I just bought a 1985 Cutlass & I haven't did any work to it yet. I know it needs a major tune up but I been driving it around anyway. I was sitting at a stoplight yesterday when a lady in a car next to me yelled "your car have my eyes burning". There is a gas smell coming from the exhaust & it have my eyes burning sometimes too. What could the problem be?

 

You should have told the lady to get a life. If your car is running rich then who cares! That is your problem, not anyone elses. You are the one that has to pay more money to put gas in it since it is using it like a beast.

Ultimately, you need to do a tune up on your Cutlass. Cap, rotor, plugs, and wires need to be replaced. Plus, you need to set the timing and adjust the carburetor settings, if not rebuild the carburetor completely. I do this on all the cars that I buy.

 

People used to say stuff like that to me that got behind my Delta.

Do they really have nothing better to do than complian about a car they are going to be in it presents for 5 mintues or less?

 

"Major tuneup" disappeared during the mid fifties. "Made the term "minor tuneup" obsolete.

Easy to check the power valve. Put a drinking straw down the tube.



Push the valve down. When you release it, the spring should return it. If it doesn't move freely, remove the carb top and free it up.

You both need to grow up.

Norm

 

You could have mooned her and made her eyes burn even more.

 

I have had this same problem since I owned my car. It did it when it was CCC equiped and it does it now that it's not. The only problem I know I have now is a bad Vacuum leak at the intake manifold. It burns right according to the plugs. Driveability is good except for not being able to use the secondaries which I think is related to the vacuum leak. I just don't drive with the rear window down.

 

is this from being to rich or to lean? on my tractor, when it burns my eyes i have to richen it up and the problem goes away.

 

If a car is running too lean then it can have a lean miss and actually smell rich. Especially on newer cars with CCC the O2 sensor will detect a lean condition and enrich the mixture until you actually have a car that is running rich.

 

excellent tip

thanks!!