, no sun damage.

> Second-- the louvre doesn't like to open now.
<snip>
> I took off the plastic screen that secures the
> t-panel rear edge and it is extremely warped.

I get the feeling that everyone's screen warps -- some worse than others.

> Third-- the car wouldn't start and smelled flooded when I went out to
leave
> for lunch yesterday. It would start to turn over and cough along for a bit
> and if I hit the gas it would die. The engine wasn't exactly hot it had
been
> three+ hours since last run but it was almost 90 already. Does this sound
> like the hot-start problem? I've never experienced that and am not sure.

FYI, "turn over" means that the starter engaged and rotated the internals of
the engine. It does not mean that the engine is running.

A hot start problem is exactly as the name implies -- it won't start when
the engine is hot. Your engine was running albeit crappy, but it has
started, so this isn't a hot start problem. I have two suggestions on what
to look for: First check your thermo-time switch and make sure that it
isn't sticking in the 'hot' position. If it is stuck permanently on then it
will allow the cold start valve to fire for as long as the starter is
engaged. This could flood your engine if it doesn't start soon while cold.
And while hot, it needs even less fuel to get started, so it could really
flood. The second thing to check (according to my experience) is the
electrical connections to the warm-up regulator and frequency valve. They
could be corroded giving you an intermittent problem. Since your problem is
intermittent, that precludes being able to diagnose it when you have the
tools handy. If all else fails, you might want to install a permanent fuel
pressure gauge in the engine compartment so you can tell what is going on
during those rare problems.

> Fourth-- an orange wire w/ inline fuse in the relay compartment, out near
> the outside wall, looks all hot and melted.

I need a better description of this to know what you are talking about. The
stock configuration doesn't use any inline fuses that I am aware of. Is
there a color tracer on the wire?

> Sigh....

Yeah, but DeLoreans are cool. :-)

Walt