Corvair Forum

Welcome to the forums! Make sure you show your progress on your '66!.....especially the sand blasting. I want to see that!

well as much as i would like to show you guys some new body work, it might have to wait.

so im driving the corvair. (i was told older cars like these are likely to have little problems if it gets used regularly so i use it for little chores) and i decide to take it on the freeway. i am only able to get up to 60 and im flooring it. suddenly i lose power and white smoke comes out the tail pipes. i pull over on the side of the freeway wait for it to stop smoking and find the spark plug wires fave just kinda come off, and there is oil around the dipstick hole. had it towed to a mechanic to at least tell me what is wrong.

i find out tomorrow whats happened to it.

needless to say the paint will have to wait.

(oh the tow truck driver lives near someone with 3 vairs all mint condition, is that anyone here?)

I'm so sorry to hear of your latest problem with your Corvair -- the symptoms certainly sound ominous.

I could start guessing as to the cause, but that won't help. We will just have to wait for the verdict. I'm sure that there are many on this Forum who wish you the best, and who will offer any help we can. Please keep us posted.

thetommy1903 wrote:so im driving the corvair.......

Just hearing this part got me thinking "oh sh**" Hope everything turns out well.....

I'm wondering if it isn't something to do with that oil cooler! Hope all is well and it's something minor

In all honesty, it sounds to me like there will be zero compression in one cylinder, and a hole in a piston. The cause, if that is it, is uncertain. Possibly a vacuum leak or a lean, faulty carburetor causing a lean condition in one cylinder bank, with unusually low power resulting and a floored throttle needed to attain 60mph -- forcing a maxed-out engine and a lean fuel mixture and associated detonation to put a hole in a piston. That would explain the exhaust smoke and the oil around the dipstick tube as crankcase pressures exploded with a hole in a piston. I had a similar failure occur in my turbocharged 1965 Corsa in Newbury Park, California in 1971 when the pressure retard apparently failed during full boost as the car climbed a long highway grade. The detonation within the engine went undetected until I melted a hole in a piston. The cause of the engine failure was different, but the final symptoms were similar.

I would hope for a less-problematic diagnosis, but the symptoms are ominous. I guess we will hear the final diagnosis soon.