Another update. Finally got the fuel filter tightened up, after two days of research and attempts. Turned out it was leaking at both ends; the banjo bolt wasn’t tight enough and the elbow fitting to the hard supply line from the tank was loose as well. Some petroleum-resistant teflon tape and a lot of back-breaking double wrenching got it all locked up tight. Not until after I was absolutely covered in gasoline though. Good times….
The next challenge was getting the rear fascia back on. What a pain in the butt! That also took two afternoons and three or four attempts to get it on straight and so that everything closes properly – but I got it and it looks great.
Then, it was time for the inaugural drive. I needed to warm up the engine and get coolant flowing so I could bleed the air out of the thermostat housing. The car runs and drives fabulously, it’s the little things that make all the difference. There’s more power on tap, it doesn’t hesitate so much, and runs a little quieter. Plus, the crankcase isn’t leaking anymore. Transmission still is a little bit leaky, but we’re getting there. Anyway, on the way home, the battery light started flickering on and off – low voltage? Now what?! Turned out the belt was just a little loose – I had planned to re-tension them after the first time out anyway, so that was an easy fix.
Next up – the great coolant bleed. The coolant system on this car is a massive hassle. Run it up to temp, bleed a little, cool down, add coolant back to the header bottle, and start all over. I did that about 5 times, which took several hours – until I just gave up. Too much air in the system from being so wide open for a week. I went to AutoZone and rented a coolant system pressure tester – that let me pressurize, bleed, and re-pressurize the system without waiting for the thermostat to open or the header bottle to cool, and without the risk of running low on coolant or introducing new air into the system. It took about 40 minutes to get the whole system flushed out. I also ordered an auto-bleeding system from DeLorean Northwest that should keep the system free of air, now that i’ve got it all sealed up properly.
I think she’s ready for some real road time now! Still have to do the oil change and chase down the leak in the A/C system, but there’s still plenty of weekends left in the summer.
And of course, tons of pictures in the gallery.