It finally happened...

[Clois Harlan]

Friday I had driven my Cobra to work (mid 80's day) and was feeling pretty good. Didn't take the Cobra out at noon because I didn't want to set off everyones car alarms that early in the day. I wrapped everything I needed to do at the office by 3:30 so I could do a little crusing. So left the office and headed for the freway (fastest way out of town) which meant I sat in traffic on So. Yale for about 20 mins. before I could get on I-44. While I was in line waiting on lights I got the usual number of thumbs up and other drivers asking me to "Rev it up once".

Anyway, finally got to the ramp to the interstate and was rolling through the gears on the access road and up to I-44 where I found the perfect opening to get on the freeway when everything went quiet. My engine died! Quick check of the gas gauge and I still had over a quarter of a tank. So I let out on the clutch and she fired again and off we went about 20' when the engine died again so I pulled to the shoulder and came to a full stop. Turned the key and it fired right up and then died but I noticed I couldn't hear my fuel pump. So I climbed out of the cockpit and checked my fuel cell. Sure enough it was bone dry with a little piece of my foam baffle from my fuel cell underneath my fuel sender holding it up and giving me a false reading at my gauge. %$&$ to make things worse traffic is backed up behind me as far as I can see with people looking at a stranded Cobra beside the highway. Quick call to my wife who works about three miles away to pick up some gas and come and save me (20 mins tops). Well an hour and 10 mins later she shows up with the gas. Apparantly, I had traffic backed up for about four miles and she had to crawl through traffic like everyone else. She was almost as happy by the time she got to me. I am just glad one of the news helicopters didn't come by and hover over me during this episode. Although one trucker had this women holding her camcorder out the window of their truck taking my picture so I just smilled and waved. The rest of the weekend wasn't much better either.

So much for bailing out of work early for a cruise. I might try it again next week.....N O T!!!

So how was your weekend?

Clois

[FST HSKR]

Now I know I am in good company. Ran out of gas Friday night just like you, still showed 1/4 of tank. What was bad I told the wife I needed to stop for fuel and drove past 2 stations thinking I was going to be ok. At least it was a warm evening, had plently of help. Had it going again in 30 minutes. Felt stupid but happy that was all it was.


Jim

[petek]

Given the choice between embarrasment and a major problem with my Cobra (re: $$$), I'd choose the embarrasment!

[Clois Harlan]

In spite of all the chaos I caused everyone was fairly nice as they went by me. Traffic is usually bad enough about any day at 4:00 PM but Fridays are much worse and I was the responsible party. By the way I replaced all my foam in my fuel cell Saturday. My fuel gauge is working correctly again....I hope.



Clois

[TerribleTed13]

Ran out of gas on a mountain cruise with MHCC, about 1 mile out of Woodland Park CO. Luckally we were able to coast all the way back to town, stopped at the traffic signal. The guy next to us at the signal stated "I thought those cars were louder". I replied "they get great mileage this way" . Let off the brake and coasted in to the gas station without pushing the car even once. After the drive I fixed the gas gauge problem!

[mikiec]

This is one of the reasons I do not rely on the gas gauge (this includes my daily drivers}. I have Autometers and rely on the trip odometer. I reset it every time I fill up.

Mike

[Lowell W]

Within a month or so of putting my car on the road (late March, early April), I ran out of gas while on my way to visit a friend in another town. When I got into town I pulled over to call on the cell phone to let them know I was there and, while dialing, reached up to shut off the heater fan. A second later, I realized the fan was still on, so I reached up and hit the switch again, made the call and started off. A minute or two later, the motor quit. I restarted it and it quit again: a classic case of starving for fuel. I always reset the trip odometer when I fill up so I was surprised to be dry so soon. As luck would have it, I coasted to a stop in front of a house where the guy was working in the garage and he offered me all the gas he had, about a gallon. While I was pouring in the gas and answering the usual questions about the car, I was going over the last few minutes in my mind. Then it occurred to me: "Hmmm... it was pretty quiet after the motor quit...". Yep: I had flipped the fuel pump switch the first time. Nope: I didn't let on, just thanked him for the gas, turned on the pump, started the motor, promised to take his son for a ride the next time I was in town and off I went.

And I did stop by to take his son for a ride a couple of months later. I like to think it was well worth the buck's worth of gas to both of them!

