Author Topic: New project... 1980 Runabout (Read 65314 times)

r4pinto · « **Reply #480 on:** August 17, 2017, 04:38:47 PM »

The unfortunate truth is most people are on Facebook any more. Knowledgeable people exist in both places however most the time very few people post on here which is why Facebook is looking like a better option. I've torn the carb down and rebuilt it and yet no fast idle. It's not worth messing with. If I had a way to and the money I'd rip the thing off, throw it away and go EFI. Give me EFI and I know a lot. Give me carb and I don't. And this seems to be something that has to be seen in person to fix since I have followed directions perfectly. It runs great when warm but ZERO fast idle. If it was junk inside it wouldn't run. I've been there in 2006 with the 77 Pinto and its original carb. But in other news the car will drive ok to the car show. Just not much more since the suspension is rattling. The car will be parked after the car show season is done so I can tear apart the entire front suspension, including new rack and pinion.

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dick1172762 · « **Reply #481 on:** August 17, 2017, 05:25:32 PM »

I don't know if I missed this in the past, but the only way the fast idle will work is when the choke works. Plain and simple.

dick1172762 · « **Reply #482 on:** August 17, 2017, 05:32:46 PM »

BTW! FI is supper easy on a 2300 Pinto. Just get one off a 2300 Mustang. It will bolt right on and the smaller ports of the FI intake will work even better with no mods necessary.

r4pinto · « **Reply #483 on:** August 17, 2017, 05:54:50 PM »

I was under the impression there were issues with the intake manifold plenum fitting without modifications. I've had a love/hate relationship with carburetors. I love to hate them. Get in the car, turn the key, and go. drive with minimal issues. If there is a problem hook up the computer and track it down by the sensor readouts. Even without a computer to test it I have always had a knack for diagnosing fuel injected. Carburetors not so much.

dick1172762 · « **Reply #484 on:** August 18, 2017, 08:53:41 AM »

Intake only requires work if used for racing, otherwise it works just fine. Several members on here have gone that way. Good winter project.

r4pinto · « **Reply #485 on:** August 18, 2017, 09:38:15 AM »

Interesting. Might have to do that. First winter project though is that aged suspension

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dick1172762 · « **Reply #486 on:** August 18, 2017, 10:01:26 AM »

Quote from: dick1172762 on August 17, 2017, 05:25:32 PM

I don't know if I missed this in the past, but the only way the fast idle will work is when the choke works. Plain and simple.

New choke assy are on E-gay / ford pinto nos / 2.3L choke / for around $20.

r4pinto · « **Reply #487 on:** August 23, 2017, 07:04:13 AM »

Just a couple pics from the trip

Pintosopher · « **Reply #488 on:** August 23, 2017, 07:07:25 AM »

Quote from: r4pinto on August 23, 2017, 07:04:13 AM

Just a couple pics from the trip

Looking pretty Sharp Matt, Keep up the good work!

r4pinto · « **Reply #489 on:** August 23, 2017, 07:09:58 AM »

The car did ok. It has a death rattle from the front end so it will be getting all the front suspension replaced. New shock arrived while I was out to replace the one I couldn't get off the 77. The car has no fast idle and runs like crud until warmed up and yes it was cool enough for the choke to function. The speedometer also broke on the car. It showed me going 85 but not always. At the same time the odometer was fine. I found it is possible the speedometer needed lubricated so we'll see what happens when I reinstall the cluster.

On the way home I was on I71 south when I heard something hit underneath. I pulled over and didn't see anything so I got back on the road. Turns out it was a bracket that went to the hood latch from the lower radiator support. Got a replacement from someone on Facebook already being sent to me. Time will tell how hard the suspension will be to be rebuilt.

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r4pinto · « **Reply #490 on:** August 23, 2017, 07:11:33 AM »

Quote from: pintosopher on August 23, 2017, 07:07:25 AM

Looking pretty Sharp Matt, Keep up the good work!

Thanks that's the plan. If things improve and not get worse I will be happy lol. I also found out the horn is very weak and will try to replace it with a spare I have in the parts bin.

