My car is trying to kill itself and me... please help

[MORTUNDEAD]

So My car has only been functional since last sunday, and since then it has had two brake failures, one thrown belt, and one fallen-off exhaust tip. Today I drove it about ten miles. On the way, it seemed fine, but it got a bit upset whenever I tried to put it into third gear. Also, there were massive clouds of white smoke from the engine burning off oil after sitting for decades...but thats beside the point. On the way home, it took a lot of work to start, and then about halfway back it decides AS IM IN HEAVY TRAFFIC that THIRD GEAR is now-wait for it- FIRST GEAR! This, naturally, forced the car to madly rev its engine and slow dramatically, causing many backfires and making me freak out and pull over. The engine now makes a slightly more clunky noise than normal. So I thought it was my fault, pulled back into traffic, got up to third just fine. Had to downshift, then back into thir- no, FIRST AGAIN! WHAAAAT! Then, totally sure I'd thrashed my engine and trans, I limped home at 25 mph in 2nd gear. Aaaand cue smoke screen when I stop the car in the driveway. Now, I replaced the annoying, worn-out pin thing in my shift linkage with a nut and bolt, could that coming loose cause the nearly pants-wetting, fear-inducing rage tornado that was my transmission changing its mind about its gear locations?

[bbodie52]

Sooooo.....

......Do you have a complaint????

Sounds normal to me... even entertaining!
Just think of those poor Prius drivers. No excitement. No challenge. Just boring transportation.

[MORTUNDEAD]

I dont know why it doesnt have third gear anymore, and I'm afraid something is broken. The engine sounds a little different now

[bbodie52]

Your original description sounded like you had found a problem with the shift linkage that had been fixed. Is this a four speed or a three speed transmission? Does the shift linkage seem to be in good condition?

[miniman82]

Sloppy linkage is what the shifting issue is.

The smoke? Mostly normal (I jest). Probably needs to be rebuilt, after sitting for so long the seals are certainly shot. Clark's Corvair has the parts kits you need to fix that.

[MORTUNDEAD]

The shift linkage seems okay, but I really don't know. I just went out to check on it and oil is dripping out of the engine quite a lot out of the engine where it bolts up to the grease housing-I mean, bellhousing. This, plus the clouds of smoke, plus the fact that the p.o. ran for a long time with a bad flywheel, plus the funny clunk at idle makes me worry that I've given the bearings some battle scars. I can fix the shift linkage, but I just put the engine back in the car and I can't afford a rebuild. I have no idea what I'm doing with this car, since I cant afford a repair manual. And when I can afford to fix it, it just kicks me in the face and runs off with my wallet again. This is my first car and I need it to be working soon.

[davemotohead]

Well if you need a car for reliable transportation you need to either rebuild the vair and fix all its problems or go buy a cheap driver,the fact you say you can't afford a service manual or parts to repair the car and say the car kicks you in the face and runs off with your Wallet,,well its not going to buy its own parts and fix itself? its a 51 year old car and sounds as if it needs some TLC to be back up to snuff reliability wise,You can't realy blame the car,? sounds to me you need to do some thinking??

[Grandpacorvair]

1962 Chevrolet Corvair Monza 4-speed 80 h.p. over a million documented miles !

Is the mileage quoted above for real? Has the engine been rebuilt? That car isn't just tired, it's exhausted, rode hard and put away wet!

As for the variety of problems you've documented so far, pretty much normal for ANY high mileage, 50 plus year old car. If one is going to own a classic car, one should expect something to go wrong and be pleasantly surprised when time passes without a problem!

The only way you are going to fix the oil leaks, is to reseal the engine. No shortcuts available. If you're going to keep the car you're going to have to get down and dirty with it. Your shift problem is likely a simple issue with slop somewhere in the linkage. The clunk coming form the engine at idle could be as simple as loose flywheel rivets. Do a search in the forum for the fix.

I hope you can come to terms with your Corvair, but if that mileage comment in your signature is accurate it might be a better idea to find a...less experienced Corvair to drive...

