Hi,

I have had the first real chance to put a few miles on my new van, and I have gotten a good chance to gather some hopefully useful details which will help me to decide whether to just swap out the whole drivetrain, or fix / have it fixed.

For starters, the engine is running too hot. there is no coolant in the oil, and the radiator doesn't appear to be leaking, but the fins are worn off the bottom 1/5th and if you walk past the front of the van after the motor has been running, you can smell prestone cooking, but you can't see from where. I couldn't find any pinhole leaks anywhere, but I am not sure if there is a better method other than simple visual inspection. the needle gets up to the a in normal after driving for 20-30 minutes. i am guessing that i am going to have to replace the whole radiator with a rebuilt one.

Second. the engine is running too rich, you can smell gas or something similar to it in the cab when the engine is running. the choke works properly when the engine starts cold. one pump and the engine fires right up; one more pump a minute later and it kicks down. this is where the trouble starts. it comes close to stalling and then picks up to a regular idle and repeats. once the engine has been runnning for a while, this isn't as pronounced, but you can hear popping in the exhaust when you engine break. I am pretty sure this is wasted gas combusting in the exhaust. the exhaust is clear and doesn't look or smell like it is burning an appreciable amount of oil. also, sometimes when you turn the engine off, it kicks over one or two more times before quitting. i am guessing the carb needs cleaning and i plan on changing the spark plugs first thing on saturday.

there is oil leaking around the valve cover. I have a new gasket and will change that and hopefully it will stop. unrelated, there is a squeak in the brakes, but they stop well, and don't pull the vehicle to the side or cause it to shimmy.

finally, I have a 'three on the tree' that shifts great, until you try to stick it in reverse. a good part of the time, it will grind. if i drop it in first and go forward a tiny bit, it will then shift into reverse without a hint of trouble. every so once in a while it feels a little stiff shifting into first too, but it doesn't grind. (warped clutchplate?) i don't know if this is a sign of a weakening clutch, or what. it is an 85 and i am not sure if it uses a hydraulic clutch or not. I glanced through the manual and it didn't really say. I will look for the clutch fluid reservoir when it is light out. i dont' think it is hydraulic though because i don't remember seeing it, and pumping the clutch a few times before trying to engage it didn't help. this is probably irrelevant, but when you are accelerating in second, the harder you are on the gas, the more the shift lever moves north on its own - like the linkage is twisting it. maybe that will help rule out loose linkage, or maybe it indicated the linkage is loose. if the transmission goes, i will try and find a c4 transmission and a steering column to go with it. I gather I will need to change the fly wheel, or flexplate as well. Do i need one for an i6 or is it possible to use the one from whatever junker I grab the transmission from?

the body is in great shape, and i think the engine will survive with some tlc as it only has 127k km on it (about 80k miles). the vehicle has only had three owners to my knowledge, but one of them was a university. from the logbook entries, they owned and ran it from 85 until 96 and then sold it. there are at least 10 different drivers on it during that time, If i get a chance on the weekend, i will post a link to some pics of the van, and its unique 'paintjob'. I would like to have this vehicle runnin gas smoothly as possible before it gets too cold to work on it outside during the evening, so I only have about 3 or 4 weeks left. any ideas or tips are greatly appreciated.

thanks

 

I would rebuild the carb. The power valve could be rotten causing it to run rich, among other things. A new radiator sounds like a good start on that problem. The clutch sounds like it is definitely shot. I would go ahead and pull the tranny and see what it looks like. It's hard on the tranny synchros if the clutch isn't dis-engaging all the way. If the gear shift is moving alot, check your motor mounts. One of them may be bad, letting the motor twist too much.

 

i am going to order a carb kit for the carb, master and slave cylinders, and a clutch kit for the transmission, and a new rad. the transmission won't go into reverse once the pressure plates are warmed up; it will just grind. i can rebuild the carb and replace the radiator on my own, but i am not a good enough back yard mechanic to handle doing the clutch so i am buying the parts and getting the work done for me. disappointing, but i can't have it off the road for two weeks while i mess with it.