Low pressure all of a sudden

[Joseph Garcia]

Have not been there but one time I was on a highway trip in Mo. and was about 100 miles from home. At high rpm I could keep my old beater Chevy pickup running but low speeds it wanted to die. I could hear a major vacuum leak. I pulled alongside the shoulder and looked at the old 350 engine that was bare bones, thank God. I had an intake gasket blown out. I found some old Anco wiper blade long boxes. I git some tools out and took off the intake. I salvaged the front and rear seals as best I could and had a beat up old tube of sealer there that I was able to use. I took a ball peen hammer and tapped around the sharp edges of the intake holes and made a pair of intake gaskets out of the wiper long boxes. Used a little sealer to help hold in place and installed the intake. Ran like crap at first because I had the carb upside down at one time during the process. I had also used a large flat blade screwdriver as a scraper. Got home on a wing and a prayer. Bought a new 88 Chevy 4x4 pickup the next day. This all took place in late May and was a nice sunny mild day.

Joseph if you had an engine blow 350 miles away from home, that truly sucks. I got lucky.

That was truly an ingenious on-the-road fix. Congratulations!

Yeah..... The stories that us older folks can tell about the days of no money and unreliable cars/trucks of that era.

While in college in upstate New York, I had the 'opportunity' to change a head gasket on that same car in the college dorm parking lot, at night under a parking lot light, in the middle of a snowstorm. Why??? I had to drive to Boston the next day to spend the weekend with my girlfriend (who is now my wife). Priorities, man, priorities.....

 

[OR VietVet]

That was truly an ingenious on-the-road fix. Congratulations!

Yeah..... The stories that us older folks can tell about the days of no money and unreliable cars/trucks of that era.

While in college in upstate New York, I had the 'opportunity' to change a head gasket on that same car in the college dorm parking lot, at night under a parking lot light, in the middle of a snowstorm. Why??? I had to drive to Boston the next day to spend the weekend with my girlfriend (who is now my wife). Priorities, man, priorities.....

You gotta do what you gotta do. Snowy weather outside work sucks. Done a bunch of it in KC, Mo.

Worst I ever did was in a snow bank, nosed in, and my 73 Chevy pickup, 4x4, fuel pump went out on my 350 engine. I had the damndest time getting the fuel pump push rod pushed up so I could screw in a longer bolt on the front of the block, that would hold that push rod while I snaked that new fuel pump in there. Had set overnight in the cold and I was cold and I was laying in the snow.....it just sucked to high heaven. When I got it running I sat there for 20 minutes warming up the engine so I could thaw out. It was in an apartment parking lot and I moved in to a house with a GARAGE the next month. Screw that working in the cold crap.

 

[OR VietVet]

McGyver style

Way younger then. Could think faster as well. Thanks.

 

[George B]

Always fun when a simple task turns into removing the intake to try and find that screw that fell down the runner...... My favorite daily was a 78 Scottsdale

You gotta do what you gotta do. Snowy weather outside work sucks. Done a bunch of it in KC, Mo.

Worst I ever did was in a snow bank, nosed in, and my 73 Chevy pickup, 4x4, fuel pump went out on my 350 engine. I had the damndest time getting the fuel pump push rod pushed up so I could screw in a longer bolt on the front of the block, that would hold that push rod while I snaked that new fuel pump in there. Had set overnight in the cold and I was cold and I was laying in the snow.....it just sucked to high heaven. When I got it running I sat there for 20 minutes warming up the engine so I could thaw out. It was in an apartment parking lot and I moved in to a house with a GARAGE the next month. Screw that working in the cold crap.

I learned to put the bolt in to hold the rod before I took the pump off in a similar way...

 

[OR VietVet]

QUOTE="George B, post: 1415259, member: 76888"]Always fun when a simple task turns into removing the intake to try and find that screw that fell down the runner...... My favorite daily was a 78 Scottsdale


I learned to put the bolt in to hold the rod before I took the pump off in a similar way...[/QUOTE]


I knew that going in but in my rush I forgot and got colder because of it. Stupid is as stupid does.


Plus, I also knew someone here would call me on that. Way to go George!

 

[Joseph Garcia]

You gotta do what you gotta do. Snowy weather outside work sucks. Done a bunch of it in KC, Mo.

Worst I ever did was in a snow bank, nosed in, and my 73 Chevy pickup, 4x4, fuel pump went out on my 350 engine. I had the damndest time getting the fuel pump push rod pushed up so I could screw in a longer bolt on the front of the block, that would hold that push rod while I snaked that new fuel pump in there. Had set overnight in the cold and I was cold and I was laying in the snow.....it just sucked to high heaven. When I got it running I sat there for 20 minutes warming up the engine so I could thaw out. It was in an apartment parking lot and I moved in to a house with a GARAGE the next month. Screw that working in the cold crap.

Yes, working in very cold weather sucks, for sure. Your fingers go numb, and you lose your 'feel' of the tools and parts you are replacing. A bit dangerous, as well, as you don't know if you accidentally hurt/cut yourself, until you notice blood on the snow, and have to chase down the location/source of the cut.

 

[OR VietVet]

Unless you are the type that faints at the sight of blood and then you lay there and die from hypothermia. Then all bets are off and the vehicle doesn't get fixed anyway. Sometimes my mind just goes to strange places.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Unless you are the type that faints at the sight of blood and then you lay there and die from hypothermia. Then all bets are off and the vehicle doesn't get fixed anyway. Sometimes my mind just goes to strange places.

Completely understood. If I fainted at the sight of blood, I'd be dead 100+ times over, just from working on cars/trucks. It is not a complete job, if you don't use at least one piece of duct tape to temporarily close a cut/gash/scrape.

 

[Scottydoggs]

i used to snow plow with my pick up's, my early days a i had a 80 power wagon. i think i did every U joint in a puddle of slush and salt water over time. always carry spare parts.....

then maybe the worst was when my power steering pump shaft broke, while plowing, had to drop the plow in the lot i was at, drive home, was so cold out didnt even come close to over heating with no belt, but has no brakes or steering, ended up doing the swap at 10 pm on yew years eve. it never took me that long to change any simple part before. so cold.

then was the time my oil lines blew out my oil filter housing and blew all the oil out. that was fun the next day, snow under the truck and still dripping oil from everywhere lol

funny part of the last nightmare, it was a direct result of the belt coming off it knocked the oil line off the oil pan clip and it rubbed through the line on the balancer. seems i failed to make that new line click fully. and it popped out.

 

[OR VietVet]

Completely understood. If I fainted at the sight of blood, I'd be dead 100+ times over, just from working on cars/trucks. It is not a complete job, if you don't use at least one piece of duct tape to temporarily close a cut/gash/scrape.

When I used to present a quote for a vehicle repair, after the tech did his did his diagnostics, I would add a line on the ticket for "Blood Work" and add $5 to $10. The customer always asked what that charge was for. I just told him that the tech expects to lose blood during this repair, based off past experience, at least 1 to 2 times. They would have a confused look on their face and then would finally see I was pulling their leg. It helped sell the job. Especially after I showed them my scars on my hands from when I turned a wrench as a tech. Gotta keep work fun, ya know!