Help!!!! My 1982 Olds Regancy has an issue

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speed_queen75

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My 82 Olds Regancy has been acting up here latly, she is taking forever to warm up in the mornings, i can smell gas, when i first get her started, she will sputter and not idle up, once she finally does warm up, and i put her in gear she will die out, i find myself holding the brake and accelerator just to keep her running, i have had the spark plugs and plug wires replaced, along with the distributor cap and a new air filter, but the problem is still there. I hope some one can help me on this issue. The engine is a 307 (5.0L) Oldsmobile built engine 4 bbl carburetor.
 
mmmm

So she won't idle....

- if she is taking a long time to warm up, get the thermostat checked in the radiator...it may not be functioning properly

- now, next on the list is the timing....that should be checked too...it could be as simple as that...If the timing is out, no amount of new plugs, leads etc will sort it out...

- and while they are doing the timing, get them to do the points, condenser and possibly a new coil too....none of this is expensive...

and lastly, how on earth can you afford to run a V8 with petrol prices as they are????
 
Well Ron

Petrol here has gone down to a 1.28 a gallon, and up until recently she has been good gas millage. I will be taking her in in the morning, and i will mention these things you have mentioned to the mechanic.
 
one posibility

Silly as it sounds, is water. Especially if she sat for several months, there may be an enormous amount of water in the gas tank. The tank is, for obvious reasons, open to the atmosphere and is a great place for moisture to condense apart from the fact that gasoline formulations attract water.

Depending on how much water is in there, one of those inexpensive additives should help.

Related, debris in the gas tank or gas line - check the filter(s). They need to be changed more often than many think, especially after the car has sat for awhile.

If you are smelling gas, then it may be that too much is flowing at once (or a leak). Here, you'll have to do some care observing. The carb. may have to be looked at and rebuilt or perhaps just a line has come lose or perished.

Check the recall bulletins for that engine and this car, sometimes things work fine until we park our babies and "ignore" them for too long. Anyone who thinks cars don't have souls and personalities doesn't drive classics.

Of course, Ron's suggestions are more likely or both situations together. Some things just all add up, especially with those primitive environmental controls. Oh! How's all that equipment working? A leaky hose or valve there could explain a lot.
 
Another thing that may be worth considering is the fuel pump. I once had one car about the vintage of your Olds that had many of the same symptoms. I particularly remember the smell of gas. The mechanic who replaced it said that fuel pumps of the design I had were designed to leak gasoline when the pump had a specific failure. (Leaking gasoline doesn't sound like a great idea, ever, but the alternative was apparently worse.) That fuel pump leak should be pretty obvious--at least it was in my case.
 
I agree with the advice given above.

This problem really sounds like a clogged fuel filter, bad fuel pump, or carburetor problem (choke, float, accelerator pump, idle mixture, etc.) - check them all. Also, leaky vacuum lines can cause these symptoms, or other vacuum leaks such as a bad intake manifold gasket. And timing issues do this as well.
 
Lee -

We had an '82 Olds Cutlass Supreme when I was in High School. Most of the GM cars from late '81 to the mid '80s are a bit of a strange lot because they had carburetors, but also had first generation engine management computers. Ford didn't have them so heavily integrated until 1984, but most of theirs were for fuel injected engines.

Your car doesn't have points and condenser, and I agree with Kenny that some of its behavior sounds very much like a choke (or lack thereof) problem. Since its been colder lately than normal, a choke not working is more noticeable than when the outside temps are warmer. Smelling gas could indeed be due to a fuel filter clog, or because the computer is trying to have more fuel enter the engine (as if it were cold and operating under choke) but with the choke not working it's flooding it.

A decent mechanic with knowledge of carburetors (not always easy to find these days) and early automotive computers will be able to diagnose your problem.

Definitely a new fuel filter is a good idea, whether or not it's contributing to the problem.

Let us know what you find out!

Gordon
 
I'd vote for choke not functioning properly (relatively cheap and easy to fix), or the computer (Ack!). I used to do tuneups for friends back in the early 80s and one buddy had a Buick that behaved like yours. I did all the things you have, plugs, wires, etc., and it ended up being his computer chip, to the tune of $350 (in 1986 dollars).

Soon thereafter, I stopped doing tuneups for friends, as all the normal "tuneup" stuff stopped fixing their problems, and the "chip" became what was wrong more and more.
 
58 Limited's suggestion of checking vacuum lines is an excellent one. They're usually ignored by mechanics but after 25 years in a hot engine bay they can get brittle from heat, or soft from oil and grease. Various fittings that connect the vacuum lines together can break or loosen.

