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Timing pointer wasn't missing, I was just horrible at finding it
Timing adjusted this morning. Distributor cap and rotor replaced. Vacuum advance is hooked back up (I temporarily capped it and it would run even richer).
Ok jaunty75, you're going to love this.
So I was having the car SMOG'd this afternoon, and they had it up on the dyno, and when they would run it at higher RPM's - a massive, growing green puddle started emerging from under the car. So we shut it off and look for a leak. Nothing leaking or dripping anywhere. I had them start it back up while I looked underneath the car. As soon as it turned over, a steady stream of coolant starting coming down from around the crank. It was the water pump. THAT is where all of my coolant has been going. Only leaked when running, especially at higher speeds.
Found another water pump, replacing very soon. Will replace fan belts while I'm at it since I have to take those off anyway.
Didn't get the fan clutch in time but oh well, I'll replace it later. New water pump is on and hasn't leaked, new fan belts too. All of that has been working fine.
This evening, however, the Olds started acting up all of a sudden. Started the car, and as soon as I accelerated, it hesitated and stumbled a lot like it was going to stall. It did not stall, but for that short drive to the store, idle was unusually low (only 200 RPM and somehow stayed running!) and accelerating was very underpowered. On the way back, the Olds cut out a few times with my foot on the gas pedal, again like it was going to stall - but then saved itself. Lost throttle response completely for a full second, several times. It was as if I was running out of gas.
I checked to make sure I didn't disconnect anything or knock anything loose. Everything looked normal under the hood, I couldn't find anything awry. Then again, it has been a while since I put gas in her, but with a 24 gallon gas tank, I know I didn't use all of that up since the last time I filled up. Obviously I still need to fix my fuel gauge problem.
That's what I'd do. It's not difficult, rebuild kits are cheap, and I was having the same kind of won't-stay-running problems. I found that the carb on my car was barely attached to the top of the engine. The screws that hold it down were not even finger tight. Not that it required a rebuild to fix this, but I never would have thought to check for something like this and thus would never likely have discovered the problem had I not needed to remove the carb to rebuild it.
That's what I'd do. It's not difficult, rebuild kits are cheap, and I was having the same kind of won't-stay-running problems. I found that the carb on my car was barely attached to the top of the engine. The screws that hold it down were not even finger tight. Not that it required a rebuild to fix this, but I never would have thought to check for something like this and thus would never likely have discovered the problem had I not needed to remove the carb to rebuild it.
Will do, although the top of my engine is so caked with dirt and grime that I'll have to clean a bunch of that off first so that chunks of it don't fall down into the intake as soon as I lift the carb up.
Back to the bad running.....the Olds wouldn't even start this morning. Cranked endlessly but would simply not start. Used spark tester to verify that spark was going to the engine...doubt compression was my problem...so that left fuel.
...she was just out of gas. Added a couple of gallons and she started up after a couple of cranks.
Looking a lot better now after some detailer and automotive clay. Finally got rid of all that heavily caked-on dirt that was on the lower parts of the doors, fenders and rocker panels.
Hye I'm still around. The Olds has been driving real nice. Yesterday I replaced the heater hoses and connector because the plastic connector between them started to leak really bad, hence I was losing more coolant.
Today I drove the Olds in a lot of stop-and-go traffic, probably for about 40 minutes each way. She was fine until I stopped at the store right by my house. I'm inside for ten minutes, come back out and start her up, and she seems fine but I get all this warning/beeping noise from the dash and sure enough, the engine was "HOT". I immediately turn it back off and pop the hood. No leaking, it was a little hot under there but I've seen worse on other cars that had overheating problems. I take off the coolant reservoir cap, which was loose anyway (I suppose it didn't fully seal from when I replaced the lost coolant yesterday). The coolant was steamy, not quite boiling but looked like it was about ready to. So I seal it for good this time and let the car sit for an hour (luckily I was only a couple of blocks from my house). Come back an hour later and start her up, no problems. Ran fine and got her home. Although when I put the car in Reverse, it did beep twice like it was trying to warn me, but it stopped and no warning lights came on.
My concern is, why did it wait until after I parked the car and let it sit for ten minutes to warn me that it was overheating? Shouldn't the HOT light have come on during the drive? I suppose I'll never know, but all the more reason to install a temp gauge that could warn of problems like this before they turn for the worse. I'll install the sensor along the heater hose line.
