SOT: problems running...

[roccit_53 at hotmail.com (C Boyko)]

Well, here are a few rodent related things from my world:
1. Adam's car (the POS I'll post about later) would not start despite good 
cranking speed after sitting all winter. Now it's a diesel, and was getting 
fuel, so nothing should stop it from starting, right? wrong, the airbox was 
absolutely packed with acorns to the point where it blocked air flow. Like a 
whole forest full of acorns.
2. The Ford had a clutch that slipped so badly it wouldn't go over 30 mph. I 
was expecting a friction disc worn to the rivets, but no, it was pristine. 
Replacing various hydraulic bits didn't correct the fact that a mouse nest 
had lodged in behind the pressure plate to the point where the clutch just 
never made good contact. The nest was in so far it wasn't visible, ecxept 
for a few tell tale fibres peeking out. The shop teacher and I filled a 
whole baggie with it's blackened remains.
So yes, they can be very energetic little critters. But a cat which is 
cooking (as in catalytic converter, geez) can sound pretty strange too. 
Could just be someting on top of the exhaust rattling too, an acorn being a 
prime candidate. Or that bolt you dropped a while back.

GL, cathy


>From: Mike Smith <smithma7@yahoo.com>
>To: car <scirocco-l@scirocco.org>
>Subject: SOT: problems running...
>Date: Sat, 1 May 2004 11:46:05 -0700 (PDT)
>
>OK, this concerns the Celica, but I think it would actually be a problem 
>that could happen to any car.  On to the meat!
>
>The car ran fine all last year.  I parked it for the winter.  Now, there's 
>a sound like there's something rattling around in the engine (more on that 
>in a moment), it seems to have no power, and  when I take it out of gear, 
>it dies instantly.  On a side note, when I last started my pontiac, it ran 
>like crap.  I took off the air filter cover (old school: big round one on 
>top of carb) and the area was filled with accorns.  Damn squirrels!  If a 
>squirrel had gotten in the exhaust of the celica, would it cause problems 
>like this?  Especially if the exhaust is clogged?  As far as the rattle 
>sound, the exhaust manifold comess off the front end of the engine and goes 
>down between it and the radiator and on back.  The rattle is coming from 
>the top of this area and to be honest sounds like something the size and 
>density OF A F'ING ACCORN!  Need I say more?
>
>Am I correct in thinking that some stupid squirrel or chipmunk stuffed the 
>exhaust full of nest or accorns and this is what's causing all my running 
>problems?
>
>Mike
>'86 red 16v
>
>
>word (wûrd)
>interj. Slang. Used to express approval or an affirmative response to 
>something. Sometimes used with up. Source
>
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