Today was not as good a day but somehow the miles rolled by.
I got a good start and for the first couple of hours things went very smoothly. As it warmed up so did the engine and I slowed down to try to keep it below 90° when the fan comes on but that didn't work very well.
Most if the road from Novosibirsk to Omsk is concrete. It is either huge slabs or is poured in sections. The gaps between the slabs are never perfect so there is a constant thump, thump, thump at about 2 - 3 per second. But at least big holes are rare.
My bigger problem today was the return of the miss fire. I tried swapping back to the electronic distributor but that didn't work so I returned to the Lucas unit as least then I could see what was happening. It started again so I set off and nursed her along. The problem seems to be temperature related and I was thinking it could be a coil or the fuel pump failing when it gets hot. Quite soon miles later the same thing happened. This time I thought to change the spark plugs. They were all covered by a white deposit but number 3 plug was completely closed by it. The new plugs solved the problem for now. The problem is most likely caused by running too lean - I think I'm averaging around 55 miles pert gallon. The problem has probably always been there and would explain the lack of power. There may be some interaction with different fuels as it seems to have been an issue on some tank fulls but not most. I suspect it just needs a main jet with a bigger hole in it. I'm sorely tempted to try to widen this one a bit. However, given the possibility of messing it up altogether, I think I should leave well alone.
I kept on for about 160km beyond Omsk to a motel that was advertised along the way. Its much nicer than the ones I usually stay in but is also nearly double the price. To add to the cost, I have completely stuffed up ordering dinner. I asked for fish,chips and salad. I thought the girl was suggesting salmon in potato instead of the rather bony looking trout like fish. What turned up was the salad but some sort of mince thing under potato. So I took it back and asked to buy the fish in the poster Behring the till. When I had paid and sat down there was the bony looking trout thing. So I set about consuming it when a few minutes later the fish from the poster arrives as well. Three meals in one night, its lucky that food here is cheap.
I'm aiming to be approaching Ekatyeringburg tomorrow. The day after that I think I reach the Urals and perhaps my biggest challenge yet.
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