I have been a hobbyist, working on my own cars since I was a teenager in the 60s. I was taught early on to check the basics first and confirm they are correct, because most problems are simple, not complex. I reaffirmed that today.


My Cutlass started running a bit warmer the past couple weeks. Not serious, but a little warmer. Yesterday, When I started it, it immediately went to fast idle and then died. Never does that! Driving it, the temperature stayed at 200, and wanted to go to 210-215. Starting it hot, it would die. I had to crank it longer with the carb 1/2 open and keep the car idling at 2000-2500 for 15 or 20 seconds or it would stall.


I took the air cleaner off today, and just as I suspected, the carb bolts were only finger tight. I re-torqued them and also noticed the hot idle tube that connects to the rear of the air horn by the secondaries had come off. Hello, vacuum leak.


Anyway, it was a simple fix. I just drove the car and it again started perfectly, idled fine and operated at 180-185.


Lesser experienced guys should learn the lesson to check the basics first, before jumping into assuming it is more complicated.

 

Amen

 

As I have gotten older, I find myself always thinking that if something is wrong, it is never something easy. I guess when I was younger it was more fun to go over the basic and see if you can find the problem. Many times it is simple fix.

 

Not sure how applicable it is overall to auto repair, but the general principle is also known as Occam's Razor.

http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physic...ral/occam.html

 

That's pretty heady stuff, Jaunty. Glad to see it!

 

k.i.s.s principle

 

technically that choke hot air tube on the carb is not a vacuum leak. It is in an area of negligible vacuum [only that provided by the air filter assembly] and serves only to supply clean filtered air to the choke heatment tubes. Avove the throttle plates / Venturi is not vacuum but amospheric pressure, more or less.

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."

Duh
it's by definition not possible to make things simpler than... possible.

We seem to be going quite the wrong way with cars and such, adding layers and layers of complexity... and all is well right up until they cease functioning. Then the cost of troubleshooting, let alone repairing, exceeds the value of the device.

 

Good point on this thread. Many repairs go bad because simple stuff is overlooked and new parts are thrown at the problem, often causing other potential problems.
Troubleshooting is an essential skill to be used, not shotgunning it. Sadly I often see shotgunning at so-called 'professional' shops which is the reason only I repair my cars.

 

"Yup." to all of the above.

- Eric

 

I've often fixed major electrical problems with car lights by replacing blown bulbs. Occasionally headlamp or brake light lamps may fail simultaneously.
A Jaguar came into the workshop a few days ago misfiring badly with the check engine light on. A young bright mechanic plugged in the code reader and identified a bad O2 sensor. I pointed out I could hear a vacuum leak, then lifted a cover to reveal a split breather hose.
Always check the obvious!.

Roger.

 

I have to agree. I've been working on my own cars for about 4 years now (I'm only 20) and that seems to be what I have found too. Of course I still manage to screw myself over and go about it in the hardest way possible, but I guess that's just how I learn

 

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Cannot overstate the importance of good diagnosis and the frustration I feel when people start throwing parts on the vehicle before doing a correct diagnosis and if one doesn't cure it they try another part and on and on and on.

With cars and trucks I notice shop manuals from the mid 80s and perhaps earlier make a very big deal of laying out the path to a correct diagnosis with the "if, then", charts starting with the trouble symptom. These are laid out in graphic form complete with arrows so all one has to do is answer yes or no to the query and then follow the correct arrows. A logical process.

Jerry

 

The mechanics work flow chart....

 

Or this. Not smart enough to post the picture....