I've had a few cars but never had one overheat before, so help is appreciated. Could be many different things. Loose coolant reservoir cap failing to hold pressure; air introduced into the cooling system when I replaced the heater hoses yesterday; bad radiator; failing head gasket...?
No white smoke, no coolant in oil/vice-versa; fan blows strong.
Last edited by Temeku; September 23rd, 2017 at 04:08 PM.
I take off the coolant reservoir cap, which was loose anyway (I suppose it didn't fully seal from when I replaced the lost coolant yesterday). The coolant was steamy, not quite boiling but looked like it was about ready to. So I seal it for good this time and let the car sit for an hour (luckily I was only a couple of blocks from my house).
I think the first question is, why was the radiator cap loose??? That could be the source of all your problems. The cap MUST be on and tight in order for the system to pressurize and the coolant not boil. Touching and removing the radiator cap on a hot engine is dangerous because the coolant could gush out and burn you. But this didn't happen because the system was not under pressure because the cap was not fully seated. You were lucky.
Originally Posted by Temeku
My concern is, why did it wait until after I parked the car and let it sit for ten minutes to warn me that it was overheating? Shouldn't the HOT light have come on during the drive?
Actually, this is to be expected. Think about it for a minute. When is the engine the hottest? Not when its running and the cooling system is functioning and the coolant is circulating. Rather, it's immediately after a hot engine is turned off. In the minutes that follow, the engine is still fully hot but the coolant is no longer circulating and removing heat. It's typical for an engine to warm up a few degrees (10 to 20 F?) immediately after being switched off.
My guess is that, assuming the coolant is the proper ethylene glycol/water mixture ratio and that the radiator cap is fully seated and functioning, you won't have any more overheating problems.
The cap on the coolant reservoir is irrelevant. It's not meant to hold any pressure as the coolant reservoir is not pressurized.
Last edited by jaunty75; September 23rd, 2017 at 04:46 PM.
Here's my take on these:
I think the first question is, why was the radiator cap loose??? That could be the source of all your problems. The cap MUST be on and tight in order for the system to pressurize and the coolant not boil. Touching and removing the radiator cap on a hot engine is dangerous because the coolant could gush out and burn you. But this didn't happen because the system was not under pressure because the cap was not fully seated. You were lucky.
Coolant reservoir cap, not the radiator cap because I don't want to get burned like
I haven't touched the radiator cap through all of this.
Actually, this is to be expected. Think about it for a minute. When is the engine the hottest? Not when its running and the cooling system is functioning and the coolant is circulating. Rather, it's immediately after a hot engine is turned off. In the minutes that follow, the engine is still fully hot but the coolant is no longer circulating and removing heat. It's typical for an engine to warm up a few degrees (10 to 20 F?) immediately after being switched off.
My guess is that, assuming the coolant is the proper ethylene glycol/water mixture ratio and that the radiator cap is fully seated and functioning, you won't have any more overheating problems.
The cap on the coolant reservoir is irrelevant. It's not meant to hold any pressure as the coolant reservoir is not pressurized.
Hm. Guess I'm still learning things all the time, I hadn't though of it that way (the engine warming up slightly after being shut off). Well either way I won't put off installing the temp gauge any longer, that's for sure.
Do you think I could have introduced air into the system when I pulled the heater hoses off yesterday? The coolant had drained from them by that time anyway, so the hoses already had air in them, but I'm still not sure.
Ooops. I have to read more closesly. As I said, the condition of the coolant reservoir cap is irrelevant.
Originally Posted by Temeku
Do you think I could have introduced air into the system when I pulled the heater hoses off yesterday? The coolant had drained from them by that time anyway, so the hoses already had air in them, but I'm still not sure.
Yes, and air trapped in the system can cause a problem. The way to get it out is the way you get air out whenever you have to change the radiator fluid. You have to "burp" the system. You do that by running the engine with the radiator cap OFF until the upper radiator hose is hot and the coolant is circulating. If there is any air in the system, it should come to the top and be expelled through the open radiator cap, and the coolant level should drop. On cars with overflow reservoirs, like yours, fill the radiator to the top, put the cap on, make sure there is coolant in the overflow reservoir, switch the engine off, and let it cool. As the engine cools and the coolant contracts, it will draw coolant in from the reservoir. That's why you want some coolant in there. If the reservoir is empty or doesn't have enough fluid in it, air will be sucked back into the cooling system, and you'll be right back where you started. When fully cool, make sure the level in the overflow tank is at least to the FULL COLD line.
