Author Topic: The Baby (aka the copper queen) (Read 34276 times)

blupinto · « **Reply #180 on:** February 27, 2009, 11:30:36 PM »

:lol: That's exactly what my mechanic next door said! lol. I sure hope you're both right. Cross your fingers Sunday.

P.S. Kim, you said in your Ghost thread that she has a tapping noise. So does Baby! Jerry (the mechanic) suggested I try Lucas something or other (I went to Kragen tonight and there was EVERYTHING by Lucas. Fuel additive, oil additive, oil(!), transmission additive...) Anyway, Jerry told me to add this and it might unstick the lifter or whatever.

pintogirl · « **Reply #181 on:** February 27, 2009, 11:38:08 PM »

Quote from: blupinto on February 27, 2009, 11:30:36 PM

:lol: That's exactly what my mechanic next door said! lol. I sure hope you're both right. Cross your fingers Sunday.

P.S. Kim, you said in your Ghost thread that she has a tapping noise. So does Baby! Jerry (the mechanic) suggested I try Lucas something or other (I went to Kragen tonight and there was EVERYTHING by Lucas. Fuel additive, oil additive, oil(!), transmission additive...) Anyway, Jerry told me to add this and it might unstick the lifter or whatever.

I bought a valve cover gasket and hubby is going to adjust the lifters this weekend!!! Then I probably won't be able to drive it till sometime next week.

It's supposed to rain for the next 4 or so days and with my now really bad leaky windshield, I can't even go out in a light rain!!

I can't wait till I here about your actual "Maiden Voyage"!!!! You are getting a lot closer to it now!!!

blupinto · « **Reply #182 on:** February 28, 2009, 12:20:48 AM »

We're Sisters in Pain, you and I! Our cars too!

Bless him, Jerry said sometime this weekend when I reattach the gas tank and put some fresh fuel in it he'll play with the carburetor. He too has faith that she'll run again. He's pretty sure that between the crap on the bottom of the tank and the crap that used to be useable gasoline that was also in the tank it was no wonder the Baby was going nowhere! I can't wait. Hopefully we'll be cheering for real this time.

The rain will be here THursday or Friday, last I looked. It's the Rodeo that leaks here! (col!

) But then you haven't seen the Baby's windshield "fix"! I hope you convinced Hubby to do the Knotts thing! You'll lyao!

dave1987 · « **Reply #183 on:** February 28, 2009, 08:27:35 AM »

Crazy Horse made a screen out of 100% cotton sheet and coat hanger wire, which he mentions in this thread:

http://www.fordpinto.com/smf/index.php/topic,876.0.html

losin sux replaced his with a 100% cotton pillowcase swath and hose clamp, mentioned here:

http://www.fordpinto.com/smf/index.php/topic,1226.0.html

I used a screen from a fuel sender I pulled out of a 78 Bobcat wagon. The sender was different but the screens are the same. They twist and pull off, and then twist and push back on. If you can find a Pinto at the junkyard with a fuel tank on it, it's worth a shot checking to see if there is a sender with a complete screen still on it.

blupinto · « **Reply #184 on:** March 02, 2009, 01:04:57 AM »

Had 0 luck in finding POR15 and a replacement screen, so I bought 100% cotton sheeting and used zip ties. Put the tank and other bits back together and in their places, bought 5 gallons fuel and ... Baby still doesn't run

. The likely culprit now looks to be varnish in the jets. Any ideas besides rebuild time? Is that all I can do at tghis point? Note: I know NOTHING about carburetors! lol. I do know mine is a Holley 'cause it says so in the bowl; I know it's a two-barrel.

BTW, thank you for the suggestions. I hadn't seen threads about sending unit intake filters. I looked in past Your Projects and FAQs.

71pintoracer · « **Reply #185 on:** March 02, 2009, 08:04:44 AM »

Anyway, Jerry told me to add this and it might unstick the lifter or whatever.
[/quote]
Your car does not have lifters. (2.0, right?) Most likely needs the valves adjusted, or a cam lobe and rocker are worn. I have polished a cam lobe smooth with emory cloth and replaced the worn rocker and it was quiet again!
BTW, it takes 2 special wrenches to adjust the valves, however you can get a couple of cheap wrenches (15 & 19 mm) and cut them in half and that will work. Not much room around the carb area. You also have to grind them to make them thinner so they both will fit on the adjustment nuts. You have to hold one and tighten the other so both wrenches need to be in there at the same time.
As far as your fuel problem, yea, the carb is full of junk. Get a can of carb cleaner (the kind to soak parts in, not the spray kind) and a carb kit. They are really simple carbs.

dave1987 · « **Reply #186 on:** March 02, 2009, 09:04:19 AM »

Pinto carbs are a sinch to rebuild. Not a whole lot of parts, and it really isn't that complicated. Most rebuild kits come with instructions, and the only "hard" part is remembering where things went, and which orientation they were originally in, in the first place. Even that is easy, with the aid of a digital camera!

