DeTomaso Mailing List: March 1997, Message #155
     



From: Andy Poling <andy@realbig.com>

Subject: Fill 'er up (1st series)

Date: Thu, 20 Mar 1997 19:24:31 -0500 (EST)



As I just discovered the other day, new owners of "first series" (pre-L)

Panteras in the U.S. must keep a wary eye on the fuel gauge.



Because of the dastardly under-bonnet location of the fuel filler, you may

find that the pumps at the first gas station you come to will refuse to pump

gas into your tank... if they have a certain type of pump nozzle.



Some of the stations here on the East Coast have a rubber spring-loaded

bellows-like rubber hose over the actual pump nozzle (E.P.A. mandated vapor

recovery), and if that outer hose isn't happy with how it's pressed against

your filler the pump will refuse to pump gas.  I spent about 20 minutes

nursing 4 gallons of gas into the tank when I occasionally managed to get

the pump to veeerrry sloooowly pump gas.



>From now on, when I pull into a gas station and see those kinds of nozzles,

I'm just going to nod sagely and motor off to find a station with more

friendly nozzles...



-Andy



PS - Pretty much everybody seems convinced that my speedo problem is

actually the speedo cable in need of lube.  I'm not so sure, since Alan says

he replaced it (it was broken) before selling the car to me.  I'm going to

try lubing the cable, but I have to wonder if the speedo isn't faulty and

that's how the previous cable got trashed.  For now, I've disconnected the

cable from the transaxle until I can get ahold of the proper lube.



72 Pantera: power             91 Miata: quickness              96 A4Q: traction

84 RZ350: all the above