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dga57 · « **Reply #491 on:** August 23, 2017, 09:25:01 AM »

Glad to know you made the trip and got back home safely. When I finally have my orange '74 Runabout finished and home, that show/meet is the highest priority for me! Looks like a gorgeous setting and who could resist the rivalry between the Pinto/Bobcat guys and that poor Maverick/Comet bunch?

Dwayne

r4pinto · « **Reply #492 on:** August 23, 2017, 09:30:04 AM »

It was a blast. And one more Maverick to the Pintos. Good show to take the car to although it needs work to be fully reliable. It starts like crap when cold and the choke is set right. I did find an 80 Bobcat that had the vacuum line set up I needed pics of so I can get them rerouted correctly.

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r4pinto · « **Reply #493 on:** August 26, 2017, 07:40:20 AM »

Haven't done much to the car since coming back from the four car shows. I did pull the speedometer and sprayed some silicone spray on the speedometer assembly. Seems to have helped. I'm not completely sure it's fixed so I located a spare cluster for the car. I also got a replacement bracket that goes from the top to the bottom of the radiator core support. It's been painted and will be installed later on. I found out there were multiple bolts that held it to the car, but when I stopped at the gym outside Cleveland I heard knocking from the front end when you hit the brakes. It was the bracket hitting the bumper. It hit the bumper because only one bolt was left. I don't know where the other went but the replacement bracket came with bolts.

dga57 · « **Reply #494 on:** August 26, 2017, 09:00:54 AM »

Are you planning to spend the weekend working on the car?

Dwayne

r4pinto · « **Reply #495 on:** August 26, 2017, 09:04:47 AM »

Not at all. I might look underneath and see if the stabilizer bar is causing some of the noise since the links are broken, but I might not since I got to get replacement links. The car has a full tank of gas and runs like crap when cold. The fast idle is there but barely, and it idles like crap when cold. Can't seem to find any answer on here so I won't worry about it and eventually replace the carburetor.

Pintosopher · « **Reply #496 on:** August 26, 2017, 09:21:58 AM »

Quote from: r4pinto on August 26, 2017, 09:04:47 AM

Not at all. I might look underneath and see if the stabilizer bar is causing some of the noise since the links are broken, but I might not since I got to get replacement links. The car has a full tank of gas and runs like crap when cold. The fast idle is there but barely, and it idles like crap when cold. Can't seem to find any answer on here so I won't worry about it and eventually replace the carburetor.

Matt, Check the EGR system for leaks or being frozen open. Nothing you do to the carb will help below the Carb butterflies when it's cold if too much air is getting to the intake manifold. Just a thought, My old 74 2.3L had a cracked EGR housing and nothing would help after a thorough rebuild until that was fixed.

Pintosopher, memories retained, but venting intelligence in a tech laden world

r4pinto · « **Reply #497 on:** August 26, 2017, 09:24:11 AM »

Hmmm just a thought.... could a bad egr plate to intake gasket be the cause or bad egr to plate gasket?

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Pintosopher · « **Reply #498 on:** August 26, 2017, 09:24:57 AM »

U got it!

r4pinto · « **Reply #499 on:** August 26, 2017, 09:25:40 AM »

I know the carburetor itself sat for about four years with no intention of using but the 1980 carburetor had other ideas when it wouldn't work at all

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r4pinto · « **Reply #500 on:** August 26, 2017, 04:07:33 PM »

Cheap gaskets. $2 for the carb gasket and $2 for the egr gasket. When I have it off I will also inspect the valve which was NOS when installed on the engine in 2006

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r4pinto · « **Reply #501 on:** September 01, 2017, 10:59:36 AM »

Going to get a T-stat gasket for the car. When I installed the motor I had to replace the T-stat and housing. I glued the gasket to the housing but did not use any RTV on the head. It leaks a little when off but fine when running.

dga57 · « **Reply #502 on:** September 01, 2017, 05:56:59 PM »

Glad to know you're still plugging away at it!

Dwayne

r4pinto · « **Reply #503 on:** September 17, 2017, 11:22:41 AM »

Well I'd like to say no news is good news on the car, but not the case. I got the speedometer fixed, and picked up a spare cluster just in case. My Malibu has some gremlins so I am parking it to save miles, and drive the Pinto.