Not to make you worry or anything, but I would be wary about using zip ties to hold something onto the fuel pickup tube. I don't know how long plastic zip ties would hole up to something like gasoline, which is somewhat of a solvent.

75bobcatv6 · « **Reply #187 on:** March 02, 2009, 12:54:09 PM »

B-12 chemtool in the can(looks like a paint can), comes with a parts soaker. i use this when i do the carb on the bobcat. they make a medium can and a large one the large is about 18 dollars but worth the money. just make sure all rubber seals are off what ever you soak to get the varnish out. or you will have leaks all over the place.

blupinto · « **Reply #188 on:** March 02, 2009, 08:09:00 PM »

Actually I have a 2.3 and there's that chance I misquoted Jerry on the lifter thing. Like I said (I think), I AM DUMB! Working on the Baby certainly has enlightened me on things like sending units and harmonic balancers but I AM DUMB!!! Still!

Someone else endorsed the can of B-12 Chemtool. I did (VERY carefully) take the top of the carb off to see the float bowl. It wasn't that lovely yellow color but it looked like whitish or grayish flakes of something in the bottom of the bowl. That's as far as I dared go.

I hope no one here resents a clueless bird like me trying to work on her car like a guy. I have to be independent because I don't have anybody but a handful of friends and you folks. And some of those friends don't know a Pinto from a Pontiac. So please bear with me and keep your fingers crossed that I'll be able to bring her to Knotts next month!

P.S. I hope that last paragraph didn't put anyone's nose out of joint. It's just that sometimes I feel stupid among those who know a lifter from a tappet. Thank you.

phils toys · « **Reply #189 on:** March 03, 2009, 12:25:51 PM »

Don't feel stupid that is why we are all here to help each other and share ideas and accomplishment s You are doing great with you car.
phil

71pintoracer · « **Reply #190 on:** March 03, 2009, 06:09:46 PM »

Your 2.3 does have lifters. Thought you had a 2.0, that must be Kim, I keep getting you girls mixed up! :lol: So the additive may help, although you could still have a worn cam lobe or rocker.
Believe me, you are far from stupid! I'm impressed by the work you do on your Pinto! :surprised:

pintogirl · « **Reply #191 on:** March 03, 2009, 10:50:32 PM »

Becky, I know how you are feeling!! It started with me on the green machine! I would get all excited that something went right, just to find out that something else is going wrong! Now the green machine is on the back burner, I'm dealing with the same issues with the ghost. All excited then bumbed! LOL Just think though, once we get through all these ups and downs, we'll have new cars!! LOL

Keep working on her, your doing great!!!

Kim

blupinto · « **Reply #192 on:** March 03, 2009, 11:28:01 PM »

Alright alright. Now I feel bad for dumping on you guys! Sorry about that! :surprised: Thank you for the good words. My late brother, who was a gearhead (bona fide) would be proud of me, I think. Years ago when I had my 1st Pinto (the blue one, hence my site name Blupinto) he saw me polishing the old girl's oxidated Grabber Blue coat and offered to help me fix her. Amazing in itself, since he wasn't talking to us (his family) because we weren't Church of Christ believers but he still lived with us (don't ask.) He got out of that cult long enough to catch up with us before drunken driving in Glamis took him from us. Anyway he could tear apart a car or motorcycle engine and fix its issues and did this a lot. Unfortunately he couldn't fix the '72s cracked cooling (tranny) line and the old girl had to be towed away to the Great Highway In The Sky. I still grieve.

