Bought a car today...
- Thread starter Altron
- Start date
catocom
Well-Known Member
Similar to the motor in my big van.chcr said:
If the same motor was in a sports car... = hot rod, but like my van, there's
a lot of weight there. I sure it'll still jump out in traffic though if punched...
Just have to keep gas in the tank.
Altron, your friends around there might not act impressed...I dunno, but just
wait 'til you catch um at a red light on a good straight away.
catocom
Well-Known Member
Not 'amazing' it's belt dressing, and maybe some other quick fixes.Altron said:
That the kind of stuff I look for first when buying a used vehicle.
The most perishable stuff....
Belts, battery, hoses, plug wires...Mostly the rubber, plastic, and wiring stuff...
Besides keeping oil in it, that will be where the money is at.
Inkara1
Well-Known Member
Nope; mine's a 62. The green car you can see the ass end of on the left is a '66 and the white car on the right side is part of the nose of my dad's '67 Ranchero.
Someday I'd like to get a '66 convertible, but that's sometime in the future... you know, when I have the time and money to really keep one up and a place to keep it.
Someday I'd like to get a '66 convertible, but that's sometime in the future... you know, when I have the time and money to really keep one up and a place to keep it.
Altron
Well-Known Member
For some inexplicable reason, it seems to start only after the car has been on for about 30 seconds. Putting the key in and starting it won't work, but putting the key in, going halfway, waiting 30 seconds, then starting it works. Of course, as soon as I get it to start right, it starts stalling. My dad told me to hit the gas then when I did, he told me that it would flood the engine so he told me to start it.
Anyone care to give me a quick overview of things that I need know about carbureted engines?
Why does it act all goofy when I try to start it?
What is a choke?
Why does it stall? The only time I've ever heard of stalling was with a manual uphill and how my dad learned to drive on a 30% incline with a 1974 Impala with the column-mounted manual and a camper hitched to it...
What is flooding the engine?
Why do I have two gears called drive? There's Park, Neutral, Reverse, which are pretty obvious. Then there's Drive with a box around it. Then there's Drive without a box around it. Then there's 2 then 1, which I gather are to keep the car in first, i.e. you're carrying a trailer and you want to keep the gearing low, or you're a ricer and want the engine spinning at 4kpm to go 30mph.
There's a tear in the air hose (it appears to be made out of paper) running into the carb. It's only a small tear, maybe an inch by an inch on a 4" diameter hose. Should I fix it? What's the best way to?
Anyone care to give me a quick overview of things that I need know about carbureted engines?
Why does it act all goofy when I try to start it?
What is a choke?
Why does it stall? The only time I've ever heard of stalling was with a manual uphill and how my dad learned to drive on a 30% incline with a 1974 Impala with the column-mounted manual and a camper hitched to it...
What is flooding the engine?
Why do I have two gears called drive? There's Park, Neutral, Reverse, which are pretty obvious. Then there's Drive with a box around it. Then there's Drive without a box around it. Then there's 2 then 1, which I gather are to keep the car in first, i.e. you're carrying a trailer and you want to keep the gearing low, or you're a ricer and want the engine spinning at 4kpm to go 30mph.
There's a tear in the air hose (it appears to be made out of paper) running into the carb. It's only a small tear, maybe an inch by an inch on a 4" diameter hose. Should I fix it? What's the best way to?
Inkara1
Well-Known Member
Sounds to me like you're having fuel pressure problems, either a clogged fuel filter or a dying fuel pump. I'm guessing it's got an electric pump, which turns on when you put the key in the "on" position. When your car's been on for 30 seconds, it's built up enough pressure to get gas to the carb and thus into the cylinders. I'd say replace the fuel filter first (those are cheap and easy to replace) and see if that helps. If not, you're only out a couple of bucks and it doens't hurt to have a fresh filter anyway.
Carbutered engines usually are cold-blooded, meaning they don't really work well until they're warmed up. The air/fiel mixture isn't atomized right and so on like that if it's too cold.
