ETCG1: Coincidental Correlation

[Red Morris]

I think there’s a discussion to be had around this as I bet everyone has a story about it, and it’s one of those things you do once and try to avoid again, but usually get caught a few more times.

My example is my reliable POS, a 1997 Volvo 850 2.5. I had an issue with parking this car up on a kerb. Every time I did this it would be difficult to start, and run really rough for a mile or so. On a couple of occasions it flat out refused to start and I had to bump start it. If I parked it in the driveway or further down the road where it’s wide enough to park it on the flat, it was fine.

I spoke to 3 mechanics and no one had a suggestion that fit. The car ran fine, so any issues with the fuel delivery didn’t fit. I was afraid of parking the car anywhere that tilted it to the left or right.

Then one week my neighbour was away and I needed access to the garage so I moved the RPOS to his driveway 10 feet to the right, and the next day I got the same issue. I only ever parked it on the kerb to get to the garage, and therefore I usually just started it up, moved it, shut it off. When I parked it down the road I would drive past and turn it around first. The Volvo suffers from “Lawnmower syndrome” whereby it gets stuck in cold start mode if you run it for less than 20 seconds. Since then, I’ve only had the issue once, when my dad used the car while I was away.

All of my obsessing on the kerb and how it tilted the car blinded me from the real issue. I was sure it was a symptom, but it was just coincidence that I would park in on a kerb when I ran it for a very short time.

Topic

[EricTheCarGuy]

Interesting story for sure. Yes, diagnosis can be difficult sometimes and it’s easy to ignore the facts and get hung up on some detail that leads you astray. I believe I covered this topic in this video.

Thanks for the suggestion.

[Author]

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