Hey guys I know this is long but I'm really wondering whats wrong with this car I just picked up
I just bought an 87 Limited Regal with the Olds 307 in it Wensday, drove it home for about a 400 mile trip from Philly. I took it around town before handing over the cash and it ran really great, with about as much power as is to be expected from a (Non H.O.) 307. Shifted smooth 2004r trans, only thing I noticed was a slight tick coming from the top end. I've always heard this is very common on the 307's, a lifter or two sticking, so I wasnt real concerned. Oil and trans fluid were both good. To my knowledge original everything, except the guy said he had the timing chain re-done recently, and the person who did the work said the top end was ok.
I started on the ride home, stopped at a parts store, got gas, got up on the PA turnpike to head home to Ohio. Naturally 5 minutes in on the pike the SES light came on. I was dissapointed but it was running so good I just figured I'd look into when I got home. About 100 miles or so into the ride, the car feltlike the trans was starting to slip or something around 70-75 mph. I'd let off the accelerator and it'd be fine. Then it started doing it around 68-70, so I kept it about 65 for a while, again no prob. Id say around another 50 miles and thats when things started getting bad.
The car would start to shake really bad, and the motor was running terribly rough. Like a bah-bah-bah- idle. If I let off the gas it would correct it but start right up again. There was a turnpike exit coming up (McConnellsburg PA for any of you PA guys in here lol) and it was about to die when I was paying the toll. Car continued to run from bad, to good if I let of the gas a hair, then bad again. Very Intermittent. I smelled coolant but not real strong. Finally found a Sheets, shut her off, let her sit. She was a little low on coolant but not bad, so I topped off the radiator and headed out. Engine light came back on after a mile I'd say, and then the very rough idle started up, to the point where the car had no power up these huge hills, down hill while not under acceleration fine, than horrible uphill again. Id let off from time to time and it would smooth out but then rough again. It really seemed like she was not gonna make it. Finally got back the the Turnpike. Put some ICEE in it and high test shell hoping it was bad gas. Left the gas station, light comes back on, and in about 20 minutes the symptoms came back.
We got to a rest stop Somerset PA, shut it off, ate, came out, headed out again, light came on, only this time the car ran perfect all the way to I-71 Strongsville Ohio, about 2- 2/12 hours of driving. Paid the toll got on the final interstate to come home and bam! Back to running like crap again. Did this almost the whole way home. Slight coolant smell again too. About 2 miles from my house it ran great again, then when I turned down my street it started up. It was late, snowing and cold, had my girlfriend with me and we we're very happy to be home!
I had to move the car in the morning at it would hardly stay running. Ran very rough, I had to almost floor it to keep it alive to back in the driveway and in the garage.
I havnt had to look at it yet, gonna start and try looking at vaccum lines and see if I can find something loose or craked. Are the codes the same as for a 1988 Monte Carlo SS?
Any other ideas you guys have please let me know. I might not get to really look at it til next weekend when Im finally off from both school and work. Hoping to at least figure out whats whong that weekend, if not I may have to take it somewhere. Thanks for taking the time to read all of this!!
I just bought an 87 Limited Regal with the Olds 307 in it Wensday, drove it home for about a 400 mile trip from Philly. I took it around town before handing over the cash and it ran really great, with about as much power as is to be expected from a (Non H.O.) 307. Shifted smooth 2004r trans, only thing I noticed was a slight tick coming from the top end. I've always heard this is very common on the 307's, a lifter or two sticking, so I wasnt real concerned. Oil and trans fluid were both good. To my knowledge original everything, except the guy said he had the timing chain re-done recently, and the person who did the work said the top end was ok.
I started on the ride home, stopped at a parts store, got gas, got up on the PA turnpike to head home to Ohio. Naturally 5 minutes in on the pike the SES light came on. I was dissapointed but it was running so good I just figured I'd look into when I got home. About 100 miles or so into the ride, the car feltlike the trans was starting to slip or something around 70-75 mph. I'd let off the accelerator and it'd be fine. Then it started doing it around 68-70, so I kept it about 65 for a while, again no prob. Id say around another 50 miles and thats when things started getting bad.
The car would start to shake really bad, and the motor was running terribly rough. Like a bah-bah-bah- idle. If I let off the gas it would correct it but start right up again. There was a turnpike exit coming up (McConnellsburg PA for any of you PA guys in here lol) and it was about to die when I was paying the toll. Car continued to run from bad, to good if I let of the gas a hair, then bad again. Very Intermittent. I smelled coolant but not real strong. Finally found a Sheets, shut her off, let her sit. She was a little low on coolant but not bad, so I topped off the radiator and headed out. Engine light came back on after a mile I'd say, and then the very rough idle started up, to the point where the car had no power up these huge hills, down hill while not under acceleration fine, than horrible uphill again. Id let off from time to time and it would smooth out but then rough again. It really seemed like she was not gonna make it. Finally got back the the Turnpike. Put some ICEE in it and high test shell hoping it was bad gas. Left the gas station, light comes back on, and in about 20 minutes the symptoms came back.
We got to a rest stop Somerset PA, shut it off, ate, came out, headed out again, light came on, only this time the car ran perfect all the way to I-71 Strongsville Ohio, about 2- 2/12 hours of driving. Paid the toll got on the final interstate to come home and bam! Back to running like crap again. Did this almost the whole way home. Slight coolant smell again too. About 2 miles from my house it ran great again, then when I turned down my street it started up. It was late, snowing and cold, had my girlfriend with me and we we're very happy to be home!
I had to move the car in the morning at it would hardly stay running. Ran very rough, I had to almost floor it to keep it alive to back in the driveway and in the garage.
I havnt had to look at it yet, gonna start and try looking at vaccum lines and see if I can find something loose or craked. Are the codes the same as for a 1988 Monte Carlo SS?
Any other ideas you guys have please let me know. I might not get to really look at it til next weekend when Im finally off from both school and work. Hoping to at least figure out whats whong that weekend, if not I may have to take it somewhere. Thanks for taking the time to read all of this!!
