Re: [DML] My D died twice in a month. Beat that!

[Mike Substelny <msubstel@xxxx>]

Christian, I can beat that. My DeLorean conked out on me about six times in
the first month I owned it. I was worried that I had acquired a lemon. John
Truscott of the DOA was very helpful and encouraging to me, and he diagnosed
that I had a fuel problem.

It turned out to be very simple: my DeLorean stopped running every time it ran
out of gas! The gas in my tank was all in my head.

The reading on my gas gauge had no relationship to what was in my tank. The
problem was with the original fuel sender, which (on my car) was very
unreliable. If your DeLorean has not been upgraded to a Tankzilla, then at
the very least you should find out about any quirks your fuel gauge system may
have.

My advice to new owners with this sort of trouble is: Before you try to
"repair" your car, make sure you have plenty of gas by some means other than
the fuel gauge.

You do need to worry about water on the fuel pump. The windshield drain that
drowns DeLorean fuel pumps is a well-known design problem from the factory.
Search the DML back issues for discussions of symptoms and cures.

> I do not have a throttle cover. I believe I read
> that this prevents rain from doing harm in some
> way or another.

WARNING! THIS CAN BE DANGEROUS!

The throttle cover does not just prevent harm from coming to your DeLorean.
It also protects YOU. Without the cover, water can get into the throttle
cable, where it can sit for months. If the temperature drops below freezing
you could develop ice in your throttle cable, which can leave you unable to
control the speed of your engine. Obviously this is dangerous. Install
something to cover that area.

Or move to the desert.

- Mike Substelny
VIN 01280, 7 years