[Chrysler300] Still an stubborn amateur after all this years

["Narve Nordanger" <narve.n@xxxxxxx>]

Hello group,

Those of you with excellent memory might recall my frustration from last
year when I had problems starting my C-300 at all, asking whether anyone had
any advice. Despite some good advice, I eventually became so p**sed by the
non-starting that I did not touch the car for a period of 8 months. But
recently I've spent the better part of an entire week-end to sort out all
the bugs, and some of the findings might be applicable to other amateurs as
well:

 

.         I have now perfected my "How to start a worn 6V Hemi with 12V
battery"-routine to my own full satisfaction, hooking a 12V diesel battery
directly to the starter main, and a 6V to all other items including the
starter solenoid. Prolonged cranking is now possible without risk of cable
melt-down, and no sparks are flying.

.         Then patient scraping of 4 layers of paint from the harmonic
balancer to my astonishment revealed some almost invisible timing marks,
after I had used a wooden stick in No 1 cylinder to determine the
approximately TDC. 

.         Hooking up the timing-light reveled that the vacuum rubber-hose
did hold the distributor at almost dead correct position 10 degrees BTDC,
the scraping had been wasted time.

.         Then I carefully checked all the ignition cables, and discovered
that I had indeed switched No 6 and 8 at the distributor. Fixed that, the
car still did not want to start. But it might explain the car's
unwillingness to accelerate last year.

.         Next on my list was testing the compression. Of course the values
varied a lot indicating an overhaul in the future, but most of the cylinders
should have more than enough compression to ignite.

.         I then spent a few hours rebuilding the distributor back to
points, in case the Petronix installed last year had some sort of fault, and
carefully setting the breaker points. Luckily I had a spare distributor to
copy the set-up from. You guessed it, the car would not start. The smell of
raw gasoline at the rear did although indicate that the ignition was the
problem.

.         Then out of nothing but occasional cranking, on the third day the
engine started to cough, and after heavy manipulating of the gas pedal
actually came to life without me having done anything further.

.         I immediately made ready for a test drive and after having removed
the second battery put the car in reverse - and discovered that the brakes
had disappeared within the last 8 months. Luckily the hand brake was
overhauled last year. A quick check at the master cylinder indicated total
loss of fluid, but no spots was visible below any wheels and I turned the
attention to the master cylinder. As it had neither any visible leaks, I
suspected the fluid had been sucked into the vacuum chamber, and four screws
later found a good lot of fluid sloshing around inside the clock.

.          My expensively purchased factory overhauled master cylinder from
eBay had developed a substantial internal leak, injecting silicon brake
fluid into the vacuum chamber - and from that most likely further into the
engine. Apparently the master cylinder had been subjected to heavy doses of
acid to clear old rust, this might be the cause of failure as the internal
rubber looked good. 

.         One hour later I had the old master cylinder I did overhaul back
in 1986 ready installed, and was out for a test run. 

 

So, all you experts out there, am I right to believe that the silicon fluid
from the brakes sucked into the intake has acted as an effective
anti-combustion ingredient and precluding the start until the master
cylinder actually was empty? And are leaks like this a general problem on
the Kelsey-Hayes Master Cylinders?

 

 

Narve Nordanger

C-300 in Norway since 85

With a brake overhaul sailing up, it will be my 3rd -  this time with
standard brake fluid, as I have had enough of replacing brake light contacts
that has been plugged by the silicon. Hopefully in less than 8 months..



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]


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