1978 Oldsmobile Toronado XS

My plan exactly.

 

Awesome. I used to recommend saddle soap, but I saw the one guy on Fast 'n' Loud that would take care of Richard Rawlings' leather upholstery, and he had this product (it might've been British) that he massaged into a pair of roadster seats. I'd like to find out what that product was.

 

Here's another update.

I've been working on the front end of the car. I had always intended to drain and replace the coolant, and that meant new hoses, probably a new water pump as well as I figured why not, and they're only $20. I wanted to replace the fan clutch, too, so if I'm going to all of that disassembled, anyway, there's no better time to throw on a new water pump I figured I'd have the GEN light problem looked at, too.

I removed the radiator and had it looked at by a local shop. They called it unsalvageable inside, and no one makes new replacements for this car. Much to my surprise, apparently no one makes replacement radiators for any of the second-generation (1971-1978) Toronados. The same engine in my car was used in the 88 and 98, but the radiator is not the same. The rad in my car is 35 inches between the tanks, and that's apparently huge by the standards of every other radiator out there. The 98 radiator is only 31.5 inches. The closest match is for a late '70s Eldorado, but even that is a couple of inches short. So I had to have one built, and that's what I did. They made a new core and attached the tanks from the old.

Here it is:





I had the alternator tested, and it proved to be bad, so I just bought a new one. I also replaced the power steering hoses. This last thing is what has held me up as the power steering return line is a 7-day wait item from any of the vendors. The pressure hose is an overnight item, but not the return hose.


So here's the front end after a few hours of putting things back together. Still have to get the new radiator in, but then I'm sure hoping we're good to go. That's the job for tomorrow.

Yes, I painted the fan blue. Sue me. The fan is fine mechanically but was dirty and stained after 39 years, so I wanted to do something. I had some leftover touchup paint for an '02 Dodge Dakota I once had, so why not. With the new fan clutch, it looks pretty good, and no one sees the fan, anyway, once the shroud is on, so who cares what color it is! I also put in new heater hoses, a new thermostat housing, and a new thermostat.

I should have painted the water pump pulley, too! Oh well.

 

The Quadrapuke reminds me: change the fuel filter, even if you don't think it needs it. Man, I look at this engine and thank God those days are behind me, more or less. With the exception of my Ranchero, no more carburetors, no more vacuuum-controlled gizzies, no more horrible bracketry to accomodate V-belts, And no more little "good for 5,000 miles" Quadrajet filters, or clickety mixture control solenoids.

 

Yes, I know your carb isn't computer-controlled; I just added that as an afterthought of why I'm glad I don't repair cars like yours anymore.

 

Thanks for the pleasant thoughts. What you look at as a chore and a burden, the rest of us look at as the whole point of getting and restoring these old cars.

I changed the fuel filter when I changed the fuel pump.

 

Yeah, I saw the pump was new. But hey, I'm not putting you down, if you aren't vexed by those anachronistic items, more power to ya. I just couldn't stand the extra effort to do the same basic job.

 

Or play the giddy foo-foo just to change the filter in a 2.8L Varajet carb. Those were the worst of all the Rochester carbs.

 

Everything is back together on the front-of-engine, and I'm on to rebuilding the carburetor. The engine started fine and ran pretty well in the days shortly after I first started it after its 10+ year sit. But things have gradually gotten worse, and by that I mean that the engine starts fine when cold, starts quickly and its fast idle is smooth. As it warms up, though, it begins to stumble and slow down, emitting some black smoke, and it gets to the point where it will not stay running unless I keep my foot on the gas. It's impossible to drive as it stalls at every stop sign and stoplight.

