I know I probably didn't dig nearly far enough, but I need help.

I have an '87 Formula 350 that has been in my family since it was new. My mother finally gave me the car because it was sitting in a shed. It will start and run, but it is choppy on accelleration, and when I shut the motor off, it will boil over the coolant from the overflow can. There appears to be no coolant in the oil or vice-versa and it isn't smoking.

Any ideas before I start a complete teardown?

 

sounds like a bad head gasket you can do a compression test on all cyl see if there is a drop in them. how many miles how long did it sit?



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also how hot is it getting


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"boil over the coolant from the overflow can"

On my camry same prob.

Also the upper hose was hot and bottom cold. Tstat was ok, water pump ok, engine would not overheat strangely enough...

I put on a new radiator cap tho the old one didn't look broken and it fixed it.

FWIW.

 

The car has 68,000 original miles on it and has sat for about a year this time. I am going to start with thermostat and some other small issues.

I have also been told that the computer in my car is junk and that I should look at replacing it with newer technology.

 

my 88 use to bubble over as well and it turned out to be radiator cap

 

Yeah. Think.

Before you go tearing things at random up for no reason:

It's been sitting in a shed. For some time presumably. So start by giving it some love.

Drain and replace any fuel left in it. Do oil and filter change. New fuel filter. And plugs. Check tps. Clean iac. Etc etc. Then see what you've got.

Did it have any bad behaviour when it was parked?

 

Well, it's been a minute, but here's my diagnosis.

I have a microscopic head gasket problem that was just enough to pressurize the system and they also found a lot of brass in the oil filter. Years of sitting and then being started every six months or so just ate the rod bearings.

2495.00 and 4 days later I have a perfect running, numbers matching '87 with 68,000 original miles on the original rims that I just had to put the second set of tires ever on it.

 

Pics? Sounds sweet... I love Formulas!

 

Pictures will come soon. I have to get it buffed out to see if I can fight the sun fade and I have to replace the rear spoiler. I just can't wait to drive it back out to visit my parents.