Anyway, Yeah I'm bummed about not having a running Pinto but the good news is, I'm narrowing her problems down. She has BRAND NEW FUEL in a CLEANED TANK and had her TIMING BELT replaced and timed properly and she sports a new WATER PUMP and HOSES. Her fuel lines are not stopped up and fuel is getting to the float bowl but not to where they can ignite. Her compression ranges between 120 and 135. Spark plugs are good and unfouled and her wires are brand new. Tomorrow I am replacing her oil and filter and putting a quart of Lucas oil treatment in the crankcase. I'll look for that Chemtool stuff tomorrow too.

blupinto · « **Reply #193 on:** March 03, 2009, 11:34:21 PM »

And thank you to Mr. Fred Morgan. I also have brand new hood bumpers as of today!!! Thank you Fred!!! :tgif: :tgif: :tgif: (Thank Goodness It's Fred!)

75bobcatv6 · « **Reply #194 on:** March 04, 2009, 01:31:47 AM »

you are by no means Dumb or stupid, We all have to start out somewhere. Doesnt matter if you start workin on a car in your 70's or when you are just a wee Child. its the experience of it that counts the most. and the end result. So keep your chin up and always look at the bright side of it. even if it means you have to crank your neck really far to see it lol

discolives78 · « **Reply #195 on:** March 04, 2009, 08:58:20 PM »

I took apart my dad's drill when I was eight. By the time I was 12 I was building bikes out of spare parts and opening up clock radios to wire in bigger speakers

Don't be scared to take things apart. We're all here to help!

Chuck

blupinto · « **Reply #196 on:** March 04, 2009, 09:25:23 PM »

Thank you guys. I'm not so afraid to take things apart (well, sometimes...

I just don't want to be thought of as a boob or worse for not knowing my car parts or their functions.

Only update: the oil and filter are changed. Baby's running status: unchanged.

My neighbor/mechanic suggested either have the carb rebuilt or if I get a rebuild kit he will attempt to fix it. I tried to call a highly recommended carb guy in town and his line was busy. I'll try tomorrow.

blupinto · « **Reply #197 on:** March 05, 2009, 08:38:10 PM »

I took the carburetor off this afternoon with ease and planned on taking it to Bob's Carbs (not the caloric carbs! lol.) and something told me GO NOW! So I did. He took the thing to another room and was gone for maybe a minute or so. When he came back he said the float was stuck, so he unstuck it. He pushed on the throttle and sure enough fuel shot out. No charge. I couldn't wait to try it on. The carb now works but we're back to square one. Now Baby will idle for a while and eventually will falter and stall, like when I have a load on the engine. The mechanic next door came out and we fiddled with the carb and throttle linkage. He blew air through the lines both ways and the conclusion he came to was the fuel pump has issues. He said after he put a pressure gauge on the fuel line it goes to 5 psi then drops way down when the throttle is pressed.

That was a ramble, but what do you all think? The fuel pump looks new and the car acted this way before I replaced all the stuff mentioned earlier. Jerry and I thing maybe old varnishy gas and rampant rust flakes might be the culprit. Will the new fresh gas clean it out or is a replacement in order? Or could it be something else? This roller coaster ride will be the death of me! lol.

dave1987 · « **Reply #198 on:** March 06, 2009, 02:45:17 AM »

I had to replace my fuel pump four times in in 2007. I don't know why, maybe faulty remanufactured pumps, but it wasn't a fun time replacing it every 3-5 months. I have had the current pump in there since January 08 and it is still going strong (knock on wood). It doesn't sound like your pump is bad though, and could VERY likely be the junk in the tank that was pulled through the pump. Also, change the filter when you put a new pump on.

blupinto · « **Reply #199 on:** March 06, 2009, 02:53:56 PM »

Dave1987 mentioned earlier that the pump should be at 6-8 psi. Because mine has a high of 5 and then fades to nothing I'm getting a new pump. I can get one from Kragen for $34something. I guess I do need to buy a gross of fuel filters and invest in Fram! lol. :tgif:

pintogirl · « **Reply #200 on:** March 06, 2009, 03:40:53 PM »

Ohhh, ohhhh, ohhh, Can't wait to here how she does with a new fuel pump!!! Fingers crossed she purrs like a kitten, or whinnies like a pony!! LOL

dave1987 · « **Reply #201 on:** March 06, 2009, 04:10:44 PM »

Well now that you have your tank cleaned out, and you will be changing your pump, you shouldn't need to change your filter nearly as often. Once every 3 months is what I do now that my tank is pretty cleaned out.

discolives78 · « **Reply #202 on:** March 06, 2009, 05:28:29 PM »

I change my fuel filter about every 5000 miles (2-2 1/2 years). My tank was dry when I got the car. I didn't clean it, went thru a fuel filter about every month, and rebuilt the carb after about a year, haven't had any problems since with clogged filters (often causes bucking on acceleration, and need to 'feather' the pedal). You don't really want to be messing with the fuel filter more than you have to, the carb body is much softer than the threads on the filter, and if you're not careful, you can strip the hole.

