Earlier in the month, I made particular note of how well the car was running. I was amazed by how much more power it was making in cold weather than in the 110 degree summer heat.
Guess I spoke too soon and cursed myself, because last week I decided to go for a drive before the weather got crappy and discovered that the engine was running for TOTAL crap. No power, weak idle, chugging and strange combustion (not sure if it would be appropriate to call it backfiring, or misfiring, or what) – I actually had to limp a mile home on the shoulder with the flashers on.
A few days of diagnosis later and it appears that the Bosch Lambda computer has failed. This is very strange as this part is well known for reliability. But all signs point right to it. For those who don’t know, this computer takes input from various switches and sensors throughout the engine to run an electronic valve that adjusts the amount of fuel that enters the mechanical fuel distributor. That valve is not functioning, so the air-fuel ratio is completely screwed up which is leading to the extremely poor running condition.
Fortunately a great guy on DMCTalk stepped up and offered to send me a spare computer he has laying around. It should be here early next week and hopefully will resolve the issue. Watch this space…
Also, I’ve started putting together the NCDMC entry to this year’s Picnic Day parade. It was such a good time last year – I’m hoping for a really huge turnout this time!