Then start it up and let it reach full operating temperature. Look at the reservoir and see if the level is at or near the FULL HOT line. If it is, you're good, and you can go have a beer and watch football games. If it's not, let the engine cool and see where the level is in the overflow tank. If it's below the FULL COLD line, add coolant until it is even with that line.
On cars with overflow tanks, when coolant is to be added, it is always supposed to be done by adding to the overflow reservoir, not the radiator itself.
Ooops. I have to read more closesly. As I said, the condition of the coolant reservoir cap is irrelevant.
Yes, and air trapped in the system can cause a problem. The way to get it out is the way you get air out whenever you have to change the radiator fluid. You have to "burp" the system. You do that by running the engine with the radiator cap OFF until the upper radiator hose is hot and the coolant is circulating. If there is any air in the system, it should come to the top and be expelled through the open radiator cap, and the coolant level should drop. On cars with overflow reservoirs, like yours, fill the radiator to the top, put the cap on, make sure there is coolant in the overflow reservoir, switch the engine off, and let it cool. As the engine cools and the coolant contracts, it will draw coolant in from the reservoir. That's why you want some coolant in there. If the reservoir is empty or doesn't have enough fluid in it, air will be sucked back into the cooling system, and you'll be right back where you started. When fully cool, make sure the level in the overflow tank is at least to the FULL COLD line.
Then start it up and let it reach full operating temperature. Look at the reservoir and see if the level is at or near the FULL HOT line. If it is, you're good, and you can go have a beer and watch football games. If it's not, let the engine cool and see where the level is in the overflow tank. If it's below the FULL COLD line, add coolant until it is even with that line.
On cars with overflow tanks, when coolant is to be added, it is always supposed to be done by adding to the overflow reservoir, not the radiator itself.
I'm going to let it cool overnight and burp the system tomorrow. In the mean time, I removed the radiator cap just now and see how grimy it looks inside of there:
Usually I can't see any of that because the coolant level in the radiator is up to the cap itself. Also whenever I add coolant, I add it to the overflow reservoir as I've done in the past with my other cars, never directly to the radiator itself.
I'm going to let it cool overnight and burp the system tomorrow. In the mean time, I removed the radiator cap just now and see how grimy it looks inside of there:
Wow, that is ugly. I think you need to do a complete radiator flush, and even that might not be enough to get all that gunk and corrosion out of there. I'm sure you're not getting very good heat transfer between the coolant and the metal radiator tubes. I'm not surprised you're having overheating problems.
In fact, if I were you, I'd toss that radiator and put a new one in. Unlike for my '78 Toronado, new radiators are available for the '78 Delta 88. Rockauto has them for $97 plus shipping. Spectra Premium CU232. Amazon has them for even less with possibly free shipping, depending on if you're a Prime member. Regardless, both of those prices are very inexpensive as radiators go, and then you'd rid yourself of at least this source of any overheating problems.
Wow, that is ugly. I think you need to do a complete radiator flush, and even that might not be enough to get all that gunk and corrosion out of there. I'm sure you're not getting very good heat transfer between the coolant and the metal radiator tubes. I'm not surprised you're having overheating problems.
In fact, if I were you, I'd toss that radiator and put a new one in. Unlike for my '78 Toronado, new radiators are available for the '78 Delta 88. Rockauto has them for $97 plus shipping. Spectra Premium CU232. Amazon has them for even less with possibly free shipping, depending on if you're a Prime member. Regardless, both of those prices are very inexpensive as radiators go, and then you'd rid yourself of at least this source of any overheating problems.
Will do. Guess I have some brushing up to do on radiator placement and flushing cooling systems. While I'm at it, I might as well replace the radiator hoses since they're so cheap and I don't know how old the current ones are.
Guess I have some brushing up to do on radiator placement and flushing cooling systems. While I'm at it, I might as well replace the radiator hoses since they're so cheap and I don't know how old the current ones are.
Yes, definitely replace the two big hoses. They're about $15 each from any auto parts store. In fact, check around for availability and pricing for the radiator, etc. before buying. I looked at the Autozone website just now, and they sell the exact same Spectra Premium radiator for the same price ($99.99 at Autozone, $97.79 at Rockauto), and the advantage of going to Autozone is that you only pay sales tax, not shipping, even though the store has to order it (and you'll have to wait a day or two to get it unless it's in stock at nearby store). I don't know where you live, but on a $100 purchase where I live, tax is about $7.00. Rockauto would charge $13 (but with no sales tax) to ship to my address.
