Bad News Re: #5939

[Greasy DeLorean Mechanic]

It is my unhappy task to inform that #5939's homage to K-Jet (big bundle of disused connectors piled up in the corner) is no more:
HomageGone.jpg

When I tried to install #5939's fancy new brass bleeder tee, the old K-Jet wiring harness was all in the way:
BleederTee.jpg

In a fit of blind rage, I ripped unnecessary wires from the car:
KJetWiringRemoved2.jpg KJetWiringRemoved1.jpg

After this storm blows through I will refill the cooling system (which bleeds itself, thank you very much, because my radiator is permanently attached to the heater core return line), flood the intake valley to clean it out -- don't tell David Teitelbaum -- then take the little car for a test drive to discover which wires were accidentally cut out that should have been left in.

Bill Robertson
#5939

[stevedmc]

Thats nothing. I ripped the upper pulley off of my AC belt tensioner yesterday.

[Greasy DeLorean Mechanic]

Child's play -- my car never had one (under my ownership).

Do you need me to get that steel pulley from the junk yard?

Bill Robertson
#5939

[stevedmc]

Nah. I have two extra steel pulleys on hand and an aluminum pulley from the guy in Europe on order. His is pimped out and for all I know it may not even need the upper tensioner pulley removed. I just felt like causing some damage to my car last night so I took it out anyway. I'm hoping that removing the upper tensioner will move the belt a little further from the upper coolant hose.

[dvonk]

haha, simpler is better anyway. good riddance.

[Greasy DeLorean Mechanic]

Is it just me, or does #5939 run better the more factory original crap I take off?

Just got back from 2 hours of running errands. Used the opportunity to test drive the DeLorean (primarily wanted to ensure the cooling system was tight). Performed flawlessly.

Speaking of cooling systems: conventional wisdom is you have to lay on the ground, pull the bleeder hose off the radiator (or open an overpriced aftermarket valve), get antifreeze everywhere, then reinstall to purge air out of the cooling system. Doing so on a plastic channel radiator can be its death knell (ask me how I know -- a repairable condition BTW: I fixed #5939's plastic channel radiator after its bleeder barb snapped off and drove it successfully for 8 years). Even Farrar's metal channel radiator barb snapped off when we tried to follow conventional wisdom (the damn things are only brazed on). May I humbly suggest this alternative:

Jetison the difficult to install bleeder pipe in lieu of a contiguous length of easy to install hose:

375011_267060150005909_2047237322_n.jpg

Run the radiator bleeder to a tee in the heater core return line (you can use the heater core input line, but you will hear the heater core burbling and gurgling until air is purged):

394634_294253027286621_2063204332_n.jpg 390176_294252990619958_1166061653_n.jpg

Combined with a self bleeder at the radiator neck, there is no need to ever disturb anything except the radiator cap itself -- just fill the expansion tank and drive the car. Within minutes all air is purged automatically from every single high spot.

Bill Robertson
#5939

[Farrar]

KJetWiringRemoved1.jpg

Bill, what's the coiled-up purple wire there?

[Greasy DeLorean Mechanic]

That's the time travel circuit.

Actually it's a 12v wire I decided to save just in case I ever need it (unswitched, unfortunately).

I already have a switched 12v wire to my choke heater (passes through the distributor signal grommet), so I decided to leave it in place rather than repurposing one of the ex K-Jet wires (a goodly number of which passed through my long since removed ECU's before entering the engine compartment anyway).

Bill Robertson
#5939

[Farrar]

I was thinking of making a custom engine compartment harness for carb users. If I go for it, would you like one?

[Greasy DeLorean Mechanic]

Thank you, but I'm good. I kind of like keeping original wire colors for the circuits retained. If you split the original harness into pieces, it lays pretty well in the engine compartment:
- Rear exterior lights (mine is routed behind the coolant expansion tank)
- Starter trigger, alternator field, oil gauge sender, Brown power wires over the passenger valve cover (makes a lazy loop by the firewall)
- Everything else across the back and down drivers valve cover (circuits drop out as they pass by -- by the time you get to the front of the engine only two wires are left: A/C clutch and oil pressure light)

Bill Robertson
#5939