peejay

I'm such a retard...

The big hose that goes under the intake manifold to shoot air in while the shutter valve is shut... is loose. It decided to act up on me in my driveway, so I went under the hood and looked at this and that, all the while thinking "man you can't even SEE the carb under that mess", and I thought, well, let's feel around underneath the manifold for that hose. I felt it, and I could twist it. Twist it one way and the idle got REALLY bad. Twist it the other way and it smoothed out. All I need to do is find a screwdriver in this house (all my tools are elsewhere) and tighten the hose clamp.

During all of this, I heard a BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP. Huh? Slam the door again, still beeping. Look inside, low coolant light is on. The upper radiator hose was completely collapsed, and when I pulled the radiator cap off, there was a vacuum in the cooling system despite the engine being at operating temp! Huh? So at the least I need a new radaitor cap as this one isn't allowing coolant/air to flow back in... and I need to top off the coolant too, it IS leaking from somewhere, where that is I don't know yet.

Sheesh.

peejay

Well I was gettin' ready to leave for Columbus when I remembered to top off the coolant. Don't have any coolant, so I topped off with water. It took a HALF GALLON to top up... and I heard it running out as soon as it went in. It looks like it's leaking from the nest of hoses by the oil cooler, but I can't really tell because it's too dark outside and besides, my hands get numb very quickly so I went back in.

Worst part is, now I can't even go to the store to grab some food... ah well, have to deal with it in the morning I guess!

FuLLsMoKe

*munch, munch*

Sounds like my car... Right after I solve one problem, another one pops up... Sux, don't it?

Felix Wankel

Sound's like you need to gank WT's air/oil cooler if it's still on there

peejay

WT is in Columbus (~140mi away) and I have nowhere to work on the cars except here in Cleveland, and it would cost a couple hundred bucks to have WT towed up. I don't really think it would last 140 more miles, the exhaust would probably blow up after the first 60 and I'd have to stop for gas twice!

mar3

iTrader: (8)

Isn't there a hard line coming from your water heater that opens in the area under or close to under the clutch master cylinder? I had a hose with a U-bend in it that had a crack on the bottom side that lost water only under pressure that attached to some opening in that area. Sorry, so vague but it was a while back and I'm upstairs right now far from the car. Check it out..could be the source....

peejay

It was the long heater hose going from the engine to the heater core. You know, the biiiiig long one with a dozen bends in it that is impossible to access? Oil soaked and split. Nobody had a replacement hose, and if they did it would have been one of those 3' long hoses with an L-bend at one end... no no, this hose NEEDS its complex bends so it won't kink.

So, I took a hose that I had lying around (actually the engine to oil cooler hose from my previous '84-85 engine, it was will on the oil cooler in a box in the basement), made a hose fitting out of part of an old heater core, cut off the oil soaked part of the old hose (after a good wrestling match trying to pull it up so I could work on it), slapped the new section on with the fitting and some hose clamps, put it back together - no leaks! After my roommat woke up he took me to the auto parts store and I got some coolant to put in. Engine runs great now off the choke, nice and smooth!

While I waited for him to wake up I set about looking at the rear brakes. Let me qualify this by saying I'm not fond of rear discs. Anyway, the rear brakes have a tendency to bind - you don't need to hold the brake when stopped on a mild hill. Could barely turn the rear wheels once jacked in the air. I go to remove the right rear caliper... ha! It was rusted solid to its slide. After working it for a LONG time I manage to get it to where I can pivot it up and down with a long prybar. That and some MMO down under the slide boot (only thing available!) and EVENTUALLY I work it loose and off the car. I dripped some more MMO in the slide and put it back together and now it slides freely! Won't help me any as the caliper itself is shot - I went to turn in the piston and it would NOT turn! I eventually MADE it turn ( ) and put it all back together - now the R/R brake does not bind. Go to the left side. Wrestle with it even longer - this caliper will NOT budge.

So I need all four calipers, instead of just the fronts, and rear pads too. The binding means they are metal to metal already, and I can't just put pads in for now because I can't retract the pistons because they're frozen. Remember what I said about not liking rear disc brakes?

Looks like I'll be hittin' up the boneyards for some calipers...

Pele

iTrader: (28)

I love working at Merchant's.. I get all parts at 10% above cost.

Through them, so far I'm gonna buy:

all four calipers (Cause Hey, I don't know when they're gonna seize... The boots are all crunchy.)

Since I'm buying calipers, I might as well get a master cylinder, and since I'm in the area, a vacuum booster. I'm still debating a proportion valve.

I'm also getting all heater and radiator hoses cause they're probably well dryrotten, plus I'm changing the radiator. I dunno if they can get me an aluminium one.

I wanna get tie rods with grease fittings.

Engine and tranny mounts...

Basically anything with rubber in it... 16 years takes it's toll on rubber.

jr69187

I did all of those when i swapped motors. And did a lot when i swapped motor but i just swapped in a motor that was not what i wanted. It was a used motor and not ported but it will work. Soon it will be mean. Hey pj if you need help on doing the air oil cooler swap let me know yuo will need new lines unless you mount it where i mounted mine. You saw the pics. Didn't you.

dan