What spares do you carry?

[JimmyC]

I have been having a lot of fun with my truck lately. I have been in the mountains for a couple of months with more free time than usual so I have had more oportunity to use it like it was meant to be used. Yesterday, just as I was thinking It was getting awfully close to dark and I was really far from everywhere the truck quit. It was just a bad connection in the ignition primary so I got underway again pretty quickly, but it got me thinking of what spares I should carry. I have Petronix ignition. I am thinking fan belt, rotor, cap, and coil wire and maybe fuel filter and diaphragm for fuel pump.

[pcolette]

I'm overly cautious so I tend to carry maybe too much but here goes:

-as you said: rotor, distributor cap, coil wire (unless you have SSI ignition) & fan belt
-fuel filter, fuel pump, extra fuel line & clamps
-4 spark plugs, pre-gapped
-coil, #4 spark plug wire
-fuel cutoff solenoid
-oil, brake fluid, gear lube
-electrical & duct tape, bits of asst. wire, hand cleaner, rags

With luck you'll never need any of it.

[John L]

Jimmy C just giving you a shout out from Mandeville, LA! I don't know of many Pinz's in our area. We should check in with Andre and get some kind of Pinz excursion set up in East Texas sometime in the fall when it cools down a bit.

[JimmyC]

John L, I am officially in Lafayette, but the truck and I spend most of our time in Highlands, NC sinceI retired last April.

[JimmyC]

P, what is thereupon shutoff solenoid? Is thattheywothingsin things in the base of each carburetor? whathappens when it fails?

Ihave Petronix ignition, which appears to haven solid state sensor where've points would go and a wheel where the points cam usually sits. do these things fail?

[pcolette]

Yes the fuel shutoff solenoids are at the base of the carbs - 2 per carb. They control fuel flow thru the carb mainly at idle. I think they were originally designed to prevent run-on? If they fail, they seem to fail in the off position. Truck will usually still run but not idle very well.

If Pertronix fails it is usually the black plastic sensor box with the 2 wires. I've had one fail but I think it's pretty rare.

[JimmyC]

It he Petronix piece the one in the distributor?

[kdiqq]

I wish I could comment on spares... But sign me up for an E Texas meet-up!

[David Dunn]

Paul,
I can't believe you didn't have points and condenser (though that is usually left in place, disconnected) in your list, you had the rest of the ignition system ... if the Pertronix goes, you're dead in the water. They can fail from over voltage from a bad voltage regulator or possibly a bad ballast resistor.

[pcolette]

Jim - yes, the Pertronix is the black plastic rectangular piece (sensor) in the distributor.

Dave - I did carry points & condenser when I had the Pertronix but stopped when I switched to SSI ignition system with no distributor. I do carry a spare coil pack for the SSI.

[David Dunn]

I don't carry any of that... I don't need no stinkin coil! or plugs, or...

[krick3tt]

JimmyC,
That diaphragm for the fuel pump is a good idea but I bet taking apart a fuel pump on the trail could be a pain. I carry a spare fuel pump from Napa...$39.
It is rebuildable as is the original one.