Removing the radiator is not difficult, but you do have to disconnect a few things. But the first step is to drain the coolant. There is a small petcock on the bottom rear on the driver's side. It can be difficult to get at and almost impossible to turn if it hasn't been turned in a long time. I can usually loosen it from under the car with a small pair of pliers, but worst case scenario is to just skip it altogether and loosen the lower radiator hose where it attaches to the radiator and drain the coolant from that. Try to catch it in a big shallow pan. The pans they sell for catching oil work ok for this. You'll invariably spill some.
Once drained, remove both hoses and disconnect the transmission cooler lines. You'll want to use flare wrenches for this to get a better grip on the nuts as they can be as difficult to remove as the petcock is to loosen if it has been decades since they were loosened. You might need to spray some WD40 or PB Blaster on the threads and let them soak a bit to get the connections loose. Or they might loosen right up.
If you're not familiar with them, flare wrenches are like open-end wrenches, but they wrap around the nut more to give more surfaces working to loosen the nut. Get a set of them as they're needed for brake line connections and fuel line connections, and they come in handy any time a nut is difficult to loosen.
Remove the overflow tube that connects just below the cap, and the remove the bolts that hold down the plate that sits above the radiator. You'll also likely have to disconnect the cable that pops the hood, depending on how its routed and how much slack there is. I had to remove it on my car.
Then pull the radiator up and out. There will likely be little pads that fit over the edges of the tanks on each side and probably pieces of rubber padding that the radiator sits on and that sits on top of it under the top plate. Keep as much of this stuff as you can so you can reuse it. Otherwsie, you'll have to fabricate some padding, which isn't too difficult.
Put the new radiator in, put the top plate back on, reattach all lines and hoses, and refill with coolant.
BUT, before putting the new radiator in, take a moment and consider the condition of other components that are now much easier to get at now that the radiator is out. While mine was out, I used the opportunity to replace the water pump and fan clutch as well as replace the power steering hoses. You''ll never have a better time to do all of these things than when the radiator is out as replacing the fan clutch and water pump require removing the radiator, anyway, and getting at the PS hoses is much easier. (It's easier, still, if you remove the alternator.)
Here's the photo of the front of the engine on my car taken after I had removed the radiator and had replaced the the fan clutch, heater hoses, water pump, thermostat and thermostat outlet, power steering hoses (which you can see only the top of one just above and to the right of the alternator), the alternator, and two of the three fan belts. I also painted the fan justs for the hell of it with some Dodge blue spray paint I had leftover from when I owned an '02 Dakota some years ago.
Also, while I had already done it earlier, if you're thinking of replacing the fuel pump, it will never be easier to get at than it will with the radiator out. In fact, replacing the pump is a piece of cake when you have the kind of access you'll have when the radiator is out, the fan belts are off, and the fan is removed.
Thanks for the incredible detail! It's really going to help me when I get my new radiator.
Meanwhile today I attempted to "burp" the cooling system, and it was going fine at first (lots of large bubbles started gurgling out of the radiator cap hole) but after the thermostat opened and sucked a lot of the coolant down the radiator (and I confirmed the upper radiator hose was hot) and started to fill back up, I shut the engine off before putting the radiator cap back on, when I was supposed to do it the other way around. Bad move and after a good cleaning of that part of the engine bay, now I know why. Lots of murky coolant splashed out until I forced the cap back on. Fortunately only the charcoal canister, and my hands, got wet. Anyway, attempt #2 begins tomorrow since I'm sure a bunch of air got sucked back into the system...
Okay I had better luck today. Did the same thing again but this time I put the radiator cap back on before shutting the motor off. Didn't gurgle this time, so maybe I was still successful two days ago purging the air from the system, but oh well. Letting it cool now. I made sure the coolant was up to the Full Cold line, so now we just wait.
Drove the Olds to the store and back this evening to see how it held up. Lots of stop-and-go traffic. Didn't overheat. I went into the store and came back out after 10 minutes, and as I walked past my car I noticed a large puddle of fresh coolant under it...so I pop the hood and check it out. Something sprayed coolant all over the place near the radiator, but it wasn't actively dripping from anywhere and I don't think it happened while I was driving. Coolant level in the overflow reservoir was slightly above FULL COLD even though the engine was still quite warm (I know it fully warmed up during the drive). I ran the motor and looked again. No leaks. Just a bunch of wet hoses (associated with the charcoal canister) next to the radiator and pretty much anything else in that corner of the engine bay. Ran fine, no "HOT" light. Drove it back home and checked again. Coolant level still slightly above the FULL COLD line even the it was fully warmed up. Now I'm letting it cool down. Anyway, the coolant level in the overflow reservoir never changes. Radiator cap is sealed tight (although the bottom of it was wet too).