The symptoms are, I think, of a flooding carburetor or a stuck choke, and I lean toward the former. I've done lots to this car since I got it in late February, but one area I have not touched at all except for putting in new spark plugs and plug wires is the top of the engine. Whatever gas was in the tank for all those years of sitting was also in the carburetor, and I think getting the engine running again, and, most importantly, warmed up and cooled and warmed and cooled has loosened gunk that had been laying quietly all these years. In any event, I think a carburetor rebuild is in order. There are many videos on youtube showing the rebuild of a quadrajet. I rebuilt the 2-barrel rochester carb on my '67 Delta 88 some years ago with no problems, so I think I can do it here as well. After doing this, the entire fuel system from tank to carburetor, with the exception of the steel lines running the length of the car, will have been renewed or replaced, and I'm hoping this solves the problem

At the same time, I'm addressing some other under-hood problems that can lead to poor performance, and these are mostly vacuum line problems. This car has about 40 miles of them, and they're all in poor shape, so I'm in the process of replacing them. Several though, are not hooked up, or not hooked up to where they should be. So poor-condition hoses that can leak vacuum coupled with improperly connected or not connected at all hoses are an issue. I found a youtube video that will be a godsend for this sort of thing as it not only explains every vacuum port on a quadrajet and whether it's manifold or ported vacuum, but it also explains what item (EGR, PCV, vapor canister, transmission modulator, brake booster, etc) is normally connected at each port. I've ordered several million dollars worth of vacuum hose in every inside diameter I think I need, and I'll get all of that renewed as well.

 

Yes, but I think GM only used three sizes. However, it's been soooo long since I've touched a Q-puke or the associated vac lines, i just could not tell you with any certainty. 7/32" does come to mind, though.
There's a trick on Q-jet carbs for excessive richness when warm; I watched my ex-boss the carb guru do this, and did it myself once to great fanfare when the excessive richness disappeared. On the bottom of the center body are the primary idle wells; each one was cast, possibly drilled, but then covered with a disc and the surrounding metal peened over to seal them. But when a carb sits for a long time, especially if there was water in the fuel, that water goes into the deepest parts and sits. Corrosion ensues. So what he would do is turn the body over, and peen the metal down more, gently, with a ball peen hammer to help the seal around the disc, then mix up a small blob of JB weld and apply it to the discs, enough to cover the entire disc/peened metal area. Let cure, then sand or file smooth to clear the throttle body and gasket.

 

I actually ordered vacuum hose in four sizes, 1/8, 3/16, 5/16, and 3/8. I measured hose in all four sizes in various places under the hood.

Regarding the need to JB weld those idle wells, that's actually mentioned in all of the how-to-rebuild videos I've looked at.


Now riddle me this, Batman. I ordered a new water pump for this car. Included in the box was a gasket to go along with it. I ordered a new fuel pump, and included in the box was a gasket to go along with it. In both cases, it's also possible to purchase the gasket separately, but I didn't bother to because I assumed there was a gasket in the box. So when I just now received the EGR valve I had ordered, was there a gasket included in the box? Noooo. Why the h not? Now I have to order one of those, too. No big deal in time or expense, but why didn't the vendor say "gasket not included?" Why isn't a gasket included?

 

Ah so, you didn't pay fo' dollah mo' fo' the gasket, even though only cost twenty cent when bought in barrk...

 

Th' Bahstidges....

 

Took the words right out of my mouth.

 

Took the carburetor off today. Will start the rebuild tomorrow. But just in taking the carb off, I came across an issue that could be part of the problem. The carb was barely attached! In the process of doing things to get a car running again, unless you actually start out by removing the carburetor for whatever reason, you don't normally think to yourself as you change fluids, put in new plugs, drain the old gas and put in new, etc., that you ought to tighten down the carburetor hold-down bolts as well. One just doesn't think to do that. Well, the two back bolts were barely beyond finger tight, and the front two were not even finger tight. They were probably a turn or two out from being finger tight. None of the bolts was anywhere near as tight as they should be, and a loosely attached carburetor can certainly lead to vacuum leaks and who knows what other unpleasantry. In the process of rebuilding the carb, I was hoping to find a smoking gun for the poor running, but I didn't expect to find something so soon.

Here's a photo of the carb off the car and on my bench. My wife took a look at it and immediately said it likes something off of a Borg ship. I couldn't disagree with her.