The Caprice may not make 400K miles.
yoshmyster
Member Posts: 21,858 ✭✭✭✭
Tried to get her to pass smog again and she's still farting over the limit in the 250/300 range where it's "supposed" to be in the 150 range, Initially with the vacuum leak it was 500 and the second one after the vacuum hose fix she ran 1000. That one made no sense and they just had the machine "calibrated". I may check another shop. I'll add Lucas Oil and another dose of Sea Foam.
So the shop tech was saying that there is a miss (I'm not hearing what he's hearing) or being that she's 350K miles the rings might be letting oil by. As a band aid I could get new sets of catalectic converters at $2,200 (basically what I paid for my Caprice in 2002). And that band aid might last until the next smog check. Half looked at a new to me engine at $2,500/$3,000 before add ons and figure just as much for a shop to do an install and maybe still need to put in new cats at $2,200?
Yes I know I got my money's worth and then some for 22 years. 2016 side swipe got me $2,100 for cosmetic "total" front passenger fender and door. If I didn't just put on $600 on tire and a $150 spare wheel. 2 year old MSD plug wire and a new coil total about $200. I might've taken the California $1,000 junker program thing. But after 22 years I'm very attached and she's still a runner.
I'm gonna do the Sea Foam again and Lucas oil treatment to see if this will drop another 100 points. Also a cheaper fix than a new set of Cats.
Will a compression test show if the rings/cylinder walls are shot?
Comments
a compression test would tell a lot
leak down test even better
if the rings are worn a little oil shot into each cylinder as your testing them will boost the reading as the oil will help seal the rings as you test
also, another thing to do is pumping air into the cylinder its easy with a fitting thet replaces the spark plug and then listen for the possible leak maybe a stuck or burnt vale or vale seat
the rings will let it blow by and into the crank case and you will hear /feel the air blow by at a area like a pvc on a older car or vacuum line out of the valve covers
JMHO with closing in on 400k I will say you have some wear ( mr obvious here ) and kalifornia will kick the old chevy to the scrap pile
your story also reminds me
I worked with a fellow who had a old Toyota he used as a work car ( we do not have the BS inspections so that never came into play ) but he was hit at least four Maybe even 5 or 6 times I know it was a lot but the number slips my mind , over the cars life , every time it was other drivers fault .
he would just hammer out the damage on his own and keep the cash , a couple times he had a body shop buddy do a quick and cheap as possible repair , it was too much for his claw hammer and board repairs
his buddy would for a few hundred bucks and my buddy would pocket most all the money him self
the car paid for its self many times over . he said he hated to see it go but last time it was so worn out and beat up so bad he let it go.
ummm don’t they give antique status after twenty years?
25 in Washington, but not supposed to be a daily driver. Not supposed to drive it more than 5K miles per year.
It sounds like it is time to blow taps and invest what you intend to spend keeping the old girl running into something else…. Easy for me to spend your money, but any vehicle with 400K is just going to be a rolling parts eater. There will always be something needing attention…
I miss a few of my old cars but there comes a time where even the time you have to spend keeping it together is not worth it anymore….
JMHO……
Sounds like it is time to reclassify it as a spare/back up vehicle.
It is time for you to get another car. Over 200000 is retirement age anymore unless you want to invest a lot in repairs.
When it hits the 25 year mark, you can legally drive it again.
we used to have emissions here. I would wait till the 86 Olds 88 was really low on gas then dump 6 bottles of HEET (alcohol) into it. Straight to the check station. The kid said "Wow I don't have new cars do this good"
Brilliant!
I agree with Neo.
Add some lucas oil treatment too. Might help thicken the oil and possibly reduce blow by caused by worn rings.
Dump the oil and refill with straight 40W, not 10W40, straight 40W.
Good luck.
Better yet go with straight 50 w . Park the vehicle real close to the check station leave it overnight and drive it then to the station-
As above dump Heat in it also
Get a Toyota
Yes, this
get out of kalliforneia……
Just take a quick road trip south to Old Mexico and get your plates there. You will find more benny's driving around CA with those plates than any other!
Ditch-Runner - I was running on three hours of sleep (not being able to drive my 9C1 was weighing on me) when I typed this yesterday. After getting 8 today, I'm thinking I was over thinking (and listening to the wrong folks at the smog station). I now think with the car running "rich" with the vacuum hose taking in much air into the throttle body carboned up the intake manifold and other places. Just needs a better cleaning. I wish I can find a place that does MotorVac in my neck of the woods. I'll see about this after another run of Sea Foam in the intake. Take a slow ride in a traffic jam to really get the Cats HOT!!!
If that's not it I'll do the compression or leak down test.
roswellnative - Here in California '74 was the cut off year for smog exemption. Every newer than '74 fueled rides are to be scrapped and replaced with EV. "Classic" 20/25 yeas get "better" insurance rate? But still needs to be smogged. Kind a falls under why bother.
B17-P51 HEET? What does it do? I'll youtube it and hopefully it'll be useful.
mike55 - That's what I was thinking.
montanajoe - Straight 40, huh?
chiefr - First that's Rice-ist. Also how dare you. She's pre-obama bail out. I do like the FJ Cruiser but I can't afford one. And the one I might be able to will be some other person's problem.
hillbille - Too late/old to start over. Besides when newsom gets to the caucasian house the whole of the US will be California. 2028, might be more like 2032.
If you want you can buy a kit that allows you to feed cleaner right into the intake it's uses a pressurized can and fittings the car with run off the cleaner the fuel must be tured off pulling a fuse most of the time
Pressurize the container with a air hose it will feed the fuel system with the cleaner toremove the carbon
I will guess similar to what the shopw a doing you can't find any more
Amazonans I am sure other places sell them
Just a idea
Ibought a kit for one of my old chevy pickups and have not used it yet I know one of the injectors at least is in need of replacing or cleaning
Maybe try it Chicago style. When they hand you the defect readout, having a $100 bill fall on the desk may help fix the car.