One of the radiator hoses not fully tight? In the few minutes after engine shut-off, the engine temp rises a bit, pressure rises a bit, and a slightly loose hose clamp lets out some coolant.
If the coolant level in the reservoir never changes, are you sure that, 1) the pickup hose in the reservoir is firmly attached to the nipple on the cap and that the hose extends to the bottom of the tank, and 2) that the radiator cap itself is in good shape?
I checked all the hoses and connections, all are tight as can be. I bought a new radiator cap for $6 and we'll see how that works out (it's a vented cap like the old one), since the old one kept dripping around the bottom even after I dried it off.
No problems over the last few days. At least now I can verify that coolant is returning to the overflow reservoir upon shutoff (always the really dirty stuff), up precisely to FULL HOT. Some coolant is once again vanishing, however. No idea where it's going, I'm going to pull the spark plugs again since I haven't checked on them in a while.
Any recommendations for what kind of temp gauge setup I should run in this car?
And so did this thing. I looked it up and it's a distributor vacuum delay valve (DVDV). Which was also in the wrong place, according to my car's vacuum hose routing diagram.
So I'm going to have to replace all of those parts. For the DVDV, does it matter which I buy (is it vehicle-specific)? Or can I just go buy one like this?
Furthermore, the carburetor seems to be missing something or I'm way off base.
Basically...
1. Rear vacuum break is missing
2. One vacuum hose goes to smog pump instead of CTVS
3. Vacuum hoses on CTVS go nowhere/connects to itself
4. Vacuum hoses from carburetor "Manifold Vacuum" goes straight to transmission; no junction or connection with any other vacuum hoses that go to "A.I.R." or DTVS on intake manifold vacuum port
5. As a result of the above, third vacuum port on DTVS is just open resulting in a small vacuum leak
6. DVDV (Distributor Vacuum Delay Valve) is not where it is supposed to be; instead it's located where the "EGR/TCV" should be along the vacuum hose going to the EGR valve
7. EGR/TCV (Thermal Control Valve) is missing
I think you have a pretty good handle on your problem. Just start at one end and work to the other. These cars are a pain in the *** when it comes to vacuum hoses. They're everywhere, and the vacuum hose diagrams in the manual aren't always as complete as they could be. But it can be figured out.
I think the DVDV you found on ebay will work fine.
I don't think it's necessarily the case that the carb has no rear vacuum break. Some don't have it. Depends on the engine. What engine does your car have, or, better yet, what is your car's VIN?
I think you have a pretty good handle on your problem. Just start at one end and work to the other. These cars are a pain in the *** when it comes to vacuum hoses. They're everywhere, and the vacuum hose diagrams in the manual aren't always as complete as they could be. But it can be figured out.
I think the DVDV you found on ebay will work fine.
I don't think it's necessarily the case that the carb has no rear vacuum break. Some don't have it. Depends on the engine. What engine does your car have, or, better yet, what is your car's VIN?
Okay thanks. Should I look around for a Thermal Control Valve as well (EGR/TCV)?
The engine is the 5.7L 350 V8 4BBL. VIN is 3L**R********.
Last edited by Temeku; April 20th, 2018 at 09:38 PM.
I was curious about your VIN because I wanted to know what engine code you have. You have an R-code engine, which, according to the chassis service manual, is a 350 with 4-bbl. According to figure 6C1-123 on page 6C1-77 in the chassis service manual, which shows a diagram of the choke system for the R and K code engines, your carburetor should have a rear vacuum break. You already knew this. If yours was removed, the linkage was apparently removed as well. Obviously the engine runs without it, but if you want one, you'll probably have to find another carburetor to take it off of.
All of those vacuum switches and such are described starting on page 6E-19 in the manual. The DVDV is described on page 6E-24. Apparently it's a California-only thing, it affects the distributor vacuum advance in ways I don't quite understand, and it's bypassed as soon as the engine warms up.
The EGR/TCV is described on page 6E-30, and it stays closed, keeping vacuum away from the EGR valve, until the engine temperature reaches 61F, which is not very high. The EGR/TCV is fully open at 76F, which means it could be open on a warm summer day with the engine just sitting there at room temperature.
I would think you would want an EGR/TCV. I'm thinking you might be able to get by without the DVDV. On the other hand, if a DVDV is available, might as well get it and put it in.
Thing is, I can't find any diagram in the manual of exactly how the wiring is connected to the fuel gauge behind the instrument panel. I feel around directly behind the three metal contact points where the fuel gauge mounts onto, and there's nothing back there. I can't feel or see any wires hooked up behind there. If I look behind there with a flashlight, I can see the tan fuel sending unit wire in that general area but I can't see where it goes. I might have to remove the entire cluster (which surprisingly doesn't seem that difficult) to investigate further.
Any of you familiar with fuel gauge setups in these cars?
No progress on the fuel gauge problem. I'm broke right now but later I may buy a replacement fuel gauge and see if it works. Not sure where to find one, however.
One of the nozzles broke off the EGR-DTVS (specifically, the line that goes to the carburetor), despite me taking extra care specifically not to break them. I've used gorilla glue as a temporary fix but I doubt it'll hold for long. Any idea where I can find another one of these?
Thank you, I did end up ordering it. Should be here in a few days.
Since I'm not broke anymore, I'm finally able to order a new radiator. New hoses, a GlowShift temperature gauge (installing on a special attachment along the upper radiator hose as I could not find a suitable location on the radiator itself nor the block), new fan clutch, and soon the carburetor will finally get the rebuild it needs. I also changed the oil a couple of weeks ago. I also want to check the condition of the timing chain.
The temp sensor is much bigger on the new one - it would barely fit into the coolant port at first (but I got it in nice and snug with a little force). Could this cause any problems with coolant flow through that passage?
I think you're ok. Both sensors are the same length below the threaded part, so they both stick down into the coolant to the same degree. So I would not expect any flow problems around the new sensor. The new one is much prettier, too!
Does the car run better?
As I've been going through my '78 Toro, I continue to come across instances of decayed or simply unplugged vacuum lines. Every time I repair one of them, the car seems to run a little better and a little more quietly. The most recent find was the vacuum connection for the heater/AC control system, which was being held together with what amounted to a wad of chewing gum. One of these days, I'll have found them all, and the car will run so quietly that I won't know that it's on!
I have checked the manifold vacuum level periodically. It's always about 13 to 14 inches, and it is rock steady. I think it's the rock steadiness that is as important as anything else. From what I've read, a reading in the 14 inch range would normally be considered low, but it is reasonable at an elevation of 4000 feet, which is the elevation where I live. Vacuum level drops about 1 inch of mercury for every 1000-foot rise in elevation.
Last edited by jaunty75; March 27th, 2018 at 07:54 AM.
No problem getting them in, the old rubber insulators that the radiator sits on were still intact. Clamps nice and tight, no leaks. It was tricky, however, getting those transmission oil cooler lines threaded back into the new radiator. They kept trying to cross-thread, but I eventually got them in correctly.
I bled the system afterwards using the method jaunty75 posted earlier and it worked perfectly. Went for a test drive today and the new radiator seems to be holding up. Only the transmission oil cooler lines leak a bit where they thread into the radiator, I'll have to tighten them some more or possibly wrap the threads with teflon tape.
Engine warmed up nicely and the temp held steady at approximately 180 degrees F.
Question: Where are the best points under the vehicle to jack it up? I spent half an hour earlier crawling around under there (to do a brake inspection) and couldn't find any obvious places to jack the vehicle up. On other cars I've worked on, the points were usually easy to spot. No helpful info in the service manual.
The lift points are shown on page 0B-15, Figure 0B-17 in the service manual. They're basically along the frame rails just behind the front wheels and just ahead of the rear wheels. There are also lift points along both axles.
Started the Olds today and immediately noticed a loud whirring noise coming from the engine bay. Also noticed excessive blue-ish smoke from the tailpipe. I pop the hood and see that the PCV hose is completely collapsed. Flat as can be. Oil was beginning to seep down onto the exhaust manifold and smoke on it as well.
Shut the motor off and the hose returned to normal. There are no kinks or obstructions along the hose, and the hose is only a few months old. The PCV valve itself is about a year old, and rattled when I shook it. I shined a light down into the PCV port in the valve cover and found no obstructions. Could the PCV valve have gone bad, or what am I looking at here?
August 16th, 2017, 04:09 PM
Added a couple of gallons and she started up after a couple of cranks.
I haven't touched the radiator cap through all of this.