Chuck

blupinto · « **Reply #203 on:** March 07, 2009, 10:29:20 PM »

Got the fuel pump installed- no mean feat. There was so little room and I needed a third arm! I got covered in gasoline and still reek of it now. But the pump is in. In the process of getting the new pump in the area I accidentally pulled a couple wires so off to Jerry's I go tomorrow. Also check for leaks. Then I'll see if the Baby will fire up. Foo.

blupinto · « **Reply #204 on:** March 08, 2009, 09:48:59 PM »

:lol:

:happy_bday: :drunk: :2fast4u: :laugh: :police: :hypno: :read: :smile: :fastcar:

Kim, did you send me some Pinto love? C'mon now..

SHE RUNS!!!!!!!!

Kim, I need to borrow your great emoticons.

This morning, after a rough and kinda scary start The Baby ran! I didn't even have to feather the pedal once the engine was going. Then it was off to a series of tests... will she make it down the street and back? Will she make it up the hills she previously stalled at? Will she make it to the gas station and back? Will she complete a 14-mile round trip to my friend's place? YES!!!!! She passed with flying colors! She didn't stall once. I was so happy and so proud I was in tears and I'm not ashamed! I guess I had overfilled her radiator because at my friend's house the overflow tube spat out coolant. She does "diesel" a bit sometimes when I turn her off and she makes a most dreadful clanking sound (the noise that appeared after the timing belt was replaced) but she starts right back up. Now there's just some little things to do before the 19th. Oh. Did I mention that it looks like we'll make it to Knotts!!! Thank you THank you Thank you all for helping me and Baby get to this point. Right now my happiness knows no bounds.

pintogirl · « **Reply #205 on:** March 08, 2009, 10:12:28 PM »

Woooooooo Hooooooo!!!! You mean these? LOL

Congrats on the Baby finally going and getting back up the hill!!!!!

I'm so excited to hear of this great news!!!!

Oh, and I"m still working on hubby. Things just arn't going in that direction yet!

But I wont give up!!! LOL

blupinto · « **Reply #206 on:** March 08, 2009, 10:34:30 PM »

Those would be the ones!

So what's keeping Hubby from saying "Drive South"? Tell him there's interested parties wanting a rare glimpse of the legendary Brown Ghost! lol.

blupinto · « **Reply #207 on:** March 11, 2009, 10:24:34 PM »

You know, sometimes I am grateful to be so close to WallyWorld...
My wayward nostril (because it's possessed! long story.) wouldn't stop sneezing- therefore chronically running, I ran out of toilet paper and thus had to go to WalMart to restock. I opted to take Baby. Maybe this is a good thing in disguise. WallyWorld is only about a mile away. Before I pulled into my stall (interesting choice of words... Pinto, stall,.. get it?) I smelled the unmistakeable smell of coolant. I opened the hood... it was all over the place.

I'm thinking... crap, I need a new radiator. This was all I needed. I bought another bottle of antifreeze and my other items and made it home after I replenished the coolant. I know this is risky and all, but the radiator wasn't missing all that much so I opted to go for it. After I got home (it was dark now) I took a flashlight to find the source of the leak. It was the upper hose! Apparently the fan was clipping it. All this time I've been looking for the source of her clattering and didn't see the fan hitting the hose. I certainly looked hard enough. I'm just thankful this happened only a mile away! Tomorrow: new top hose.

phils toys · « **Reply #208 on:** March 11, 2009, 10:47:23 PM »

that almost happned to me when i replaced my upper hose.but i cought the noise befor it cut the hose. to solve the problem i rotated the fan till it hit the hose then losened the hose clamp on the radiator and twisted the hose untill it was far enough ayay. good luck.
phil

pintogirl · « **Reply #209 on:** March 11, 2009, 10:49:11 PM »

Shewwww, I saw your sad face first and I thought for sure something real bad happened!! Glad it was just the hose!!!!

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Author Topic: The Baby (aka the copper queen) (Read 34276 times)

75bobcatv6

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