The choke is a plate that closes off (or chokes off) most of the cold air flow to the carburetor, which is needed when the engine is too cold. As the car warms up, it slowly opens up until it's evenutally all the way open. Some cars have a manual choke, in which you open and close the choke yourself via a pull knob inside the car. I'd be surprised if yours doesn't have an automatic choke, though, either controlled by temperature or (more likely in a 1989) electrically.
It will stall because it will try to die (drop to too low of an RPM) and then with the load introduced, such as the weight of the car, it will stall.
Your transmission has four gears. The fourth is overdrive (the "box" is actually the letter "O"). If you put it in D, it locks out fourth gear, while if you have it on OD it allows fourth gear to be used. Most of the time, what's what you want to use. But sometimes if you're climbing a hill or in other situations, the car's transmission will switch off between third and fourth (called "hunting"). Locking out overdrive will put a stop to that. Locking out fourth is also handy when you're going down a hill, especially with a heavily-loaded car, and you want the engine's natural resistance to assist with your braking. Also, sometimes being able to put it in just second is handy if you're trying to launch the car in a slippery situation (ice or snow) because then you won't spin the tires as much.
The tear in the hose isn't that big of a deal; it just keeps the air from the engine compartment from going into the air intake. If you want to, you can fix it with duct tape.
Carbutered engines usually are cold-blooded, meaning they don't really work well until they're warmed up. The air/fiel mixture isn't atomized right and so on like that if it's too cold.
The choke is a plate that closes off (or chokes off) most of the cold air flow to the carburetor, which is needed when the engine is too cold. As the car warms up, it slowly opens up until it's evenutally all the way open. Some cars have a manual choke, in which you open and close the choke yourself via a pull knob inside the car. I'd be surprised if yours doesn't have an automatic choke, though, either controlled by temperature or (more likely in a 1989) electrically.
It will stall because it will try to die (drop to too low of an RPM) and then with the load introduced, such as the weight of the car, it will stall.
Your transmission has four gears. The fourth is overdrive (the "box" is actually the letter "O"). If you put it in D, it locks out fourth gear, while if you have it on OD it allows fourth gear to be used. Most of the time, what's what you want to use. But sometimes if you're climbing a hill or in other situations, the car's transmission will switch off between third and fourth (called "hunting"). Locking out overdrive will put a stop to that. Locking out fourth is also handy when you're going down a hill, especially with a heavily-loaded car, and you want the engine's natural resistance to assist with your braking. Also, sometimes being able to put it in just second is handy if you're trying to launch the car in a slippery situation (ice or snow) because then you won't spin the tires as much.
The tear in the hose isn't that big of a deal; it just keeps the air from the engine compartment from going into the air intake. If you want to, you can fix it with duct tape.
You should drive within the city in D, and use the other D for highspeed (the 4 change one). This way your gear box will work less within the city and last longer.
Using 1 and 2 is a bit........useless, a proper automatic engine will use any of its gears according to the speed and power requirements.
Using 1 and 2 is a bit........useless, a proper automatic engine will use any of its gears according to the speed and power requirements.
Altron
Well-Known Member
I finally found the digicam so I'll be hooking you up with some nicer pics tomarrow.
Where does the gas filter live? Hopefully under the hood, I don't have a real floor jack yet and hell if I'm going to dangle a 4500lb car over me with one of the folding tire-changing jacks.
Where does the gas filter live? Hopefully under the hood, I don't have a real floor jack yet and hell if I'm going to dangle a 4500lb car over me with one of the folding tire-changing jacks.
