[V8] problems solved.....well, SOME of them

[Roger M. Woodbury]

I've been remiss in not reporting that the roughness in the V8 that 
occurred during or right after its long slumber has been remedied.  I 
thought it might be a fouled plug and was all set to rip out the plugs 
and replace them. But the plugs aren't very old and were the correct 
Bosch plugs so I was a bit reluctant to do anything especially since the 
car was scheduled to go to the wrench for tires and a new inspection 
sticker in early May.  So the car went and after a bit the trouble with 
the roughness was located. One distributor cap was cracked. Now that 
makes me really pissed because both caps are quite new...as in less than 
45,000 miles...but now with the cap replaced the car SINGS!

The V8 is now (during the summer) the daily driver.  Three days a week I 
drive to Winterport to train with my powerlifting group. That's a thirty 
mile drive entirely on two lane, rural, hilly and twisty roads.  The 
vast majority of the time I encounter at most half a dozen other cars 
going either way the entire distance.  One of the roads that is 
wonderfully hilly has been freshly paved. The V8 LOVES that stretch!

My intermittent speedo is mostly working now.  Usually it will not work 
until I have covered two or three miles but then it works fine.  Tested 
and found the sending unit was getting signal so the only thing left is 
something annoying in the cluster.  For now I am not spending ten cents 
to chase the phantom.

But just when things were rosy, the car has developed an annoying 
sort-of skip in the rear axle under some acceleration. At first I 
thought it might be the half-shaft as it seemed to do it mostly when I 
turned left.  But several times I have experienced the sensation....it's 
a sort of shudder...upon acceleration going straight ahead.  It all 
appears when the car is in certain attitudes, such as steep climbing 
from a stop sign, then I feel this shudder in the rear.  I am worried it 
might be the torsen differential clutches or some draconian evil lurking 
back there. For now my plan is to go carefully and next spring when the 
car goes back to the wrench for it's inspection sticker, we'll chase 
that one.  Assuming it doesn't just stop someplace and leave me walking!

Roger