MacGuyver fix

1275 Views 8 Replies 7 Participants Last post by 5.0 in a 66, Jan 27, 2006

DUVAGA

Discussion Starter · Aug 26, 2005

I had another Mustang 20 years ago with a 302 that started missing on one cylinder. Did a compression check and found that it wouldn't hold compression, I assume a burnt valve. Being poor and needing it for transportation, my dad (a true Okie) showed me a trick to get by for awhile. He cut the spark plug wire, taped a splint on it leaving about a 1/4" gap in the wire, covered it with a sliced piece rubber hose and taped all around it to insulate it. I still don't know how it worked, but the thing stopped missing and I ended up running it like that for several months until the car got stolen.
Just curious if anyone has heard of this and interested in any other creative MacGuyver fixes.

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Veronica

· #2 · Aug 27, 2005

Hello.

One problem with that (there are many) is that without removing the rocker arms for that cylinder it is still getting it's normal charge of air/fuel mixture and with no spark plug to ignite it ,some of it seeps into the oil pan to degrade the oil and the rest gets pushed into the exhaust system until enough accumulates to ignite in the tailpipe.Not good.Doing nothing would have been better for the car.

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wayne94mustang

· #3 · Sep 1, 2005

when i was 12 i bought my 1st car and it needed a batery....well my g-ma told me if the batery is sick give it a asprin in each of the 6 holes on top, i dont know why but it worked for years after that...lol

my 2nd story isnt a true fix but it did get me home...my 79 bronco had a electric fuel pump and shortly after i got it the hot wire for the pump shorted. so i thought about it for awile and filled the washer bottle with gas and held the washer button till the carb was full and away i went. every time it would start to run out i just held the button

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Stratdeath

· #4 · Sep 2, 2005

Hahahahaha! I love your 2nd story Wayne. That is awesome! Why sit on the side of the road screwed when you can play with things to make it run again!!! Awesome
:drink:

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DUVAGA

Discussion Starter · #5 · Sep 2, 2005

I guess I wasn't clear, Veronica... I didn't remove the plug. It started firing on the cylinder after putting the gap in the plug wire. Guess it makes it burn hotter or something. Probably fried the valve more, but oh well.

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dollarbill

· #6 · Sep 2, 2005

wayne94mustang said:
when i was 12 i bought my 1st car and it needed a batery....well my g-ma told me if the batery is sick give it a asprin in each of the 6 holes on top, i dont know why but it worked for years after that...lol

my 2nd story isnt a true fix but it did get me home...my 79 bronco had a electric fuel pump and shortly after i got it the hot wire for the pump shorted. so i thought about it for awile and filled the washer bottle with gas and held the washer button till the carb was full and away i went. every time it would start to run out i just held the button

HA, HA that great, not sure if I got it beat. Once I used an orange juice bottle as an overflow for the radiator so I would not spuu green everywhere I went.

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davido30093

· #7 · Jan 25, 2006

Actually this is an old timer's trick. It was used a lot on farm vehicles and tractors. It is still used occasionally. What happens when you put the gap in the plug wire is to cause the voltage to "build" up higher before it jumps the gap on the plug. This prevents the plug from fouling and actually lets that cylinder function. I have seen old tractors run that way for quite a while.

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· #8 · Jan 25, 2006

Actually dollar, that is pretty common(at least in my circle of friends). All of us use our favorite brand of beer can as the overflow tank.

I know 101 tricks, but it's hard for me to think of all of them. One neat thing though, is if you got a leak in your radiator, put some household pepper in the coolant. I guess it forms around the crack and seals it. I've seen it work first-hand.

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5.0 in a 66

· #9 · Jan 27, 2006

The only one I can think of that's Mustang related is one of my dad's stories from the mid 70s, when his buddy Rich bought a 65 200I6 vert.

Rich stopped by because it was running like crap, and they figured out the carb had floaties in it. My dad, being the perfectionist type, wanted to rebuild the carb, but Rich ony had like $75 in the car, and didn't want to bother. SO...they call up Rich's dad, who comes over, pops the hood, switches 2 plug wires, and drives it around the block in 1st, with his foot to the floor. Switched the wires back, and The car ran great after that.

June 1973: My dad had a modifed 71 Vega that he beat the snot out of. He had to be best man at a wedding, but the Rear end was making some noise so he popped the cover, only to find a hanful of teeth in the bottom of the housing. So he said screw it, and slapped it back together. Then, he got violently sick from eating? some GM posi additave and 90w in the process, spent the day on the bathroom floor calling Ralph, and never made it to the wedding.

Neat car, if a POS...vette yellow and black, Yenko carb and dizzy and a header on the 4 banger. He said it "only" did 98mph

I won't even get into what I've done

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