Bought a car today...

[Altron]

I failed hydrocarbons (187 vs. 128 was pass) and CO2 (~0.75 was pass, and mine was like 3.7)

The engine wasn't hot, but it was definitely warmed up enough. In the summer it doesn't take much to get it warm. I idled it for about five minutes in the driveway, then did about 20 minutes of driving to get to the DMV. When I started it at the DMV, it caught quickly without having to give it gas, which means that it's warm.

Air filter is maybe a year old... took it into the yard and hosed it off last weekend, so there's not any dirt in it.

Spark plugs and all that... no idea. Aside from the alternator and battery I replaced at 140,000, I haven't touched the electrical system.

 

[chcr]

Umm... Spark plugs aren't actually part of the electrical system.

The CO2 (you darned global warmer you) suggests a vacuum leak. Typically a cracked, burnt or just fallen off vacuum line on a car that old. Anything like your vents and defroster and such not working properly? They all run off vacuum. There's probably about 837 miles of vacuum hose under the hood of that bad boy. If that is what's wrong, a lean misfire is probably causing the hydrocarbon problem so I'm guessing it's all related. Kruz would know a lot more about it than me though.

Global warming is all Altron's fault!!!!

 

[SouthernN'Proud]

Global warming is all Altron's fault!!!!

Oh good. Now I can sleep tonight.

 

[Altron]

Umm... Spark plugs aren't actually part of the electrical system.

The CO2 (you darned global warmer you) suggests a vacuum leak. Typically a cracked, burnt or just fallen off vacuum line on a car that old. Anything like your vents and defroster and such not working properly? They all run off vacuum. There's probably about 837 miles of vacuum hose under the hood of that bad boy. If that is what's wrong, a lean misfire is probably causing the hydrocarbon problem so I'm guessing it's all related. Kruz would know a lot more about it than me though.

Global warming is all Altron's fault!!!!

Are vacuum lines easy to fix? I've already had tons of issues with the heat, defrost, vent, and ac due to bad vacuum lines.

 

[Inkara1]

They're usually just rubber hose that goes between two points. the rubber gets old and hard and cracks. It's pretty cheap to replace... there's just a fuckload of it.

The test for a vacuum leak: when the car's idling, open the hood, take a blowtorch, turn it on (DON'T LIGHT IT!!!!!!!!!!) and move it around with the end pointing at the engine... over all the rubber lines you can find, etc. If you find one spot that makes the idle speed up when you have the blowtorch (that's on but not lit) pointed at it, your vacuum leak is in that area.

If that's the problem and you fix it, you'll also likely find that your gas mileage will go up a touch.

 

[Aunty Em]

Don't you have a workshop manual for that thing?

 

[Kruz]

Umm... Spark plugs aren't actually part of the electrical system.

The CO2 (you darned global warmer you) suggests a vacuum leak. Typically a cracked, burnt or just fallen off vacuum line on a car that old. Anything like your vents and defroster and such not working properly? They all run off vacuum. There's probably about 837 miles of vacuum hose under the hood of that bad boy. If that is what's wrong, a lean misfire is probably causing the hydrocarbon problem so I'm guessing it's all related. Kruz would know a lot more about it than me though.
Global warming is all Altron's fault!!!!

Altron.. I hate to say it but getting one of those carbureted dinosaurs to pass a smog test is an art form almost lost now.
You need to find a shop that works on older vehicles, has a gas analyzer, has scanner to connect to your cars computer, and most importantly.. someone who knows how to use them.
if your lucky you'll find one that actually will diagnose the problem instead of putting parts on till it passes the test.

 

[Altron]

I was hoping for more of a garage fix... being that it's been up for sale for like a week and no one has even looked at it, I don't want to spend big bucks for a shop to diagnose a problem, if I'm going to have to sell it really cheap just to get rid of it.

I'm thinking, though - my aunt who I'm really close to lives in NY. If I gave the car to her as a 'gift', and she got NY registration and made it pass the private (easy - we got a car with a leaking gas tank and no exhaust system to pass) NY inspection, I could then sell it in NY.

That seems to be a decent fallback plan if the vacuum lines are more difficult to repair than I can do myself.

 

[chcr]

Are vacuum lines easy to fix? I've already had tons of issues with the heat, defrost, vent, and ac due to bad vacuum lines.

They're usually just rubber hose that goes between two points. the rubber gets old and hard and cracks. It's pretty cheap to replace... there's just a fuckload of it.

The test for a vacuum leak: when the car's idling, open the hood, take a blowtorch, turn it on (DON'T LIGHT IT!!!!!!!!!!) and move it around with the end pointing at the engine... over all the rubber lines you can find, etc. If you find one spot that makes the idle speed up when you have the blowtorch (that's on but not lit) pointed at it, your vacuum leak is in that area.

If that's the problem and you fix it, you'll also likely find that your gas mileage will go up a touch.

What he said except that I use a can of carb cleaner becuse it's rather less likely to explode.

Altron.. I hate to say it but getting one of those carbureted dinosaurs to pass a smog test is an art form almost lost now.
You need to find a shop that works on older vehicles, has a gas analyzer, has scanner to connect to your cars computer, and most importantly.. someone who knows how to use them.
if your lucky you'll find one that actually will diagnose the problem instead of putting parts on till it passes the test.

Tell me about it. Got an '84 TransAm. Got it through again this year. Hell, I even had to buy the bubble level protractor tool for choke angle and the special little tools to bend the various linkages with a few years back because I couldn't find anyone who did it anymore. And I work at a shop.

 

[Winky]

and that folks is our lil kiddies first car
1/09/06
07/13/07
rest in pieces Olds Magnus Custom Cruiser

at least my kid had the decency to total his car, sheesh

mebbe you'll have better luck with the next one


the not the car you foo

 

[Altron]

BTW, the Olds wasn't my first car. That honor goes to the 1989 Mazda MX-6.

It did in fact have a muffler. The only problem was that the entire outer shell of it rusted off, and the cat rusted out at both joints, and the fucking exhaust manifold was full of holes. It was where I discovered the joys of a gas tank that leaks if you fill it more than halfway, and a passenger cabin that smells so strongly of gasoline and exhaust that you can't drive with the windows up, even in the dead of winter. Where I discovered that only pansies need heat or air conditioning. Where the transmission oil was so bad that the mechanics were afraid to change it. Where the entire roof, trunk lid, and hood were completely rusted out from the car being under snow for 4 months a year. I ended up taking the Sony cassette player out and donating it to charity for my dad to get a tax deduction. I got it for free, drove it without insurance, and gave it away. Got it with 133,000 miles, got rid of it at 134,000

From there I began to experience the joys of amenities such as power windows, but I still went without air conditioning or heat. And as an extra bonus, I now had a carburetor! Single digit gas mileage! Even in the summer I need to run the starter for like 30 seconds and give it some gas to get it to start if it's cold. I found out how much fun torque is, as well as RWD and V8s. It also made me something of a permanent designated driver, since it holds twice as many people as a normal car.
Got it with 139,000 and am currently selling it with 149,000

Now I finally have a car younger than me. Nice car. VQ30DE and a 5 speed manual make for some fun driving. It's so fast that it scares my passengers. I can go from a dead stop to 100mph in less time than it would take me to hit 40 in the land yacht. I can easily spin the front tires on dry pavement in a straight line going into first AND into second. IT'S SO FUCKING FAST!
Got it with 135,000 miles

Ironically, the first (and oldest, by a few months) of my cars had the lowest mileage.