Need car advise

[softail-joanie]

hi, It finally happened, the car that always starts and runs just up and quit. It's on the road and will probibly be towed. I called my dad and got pretty much chewed out for not fixing it or having it serviced before this happened. Dad says it's the timming belt, another guy looked and said head gasket. So I'm putting it to a vote here to see if the car is even worth fixing. or should it go to scrap.

I had it for maybe two years, always did leak oil, but I kept adding oil. I put a new altenater on it last winter. As of now, it needs the oil leak fixed, probibly a pan gasket reseal, the steering fixed, It kinks up on me when i try to turn, the windshild is cracked needs replaced. Personaly I think it would cost less in the long run to upgrade to another car, your thoughts?

I'm going now to try to move it to a better place, will check in later tonight,

[curmu-curmu]

Hmmm. Why not threaten it with a bashing from the local cops? That always seems to work for everything else!

[joz*garage]

hmm, mightta just ran out of fuel {check it}

ok, what's it doing when you turn the key?

do the lights on the dash come on, and is the starter motor turning over?

another guy looked and said head gasket.

why did he say that...is there oil in the radiator?

[this-one-time-at-bandcamp]

If it's that POS psuedo-Nova, send it to the junkyard, if it's that POS Ranger, ditto.

[colic2bullsgirlore]

If it turns over unevenly and does not attempt to fire (as opposed to rhythmically) then odds on the timing belt has broken.

If it is an interference engine than lots of other damage has already been done. ie the vvs have been bent by striking the

piston tops beacuse they were out of time

Have a gander down the oil fill hole on the top of the engine and see if you can spot the valves or a rocker arm. If the

engine is turned over but the valves/rocker arm does not move (up and down) then the belt is broken.

The timing belt times the crankshaft (bottom of engine) to the camshaft/s (top of engine) to interact in a specific manner.

The timing belt is just like the conductor in an orchestra.... if it buggers up then the once sweet note sounds like schitt

[softail-joanie]

hmm, mightta just ran out of fuel {check it} ok, what's it doing when you turn the key? do the lights on the dash come on, and is the starter motor turning over? another guy looked and said head gasket. why did he say that...is there oil in the radiator?

Engine turns over, lights are working, signals, ect. starter is turning engine, not firing at all. Dad checked fuses, they are ok. No oil in radiator far as I can tell, or water in oil, oil looks good and clean. This guy was pointing at the altenator belt and saying that was the timing belt, so I doubt he has any idea about cars. I didn't say anything, thought it best to make like i didn't know. Now that dad heard it crank, he says it's not the timing belt, now he thinks it's a bad coil pack because no fire. We towed it back and now it's just kinda in the way.

The internet stopped working so I had to walk to the nearest library to get on CL and see if I can find a replacment. Or I can sink money into the car, but it does need other things as well. The oil pan resealed, and I would want a new oil pump while it's off. I think thats where it's leaking oil. a new windshield, it's cracked pretty bad and has a leak on passenger side when it rains. and whatever is wrong with the steering causing it to kink up when I turn.

As for the Ranger, That would be the nicest thing I could be driving, if it still had the engine and transmission, got rid of it long ago to put a v8 into it, Have the v8, and most everything to do the swap, Just that I can't do it by myself and I don't really know anyone down here and it's hard to get dad to help, but really, I need at least two other younger guys to help, dad is too old to be helping. That Ranger is a 1991, and has 18,000 miles, sat in a garage for years until my home was taken, Dad went to retreve it and it sits outside now with an empty engine bay. The v8 is in dad's garage waithing to be dropped in. Even though it's a 1991, putting it together and driving it would be like having a brand new car.

I want to try and get a loan to buy a 2004 or newer Ranger with a 4cyl engine and a manual 5speed transmission with less than 75,000 miles. That should give me the ground clearance I need for driving around here, and not too bad gas millage, i think 28-30.

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If it turns over unevenly and does not attempt to fire (as opposed to rhythmically) then odds on the timing belt has broken. If it is an interference engine than lots of other damage has already been done. ie the vvs have been bent by striking the piston tops beacuse they were out of time Have a gander down the oil fill hole on the top of the engine and see if you can spot the valves or a rocker arm. If the engine is turned over but the valves/rocker arm does not move (up and down) then the belt is broken. The timing belt times the crankshaft (bottom of engine) to the camshaft/s (top of engine) to interact in a specific manner. The timing belt is just like the conductor in an orchestra.... if it buggers up then the once sweet note sounds like schitt

I thought it sounded alittle weird cranking over, but could be I'm just used to the thing running before it cranks over very much. Whatever comes of it, it's been a good car to me for the past two years. I paid 700 for it, put new tires and an altinator on it last winter. Since I got it back it's just kinda been in the way. Still need to find a good spot for it and then figure what I'm gonna do for transportation. It rained and stormed all last night, shook the ground several times, kept me up all night. I'm gonna clean it up and put it on CL just to test the waters, maybe someone will need parts or want to restore a historical car. It's a 1987 Chevy Nova (Toyota Corrola clone) with crank windows, manual shift. A basic car, no frills, what I like.

I have a bicycle, but you know what will come of that "police" I might be ok riding it to this library as it's just backroads, might cut a half hour of the trip.

[this-one-time-at-bandcamp]

...maybe someone will need parts or want to restore a historical car. It's a 1987 Chevy Nova (Toyota Corrola clone) with crank windows, manual shift. A basic car, no frills, what I like.

I hate to say it, Joanie, but an 87 psuedo-Nova is in no way a historical car...........any more than my daughter's '81 Pontiac Phoenix was a historical car..........now, if it were a '66 Nova with a 327/350-horse motor, I'd agree.

[joz*garage]

now he thinks it's a bad coil pack because no fire.

either fuel or ignition, he musta checked the spark at that point .... a process of elimination  

[jimmy*part4]

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@joz*garage wrote:

now he thinks it's a bad coil pack because no fire.

either fuel or ignition, he musta checked the spark at that point .... a process of elimination  

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Yeah, easy enough to test it. Power to the distributor, but not out....check the cap, rotor, etc. Clean them and try again. $50 for new parts. The bigger problem is the oil leak. If it's the valve cover gaskets that's another 5 or $10. If it's the head gaskets....that's a much bigger job $ Possibly a cracket head $$$

Maybe pay a local mechanic a couple o hundred to install the engine on the other vehicle.

[softail-joanie]

It's the timing belt, but it's not broke. It's covered in oil, where it leaks oil from the pan I think, and stretched, possibally teeth on the belt that set into the gears arewore down as well. All i know is the rotor button wasn't turning when i cranked it over, so i removed the top part of the timing belt cover and it felt loose, When I stretched it half off the top gear and made it tight, it turned the rotor, but i imagine it's thrown out of time too far to start.

One time, you say it's not a historical vehicle, yet it qualifys for Historical tags. lol, Less than half the cost of regular tags for a year, and don't expire. I agree, not a collector car by any means, but it's over 25 years old. BTW, the real colectable Novas, were 1968 - 1972.. Those are worth the most, and possiblly my all time favorate car.

I'm guessing a timing belt won't cost alot, but putting it on, the labor, would be very expensive, Also, if i did replace that, i'd want a new oil pump and reseal on the oil pan to stop the leak. Then theres the matter of the cracked windshild, and the weird steering thing.