this is what I get for not driving it enough...

[Joshua van Tol]

Sounds like a bad fuel pump to me, but to know absolutely for sure  
would require a test light connected at the pump (to make sure the  
pump relay isn't dying) and a pressure gauge. On the other hand, if  
you've got over 100k, it's probably best to just replace it on  
general principles anyway.


On Sep 4, 2007, at 4:35 PM, Steve Marinello wrote:

> It has probably been close to three months since I pulled the urq out
> for a run.  I had put a new battery in a week or so before the last  
> run,
> after Houston heat seemed to have killed the five year old  
> DieHard.  So,
> this time I turned the key and half expected it would  have  
> discharged,
> which it had, but the lights were all on and I thought I'd jump it
> instead of charging.  It fired right up.
>
> Headed out with the 'now with permit' 15 year old son and just ran
> around for maybe 40 minutes on the back roads.  No good turns and no
> hills...I miss Colorado!  In any case, just after after tuning to  
> catch
> a state highway 4-lane to take us to I10 for a final blast, all the
> engine starts to shut down.  Instruments on, but the tach is going  
> home
> to bed and giving it gas isn't doing anything.  So, it dies and we  
> coast
> along a bit, but after letting everyone else getting on the onramp  
> pass,
> we're still rolling and judicious 2nd gear clutch work has us  
> restarted
> and going again.  Hmmm...  I put it away with a full tank of Chevron
> Supreme, but in the humidity and heat of Houston, must have picked  
> up or
> freed something in the fuel.  We roll out and all seems fine, until a
> few miles later, at, of course, the stop light before getting on I10.
> We've been sitting a couple of minutes and the tach suddenly drops,  
> but
> I catch it with some more gas to keep it going.  Of course, this time,
> I'm stuck behind a semi in the left lane that wants to be in the right
> lane and I'm just blipping that throttle trying to keep it alive in
> traffic.  As the light turns green and we start rolling, it decides  
> it's
> going to shut down again.  Geez!  Luckily, there's a U-turn turnaround
> that I manage to coast into and out of traffic.  Wide eyes on the kid
> this time.  "Dad, we can't get on the freeway with this!!!  What if it
> dies at 80 mph?!"  Umm, you deal with it?  Anyway, while he freaks a
> bit, I let it sit a bit and wait about a minute.  Turn the key; it  
> fires
> belches, and pops out the tail pipe as I pull away...and there hasn't
> been anything since.  Made it home, on surface roads, while I  
> explained
> to my son that I would have been better off on the highway where there
> was a shoulder and plenty of people than on a two land back road where
> there isn't even a shoulder.  Glad I didn't need the cell phone.
>
> Anyway, you think it was just something in the fuel system from  
> sitting
> that got me, or should I check something more as soon as I get a
> chance?  I really wish I could figure out how to afford the time and
> money to flat bed it to Denver to have Bill Darling give it a once  
> over
> and install my rally spoiler that has been 'borrowed' for several  
> years
> and then flatbed it along with his cars to Sears Point for  
> Nationals in
> October...but I haven't figured that one out yet.  And unfortunately,
> the kid can't get his license until mid-December.  Otherwise, it would
> be an absolute, just do it, sort of thing.  Ahh, I bet I still  
> couldn't
> beat my old times in the GT6 from my college days.
>
> Let me know what you think,
>
> Steve
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