SnailPower
Autocross Newbie
- Location
- North NJ
- Car(s)
- 2017 GTI MT, PP, LP
I had an '84 Z-28 H.O. as well between the ages of 17 and 22. My buddy and I had the 'brilliant' idea to hook up a manual choke cable to the secondaries of the 4 barrel carb. We mounted the choke pull right under the e-brake handle. This enabled me to open all 4 barrels up at the same time. It surprised a few IROC-Zs back then. It was fun while it lasted and then that 'brilliant' modification blew cylinder #2 and the car would smoke like a mother-f'er at stop lights. One time, a couple next to me in the other lane beeped and said, 'I think your car is on fire'. I smoked up 4 lanes worth of road. I would have to carry spare quarts of oil and keep dumping it in because it was burning through it like crazy. The engine seized shortly thereafter. It was $900 back then to replace it. Lesson learned.
So this is probably what was wrong with a 1992 Ford Tempo that was my first car. Whenever I was at a stop light, smoke would start coming out from under the hood. I was too young and had no money (nor my parents) to car about trying to find what was wrong to fix it. It was super embarrassing but the car continued to run. My parents bought the car at a used car junkyard and thought it would be a good first car for me, lol.
Eventually I was at an intersection and the car just died completely. I had to help push it off out the intersection with the assist of a cop and we got it towed out. Had it towed right back to the junkyard, lol.