Ok, so my mechanic buddy put the new head gasket on, put everything back together, hooked up all of the appropriate vacuum lines, etc..etc... and the car wouldn't start. So he checked one of the plugs, and had it wrong...whoops! After that, VRoom! Cranked right up. Neat! Second try ain't bad for an old school American muscle guy!
So, we jumped through all the hoops and got the cooling system bled and the ignition timing set (dialed in 10 degrees, and about 14 after removing the jumper). It was running great...a little smoke coming off the header from crap that was spilled on it, but no big deal.
I'm headed back to his place tomorrow anyway, but I couldn't wait so I drove her home...about 10-15 min into the trip, I notice all my status lights are on (brake, CEL, whatever else...), and after the slightest moment of panic, I realized my engine had stopped...I was coasting at the time with the clutch in, so I started her back up and finished driving home...of course, dying at every stop light, and boy was the patch of stop-n-go traffic I hit fun! All gauges seem normal...oil pressure is good, temp is good, battery good. But I had to stay on the gas to keep her running (kind of a pain, when juggling a clutch and brake too) Also still noticed a bit of smoke coming off the header (I think) when I got home...but don't know if a 30mi drive was enough to burn everything off.
So yeah...I've got a car that keeps dying at idle, and a pissed wife who says I'm impatient, and should have had my mechanic test drive it with me before bringing it home (he didn't have time, and was on his way out the door).
Any ideas? I'm fully prepared to email a genuine High FiveŠ to anyone who can help me get my baby running properly!
