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Originally Posted by Merkey
Yeah!
We got the tags, so the boy drove it today for the first time and was very happy! He says it is smooth and quiet... I agree! 
Filled it full with premium Tecron... $57.... 
It says only 91..... is that all it will run on?
Assuming it is running OK, what does everyone get in the way of gas milage?
A/C not blowing cold, so I will get that looked at soon, but is there a fuse I can check?
The gurgle will not bother me so much, and the ABS light has stayed off, so I guess it was a diagnostic.
The pipe I was looking at is a fuel pipe I think cos I traced it... it come up into the engine bay as a metal pipe, changes to a rubber pipe and goes under the oilpan and from there I cant see it... but the cracked area is just a sleeve so I will ignore that for a while.
The antenna is still stuck down... the switch and radio have been jiggled and the motor is silent. 
Of most interest was todays drive in 80deg Orange county... the car has run pretty well up til today.... I say pretty well cos I "sensed" a tremor from the motor that you should not have on a straight six.
Anyway, today it did not stall, but it let me know that it is not happy with temps above 85.
I was sitting at a junction and the motor did its "miss".
Kinda difficult to describe, but it was like for an instant, the motor missed a complete cycle of ignition or fuel... or it had a momentary brain fart!
Its very noticable... shakes the whole car.
Here is what I see..... hot (85ish)and at idle is am sitting about 700/800rpm. LGB says his is lower than that, when it misses, the revs drop about 150rpm then recover... it then runs smooth for 10/15 secs or so and repeats... its not consistant, but does not do this when cold.
The economy gauge is sitting about midway between the left stop and the start of the red section.
I did notice that it is very sluggish on pulling away, but really revs sweet after 2500rpm. You can feel it miss a little sometimes between 1000 and 1500rpm.
I looked around the motor and all I could see looked good.
The PO had spent time and money on it... I will delve in more at the weekend! |
Merkey, the gas economy in these cars are not great (for a 6 cylinder car). I can average 20 mpg if I drive judiciously. And yes you do have to use 91 octane. Otherwise the engine will ping because this engine does not have any way to retard timing (and avoid pinging). I know it hurts to pay that much for gas, but this is one recommendation that should really be taken seriously. BTW, I just returned from a trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico. There I paid $3.10/gallon for premium. Last year it was $2.39/gallon for premium. Someone is getting the big, old shaft. But I digress....
The stutter that you are experiencing, taken together with the economy needle in the middle position, may indicate some sort of vacuum leak. Even though the car has low miles, given its chronological age it is very possible that many of the rubber vacuum hoses will have harden, become brittle and cracked--creating the condition that you describe.
Except for the occassional "cutting out" or stall, my 300TE idles buttery smooth. But I have replaced (eitehr myself or the mechanic) many of the vacuum hoses. So I would look there. I would also lok at the Idle control Valve (ICV) and the two rubber hoses leading to and away from it (be real careful here though, one rubber hose leading to the ICV is easy to replace, the other, leading away from it, can be a real pain to replace and it may even involve removing the fuel distributor to do so, so be careful when you start wiggling and yanking things).
Anyway, you may also check into doing a "minor" tune-up. You can replace the spark plugs, spark plug wires, rotor, distributor cap and air filter. These are easy DIY projects that you can use to teach your son about cars and engines. I have taught my son how to replace plugs (including how to gap a plug), plug wires, etc. Next time the car needs a minor tune-up, he will do it. Anyhow, as soon as he gets his driver's license (in a couple of years) he wil "inherit" the 300TE, so he might as well to work on it now.
Anyway, try checking for a vacuum leak and do a minor tune-up, and see if it cures the "stutter." Your car should idle fairly smooth, regardless of outside temperature.
Enjoy!