Kerry

[bbodie52]

...I have no idea what I'm doing with this car, since I can't afford a repair manual...

All shop manuals and many other excellent technical references are available for free download in Adobe Reader format.

viewtopic.php?f=225&t=6007

The investment needed is in the area of tools, parts, time, and a place to do the work. There is certainly a learning curve. I rebuilt my first Corvair engine and transmission when I was 16 in a DIY effort, with only a shop manual to guide me. It took me all summer that year (1969), but I surprised myself and got it done, and it provided me with good, reliable transportation for many years after that. 44 years later the lessons learned in 1969 still help to sustain me and give me confidence to work on my current 1966 Corsa.

Your Corvair is more than a half-century old and obviously needs work and is suffering from neglect and accumulated problems that are simply piling up on you. Each problem can be successfully addressed, but it will take a methodical plan, time, effort and money to turn your Corvair into reliable transportation. Alternatives for a "quick fix" might include acquiring a good used powertrain or engine from sources like eBay, the Corvair Forum, or the CORSA website (there are currently two listed on the CORSA website -- a 1968 engine and 4-speed transaxle for $500 (a 1968 transaxle would not work with an EM car, but the engine would), and a 1967 engine with automatic powertrain for $423). Transaxles that won't fit your EM can be resold. But in any case, a quick solution of finding a serviceable, affordable powertrain to swap into your Corvair is one approach to get it on the road. Overhauling the brake system should be fairly quick and easy too. But any solution will require an investment of time and money. If you need reliable transportation right now you may have to look at another car or truck, and "table" your Corvair project for a later time. Relying on a 50+ year old car that needs significant work as your primary source of transportation can only be a frustrating exercise in futility.

I would recommend acquiring a clean, older (1997 or so) Toyota Camry, or something similar, to use as reliable transportation.

If you enjoy the challenge of learning about and working on restoring old cars like your Corvair, then consider it to be a hobby and work on it in your leisure time. The rewards of driving a car that you personally restored will come later. You have only owned your 1962 Corvair since late March, and so far your struggles with electrical issues and mechanical problems sound like owning a classic Corvair isn't quite what you expected. You may have misjudged what you were getting into, and it may be time to reassess that decision you made last March. If you hate working on it, sell it and move on.

[miniman82]

Unfortunately, it sounds like it Honda time. If the Vair needs to wait, sell it and get another when the time is right.

[MORTUNDEAD]

yes, the mileage is for real. Engine was rebuilt at some point, probably. Its running okay, but there is a fairly terrible oil leak and now, after getting a new nut and bolt to hold my worn linkage together, it does go into every gear. However, now the clutch makes a funny squealy sound, like moving a chair across the floor, whenever I use it for the first half a second or so. It goes away when the car warms up, but it's a bit unnerving. I really don't want to sell this car, as I know it isnt worth too much and whatever I got with the money would be ugly and boring. This is fun to drive. And the smoke... well, I can just pretend it makes my car look mysterious and ominous. So, a new linkage from the wrecking yard is in order... but what about that squealing?

[MORTUNDEAD]

And for some reason, my computer is double posting everything. Sorry about that.

[MORTUNDEAD]

And for some reason, my computer is double posting everything. Sorry about that.

[bbodie52]

I understand your desire to retain the Corvair and to not give up. But before you begin to pour more precious funds into it, a thorough understanding and assessment of its true current condition is essential. You must carefully list each flaw that you can identify, and then work with us on the Corvair Forum to correctly diagnose the probable cause of each flaw. That list will ultimately help you to forecast the likely cost of each needed repair, and with that information you can prioritize what needs to be done, and in what order. Knowing the estimated cost of parts and repairs can help you to figure a budget and timetable. You will also be able to "guesstimate" how long your car will be out of service before you can safely expect to be able to put it on the road as reliable, safe transportation. From here it appears that you spent much of the last three months sorting through electrical flaws, but when you got the car to the point where you could test drive it, you began to find numerous mechanical flaws that were previously undiscovered. These newly discovered faults included a transmission linkage problem, a noisy, as yet undiagnosed clutch fault, an apparent oil leak from either the engine seal or differential seal in the clutch housing, and a lot of continuous smoke from the engine. Also, you mentioned two brake failures. All of this was discovered in a few short test drives, and the actual, probable cause of each fault is, for the most part, undiagnosed.

