but no Cobra work. I got my mom's Toyota to work! I was getting ready to use a can of Seafoam to treat the engine, thinking that the problem was a stuck lifter. The engine was making a terrible ticking noise, which matched the engine RPMs, soundling like it was coming from the front of the engine block. Seafoam is a detergent-like additive that is petroleum based that is supposed to do wonders for fixing carbon deposit problems.
I was bringing the engine up to operating temperature and decided to try to isolate the noise better while it was warming up. In doing so, I started poking around and noticed that the plug wire running to the first cylinder was vibrating just a bit. Low and behold, I pushed down on it slightly, and it clicked back into place, ending the tapping noise! Somehow, that wire had gotten loosened over time and must have come completely off a few weeks ago while I was driving my mom home from the doctor. It was bucking a bit and lost a lot of power at the time, which I guess was the effect of turning a 4 cylinder engine into a 3!
I have now driven the RAV about 3 or 4 times on short trips and it is running beautifully. What a relief to not have to spend a dime getting it fixed.
As for the Cobra, I did manage to get to a couple of auto parts stores to buy some needed primary wire. The next thing I am going to do is install the external voltage regulator. Basically, it manages the amount of battery recharging done by the alternator. This week the weather is supposed to be a little cooler, so I should find some time for it.
Monday, August 8, 2011
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