Lady Daffodil returned to the Bury Eastern bypass this morning, the scene of much previous embarrassment.
The car had previously spluttered up the hill at 20mph on the first go and on the second attempt, thankfully in the middle of the night, the car was much better but ran out of petrol at the same point that the M66 ran out of hard shoulder - somewhere around here.
This time, the car took the hill at 4 grand on the tachometer with me with the widest, stupidest grin on my face as all the other traffic moved apologetically out of the way. We turned round on the outskirts of Rawtenstall to head back along the A56 and the M66, straight through Simister to Stockport, passing under the A6 and the railway viaduct as we made truly excellent progress along the way.
As we approached the fork at Cheadle, I got a sense that the car was not running quite as well as a few moments before so headed along the Sharston bypass, turning round at M56 junction 2 and around again at the M60's junction 2 (a nice little spur), all the while with the car keeping pace but clearly misfiring.
The car was grumpy all the way home, as if for all the world that it was sulking because it wasn't on the motorway, its frustration totalised as it finally petered out in its parking slot as I reversed her in. OK, Lady D, have it your way I muttered as I went to get a brew.
I went back to the car and it started right away, but the steering wheel was vibrating and it sounded very rough. Notwithstanding the M60's abundance of exits, I decided against joining the motorway immediately and contented myself pootling around Stretford, Urmston, foolishly straying too close to the Trafford Centre and getting caught up in some queues. All the while, the car had the grumps but was still proceeding. I freed myself of the traffic by heading over Barton Low Level bridge and headed back through Eccles.
Sensing that the car's mood was improving, I joined the M602 to head east towards Manchester but there was a seriously numptyish taxi driver who irritated me and the driver of a fine 370Z - one of the few other drivers I have seen who knows the speed limit on a motorway slip road. There was too much traffic on the M602 heading into Manchester to really test the car so I doubled back at the end of the motorway to repeat the process. The car was back to the way it was earlier in the morning - I doubled back yet again at a junction 2 - this time on the M602.
I then took the car for a jet wash and put some air in the tyres once they had cooled down. Once again, the car pulled away strongly and it has done 150 miles today.
Jet wash by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr
The fuel filters are not fouling like they did with the old tank. The carburettors have been cleaned. The fuel lines have had compressed air played through them. The fuel tank is clean. An engine needs three components - it has air, there is fuel - that only leaves the spark. Could we yet still have a dodgy coil or some other gremlins in the electrics? Electrical failure usually leaves the car falling flat on its face - a sudden total loss - this isn't happening.
Ethel had a very irritating intermittent fault in 2007 which turned out to be a blade of grass in the fuel line which was getting trapped in the mechanical fuel pump. There was nothing for it but to give the car to Tom to drive until it broke down. Soon enough, she broke down just as he was heading to Leek and he pushed her back onto the forecourt. "Gotcha" as he opened the pump and found the blade of grass.
I am very optimistic - in fact I know for certain that Tom and I will eradicate this problem.
In the meantime, the stereo is great - pick of the bunch thanks to the much frowned-upon speakers in the door cards. I'd never damage door cards to put speakers in, but if they are there in the first place we may as well make full use. These 1980s throwbacks are just fine for the job - notice the Belkin cassette to 3.5mm adapter which plugs into my phone - these doubles as an antenna for the FM radio on the smartphone so there is no need to worry about fixing the aerial in the roof just yet.
Working audio by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr
The car had previously spluttered up the hill at 20mph on the first go and on the second attempt, thankfully in the middle of the night, the car was much better but ran out of petrol at the same point that the M66 ran out of hard shoulder - somewhere around here.
This time, the car took the hill at 4 grand on the tachometer with me with the widest, stupidest grin on my face as all the other traffic moved apologetically out of the way. We turned round on the outskirts of Rawtenstall to head back along the A56 and the M66, straight through Simister to Stockport, passing under the A6 and the railway viaduct as we made truly excellent progress along the way.
As we approached the fork at Cheadle, I got a sense that the car was not running quite as well as a few moments before so headed along the Sharston bypass, turning round at M56 junction 2 and around again at the M60's junction 2 (a nice little spur), all the while with the car keeping pace but clearly misfiring.
The car was grumpy all the way home, as if for all the world that it was sulking because it wasn't on the motorway, its frustration totalised as it finally petered out in its parking slot as I reversed her in. OK, Lady D, have it your way I muttered as I went to get a brew.
I went back to the car and it started right away, but the steering wheel was vibrating and it sounded very rough. Notwithstanding the M60's abundance of exits, I decided against joining the motorway immediately and contented myself pootling around Stretford, Urmston, foolishly straying too close to the Trafford Centre and getting caught up in some queues. All the while, the car had the grumps but was still proceeding. I freed myself of the traffic by heading over Barton Low Level bridge and headed back through Eccles.
Sensing that the car's mood was improving, I joined the M602 to head east towards Manchester but there was a seriously numptyish taxi driver who irritated me and the driver of a fine 370Z - one of the few other drivers I have seen who knows the speed limit on a motorway slip road. There was too much traffic on the M602 heading into Manchester to really test the car so I doubled back at the end of the motorway to repeat the process. The car was back to the way it was earlier in the morning - I doubled back yet again at a junction 2 - this time on the M602.
I then took the car for a jet wash and put some air in the tyres once they had cooled down. Once again, the car pulled away strongly and it has done 150 miles today.
Jet wash by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr
The fuel filters are not fouling like they did with the old tank. The carburettors have been cleaned. The fuel lines have had compressed air played through them. The fuel tank is clean. An engine needs three components - it has air, there is fuel - that only leaves the spark. Could we yet still have a dodgy coil or some other gremlins in the electrics? Electrical failure usually leaves the car falling flat on its face - a sudden total loss - this isn't happening.
Ethel had a very irritating intermittent fault in 2007 which turned out to be a blade of grass in the fuel line which was getting trapped in the mechanical fuel pump. There was nothing for it but to give the car to Tom to drive until it broke down. Soon enough, she broke down just as he was heading to Leek and he pushed her back onto the forecourt. "Gotcha" as he opened the pump and found the blade of grass.
I am very optimistic - in fact I know for certain that Tom and I will eradicate this problem.
In the meantime, the stereo is great - pick of the bunch thanks to the much frowned-upon speakers in the door cards. I'd never damage door cards to put speakers in, but if they are there in the first place we may as well make full use. These 1980s throwbacks are just fine for the job - notice the Belkin cassette to 3.5mm adapter which plugs into my phone - these doubles as an antenna for the FM radio on the smartphone so there is no need to worry about fixing the aerial in the roof just yet.
Working audio by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr
