soth122003

Hey Jeff, Not all the time. Think thermal dynamics. Cold, there is no brake heat build up and transfer from the drums to the pads and to the wheel cylinders to the fluid. Also the fluid could slowly come back through the line. But when the wheels are rolling at speed and brakes are used, heat will build up. This heat can transfer and cause the fluid to expand. Not a billion degrees or so, but 30-40 degrees can make a big difference. Plus he said it only happens to the rear wheels. If he has a single MC and the front brakes are fine, then the flex hose is the only thing I can think of that would cause his problem. The only other thing I can think of is an obstruction in the T-block, but that is a rare happenstance. Might try a pressure gage on the rear flex lines, that way he'll know for sure. Joe This is just my opinion, and you know what they say about those.

Winner winner chicken dinner. The flex hose at the drum is about the only component that will cause the brake pedal to harden and hold the brake. It swells closed on the inside, but using the brake will force fluid thru it, but the fluid can not return because the return spring on the brake is not strong enough to overcome the obstruted line. This can happen on just one wheel or two or three or even all four. If you find this to be the case, replace all the flex lines, because at this point, it's just a matter of time before the rest go. Joe

Good catch Shel, I should have thought of that. Hey Jersey, Look down the carb throat and pump the gas. Does it spray into the throat? If not it's like Shel said, the accelerator pump skirt is dried out. Also when you take the top of the carb off, Spray carb cleaner on all the passages and internal linkage. A one barrel carb is a simple animal and very easy to work on. Just don't loose the check balls. There are two. A small one under the accelerator pump held in place with a clip and a larger one under a brass cap next to the acc pump. Joe

As far as your carb goes, pull it and clean it. You can usually do this and not need to replace the gasket right away if your careful. If not the a rebuild kit is only about $25 bucks. Then I would check the fuel pump. If it aint pumping you aint runing that car. What you can do in the meantime is make an IV bottle and connect it to the carb. This way you can run the engine for testing and see if the fuel pump will pump. If the fuel pump is not working, Pull the fuel line to the pump and pull the line at the tank then blow a bit of compressed air to the tank side to clear out any gunk in the lines. You might also want to shoot a little air into the line at the tank to make sure it is clear. Make sure the fuel cap is off before you do this. Joe

Should get you in the ballpark. Joe Just added a color one for you as well. Joe

I went to Carquest and got the cable and end lugs. They also had the solder plugs. Put the end lugs in a vice, put the solder plug in, apply heat until melted and then put the cable end in, let the solder wick into the cable, remove heat and let cool. I think it was about $25 or $30 bucks to make the cable from the battery to the solenoid and then from the solenoid to the starter. Joe

Laynrubber, The problem with it facing forward is it will be a ram air induction of crap from the road and forced into the filter material by the fan. With it facing backwards you draft the air out by the fan blowing past it and creating a venturi effect. Joe

I did a partial rewire. One wire at a time. It's a little time consuming, but as a comdeian once said, "anywhere is with in walking distance if you have the time". Joe

Since you said the car was garage kept and the oil was still golden, clean the valves and head area. Then drain the oil and the strain it though some cheese cloth then reuse the oil with about 1/2 a quart of Seafoam engine cleaner. Then start the engine, and do the initial tests, set timing, check for leaks, set the carb, etc. That way any crud left in the engine should be circulated thru and the engine components will be cleaned with fairly clean oil and the Seafoam will clean and flush those hard to get areas. Then when all is said and done, change the oil prior to using the car full time. This will save you from changing the oil a 2nd time in a short period. Joe

Amazon also has the service manuals fairly cheap. They are repo's, but they are accurate. Joe

Sorry to hear about your illness Don. I do hope you can weather this. Your posts have been humorous and thought provoking (as wel as just plain provoking sometimes) but it is always a shame when you have to let go of something you really care about due to problems in life. I truly hope you kick this thing. Best wishes, Joe

