I just bought this car it has 88,000 original miles, and being in Southern California the paint and the plastic interior parts are really worn out. I have been looking for replacements of the plastic interior parts along the front side and rear windows but no luck, so I am know trying to come of with other alturnatives.

The problems that I have with the motor are as follows.

Very poor milage, I drive 23 miles to and from work and it takes a dot over a 1/4 tank.
The motor idles poorly and hesitates when I first accelerate and sometimes I hear light knocking sound I guess you would call it, like when you use really poor gasoline. At the present I use (76, or Chevron regular fuel)

And did this year of car came with a generator, because when the idle is low it comes on and some times while driving even on the freeway its on, its very very dim but its on sometimes.

I figure the brushes need to be replaced or gen rebuilt, which would be easy enough, but the milage is really a problem. Can I change it over to an Alternator, would it be worth it be a benefit or enhancement.

If you could give me some help here I would really appreciate it, I really like the car V6 Auto on the floor a console and the body style looks great but I need help with the mileage.

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I have and up date on the GEN lite. Know its on constantly, but I checked the generator with a DVM and it show 9.63v coming out. I am really confused, the lite is on but it appears to be putting out power and I have driven it to and from work and it runs fine, and no lose of battery power to start it.. Could a short in the warning lite be the cause, I am going to take the GEN out today and take it over to have it tested. And was it not the case, if you had a generator there should be a voltage regulator? I have searched all over the engine area and do not see one.

Some help or insight would be deeply appreciated.

Don,
I suggest you get a service manual. The alternator (not a generator in that year) should be putting out about 14-15 volts if it is operating properly, sounds like it isn't. That car should easily get 17-18 mpg in my opinion, unless you drive like a maniac smile.gif It probably needs a good tune up, maybe a carb rebuild. It will be very hard to find a "regular" shop that will mess with it, most of them don't even remember what a carburetor is :(

Well the simple solution to the problem was to replace the Alt/Gen and know everything is fine. I have the Alt/Gen tested and failed completely, with the new one, I can surely tell a difference in the car, lites, starting.

Know I have to work on the hesitation when I first accelorate, I will try a carb rebuild and see if that will help. Oh, would any know the best way to set the carb, the tip of the tail pipe is black and I believe that its set heavly on the rich side, and when i rebuild the carb I want to dial in the fuel mixture. Thanks in advance!

I found the reason for the poorly running engine, a bent valve and push rod. I have sence had that taken care of and replaced the following: plugs, wires, rotor, water pump, approx. 9 feet of vacum tubing. Engine runs a 1000 times better but still has a hesitation in the carb when you first take off...have been looking for a carb place, but you are correct, most don't know what that is...mileage is better but I think I will need to change the trans to the 200R4 that so many have told me about to get overdrive and really improve the over all milage of this great car.

you might try the 'carburetor shop'. they are in ontario or rancho cucamonga. there is another business in costa mesa that uses pretty much the same name.

Ok, experts I need your assistance again.

Well I rebuilt the carb and the car ran fine for nearly a day, little to no hesitation then on the way home from work...car started to run really rough and then died when I stopped at stop light. Got the car started and really ran rough...

Found that the fuel pump was leaking, so I replaced it and the fuel lines (rubber) from pump to filter and from filter and rubber line from filter to metal line running to carb. Car now runs but I am getting a lot of black smoke when I rev up the motor...and when I am waiting at a light... I don't see any of the vacum hoses of any thing. By the way replaced all the vacum lines when I was working on the heads, over 11 feet of lines.

Read the manual that I have but no insight to the cause!!!!

Any suggestion what might be wrong?

Need more infomation ..is this a 2bbl carb or is it a 4bbl. carb. does it have
an electric choke or is it an exhaust heated choke .. Thanks this should help
us help you go in the correct direction for repairs ..

Its a 2brl...with the electrick choke.