I'm A New 80er!! (1 Viewer)

[LoveTractor]

Don't know if everyone saw my post over in Chit Chat asking about an 80, but here:https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=51414 . I got it today!! Guy drove it down from Charlotte-area and came over to my house and we got eveything signed and I was immediately out the door(without tags ) to have some fun. She drove beautifully. I'm already in love!
The bad: as soon we had signed all the papers and I handed him the check. He handed me the keys and said, "Oh, BTW, the check engine light came on one time on the way down here from Charlotte. But she cruises nicely at 85mph so I don't think it's anything to worry about." Putz. He left and I already knew it had a leak when I saw it before so I popped the hood to take a closer look. Leakage around the distributor cap area. I'm doing a whole PM job on it soon so hopefully that'll fix it.
I close her up and trek out towards downtown and over Charleston's newest landmark The Ravenel Suspension bridge(largest in the western hemisphere ). About an hour and half later, the CE light comes on and stays on. Oh well, I'll run her past Napa tomorrow to run the code. Hopefully I didn't get hosed. I still love it!

 

[Uncle Ben]

Schweet! Welcome to the "Mall Cruiser" world!

 

[Biff]

Good for you, I had a similar situation but still got my 80. Sometimes its big so have it checked out immediately.

 

[e9999]

congrats!
seller is a slimeball, though...
heck, put a stop on the check...!

 

[LoveTractor]

congrats!
seller is a slimeball, though...
heck, put a stop on the check...!

I wish. He said cashier's check and I complied.

Upon closer inspection, the belts are mitsubishi.
Leak is coming from distributor cap seal confused: I think) and some seems to be coming out of the "6 o'clock" tower and dripping onto the radiator inlet hose . (That sound right? I'm pretty much here.)

 

[Cruisin'Carolina]

More info! (oh and Congrats!)

I drove one just like that in the Charlotte area before I bought mine...would've bought it but another surfaced a few days later....(Was it the one that belonged to a DC attorney, that later moved to Atlanta?)

Congrats again. It will make your 62 feel like it was built in the 40s! (I can say that! no flames, I have a 60 and love it!)

 

[Cruisin'Carolina]

Edit: I saw your other thread. Does it have a remote-starter? That Wolfgang guy I think is only a few miles from me (don't know anything about him, saw an ad yesterday for another one)...

 

[LoveTractor]

More info!
Edit: I saw your other thread. Does it have a remote-starter? That Wolfgang guy I think is only a few miles from me (don't know anything about him, saw an ad yesterday for another one)...

Pic of leak. There's a bunch of fresh oil collecting all over the under cover and all the pulleys(mostly right side if looking from front) are caked with oil sludge. Driving today, the temp guage hovered in the middle during regular driving and oil pressure hovered just around the 2/3 mark; at stoplights hovered around 1/3. Coolant in resevoir looks like crap; radiator is good green. I see a flush in my future.
And holy crap. I just looked and my spark plug wires were manufactured in 1995.
No remote starter. Just a viper keychain-thing that only the "lock" button functions on to lock and unlock. Wolfgang and his partner Micheal Johnson work out of Gold Hill Automotive just south of Charlotte across the border.

 

[Romer]

Maybe Valve Cover Gasket, which isn't too bad. You have to replace the gromets for the spark plugs too. Might as well change the plugs and the PCV valve while your at it.

 

[Bear80]

I wish. He said cashier's check and I complied.

Upon closer inspection, the belts are mitsubishi.
Leak is coming from distributor cap seal confused: I think) and some seems to be coming out of the "6 o'clock" tower and dripping onto the radiator inlet hose . (That sound right? I'm pretty much here.)

NO the belts are Toyota and made by MITSUBOSHI, it's an O not I as in the auto maker.

Order a rubber o ring for the distributor (part number: 90099-14118) local dealer or CDAN, seem everyone here thinks he a god.

I'd say you got mostly likey a nice problem free cruzer and the seller wasn't a bad guy. You should have checked everything before you signed any paper work, that's just business 101. Shame on you.

Oh btw welcome to the 80 group

 

[e9999]

well, I certainly hope this leak thing is a small problem, but frankly, the guy telling you about the CEL only after you handed him the check was a bit much....

(Of course, he could have said nothing at all...)


not to try and worry you, but check the CEL code right away! If it's a nasty one, you gotta move fast on this if you want the seller to make things right!

 

[Mikesta]

Congrats! Locked stock and ready to rock!

www.fjtoys.com/video Will show you what one of these babies does... in stock form... lockers on.

 

[LoveTractor]

Check Engine Light=bloody 401. Which ain't that bad I hear.

Still trying to pinpoint the leak. I don't think it's the valve cover. I don't have an FSM yet and the Haynes sort of sucks. Is there a gasket inbetween the distributor and engine or is that the O-Ring that Bear80 mentioned that could be leaking oil? I could swear it's leaking around the distributor connection and out the towers too. Haynes has crap schematics.
I'm ordering a bunch of stuff from CDan today.

And running boards have been ditched.

 

[LoveTractor]

Blown head gasket? Better picture. I think the oil I was seeing near distributor was just oil being flung around.

 

[Arya Ebrahimi]

Looks like the valve cover gasket to me. If it were a head gasket you'd be having other problems. Additionally gunk doesn't tend to have any gravity defying characteristics so the likelyhood of gunk from a blown headgasket being above the head/block junction is very low IMO.

on the new 80!

 

[concretejungle]

Try a couple more pics from differnt angles.

 

[e9999]

clean it up well, then run it for a while...

 

[tucker74]

Dude - it's the o-ring at the base of the dist. just like Bear mentioned ... I had the exact same leak on my old '93. Good looking ride BTW!

Tucker

 

[LoveTractor]

I think it may be the valve cover too. Right behind distributor. HG looks good. And yeah tucker, I think that is most likely it.
Tried taking better pics but I was just sticking my camera down trying to point at where I thought the leak was. My camera kept focusing on eveything else but the leak...I tried sticking my head inbetween the radiator and the block so I could use the view finder, but it hurt too much and the belts were in the way. Just kidding, suckers. I'll Gunk it tomorrow. Hopefully get a much better look when I replace the distributor later this week.
Is it customary to replace the running board bolts after removal or just leave them out?

 

[Bear80]

It's the O-ring no question about it.