In order to help you to figure out the cause and fix action for each problem, we really need careful observations and descriptions of exactly what the car is doing. Pictures might help too (we have never seen the car or pictures that will help us to assess the condition of the car). You indicate that the car has very high mileage. Any maintenance documentation you might have received might help us to narrow down when any signifiant overhauls or repairs were actually accomplished.

By the way, where in the USA do you live? Knowing your location may help us to see possible solutions or sources of potntial assistance you might be able to seek out.

If your lack of Corvair-related experience is something of an obstacle in effective and accurate diagnosis (because of your limited ability at the present time to accurately interpret symptoms), your powers of observation can be a great help in helping us to help you.

Let's start with the clutch noise. You mentioned an oil leak from the bell housing. If the oil appears to be dripping from the clutch housing, can you describe the volume? How much? Is oil coming in small, infrequent drips, or much more? Does it appear to be engine oil, or oil from the transaxle? The smell and weight of the oil might give you a clue, since engine oil is generally thinner and has a different odor then the 90 weight oil in the transaxle. Either way, fixing a leak in the clutch area will require pulling the powertrain and separating the engine fom the transaxle. Is there a rattling sound from the clutch when the engine is idling in neutral? If so, does the sound stop when you press the clutch pedal? When does it squeal? Only when pressing on the clutch pedal? When starting out from a stop and slipping the clutch? Does the squealing stop when you remove your foot from the clutch? Can you add any further description of the clutch noise or misbehavior? Does the clutch seem to engage smoothly, or does it appear to slip excessively or chatter under hard acceleration?

With regard to the engine. Have you ever performed a compression check on all cylinders? If not, can you get your hands on a compression tester (preferably the flexible hose type) and perform a compression test on all cylinders? The results should help us to get some knowledge of the internal condition of the rings, valves, etc. What color is the smoke, and when does it appear? Without removing the muffler system, it is difficult to determine if the smoke is coming from the left or right side, or both. Can the exhaust be removed easily, or are the nuts too rusty, frozen, etc to be removed without breaking a stud or damaging the hardware?

Can you provide any details of the brake failures you mentioned earlier?

I hope that we can work with you to further diagnose your Corvair problems. The results of such an effort may be frustrating, but at least you will ultimately be able to form some idea of where you stand and what you are facing.

[MORTUNDEAD]

Well... To start, I have had to rewire all of my major electrical parts with motorcycle wiring
The brake failures were my fault, I forgot to adjust them and the adjusters fell out
The oil is leaking from both the engine and transaxle, and the smoke rises out the fan area after a drive. Oil leaves trails wherever I go.
The flywheel has just been replaced by me, with a brand new expensive one from California Corvairs
The clutch noise started the second time I drove it. It happens whenever I take off from a standstill, and the pedal vibrates a bit. Sounds like a chair being dragged across a floor.
The speedometer doesnt work, or the gas gauge. The speedo cabe is broken, gas gauge is electrical
The engine has a pretty prominent misfire in the mid-rpm range, can't figure out why
The front engine mounts are collapsed
Despite this, it still starts and runs, and is semi-roadworthy. But it is not doing well.

[davemotohead]

Question's that come to my mind are: If you replaced the flywheel it seems you did not replace the pilot bushing that is now squeeling like a chair being dragged across the floor,,that is a must do anytime you take the clutch apart,If you would have asked questions about this and the service manual that you now know is a free on line download,,you would have not wasted your time and your pilot would not be squeeling,You had the engine out to replace the flywheel so you should have fixed the front engine mounts and re-sealed the engine when it was easy to do when it was out of the car,If you plan on keeping the car do yourself a Big Favor,READ THE SHOP MANUAL!