...and now the car doesn't run. I just bought the car in this condition, and the PO says his mechanic diagnosed the problem as a carburator issue. The compression wasn't checked, AFAIK.

In the experience of you knowledgeable guys (and gals), could this be something simple like a fuel filter/fuel pump, or could it truly be the carb? In the back of my mind, I'm worried that the problem is compression, but the car's been very well taken care of (with 125K miles), and I'd like to think that the apex seals would give longer service than that!

Thanks much,
Scot Greeno

 

so just to clarify ... when you bought the car, it was running, but now it's not? is that right? when was the last time you had a good tune-up (cap, rotor, plugs, filters, etc.) can you describe how the car ran before it quit? that would be very helpful.

anyway, fuel issues can occasionally present themselves as low compression ... and it is possible to drive the car today and have it lose compression tomorrow - that's just the way it is. so the quickest way to confirm/eliminate compression problems is to run a compression test, but i realy don't know how much that costs.

however, start with the cheapest things you can do, and then work your way up ...

check the pump - FREE
check the filter - FREE (but if it's gone, then it's only like 3 bucks)
it might be worthwhile running the ATF or MMO treatment on the engine. (don't know how much it costs, but i'm guessing 6-7 bucks should cover it) - but i would advise getting new plugs with it though.

hope this is a good starting point for you ...

 

Sorry for the confusion: I bought the car in non-running condition, but have yet to take delivery. Per the PO, a mechanic gave him the diagnosis of a bad carburator after looking at the car (I have yet to dig into it at all, let alone take a compression test.) Anyway, sounds like Plan A is to start with checking fuel delivery (filter, pump, jets, etc.) and condition of tune. If that doesn't solve the problem, Plan B is the ATF trick...and Plan C is an engine transplant. Since the car is solid and complete (excellent interior, with no cracks, and the only exterior problem is heavy oxidation which should rub out), I thought it was well worth the $300 I paid for it, even as a non-runner.

Thanks for the reply!