[SPEEDEAMON]

Just yesterday, after showing my Cobra at the Beverly Hills Classic Charity car show, I was drving home on Rodeo Drive. There were four real Cobras there. I had a quarter of gas according to my trusty Smiths gauge when in the residential section, the engine started to sputter and soon thereafter I was coasting with a dead engine. I ran out of gas again for the third time because I keep forgetting that my gauge is not correct. Called AAA who told me it would take up to an hour for service. Well they showed up within 10 minutes and I was able to get to the nearest service station. But because the gas was regular, the back-fired all the way.

The way I take it is that I'd rather run out of gas in a Cobra than in something else.

Shin

[Spoony]

Well guys I broke down "TWICE" last Friday. I too decide to drive my Cobra to work. At noon I head for the gym. On the way She starts coughin, and sputterin. So my engine guys is a mile past my gym, so I "barely" get Her there. After 3 hours we decide the fuel regulators is toast and with a 30psi fuel pump I'm soakin Her with Fuel. Replace it and She starts up and runs great. I take off for home. 5 Miles away ......nothing.....She dies and this time no chance of moving. For the first time in 100years I don't have my cell on me, so I spot a local Police officer who is in the process of arrest some poor sole on the side of the road. I tell him my problem and he calls a tow truck. Well after the officer sends off the felon in another car he joins me to help devert traffic, Oh by the way my cobra isn't register yet. Of course he runs the plates and comes out of the car with a couple questions. Nice guy I immediately told him I'm in the process of getting it licenced and he cut me a solid. Anyway I spend an hour coaching the flatbed operater how to load the car, between his picture taking he did a good job. Get it back to the engine guy who spends the night trouble shooting, and figures out the Carb is shoot, my second defective Demon in 550 miles. Anyway Demon made good and got me another new carb and I was off and running Saturday morning.

Fun day

[SPEEDEAMON]

Spoony,

Not to be doubtful but please share the secret on how you could have Demon send you a new carb overnight and have it next morning installed and running. In my experience it takes days to remove, send back, have them send, install and get it running, especially on a Friday night, unless of course you meant Saturday a week later??????

Shin

[Spoony]

Shin,

My engine guy had one in stock, he called his Demon Rep and told him the problem. Demon told him to put on the new one, they would take the defect back Monday and supply a replacement for his inventory at the same time. So I got the new one on and was out of there the next morning at no charge.

[SPEEDEAMON]

Spoony,

Thanks for the clarification. That's a nice story. Whenever something like that happens to me, I don't have the luck. Like the parts supplier will tell me he just sold the last one an hour ago so its on back order. You are lucky the officer let you off. Here in Los Angeles, they are very thin on tolerance and rarely do we get off free. Unless of course your have a young bombshell in a short skirt sitting in the passenger seat. Then you might get lucky.

Ride happy and safe and get it registered.

Shin

[RallySnake]

Clois,

Sorry about the problems on Friday. I'm glad you worked it out. I decided a long time ago that race parts = fix often and stock parts = much more reliable.

My 22 gallon Bronco gas tank may not have the benefits of crash protection that a fuel cell has, but it does have a lot more capacity. My Co-Driver, Ron, and I spent Friday evening rerunning our last rally. We had been off about 5/100ths of a minute on each leg and needed to figure out why. We ran two rally computers so they could check each other and drove the entire course under a beautiful starry night sky. The Rally ran us all around the back roads of Fillmore. It was fun and a little chilly without the pressure of precise timing.

Rally on,
Paul

[Lowell W]

Paul,

I'm basically familiar with the concept of rallying (go from here to there to there to there in as close to a predetermined amount of time as possible for each leg) but 5/100 of a minute? Two rally computers? That sounds very serious. Could you elaborate a bit for us uninitiated folks? Is this professional competition? What's a rally computer? How do you use one? Do you know the route prior to the event? Do you get a map when you start or how do you know where to go next? How important is speed? Ditto handling? How long is a typical rally? Are there organizations, ie: SCCA, NHRA, etc.?

Thanks,

Lowell

[Wayne Maybury]

Paul, Since we are going off topic, while you are explaining the rally concept, can you tell me how the pro European rallies (as seen on Speed) work? They seem to be more of a race than a rally. These guys appear to be going flat out. What time are they trying to match?

Me, run out of gas??? Never???

Wayne

[Clois Harlan]

After reading everyones post I think we will all agree that a bad moment or two in a Cobra is better than a good day in most other rides.

We all buy these things for the fun and attention they bring with them. Once we are all back on the road and driving happy we like to tell our stories but just don't speak to me until I am driving happy again

Stuff happens in anything mechanical, you just get more mileage out of it when it happens in a Cobra.

Clois