chcr
Too cute for words
Inside the carburetor. You did say it's carbureted, right? Two big barrels in the back, two small ones in the front? Note: buy the new fuel filter before you start. The fuel line (it'll be metal) comes up the front of the engine and usually into the passenger side front of the carburetor. There is what looks live a great big nut on the carburetor here with a somewhat smaller one screwed into that. The metal fuel line goes through the center of the smaller nut. Be careful here as you don't want to strip anythng. Note that gas will probably start running out the pipe as soon as you disconnect it too. Make (or buy) something to block it off. Once you've disconnected the fuel line by unscrewing the smaller nut (it's a flare nut if you know what that means), unscrew the larger nut. The fuel filter is inside of it with a spring and a paper gasket. It's not a bad idea to replace the gasket too. Anyway, pay special attention to the orientation of the fiilter and the order that it goes together. Fuel will only run through this filter in one direction. Ir you get it backwards, the car will start (enough fuel will "leak by") but will not have any power because it won't be getting enough fuel. My fingers are tired.Altron said:
Edit: Please, please, please don't dangle any car over your head on just a floor jack either. get a set of jack stands and block a wheel (front and back). You're too young to die.
FluerVanderloo
New Member
Nixy said:
Also agreed. Took mine in a 1998 Exploder. There's a thread around here somewhere about it. Nevermind I failed the first time.
FluerVanderloo said:
We have to do two road tests. I failed my second one the first time that I took it. Also, I never took either of my tests in large vehicles...I did my first one in a Corolla and I did the second test (both times that I did it) in my mom's Cavalier. But, I did learn to drive on large vehicles, made the tests and driving now much easier.
FluerVanderloo
New Member
Nixy said:
It really does help. Once I got my license I got my Cavalier, and it was like nothing learning to drive that, except it was a helluva lot lower.
Inkara1
Well-Known Member
IMPORTANT TIP: Unscrew the gas cap before you start to disconnect the fuel line. The fuel system is pressurized; unscrewing the cap will let off the pressure so the gas leaks out instead of spraying out.chcr said:Inside the carburetor. You did say it's carbureted, right? Two big barrels in the back, two small ones in the front? Note: buy the new fuel filter before you start. The fuel line (it'll be metal) comes up the front of the engine and usually into the passenger side front of the carburetor. There is what looks live a great big nut on the carburetor here with a somewhat smaller one screwed into that. The metal fuel line goes through the center of the smaller nut. Be careful here as you don't want to strip anythng. Note that gas will probably start running out the pipe as soon as you disconnect it too. Make (or buy) something to block it off. Once you've disconnected the fuel line by unscrewing the smaller nut (it's a flare nut if you know what that means), unscrew the larger nut. The fuel filter is inside of it with a spring and a paper gasket. It's not a bad idea to replace the gasket too. Anyway, pay special attention to the orientation of the fiilter and the order that it goes together. Fuel will only run through this filter in one direction. Ir you get it backwards, the car will start (enough fuel will "leak by") but will not have any power because it won't be getting enough fuel. My fingers are tired.
Edit: Please, please, please don't dangle any car over your head on just a floor jack either. get a set of jack stands and block a wheel (front and back). You're too young to die.
Don't do what I did. I was changing the fuel filter on the '81 Honda and when I got the line off one of the sides of the filter, gas started spraying out. Luckily, in that car the filter is in the back by the gas tank and fuel pump and I could reach the gas cap from where I was, so I was able to plug the end of the gas line with my thimb until I could let off the pressure.
Professur
Well-Known Member
Inkara1 said:
WOAH!!!!!!!!
Where's the hose coming from? The only hose that sounds like that is from the exhaust manifold to the heat stove. You do not want to go putting duct tape on that. Use an aluminium tape, usually found in the exhaust repair section, or buy a new one. It costs coppers.
catocom
Well-Known Member
What prof said...hose is cheap if you have a generic rubber co. there somewhere,
or find a parts house that carries rolls, beside the preformed kind.
It doesn't sound like a filter problem to me.... sounds more like a leak, or
cracked fuel line somewhere. (maybe a check valve like on the meter-sensor in/on the tank or something)
I'd follow the main line back from the carb, all the way to the tank for leaks.
This could be very dangerous if it is a line leaking down.
or find a parts house that carries rolls, beside the preformed kind.
It doesn't sound like a filter problem to me.... sounds more like a leak, or
cracked fuel line somewhere. (maybe a check valve like on the meter-sensor in/on the tank or something)
I'd follow the main line back from the carb, all the way to the tank for leaks.
This could be very dangerous if it is a line leaking down.