85berlinetta2.8

crying on the inside, i swear.

its the one i wanted tho, black. 350tpi ttop black interior, and only 2g's canadian,

was on the freeway, check engine light came on. noticed it would shift into 4th if i got up to speed and let off the gas, but as soon as i touched the gas it would kick into 3rd. so i was peddeling it at around 110-120kmph at 4500 rpm on the way home. it started to lose power so i began to pull over. then BOOOOM! steam/smoke pouring from around the hood. i stop. and pop the hood. a small fire around the valve cover ( i think the gasket caught fire ) and the header on that side was glowing red. i blew out the flames. tow truck driver said fluid looked green. it was all over the car.
the car wouldnt start.

soon as i got it towed to the dealership it started but sounded a bit strange. i only ran it then for a second. im really hoping it was just a hose. ill let you know what i find tomorrow.

89transam*pearl

iTrader: (1)

That sucks.....

tenpin842

did you check all the fluids when you bought it?
That really sucks! Please keep us posted!

TPeye

Cruising at 4500 rpm in a car that redlines at 6000rpm is not a good idea. That said, use a paper clip to check the codes that turned on the engine light. Was the car running hot? What do you mean by "the fluid looks green?"

85berlinetta2.8

Checked it out in the morning, the radiator exploded.. yes exploded.. side blown off. and theres no oil fill cap, so thats what caused the small fire.

what would cause the trans to hold 3rd? is there a cable adjustment i can do?

also i lost the codes as i had to use the battery out of my berlinetta to get home

tenpin842

......so you bought a car, and never looked under the hood?
1st thing i do is check the oil....then smell the oil.
2nd is pop the radiator cap and look inside.
Then if Im driving it home im for sure going to check all the fluids.
Sort of your fault for not looking.

Did you bother to check the transmission fluid level??

TPeye

the tv cable may need to be adjusted. It also couldn't hurt to change the tranny fluid and filter. A missing oil cap would be a vacuum leak in the PCV system, and that might have had something to do with the engine light.

8T9 BANDIT

i ounce bought a thirdgen. loved it, beauty of a car. i heard it run sounded bad ***, motor was tight as hell. so after sighning the bill of sale i hop in the car with a huge smile on my face, i then go to leave, put the car in gear and relized, there was no movement. the car didnt have a tranny or a rear in it..

tenpin842

huh??? A missing oil cap is from someone not putting it back on. My oil cap threads on.

Has nothing to do with the PCV valve (thats on the other side), Or vacuum.

8T9 BANDIT

u can give that broken car to me.. ill give u the one with no tranny or rear.. like i said it sounds awesome. probably because it has no exhaust either. not even manifolds or headers, the exhaust comes straight from the heads.. sounds kinda like a helicopter...

85berlinetta2.8

well i took the rad out today at work, the trans fluid that poured out of the rad was red and didnt smell burnt. the fluid level was full when i checked it before. the oil is full but is black and stinks like gas. i just didnt notice the oil fill cap.
the lower line that goes from the rad to the trans i had to cut as it wouldnt come out. is that the return line? can i buy the line seperate or do i have to make one? if i have to make one what size and how to i do it?

oh another question, ive had plastic rads crack before... what woul cause one to explode violently?

irocnroll89

iTrader: (4)

A bad radiator cap, not releasing pressure at 5-8 psi. What more info do oyu have about the car. Is it the original engine, or a 350 TPI swap?
shawn

85berlinetta2.8

engine is original, at least i think so, vin has 8 in the spot for 350

also while i have your attention when i picked up the car, at slow speeds the power steering would make like a surging sound, at higher speeds it would be fine. but when i pulled it into the shop today it lost all power steering. any clues?

riotcow

Did you check the Power Steering Pump fluid level either?

Heh.

8T9 BANDIT

CHECK YOURE WATERPUMP!

85berlinetta2.8

p/s fluid level is fine

check to see if waterpump is turning?

Toehead

While you have it apart just replace the waterpump. It is cheap and easy insurance.

85berlinetta2.8

ok i picked up a new waterpump, the people at the parts store had a hard time figuring out if it was serp vbelt or multi setup even after i showed them a pic.

so i got "a" waterpump.. hope its the right one.







do those valve covers look stock?

ploegi

Make sure it is the correct pump, as the direction of rotation varies by belt set up. If you put one in there that turns the wrong way..... well, you get to do the job again.

Also, a missing oil fill cap WILL give the PCV system a bad time. It is a big vacuum leak, that likes to suck in all the dirt that falls off the underside of the hood each time you hit a bump. (this includes the dust that naturally collects in the fibers....) True, there is no "PCV" codes, but, it could throw off the map, or maf sensor readings. (but again, the O2 sensor would prolly compensate....)

85berlinetta2.8

what setup is this?

3.1EyeCandy

iTrader: (3)

v-belt

85berlinetta2.8

****... can i identify what water pump they gave me by the part number online?

RED86Z28

If I were you I would just go to a parts store that is not guessing about the pump. While you’re at it you could change the thermostat and radiator cap too. Then take it for a ride and see what happens. You probably want to adjust your TV cable and give it a regular tune up including checking the base timing. Nothing that happened seems like the end of the world for the car.

85berlinetta2.8

update

i checked the power steering fluid again, was empty, the cooler line was leaking. patched it at work today. there was a snow storm so the shop was wide open. then the belt was squealing and it was stretched to its max, so a new belt fixed the power steering.

however i changed the oil and it smokes pretty bad on startup. im gonna try to lucas the hell out of it . the valve seals are probably shot, its a little clunky sounding too. im just going to have some fun with it.

thanks for all the help and im going to be hanging around, for sure with more problems as they arise.

deadtrend1

iTrader: (1)

Smoke on startup would signify it needed valve seals. Don't go tossing all kinds of crap at it hoping that it fixes it. Valve seals are cheap, along with a set of valve covers. Just need a air compressor, spark plug air tool, a valve spring compressor, and patience.

I would go over the car very carefully since you seem to have different issues come up. Do full tune up, all the filters, and make sure everything is working. How many miles (or kilometers... )are on it?

postal

not a bad looking car , like said before check everything

85berlinetta2.8

thanks guys,
theres 230,000 kilometers on it.

dont think ill be able to do valve seals myself though

ploegi

If you have the right stuff available to you, valve seals are actually easy. Just time consuming....

If you don't have access to compressed air, (even a little compressor will work, just need to pressurize the cylinders, to keep the valves closed) Cotton rope stuffed into the spark plug hole will also work. (use cotton as it WILL leave fibers in the combustion chamber, and cotton burns down easier than nylon. Nylon will just melt when you start the engine, and can stick to assorted surfaces, and that is indeed a BAD thing)

A nice warm place to work is definitely a requirement this time of year....