If your engine was completlely sealed, I would say no problem. But theses engines have vented caps, downdraft tubes and a non sealed dipstick that will let moisture and other contaminaints in. So change the oil before starting and then, if the engine turns by hand, motor it for a few minutes to build up oil pressure and lube the engine prior to running it. Joe

You might also try wiperman.com. He sells blades and arms and other sorted Trico parts for older cars. Joe

Most brake systems I've worked on recommend flushing every two years. Joe

Hey White Spyder, Don't know if this will help or not. You might try spraying the innards with some WD then clean it with electrical contact cleaner. The parts inside may just be gunked up. Joe

VFFFrank Well I hear this alot on this site and in your case it proved true. 90% of electrical problems are the carb, and 90% of the carb problems are electrical. But I do know what you mean. My P-15 is giving me static now. I drove it to the end of the street and it just died. Since I was on my way to work, got my step-son to help tow it home and went to work. Got home that night, it started right up and now I can't find the problem. It will start and idle fine in the driveway for hours, but when I hit the road it stutters some times and makes me nervous. Like you, I believe the culprit is the coil but I'm not sure. Joe

The H.F. test kit has the short tips and comes with 3 different adapter for spark plug size. Joe

Hey Bingster, Harbor Freight, $30.00. Joe

Mine reads about 1/2 a tank with key on, and empty with key off. Manual says the #2 post is grounded out. Checked the sending unit with a meter and its reading 0 ohms empty or full. Sucks cause I put in about a year and half ago. Joe

If you pull the floor to get the M/C out, then why not hone the M/C bore replace the seals and give it a whirl. The only thing you be out is about a 1/2 of labor. Joe

Hey John, Welcome to the forum. Like the car and you're one of the few that I've seen to have a complete horn ring. Your right about the 230. It is smooth and cruises really well at about 60 mph. I keep mine at about 55 most of the time due to engine noise. (still working on the interior to sound-proof the cab). Anywho welcome and have fun with the forum. The fellows here really have a lot of knowledge and can be opionated, but they have been really helpful. Joe

Thanks Shel, I knew it had a 6 in the measurement. I just had fractions on the brain. Joe

Hey Cerick, I/ve got the same deal on my brakes. Chances are your back brake shoes are not adjusted right. The bottom line is your shoes, when adjusted properly, are only about 1/16 of an inch from the drum. If any shoe is more than that, it takes more fluid to move the piston on the wheel cylinder further out to take up the space between the shoe and the drum. Your Master cylinder only moves so much fluid per push of the brake pedal. When the brakes are adjusted right it will only take about 1/4 to 1/3 of pedal to have firm brakes. The reason after 10 seconds or so you have to pump again is because the brake shoe return springs pull the shoe back to the full retract position. The fronts on my P-15, I can dial right in. The back brakes need the AMCO tool to do it right. The fronts can be adjusted easily because taking the drum off is easy and you can adjust the major and minor with very little trouble, but the back needs a puller to remove the drum and then you adjust the major adjustment and re-install the drum then adjust the minor adjustment. Because the cars only had the single master cylinder, the pressure will only be firm on the first pump when all shoes are in adjustment. My back shoes are out just enough to require 2 pumps for a firm high pedal. So I drive really conservative. I would anyway so some clown doesn't plow into me or me into them from them not paying attention. Joe

Glad to see you got it running good. I see you mentioned it has been setting for about 30 years. The old girls need their exercise and some prune juice. I mentioned in a previous post to use about 1/2 a quart of seafoam in the oil. When you set the valves was it kinda gunked up in there or was it clean? Try the seafoam and it may clear the tick. As far as the oil pressure, the book says from 20-40 psi is good. If you're using a 10-30 oil you pressure will be about 20-30psi hot. A straight 30 weight oil will run at about 30-40psi. Joe

Are the timming marks on the damper in line with TDC on the #1 piston? If you have a 17-19 reading on the vacuum gage and idle is good, then I would suspect the timming marks. What is your idle speed currently?