The second day started with some quick technical checks. I topped of coolant water, checked tire pressure and oil level. As we had problems with power loss driving up to the Timmelsjoch – I also checked the fuel filters and fuel pressure again. These are all OK and I don’t believe they are part of the problem. Therefore I am think it might be either a Vapor Lock issue – especially as this happened at 2300m above sea level – or it must be related to the ignition system.
To my knowledge Vapor lock issues can occur when fuel lines are clocked or there is a heat issue with the carburettor or fuel lines. The Weber is mounted to a 1cm think insulator block and has a small heatshield – that could be improved – but this is difficult to do on this trip.
The Facet electric fuel pump is mounted in the rear – I checked fuel pressure so this is OK as well. This left the fuel return line as only item I check still check. To disconnect the fuel return line from the tank in rear – I had to remove the the rear seat. Then I used my small battery powered air compressor and blew the line and this was OK as well. As the engine starts easily – I just left it as is.
After a relaxed breakfast we got back on the road. Following recommendations I got from Andreas – we ignored the Lago di Garda and took the Autostrada E45 and headed to Mantova. These first 185km took us exactly two hours. I choose to park in the garage Parcheggio Pradella for added security as well as keeping it out of the sun and let it cool down.
We walked to the city center to basically learn our first lesson: city life basically stops at 1pm for the afternoon. Most stores were about to close or closed already. Nevertheless the town was worth visiting – even if we did not go inside the Cathedral or Palazzo Ducale due to limited time.
For the next section we switched drivers and the plan was that my wife will drive to Cantone – a bit south of Modena were we would take the SS12 to Pavullo nei Frignano – onwards to Pistoia. But plans change – especially when after about 15min driving on the Autostrada the engine suffered power loss issues again.
We were lucky to be able to roll into on of the emergency stop bays. The newly installed ignition coil was really hot. As I took a brand new NKG ignition coil as spare – I decided to switch this quickly. This only took a few minutes and the engine started up right away.
Twenty minutes later – we got the same issue. It was a hot day with temperatures above 36°C. Even though that the water temperature was around 90°C – I suspect that it must be a heat related issue – but still cannot pinpoint if it is on the fuel or ignition side.
A longer break on a service station followed and we dumped the plan to take the SS12. Instead we would stay on the Autostrada. When we got out of the Autogrill some clouds started to form – having less sunshine in the hood would certainly help.
For the next 150km everything was fine – I reduced the speed to about 110km/h making sure that we stay in the lower rev range and whenever the traffic slowed down – I would switch on the electric fan. This got us all the way to Florence. But at some hill incline – on a three lane part of the A1 – I tried overtaking a truck that was just doing 80km/h. As soon as I did more than 3000 RPM in fourth gear – I had power loss again.
Another stop on the side of the highway – the warning vest would become a more permanent piece of clothing. 20min cool down and we could continue our ride – now just doing 90 to 100km/h. It seemed as Siena, Napoli and Brindisi are lightyears away. But eventually we arrived at the hotel a little after 6pm. Six hours for 260km – on a highway without traffic jams….
We took a drink at the hotel pool which I used to cool down myself and decided just to have dinner at a restaurant in walking distance. This turned out to be an excellent Steak house and we had a wonderful evening after all.
Fixing C6622 
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