Break down on the road

[Fred Zwicker]

Have you ever been driving one of your antique cars with your wife in the car and broken down, or driving one of your antique cars and having her follow you and broken down?

Well it happened (again) today - third time in one year! Here are my experiences in late 2011 and 2012 so far, and the year isn't over yet.

1) Last summer we were going for a drive in our '47 Ford Convertible and stopped for gas. After putting in 10 gallons of gas, we were talking to a couple of old guys (younger than me, but old guys). They were admiring the car and commenting on how nice the flathead engine sounded. The car was idling at the pump. Suddenly, for no reason, it stopped running and would not start. The one guy drove me home to get my insurance card for a tow and brought me back 15 minutes later. Just for the heck of it I tried to start the car and it fired right up and we drove it home. Old Ford flatheads often have coil problems when they get old and when the coil heats up, the car stops running. So I sent the coil to Skip Haney in FL for rebuilding. I later reinstalled the coil and the Ford is now running perfecftly. Problem solved, but my wife hasn't ridden in the '47 Ford since!

2) Later last summer I was driving the my 1958 Continental home and wife was following me. The car suddenly stopped as if it ran out of gas. I coasted part way into a driveway (uphill) and the rear end was sticking out about half way into the right hand lane of a 2 lane country road with quite a bit of 50 mph traffic. To complicate matters it was getting dark. My wife was directly behind the Lincoln with the 4-way flashers in our SUV. Finally a couple of guys stopped and we pushed the car further into the driveway (off the road) and my wife pulled our SUV past the drive on the grass, also off the road. While waiting for the tow truck, I crawled under the Lincoln (boy are those '58 Lincolns low to the ground), and finally discovered that a wire had become disconnected from the electric fuel pump.I had a pair of pliers and some electrical tape and reinstalled the wire, started the car and had it running just as the tow truck arrived. He followed me back to work and we parked the Lincoln and drove home in our SUV. Since then we installed a rebuilt original mechanical fuel pump and the problem is solved for #2.. While it will take some smooth talking, I am hoping that my wife will probably still ride in (and maybe even drive) the Lincoln, as we had 4 or 5 of these in the mid 70s and never any issues such as this.

3) Today we drove to work to pick up her Mercedes 280SL to bring it home for some fall driving. When it started it sounded a little rough, but as it warmed up it improved, but not the same as before. So I proceeded to drive the car home without incident, but it was still not running as well as it did before.Just as we were about 3 miles from home), it stopped running as if it was out of fuel. Luckily there was a McDonald's entrance driveway and I coasted in the drive and half way into a parking spot. My wife and I then pushed the car into the spot. Although the gas gauge read 2/4 full (that's how Mercedes does it), I walked next door and bought a 2-gallon plastic container for ten bucks and put 2 gallons of premium into the tank to be sure. Car still wouldn't start. I then called Hagerty (luckily I have the 25-mile towing package). In about an hour a flatbed truck arrived and hauled the car to work, where we pushed it back into our car museum. See www.tipcars.us for pictures of some of our cars. We tried once more to start the car, but no luck. Tonight I noticed that the owner's manal mentioned something about a wire mesh fuel line filter and a cartridge buried somewhere under the hood. Did you ever see a Mercedes engine? Not easy to even locate anything, let alone fix something

Have others had such an experience or experiences? If so, how many times and how long did it take your wife to get over it and to again be willing to drive or ride in one of your antique cars? I had her convinced that this would be a neat and dependable car for her to drive on weekends and she was looking forward to doing so. Now all of that is history and she wants a new Mercedes Roadster (just kidding).

Any ideas?

