Hey there,
I have had a 1978 Runabout with all stock, all standard everything that I found (somehow!) for $1000 about 2 years ago. It's the basic 5-speed, 4 cyl. engine It has been the best car I've ever owned, and the only thing I've ever had to fix on it was putting a new clutch in. I would have never believed that this car could be so reliable, and it still only has 65,000 miles on it!
Anyhow, I am writing to ask if anyone has any basic info for me on things that I should be changing/replacing as the car gets older and is a daily driver -- I commute to/from work (about 45 min. round trip) -- I do the basics, like spark plugs, oil changes, etc. but I'm starting to lose MPG, (only 21 mpg last week!) and I was wondering about replacing the air filter and fuel filter, etc.
Can anyone give me some tips/resources on how to do simple tasks like this? I'm also not sure whether I should get the standard air/fuel filters or if I should invest in some higher quality equipment. I haven't ever owned a car that I cared about, so I don't have much experience, but I'm studying Industrial Design, so doing the work and all that isn't a problem, I just don't know where to begin. Not a gearhead, all my cars before this one have been Honda/Toyotas from the 90s! I've never even owned a car that didn't have a fuel injector. So if anyone can give me some tips on good performance/Pinto specific things I should look into, let me know!
Thanks in advance for any help.
Hello poisonpinto,
:welcome:
Your Pinto has a 5 speed? Interesting.....
You are on the right track with the mods you have planned.
Maybe a little lighter foot might help bring back the milage you have lost.
From Pintony
Quote from: Pintony on March 21, 2006, 09:09:55 PM
Hello poisonpinto,
:welcome:
Your Pinto has a 5 speed? Interesting.....
You are on the right track with the mods you have planned.
Maybe a little lighter foot might help bring back the milage you have lost.
From Pintony
I like 5 speed Pintos.................. :police:
Yeah, sounds like you are thinking the right direction. If you haven't changed the air filter in 2 years, it's probably time. Back in the day K&N made a filter for the 2.3. I assume they still do. Might be worth looking into. While you have the air cleaner off, take a peek inside the carb, if it seems to have excessive varnishy build-up in the throttle body area, give it a couple blasts of carb & choke cleaner per directions. Replace the fuel filter. Throw on a new distributer cap or at least clean the contact areas on yours. Set the timing. Check your tire pressures. Hopefully those things will get your mileage back up.
If it's your daily driver I wouldn't go too nuts on the modifications, just basic maintenance as needed and drive/enjoy it!
Haha, yeah. Four speed + Plus reverse = Five speed ;)
Thanks for the tips.
Hi!! If you don't know when the timing belt was replaced last, then get it done. I recommend putting in the seals that are in that area (crank, cam, aux.shaft) ,because if they leak after the belt is replaced , well, you are doing it again. Do the already mentioned, along with spark plugs and wires, flush and refill the coolant system, check belts and hoses, and for any other oil leaks. A little maintence now will save alot of aggrivation broke down on the road later. Also, just use the standard Autolite plugs as Platinum and the such are not all they are cracked up to be.
Well, just wanted to update ...
I replaced the distributor cap, rotor, plugs/wires, fuel/air filter and adjusted the belts. I think everything I took out of the engine was original, so damn! Now I wish I wouldn't have waited so long to do all that. I still have a bit of a rough idle, but the car has much improved power and mpg. I'd like to fix this, but have no idea if it's the timing, choke or what.
Next I'm moving on to replacing the shock absorbers and figure out this weird scraping sound that happens when I stop and accelerate away from stop signs. (It isn't the brakes!)
PoisonPinto,
One of the things that I would replace is the Carberator fuel float. They can be made of brass, in which case it would be ok. But if it is made of a styrofom type of stuff then they can get saturated with fuel and increase your float level. I have even seen brass floats get a little fuel in them due to a microscopic leak. And this would be enhanced by the warming and cooling of the engine(expansion and contraction).
Also, You might want to check the little return springs for your distributor centrifical advance unit. These springs can and do expand over time and keep your distributor timing cam from returning all the way(like during idle). Idle is when you set your timing and if the dist. cam is not returned all the way you will inadvertantly set you timing to a slightly advanced position which in turn will affect your carb setting. Also, replacing your vacuum advance unit on the distributor would not hurt because that little diaphram will get harder over a period of time making it so the dist. will advance at a slower rate or later then needed for maximum designed efficientcy. I will usually do the springs while I change the vacuum advance unit cause the little actuator arm has to be removed from the advance plate. Just shorten the springs with a needle nose plyers and lube under the cam for free movement just shorten the springs a hair shorter then needed to return the cam to full retard position.
Good luck,
High_Horse
Ooh, awesome! I've never heard about any of those things. I will give those a try, thanks!
On another note, I went to change my oil yesterday, and my oil pan is crushed like a soda can! I dunno how/when this happened, but now I'm on the lookout for a replacement.
After driving through some spilled gas coming out of turn two at waterford speedbowl, I went sideways into the infield, into a drainage pit and launched over the pit road. When we landed, it was on the oil pan. I did not know it, and finished the race. After close inpection, there was sill pleanty of clearence to the oil pick-up and never "fixed" it.. You might want to take a look in the drain hole before you do anything just to see.
