new guy - old ford

[JackFish]

Hi all, been lurking, time to post! I have a 1978 Fairmont with a 3.3l straight six. The odometer reads about 82k km, but it's probably been wrapped once. In excellent condition as a daily driver. I bought it about a year ago, but it could easily not be the original motor I suppose. Was due for an oil change so yesterday a put in some Valvoline 5-30, and a new Wix extra-large filter, Motorcraft FL299 style. I also received my bottles of AutoRX this week, so my question is should I wait a while before putting the RX in, or just go ahead and start now. If I start now, at what mileage should I change the oil again?

 

[mcrn]

jackfish welcome and i dont think you would have any problem adding the autorx now. I believe you have to run it for 1500 miles and then dump and then rinse cycle for 2000 miles but their website would tell you everything you need to know. I think there is a sticky about it as well. Good luck and by the way what was the part number on that Wix filter?

 

[kanling]

Good to see an old fairmont still on the road. Make sure you research good tires for that car when it needs them. We had two fairmonts in the family years back, and they both had a tendency to skid when braking in the rain.

 

[Schmoe]

Have you popped the oil fill on the valve cover and looked down it to see if you actually need RX? May have been a rare-well taken care of ride that you just purchased and may not need anything but some good oil.

 

[IslaVistaMan]

JackFish, go ahead with the ARX "clean" cycle for 1,500 miles, and then the rinse for 2,000 miles. Change your oil and filter in between. A great way to maximize the benefits of ARX during both the cleaning and rinse phases is to take the vehicle out for a long run. You want to get it up to temp and then leave it there at speed for as long as possible. A 500 to 1,000 mile jaunt is perfect. Bring extra oil with you in case you need it.

 

[addyguy]

I've know lots of people who have had Fairmonts/Zephyrs/Granadas with that straight six.....incredibly reliable engine! All the cars had rust or body problems that took them off the road, but the motors ran perfect! Enjoy the car!

 

[UncleS2]

Jack, Yup, just go ahead & add the Auto-RX to your current oil fill. Drive it for 1500 miles(2414 km), drain. Be sure to use a dino(non-synthetic) oil when you refill for the 2000 mile(3219 km) rinse cycle. After the rinse cycle, use whatever oil you like. And enjoy your new old Ford, ay!

 

[55Test]

Nice car! My dad had 2 or maybe it was 3 Fairmonts with the 200, 2 wagons and one parts car. My grandfather also had a Fairmont wagon with the 200. Both of my dads Fairmont wagons overheated on him at seperate occasions. The green wagon he was able to fix, but the blue one for some reason never ran again. My grandfather's Fairmont wagon had a motor let go one time, so he ordered a long block replacement from a local auto parts store. My dad put the motor in for him, but forgot to prime the oil pump before he fired it up. The brand new long block motor was ruined. I even had my own Fairmont sedan as my first car. It had the unusual 255 V8. Great motor, it ran smooth and was good on fuel IIRC, but it wasn't too powerful. That didn't really matter, as the transmission's 3rd gear didn't work properly, so most of the time I drove it around at 55 mph in 2nd gear. Occasionally 3rd did work and the car would easily cruise along at 80-85 mph. The body on my Fairmont was rotten. Flakes from the doors would fall off if you shut them hard enough, and the torque box was rotted so bad if I stepped on the gas hard enough, I could feel the whole car twist. Eventually, the transmission got worse and just died completely, probably as a result of my overfilling it. It needed a smal bit of transmission fluid, so I just dumped in a whole quart. I was only 16 at the time and didn't know any better.

 

[JackFish]

Thanks for the responses. The Wix part is 51773. Here's a photo of both: Tires are new motomasters, had the suspension overhauled when I bought it. I had the valve cover off a while back and the rockers have a golden sheen to them, but this engine is not sludged up. Maybe a coat of varnish? But that doesn't tell me anything about the ring packs. I've been tracking down a slightly uneven idle, might be a dizzy gear, waiting on some parts to rebuild that. Or a valve issue, or electrical ? The old QS I dumped was quite dirty and it was a short OCI, only about 5000km.

 

[JackFish]

quote:

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Originally posted by IslaVistaMan: JackFish, go ahead with the ARX "clean" cycle for 1,500 miles, and then the rinse for 2,000 miles. Change your oil and filter in between. A great way to maximize the benefits of ARX during both the cleaning and rinse phases is to take the vehicle out for a long run. You want to get it up to temp and then leave it there at speed for as long as possible. A 500 to 1,000 mile jaunt is perfect. Bring extra oil with you in case you need it.

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Thanks for the tip, I plan to take a short trip 150m one way to the cottage today, and back on the weekend, so that should get 'er going.

 

[mcrn]

thanks jackfish for the part number. I am thinking about going up a size in mine to that exact filter from the FlA. Good luck on your car sounds like its in good shape. very hard to go wrong with a straight six .

 

[Papa Bear]

I had a Fairmont with the 4 in it in '79...wouldn't pull the hat off your head !! I HAD to trade it, it wouldn't even go up a steep incline. It just sat there and moaned, torque converter slipping and car not moving. I hope your 6 has more umph than that ?!?! P.B.

 

[David in Sugar Land]

My '61 Ranchero has a solid 200ci/3.3L from a donor '67 Falcon (along with its C4 tranny and 8" diff.). You can't go wrong with this puppy! Enjoy! Here is a link to my posting after purchasing last October in the Austin area... http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=012581 (Still need to get the points changed over and front discs on there!)

 

[JackFish]

quote:

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That old engine was getting much higher doses of zddp in its day than new oils provide. I'd SLOB it (SLOB= CD-2 Street Legal High Performance Oil Boost, $1.99 at Big Lots, will boost zddp by about 350 to 400 ppm). [/QB]

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I've been looking for both that and the valvoline additve, but I'm can't find them up here. Perhaps the Canadian members can't point me in the right direction. I have seen CD2 stuff at Canadian Tire but not specfically the "SLOB". Last oil change I topped off with Quaker State FCI Universal HDX 15-40 thinking that it would have some beneficial additives.

 

[TallPaul]

Wonderful car and engine. I miss the days of inline six cylinder engines, now that most everything has a bent six in it. That old engine was getting much higher doses of zddp in its day than new oils provide. I'd SLOB it (SLOB= CD-2 Street Legal High Performance Oil Boost, $1.99 at Big Lots, will boost zddp by about 350 to 400 ppm).