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Engine: 1962 Slant 6. Was running a month ago. Now: cranks, no start. Won't fire with starter fluid or gas. Fuel flowing. With key in run position, no cranking: Test light shows bright light to one side of ballast resistor. Other side is a bit dimmer. (Makes sense as the resistor steps voltage...

Vehicle is a 1987 Toyota Van with 235k miles. Last oil change was 15 months ago. Oil was roughly a 50/50 mix of Valvoline high-mileage 5w-30 and Delo 15w-40. Filter is K&N. 2100 miles - use is split between short, around town trips, and freeway drives of 1hr+ (at least half the miles). Change...

I went to look at a Falcon retrofitted with a 250 inline 6. Seems to drive decently. The oil cap is one of those old vented ones, and it was smoking a fair amount at idle (both on start-up and after driving for 15 minutes). How much smoke is 'acceptable'? What potential issues can smoke from...

1989 Astro, 4.3 engine. Hooked up a mechanical tester gauge. With the doghouse removed, it's easy to drive around with the gauge in your lap, since the engine is in the crew compartment. Results: Warm idle is around 26 PSI Driving around town is around 34 PSI Driving at 65 on the highway is...

Vehicle is a 1989 Chevy Astro Van, 4.3 engine. The old starter has 3 terminals: S, R, and the battery one. The new starter has 2: S and the battery one. The wiring harness has 3 wires: Battery, the smaller diameter one (for S), and the third, which has a large diameter connector on the end...

Was just doing an oil change with a Toyota OEM filter. I went to apply some oil to the gasket and I can just spin the gasket around. Is that normal?

Recently posted on a recently acquired Falcon (got the fuel leak sorted out). Now there's a new potential issue. A few weeks ago I hadn't driven it in a few days. When it started, the oil pressure light stayed on for probably a minute. I checked the sending unit. It was old, and leaking a bit...

Recently picked up a 1961 Ford Falcon, 6 cylinder, with a manual choke. The vehicles runs well under load, but has issues with very low idle, stumbling, uneven. Hasn't stalled, but sometimes feels like a biscuit away from doing so. I've adjusted the carb idle screw with no real success. The carb...

The vehicle is a 1996 X90 (Geo Tracker with a different body). Engine is the 1.6 version. Photos from the owner's manual are below. It states in no uncertain terms that 10w-30 is preferred. However, the chart would seem to indicate that it's not useful above 86 degrees. If true, that doesn't...

Lots of time this past week on Craigslist has resulted in this... 1962 Dodge Lancer (Plymouth Valiant). Push button transmission. Runs decently when good and warmed up. Was able to hold 65-70 MPH on an incline. Brakes have some peddle slack, but do work. Has some surface rust (or patina, if you...

What would something like this return in gas mileage (city/highway)? I don't expect it's much, just curious. I used the vin to try and lookup the engine. They have a 5 posted in what appears to be the engine position, which doesn't seem to correspond to anything, but an 'S' is a 400. So, I...

I am looking for some advice on manual transmission fluid for a 1986 Aerostar. This single year Aerostar uses a Mazda TK5 transmission. Model years 1987 and onward have a Mazda M50D. I called the dealer. The couldn't look it up with the vin (too old). They recommended Ford XT-M5-Q5, which I...

I went to look at a 1980 Tercel the other day. Having had them before, this one felt slower to accelerate/less power. One can't start pulling things apart when looking at a vehicle. So, is there a way to help differentiate whether something like this is more likely to be a carb/fuel issue, or a...

Yesterday I was changing out on a 1989 Toyota Van. I had it up on ramps. I added about 2-2.2 quarts. I didn't check the level as it was elevated at an angle. I then started it, and back off the ramps to level it on flat ground. The oil was all the way at the very bottom of the dipstick (i.e not...

I have a vehicle (older van) in which some rust near the bottom of the window has run down and stained the paint below it. It's not under the paint, just a stain. I've tried Goo Gone (I think that's what it's called), soap, and a few other around-the-house cleaners. No luck. Any thoughts?

I picked up a vehicle (1983 Dodge Rampage) that has Mobil 1 Oil from 7 years ago in it. The previous owner kept the vehicle in a garage, for the most part, and it wasn't driven much in that time. The oil is still clean and golden-looking. Filter is also Mobil 1. He says it's fine. What say you...

I just picked up a new vehicle. It's a 1986 Camry with 96k miles (3 speed automatic). It's been garaged for the better part of the past few years. The oil was last changed in Sep of 2014 using a 10w-30 (76, synthetic-blend), and just a basic filter. The car has about 450 miles on it since then...

I have two vehicles from the 1990s. Both owners manual spec for default 10w-30, with 5w-30 for below freezing (but not for use when warm out). I've done some reading here, and I understand that the greater the gap in the two numbers, the more additives are needed to maintain the spread (my...