Did you change the "lifters"? In my experience they get gummed up and changing them has made a few of my pintos run much smoother.
Bill
Unfortunatly, mine is dented right at the plug, and I'm afriad if I take it off, there's no way to get it back on there. Also the dent is so compounded that it is leaking a bit of oil out of the fold in the metal. It's pretty bad...
If you haven't done these things already, the following is a short and incomplete list of things that are a good idea to do with any used car that you intend to keep very long and drive regularly.
First:
Get a spiral bound notebook and keep it in the glove compartment. Mark the front half for fuel stops, split the remaining half into sections for fluids and filters, mechanical and body repairs, and leave a small space for notes in the back. Mark ALL the maintenance in when it's done, and what the mileage was when it was done, along with any notes about what you see when you're doing it, such as something you see that will need attention soon, but that you're not doing that day, such as the brake pads are getting thin. Keep track of all your fuel fillups, and you'll more easily spot when the mileage drops (as you have already done).
Change all coolant hoses. The rubber compounds in these age from ozone even when the vehicle isn't being driven. It's much easier to change a hose at home, with the proper tools handy and when you want to, than on the road when you HAVE to.
Change all belts. same as above. And that's including the timing belt, which in this car is coming up on 30 years old if it's the original. On your car it's very easy to change and inexpensive. A ticking time bomb if there ever was one....
Pull the thermostat and at least test it with a hot pan of water on the stove.
While you have the thermostat off and AFTER you have the new hoses on, flush the cooling system with a cleaner and install extended life coolant. Use cardboard in front of the radiator to allow the engine to heat up. It's generally about $2.00 morre per gallon, but will last at least twice as long as standard coolant, so you won't have to do it again soon, and will be cheaper in the long run, while still providing the same protection as it's shorted lived cousins.
Change the oil and filter. DON'T use the cheapest filter that you can find. Get something decent, such as Wix or one of the other better filtering brands/models. Use a minimum of semisynthetic oil in order to give longer life to the engine parts. It's a compromise between full synthetic and standard oil, cost and oil life being between the 2, but by using it, you will decrease the buildup of engine "varnish" in the interior of the engine, due to it's higher vaporization temperature.
Since you're doing a fair number of miles daily, the mileage will accumulate fairly fast, so the tendency is to space oil changes farther apart. DON'T. And don't cheap out on subsequent oil changes by extending the oil change interval to much over 4,000 miles, unless you go to a full synthetic oil. (If you can afford to: watch the sale papers for oil and filters to go on sale at some of the chain auto parts stores, and get a couple of cases of oil and stock up on filters when they're on sale.)
Completely flush all of the old brake fluid, and use antiseize on the bleeder screws when you reinstall them. (Also use it on the spark plugs and wheel studs.)
Drain and replace the transmission fluid and the differential fluid. It actually doesn't cost that much, and the odds are good that it has never been done, and thsi way at least you wil know that the fluid is something decent, is relatively clear of metal contamination, and both have a very good chance of never having to be done again, at least for several to many years. Screen the warmed up by driving fluids through something like window screening, while they are draining to watch for larger metal or other debris. If you see any pieces of metal, this is a warning to you that there may be internal damage.
Spark plugs. From many years of experience using them, I have to say that anyone who does NOT use platinum or better spark plugs these days when one is available for their engine is being obstinate, penny foolish, or has a period car that they are keeping block stock for some reason. There is absolutely no comparison as to the life of platinum plugs and standard types. Platinum plugs can and do last SEVERAL times as long, while their electrode erosion takes place at a much slower rate, (as low as 10%-20% of the rate of standard plugs) so they do not have to be regapped anywhere as often, when used with a high energy ignition, (which your car has). (A standard plug can erode at .001" per 1000 miles, for comparison)
I have personally had one set of single electrode Bosch plugs go 70,000 miles, WITHOUT REGAPPING, on a regularly driven car without haveing the gaps erode past the recommended setting. (I checked them, they did not need cleaning! at 37K and replaced them on general principles at 75K.)
Closely inspect the tires, ride with the maximum tire pressure that you can stand, that is below the maximum on the sidewall, and that doesn't cause unstable handling (it's usually 35psi for passenger car tires) this will significanty increase your fuel mileage, and also help maintain the ground clearance, (which is important if you drive on rough roads at all or park where there is a lot of combustible paper debris or tall grass......).
Tires also age in response to ozone as wellas being exposed directly to UV. The tire people are now recommending tire replacement at around 6 years, no matter what the mileage.... I don't expect that you would do that, but on a car this old, they may be old enough that you could possibly see cracking on the sidewalls. IF YOU DO, that is a very strong warning to get new tires as soon as possible.
When you need to: get tires that are the appropriate size and a decent quality. Use the larger size optional tire for the car if you have a choice, but go slow on anything bigger. Significantly wider than stock tires look cool, and help the car to handle better on dry pavement, for example, but they cut the fuel mileage and actually make it harder to stop on snow and ice. Think of how the car is to be used and decide accordingly. Cheaper tires also frequently adversely effect fuel mileage, handle worse and wear out faster.
Use an inside sunscreen, (even one of the cheap fold up cardboard ones will work 100% better than nothing) to protect the interior from UV damage if it isn't already beyond the point of saving.