Rained last week rather hard and the wipers worked, although a bit jerky. May replace the blades to see if that helps. The hatch also leaks when water sits on the car so I am keeping a towel in the car. At the moment it sits in the garage with the valve cover off. The car developed a top end tick that would come and go. The engine was rebuilt with new bearings in 2008, and no metal in the oil so I am pulling the lifters and followers to see if that will fix the problem. The cam is a Ranger roller and followers which I installed in the head in 2007 before I did a bottom end rebuild. The head is a lower mileage head off a Ford Courier, so unless the cam bearings decided to fail all is good there. It was immaculate in 2007 when I installed the head on the engine. Had to replace the head due to shot cam bearings on the original head on the motor when it had 123k miles.

I have cleaned up the followers, and lifters, and are currently pre-oiling them by soaking them in clean engine oil.

As for the coolant leak a new thermostat gasket fixed the problem. The car still leaks a little oil but that will be fixed in due time with a new oil pan gasket. It leaks about a quart every 1000 or so miles. The choke or fast doesn't work and the carburetor has been adjusted according to the factory Ford books so it's a grin and bear it situation. A new gas cap will hopefully help it start better since the old one is no longer holding pressure on the fuel system. I noticed the car starts great when warm but takes more to start when cold. The engine and carburetor started much better when in the 77. The difference? Newer gas cap on the 77.

dga57 · « **Reply #504 on:** September 17, 2017, 11:43:38 AM »

A gas cap can make a world of difference! In 2004 we bought a brand new Jaguar which was to be my wife's car. We'd had it about a month when she called me one day and said something was wrong with the car - it had gone into a "limp home" mode and was just barely driveable. She got home with it and I placed a call to the service department of the dealership (about 100 miles from us). The service manager suggested checking the gas cap to be sure it was not cross-threaded. I had already checked that but checked it again anyway - all good there. Ultimately, they had Jaguar Roadside Assistance come pick up the car on a roll-back and deliver it to the dealership for repair. It turns out that the gas cap seal was actually defective so, although it was installed correctly, it still was not sealing well and triggered the problem. A new gas cap fixed the issue and they delivered the car back home to me the next morning. I hope a new gas cap works for your situation too.

Dwayne

r4pinto · « **Reply #505 on:** September 17, 2017, 11:47:12 AM »

Me too. Although right now I'm more concerned with the lifter noise. I'm missing a car show I desperately wanted to go to but wasn't sure with that top end rattle. Slight misfire and rattle tells me it was a lifter. Could hear the noise coming from the valve cover.

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r4pinto · « **Reply #506 on:** September 17, 2017, 02:26:11 PM »

Just got done test driving the car. I tell you what... This engine has not run so smooth for a long, long time. At first the engine had more noise than before, but I bought the lifters and followers in June 2012 for the car's original engine. They had some slight corrosion, and the rollers weren't as smooth as I thought they should have been. After I drove the car for a while it smoothed right out. They were loud when I first started the car but quieted up after driving.

An additional benefit... No more misfire. Now the cam did have slight pitting on the lobes of the #1 cylinder but for now it'll be OK. I will worry about it eventually but not now.

Cost of repairs at this time is $0, so if I need to replace the cam at a later date then so be it.

dga57 · « **Reply #507 on:** September 17, 2017, 03:50:04 PM »

Now THAT sounds like a day well spent!!! Congratulation s on smoothing her ou!

Dwayne

r4pinto · « **Reply #508 on:** September 17, 2017, 05:00:32 PM »

Thanks.

I got to mow the lawn, and then go to the store so I will be able to tell if the noise was a lifter that is leaking down when I start the car up. With me wanting to buy a new car in April I need to keep the miles off the Malibu to help its value some, so the Pinto is my daily driver. Good thing the temps aren't as humid, so no a/c doesn't seem as bad as it did in August.

dga57 · « **Reply #509 on:** September 18, 2017, 06:33:44 AM »

I know what you mean, Matt. The lack of air conditioning is the main deterrent to me driving my Pinto during the summer months!

Dwayne

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Author Topic: New project... 1980 Runabout (Read 65314 times)