Fred

[tom colarusso]

Here's a story about break downs. I picked up my 40 Olds from the mechanic/former owner after replacing the fuel pump and adding gas. I got about 2 miles and she stalled. I got her started again after 20 minutes, and continued the 4 miles to my house. She proceeded to stall at every stop sign and red light, and each time took about 10 minutes to start. I finally called a tow truck and drove her up the ramp. The 15 min. ride took 2 hours. My wife understood that the car is old and had not been driven for 16 years. I adventually got the car to the point where I could drive more than a mile without stalling.(dirty fuel). My wife goes for a ride with me finally last week and the car stalls 3 times. she likes the car but wont ride in it. I told her it's just dirty fuel but won't get in until the tank is cleaned. Just wait, your wife will see the fun you have and will hop back in someday, maybe even behind the wheel! good luck. TC

[dibarlaw]

I had purchaced a 1925 Buick model 25 as a driver last October and by this summer we have gotten most of the "gremblins" taken care of. But I have had it stop on me 3 times.

Each time it was fuel related or more specificely lack thereof. My good wife had to tow us home twice, the last not more than 3 blocks from home garage. I have the tow straps always at the ready... We reciently had our 1937 Buick done up as a "DRIVER "restoration. We committed to this facillity because of their promise to have it able to be driven reliably to the 2012 Buick nationals in Concord NC at the end of June. Well it was delivered on Sept 17th with still some "tweaking" to be done. But we were assured once started

it ran and drove fine. Within an hour of writing final payment check several good Symeritans were pushing the car with my wife and I out of a busy intersection. The engine just quit and the battery was dead. My wife walked back home aprox.a mile. She returned with our 2008 KIA Rondo not even thinking that It couldn't provide a "jump" for the 6 volt Buick or that it could be a tow vehicle. Not that it was her fault about this oversight it was just that I was too upset to provide coherant instructions. I drove the Kia back to get my 1987 S-10 (it has actual bumpers)! I had to search the garage looking for the tow straps. I then remembered that they were under the front seat of the 1925. My neighbor and I came back to hook up the 1937 and tow it home just as evening was turning to dusk. Back at my garage my wife and 2 neighbors pushed the Buick back in the garage till we can investigate how much "tweaking" this car will need.

Larry

Edited September 30, 2012 by dibarlaw (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

And to add to Larry's "driver" issues. A couple of months back we were driving our new to us 1953 Jaguar XK 120 back home from a cars and coffee event. Made it about half way home, some twenty miles to go, and then I could feel a slight stumbling so I started to look for an exit from the freeway or at least a safe turnout. After about a half mile, she finally just gave up. I reached a good pull out and called our insurance company. About a half hour later a roll back came and took us twenty miles home. Turned out the fuel filter had turned to a ceramic mess. I could not even blow through it. So replace it and torn into the SU fuel pump to make sure it was clear of debris. So far she has been running great, but once in a while I will feel a stumble, and it about stops my hart. We always now travel with the good old cell phone, insurance card, and a smile. If it happens, so be it. We just try to deal with it and continue to work the bugs out of the car.

So I guess it happens to all of us from time to time. Goes with the territory.

[Fred Zwicker]

I am firmly convinced that the Ethanol in our fuel is partially responsible for most of the fuel-related issues that we are having. The Etahanol seems to attack older type fuel hoses, fuel pumps and carburetors and causing us all kinds of troubles. We have a small car museum in Canfield, Ohio and most of our problems during the past 2 years have been traced back to the Ethanol problem. This coming week we will start the long process of elimination and hope we can come up with a solution. I tried to start the car again today and it cranked over rapidly, but would not start.

Fred

[aussiecowboy]

I solved the problem very easily.... don't have a wife!

[Richard Lichtfel]

I have been touring in my 1916 Peerless since the early 50's. Breaking down is the reason my wife always packs a picnic so we have something to eat and drink while I work on the car.

You meet the nicest people when you are broken down on the side of the road with an old car.

[Guest Bill Miller]

Green Dragon's wife has the right idea. My wife always brings a book to read just on the off chance we have a "failure to proceed." Bless her heart, she just loves old cars and she understands through bitter experience that sometimes they just don't work right, especially the ones you've just acquired and don't yet have all the bugs worked out of. I can't tell you how many times we've been delayed by vapor lock (undoubtedly ethanol-related on a hot day) or even just flat tires. Yeah, we've done the non-functional fuel pump thing too. Fuel line leaks also. Fred, she will eventually get over it but it takes time. And a cell phone is the best tool you can carry.

Bill