Posted by Sherman in Idaho [24.32.202.166] on Thursday, May 02, 2013 at 12:06:35 :
Yesterday I took the M37 out for the first time this year. As usual, it took a lots of tries and pouring gas down the carb to get it going. I wasn't going far, just a mile from my house to do a little trail work and see if my new dog would run away if I let her off the leash. Ran fine with only the usual bit of sputtering (this is the M that came to me with no oil filter or air cleaner, so the engine is a bit tired). Got to the top of the road, which is a pretty steep dirt road (350' in 1/2 mile), backed up on the road cut a bit to turn around, and she stalled out. Then I noticed the temp gauge said 240. I had not checked the coolant before I left, because it never leaked before. Figured I'd just leave her there while I did my work, but when I got back in an hour or so, she still wouldn't start. Despite much use of ether, I couldn't even get a pop, and kept trying until I ran the battery down. If I could have just moved her 50' I would have been pointed down the hill and could have rolled all the way back to my house, with plenty of opportunity for compression starting.
So, I'll go back up today, if I can get my Chevy up the steep part, which it usually won't go up without a good running start (2WD, open differential), and take water, more gas, a couple of batteries, and tools.
But thought I'd ask here what I should be looking for. If it had vapor-locked, it should have been okay after sitting for an hour and it should have at least started a bit on ether. If the problem is electrical, why did it suddenly quit just as I backed up the cut bank to turn around? If it was due to overheating, the engine didn't seize up (it's so loose it probably couldn't) and it still spins freely with the starter. It didn't make any bad noise or anything when it quit.
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