Fell flat last night
Discussion
Tootling home last night thru deepest Norfolk on my way to Suffolk when the unthinkable happened, I ran out of petrol 
Good job then that I had my two gallon can strapped onto the running board of my 12/4 
Empty content of can into petrol tank, every last lovely drop and then realised that I did'nt have juice to prime the carb, boggor. Try cranking the handle, no go, use the electric starter and the battery ran dead within 10 seconds. Nothing for it but to ring my better half, I need a drop of petrol, a torch and jump leads. Unfortunately my mobile phone would'nt work now I'm in deep dodo. Walk a couple of miles to nearest pub (I would'nt knock on door of private home)use thier mobile and wander back to car.
An hour later and I'm running again on an almost flat battery in the pitch dark, and the battery was getting weaker by the minute. Side lights glowing orange and engine starts to misfire as I make it to Diss and Street lights. Another 7 miles and I just about manage to garage my car and get the acumate on. Phew!!
Close call. I know, there's a moral to this little escapade but it makes a change to asking my fellow PH'ers how to mend something
Good job then that I had my two gallon can strapped onto the running board of my 12/4 Empty content of can into petrol tank, every last lovely drop and then realised that I did'nt have juice to prime the carb, boggor. Try cranking the handle, no go, use the electric starter and the battery ran dead within 10 seconds. Nothing for it but to ring my better half, I need a drop of petrol, a torch and jump leads. Unfortunately my mobile phone would'nt work
now I'm in deep dodo. Walk a couple of miles to nearest pub (I would'nt knock on door of private home)use thier mobile and wander back to car. An hour later and I'm running again on an almost flat battery in the pitch dark, and the battery was getting weaker by the minute. Side lights glowing orange and engine starts to misfire as I make it to Diss and Street lights. Another 7 miles and I just about manage to garage my car and get the acumate on. Phew!!
Close call. I know, there's a moral to this little escapade but it makes a change to asking my fellow PH'ers how to mend something
Although after going to the NEC classic car show at the weekend my list has expanded a bit.
The B makes a refreshing change to driving moderns,only problem is that after driving it for a bit the steering weight is all wrong on anything else.
pleased to hear you got the battery sorted.
The B makes a refreshing change to driving moderns,only problem is that after driving it for a bit the steering weight is all wrong on anything else.
pleased to hear you got the battery sorted.
Lordy, a close run thing. The only gauge I don't trust on my classic is the fuel guage, the previous owner sagely advised me to never let it run below 1/4 full. There is a reserve tap but it's really only another hole in a different place in the tank.
As for breakdowns, I never leave without the mobile fully charged. The worse occasion was a fuel pump failure which was only remedied (temporarily) by pouring cold water on the casing. Limped it home, just, misfiring on 4 of the 8 cylinders.
The best part of such an emergency is how exhilarating it is once you get home. You've ran the gamut of mechanically malady and defied it to get home.
As for breakdowns, I never leave without the mobile fully charged. The worse occasion was a fuel pump failure which was only remedied (temporarily) by pouring cold water on the casing. Limped it home, just, misfiring on 4 of the 8 cylinders.
The best part of such an emergency is how exhilarating it is once you get home. You've ran the gamut of mechanically malady and defied it to get home.
The armature failed on my MZ a few weeks ago and the first I knew of it was when the bike conked out in the middle of nowhere, in the pitch dark, miles from any streetlights.
I had to hack into the wiring by feel in the dark and patch in a 7.2V NiCd pack out of an emergency lighting unit to get it running again. It was then an interesting business trying to ride home as fast as possible while keeping the headlight switched off except when there were other vehicles about. The NiCd pack went flat just as I got home. Naturally, I gave thanks to the Lord.
I had to hack into the wiring by feel in the dark and patch in a 7.2V NiCd pack out of an emergency lighting unit to get it running again. It was then an interesting business trying to ride home as fast as possible while keeping the headlight switched off except when there were other vehicles about. The NiCd pack went flat just as I got home. Naturally, I gave thanks to the Lord.
crankedup said:
Tootling home last night thru deepest Norfolk on my way to Suffolk when the unthinkable happened, I ran out of petrol Good job then that I had my two gallon can strapped onto the running board of my 12/4
Empty content of can into petrol tank, every last lovely drop and then realised that I did'nt have juice to prime the carb, boggor. Try cranking the handle, no go, use the electric starter and the battery ran dead within 10 seconds. Nothing for it but to ring my better half, I need a drop of petrol, a torch and jump leads. Unfortunately my mobile phone would'nt work now I'm in deep dodo. Walk a couple of miles to nearest pub (I would'nt knock on door of private home)use thier mobile and wander back to car.
An hour later and I'm running again on an almost flat battery in the pitch dark, and the battery was getting weaker by the minute. Side lights glowing orange and engine starts to misfire as I make it to Diss and Street lights. Another 7 miles and I just about manage to garage my car and get the acumate on. Phew!!
Close call. I know, there's a moral to this little escapade but it makes a change to asking my fellow PH'ers how to mend something
Good job then that I had my two gallon can strapped onto the running board of my 12/4 Empty content of can into petrol tank, every last lovely drop and then realised that I did'nt have juice to prime the carb, boggor. Try cranking the handle, no go, use the electric starter and the battery ran dead within 10 seconds. Nothing for it but to ring my better half, I need a drop of petrol, a torch and jump leads. Unfortunately my mobile phone would'nt work
now I'm in deep dodo. Walk a couple of miles to nearest pub (I would'nt knock on door of private home)use thier mobile and wander back to car. An hour later and I'm running again on an almost flat battery in the pitch dark, and the battery was getting weaker by the minute. Side lights glowing orange and engine starts to misfire as I make it to Diss and Street lights. Another 7 miles and I just about manage to garage my car and get the acumate on. Phew!!
Close call. I know, there's a moral to this little escapade but it makes a change to asking my fellow PH'ers how to mend something
Hi CU,
you do realise that your car almost certainly has an AC mechanical pump fitted with a hand priming lever which enables you to pump up the fuel pressure by hand and fill the carb: she will then fire up instantly on the first turn.
It should be a small lever that protrudes from the underside of the pump or has a wire ring attached vertically that you can hook your finger into and pump up and down.
Saves you a great deal of hassle!
Which may need priming, but it is down hill from there 
simes205 said:
Is the 12/4 the same model portayed in the Gumdrop childrens books?
if so there's one near me, they run an Austin 7 too used to be their daily 'hack'!
if so there's one near me, they run an Austin 7 too used to be their daily 'hack'!
Yes it is but my 12/4 is the saloon bodied version. As for using a '7' as a daily driver, well I guess they work local, or they are just plain nuts, as most vintage car owners are.
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