Bad news totay
- Thread starter I-AM-JD
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So a and b almost rule out blown headgasket, assuming no white tailpipe smoke or overheating issues. Only one cylinder down eliminates internally blown between cylinders.
Sputtering upwards out the carb usually makes me think timing off, but with everything else it sounds like possibly an intake valve issue causing backpressure and air coming back up.
Personally, I don't believe in seafoam. Yes. It theoretically does what it says it does. And yes, it doesn't actually in itself damage engines. BUT, many an engine has need a full removal and regasket or rebuild after seafoam.
Old engines get carbon and deposits inside. These effectively mask worn areas or weak gaskets, or in some cases, built up and caused a barrier to oil that let gaskets shrink behind the deposit due to not keeping lubricated from oil. So, although the seal/gasket in question isn't great, it doesn't leak because the deposits keep things in check. You remove the deposit and you spring leaks all over.
So you can make the argument "well, it really wasn't good already" but at the end of the day, it's a running 40 or 50 year old engine with no leaks that runs with hidden weaknesses that would never become a leaky problem versus after treatment having an engine that can no longer safely run.
It's the same sort of debate over getting a non-performance driven car that's 30 years old and never had the trans fluid changed. You change it and you're asking for problems and to expect a rebuild. Leave it alone and it keeps working.
Seafoam IMO if the kind of thing you use on a late model car with known oil sludge design flaws every couple years from new. Not a high mileage 40 year old engine for the first time ever. Using it is like playing Russian roulette. You can win, but you can also lose bigtime.
Any suggestions on what I should do? Cannot do it myself because I live in townhomes not allowed, get a different motor, or have current one rebuilt? If I go with the latter what should I expect to pay?
Use Seafoam and MMO, worst case scenario you have to replace the engine sooner than expected.
I would not rebuild a 3.6, huge waste of $. Do a 350 swap or at the very least a modest 305 sbc.
My opinion is you need a knowledgeable mechanic that you expect to pay well. A 40 year old car is easy to work on yourself, but, shops charge big $$$ both in hourly rates and because they don't shop around for deals on parts - and typically don't install customer supplied parts due to a variety of issues ranging from tied up lifts when parts were ordered wrong to liability issues.
Not to sound like a d*ck but these cars will cost you more than they're worth if you can't do some work yourself. And running seafoam creates a monster cloud of smoke and refuse, just to be forewarned.
The whole 'what engine is right for me and what do I do' is an age old thread. You'll get opinions and pissing fights over ls swap it cheap and easy vs keep it stock vs throw away sbc vs buick v8 is easy drop in. It's a sh*tshow of a topic.
Costs depends where you live, how rusty and broke your stuff is, how much overbought stuff is present on exhaust and cooling, what you run for a transmission, where you get parts from, and how much lube your mechanic uses when he bends you over the barrel.
To pay a shop to supply parts and do a stock engine swap to a rebuilt motor could easily hit $5000 in a major city. To pay Billy Bob and his brother Jethro to do a swap after hours in the towing shop with a used engine coming out of a soon to be circle track car could be $500. Paying someone to do an ls-swap could be 15,000 or you could make your own parts and spend 1/10th that. Convert to a chubby could be under a grand with the lucky donor and help or you could pay 8,000 and still need odds and ends.
Not to sound like a d*ck but these cars will cost you more than they're worth if you can't do some work yourself. And running seafoam creates a monster cloud of smoke and refuse, just to be forewarned.
The whole 'what engine is right for me and what do I do' is an age old thread. You'll get opinions and pissing fights over ls swap it cheap and easy vs keep it stock vs throw away sbc vs buick v8 is easy drop in. It's a sh*tshow of a topic.
Costs depends where you live, how rusty and broke your stuff is, how much overbought stuff is present on exhaust and cooling, what you run for a transmission, where you get parts from, and how much lube your mechanic uses when he bends you over the barrel.
To pay a shop to supply parts and do a stock engine swap to a rebuilt motor could easily hit $5000 in a major city. To pay Billy Bob and his brother Jethro to do a swap after hours in the towing shop with a used engine coming out of a soon to be circle track car could be $500. Paying someone to do an ls-swap could be 15,000 or you could make your own parts and spend 1/10th that. Convert to a chubby could be under a grand with the lucky donor and help or you could pay 8,000 and still need odds and ends.
I could do the work myself but like I said, I live in a townhome gated community that does not allow working on cars on property.
Then bring it to a friends or pay for a few months to get a spot at a storage yard.
If you can swap the engine good if not maybe a master rebuild kit would be ok.
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