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Dead GMC on the A132 today


ArtistsRifles

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We were enroute to visit friends in Althorp, Essex today and passed a GMC CCKW (I think) broken down on the A132 - a lady was standing at the rear of the truck and the driver was perched on the front bumper with his head under the bonnet. Couldn't stop to offer any kind of aid as (1) we were rather late and (2) we had a pair of dip-sticks riding on our rear bumper...

Anyways on the way home 3 hours later it was still there only now with a cluster of people around it.

 

Do hope it wasn't any one from this forum!!!!!!

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Sure was Jack, we started baling 10 PM yesterday,stopped at midnight, restarted 8 this morning, finished before 10am then 3 hrs wrapping, as we wrapped the last bale the first shower arrived. It was actually haylage which suits us fine as the sheep love it but if the weather had been going to hold we would have left some 'til tomorrow and baled it with an ordinary baler as hay as it is much easier to handle in the shed during the winter but the main thing is that it is safely gathered in :-D

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Now you know better than that Jack but it is a relief to have the job safely finished and fertiliser applied because it's hard to get a lot done in the week with us both away at work.

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silage making today??????

moisture content ???????

3 hrs wrapping???????

 

suits us fine as the sheep love it ?????

 

WE HAVE A MAN DOWN , ( the driver was perched on the front bumper with his head under the bonnet)

 

STOP TALKING ABOUT FARMING, or is it , (suits us fine as the sheep love it)

 

all the beast

Steve

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Hi All

 

Yes it was one one the Essex MVTs Jimmy's. It did turn out to be a vapour lock. Roland, the guys who owns it, carries a Jeep in the back....which is always fun to see him driving it in or out.

 

We all went to Damyns Hall Aerodrome. It was a really great weekend. Being up close to the aeroplanes...even when they were taxiing about.

 

Then there was the John Miller band on the Saturday evening.

 

cheers

 

Chris

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having experienced vapour lock in the bedford we always carry a small flask of fuel just to pour in the carb to get it going again. came in handy a couple of weeks ago on the way up to nibley as it happened in the jimmy on a country lane on a steep gradiant upwards without any room for anything to pass. only stopped us for 2 -3 mins luckiy for those behind us :-D

ta

Berni

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It's happened on the Jeep a couple of times....once at the toll booths coming back from Bethune

 

I have a bottle of water with me...tipping it over the fules lines has always fixed the problem

 

I know it's not a great idea to tip water over hot metal...but there hasn't been any problems

 

cheers

 

Chris

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Yep - that basically is it.

 

We used to have an RL that was very prone to this - only one out of about 20 vehicles - and there is another way/method of cooling the fuel lines down - but we won't go into that here as there are ladies reading too....... :wink: :-)

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Jack

 

Here's my four penny worth on the subject

 

The first concept to grasp is it will happen in the most difficult, embarrassing or dangerous place possible, this law is a derivative of sod. :oops:

 

Vapour lock is just what is says it is i.e. the petrol ceases to be liquid and becomes vapour as a result of excessive localised heating. Mechanical engine mounted pumps are particularly prone to this condition. What happens is the diaphragm cannot handle vapour displacement (it wont pump vapour) very effectively if at all so that in effect your motor starves of fuel.

 

You can have a single or multiple source of vapour lock, eg the petrol pump expansion bowl can have vapour lock or a point in the line between the pump and the carb bowl or a combination of these two.

 

If the problem is in the pump expansion chamber then the vapour pressure can reach a point whereby it pushes the diaphragm down and in effect acts like a full carb bowl and so cuts off the pump.

 

If the lock is in the lines then the pump wont clear the 'blockage' and so the motor starves until the line is cool enough to condense the vapour back to the liquid state.

You can get boiling in the float chamber of the carb either on its own or with the other two fault conditions. Boiling will result in lumpy running and black smoke as a result of the motor running rich as petrol is forced via the vapour pressure in the bowl into the main jets and floods the engine.

 

How to prevent it? Ensure the following:

The pump is in the fan blast without obstruction

Make sure heat shields are in place if fitted

Keep petrol lines away form sources of heat like exhaust manifolds or engine blocks

Insulate your fuel lines but this should not really be necessary on soft skins although some armour has this due to extreme operating conditions

Do like me and fit an in line electric booster pump in a cool place on the frame rail behind the mechanical pump so that it can be switched in or out as required for cold start priming, and hot start boiling problems. If people are interested I can expand on the electric pump option in another post.

 

Hope this helps

 

Pete

 

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