A drity carburettor is another possibility. My sister used to run a '66 Corvette which developed a habit of clogging the primary jets. It would idle fine but coughed, sputtered and had no acceleration at all from a stoplight until the vacuum secondaries would open fully and then you'd rocket away in a flurry of wheelspin. Very embarrassing! I cleaned the carb a few times which helped, and added a new fuel filter, but ultimately it took a new carburettor to fix it. Made the car run better as a whole too.

Cars of the mid '70s through early '80s are tough to keep going because most of the emissions controls were added on and just don't last the life of the engine itself. I used to have a '79 Alfa GTV with two sets of points, one for advanced timing and one for retarded timing. They were switched by vacuum through an electro-vacuum device, and an additional relay was used to ensure the engine started on the advance points. The electro-vacuum swtich failed frequently and left the car with constantly retarted timing so it ran like crap. I eventually gave up, disconnected the system and ran the car on one set of correctly timed points. I don't know who else used that system but I'm willing to bet that your Oldsmobile has some vacuum devices swtitched by either electrical or temperature controlled means, and they should all be checked.
 
Lots of good advice here- The Olds 307 is quite economical to run and pretty much bullet proof. Ben and I know an engineer buddy that will routinely put several thousand miles on his cars in a weekend. The 307/350/403 is all he'll run. Swaps in the heavy duty cooling package, uses the Diesel version fuel tank for larger capacity. Recalibrates the gauges for greater accuracy (uses the Canadian km/hr speedo face and different trans speedo gear to get around the 85MPH gauge limitation.) Home built stainless exhaust setup and all that. I think he's running a '77 Delta at the moment.

We've got some Olds experience as well...

Sure sounds like choke/carb to me. There's also a heat riser valve designed to gradually open as the exhaust heats it. This brings the engine up to temp faster, but can stick or rust shut after a couple decades. Stuck closed you'll have exhaust backpressure, reduced economy, sluggish performance, and some of the stumbling you describe. Bit of a longshot for this problem, but it should be checked because you might not know what you're missing!

One other thing that will sound out of left field. How old is your catalytic converter??? A clogged converter will cause EXACTLY the problems you describe, but many mechanics miss this since it's seemingly unrelated to what appears to be fuel or ignition issues, and its occurence is pretty rare (though it's happened to me twice).

And one other thing....how many miles on this 307? A real longshot, but if you jumped a tooth on your (nylon coated) cam gear, you might end up with similar symptoms. As a rule, it's good insurance to swap in a new timing gear/chain set on higher mileage engines. Preferably a true-roller set without the OEM nylon teeth to fail. Some folks never do this and don't have a failure, others find out the hard way : )
 
Kenny is correct. The problem sure sounds like the choke pull off diaphram needs to be replaced. I worked on many of these cars back in the day, as an auto repairmam. With this condition, the choke pull off is the first thing I would check. Usually that is all that was needed.
 
'82 OLDS

Speed_Queen I used to have one of these and I will agree to a lot of the different suggestions of things to have your mechanic check. (any good mechanic would have already checked for these problems)Mine did the same thing once and more than likely it is the fuel pump. If the pump is going bad it will give you the problems you are describing. The choke pull-off could be another source of the problem. If the choke is not opening up when the motor warms up then the motor is going to run very rich. (you could verify this is by looking out the rear window while accelerating if there is black smoke coming out the tail pipe (or have someone drive behind you and look for the black smoke) Usually what happens with choke is the heater element burns out. When you start a cold engine the choke plate is spring loaded and will snap shut to ensure a rich start-up mixture and also put the engine in a "fast" idle (needed for a cold engine) and then as the carb heater warms up it starts to open up the choke plate. Also if the choke has gotten out of adjustment it would cause the same effect. Olds engines were some of the best and like has been mentioned before are almost bullet proof. When I finally sold the car it had 283,000 miles on it and the engine had never been torn down and rebuilt. Good luck and hope you get it fixed. I loved that car, it rode and drove like a dream.
Mark
 
It could also be a sensor problem. The early computer controlled engines didn't use many sensors, but there are some in there. Also, keep in mind when choosing a mechanic to check with the local dealership. Sounds silly, but I was taking my '82 Cadillac to a local repair shop until I found out the dealership rates were only $6.00 more per hour!!
 
I remember in the later years our '79 olds huge ass station wagon would hesitate and do the same thing. It always turned out that the carb/choke plate was all gummed up and all you had to do was remove the air cleaner and while one person revved up the engine a little the other would spray a can of carb cleaner all over the intake area to clean it off. Always worked like a charm. Good luck.
 
Once she does warm up, does it run okay in idle, or does it continue to idle erratically? The first time I read this I didn't see the part about it continuing to run like crap after it had warmed up. Yes - the cold start will be an issue with a ill choke. IIRC 1982 was the first year for the electric choke. I don't recall though if it is sensor driven off of coolant temp or if it was timed off the ECU.

You've received some great advice already - the choke pull-off certainly could be an issue. If this is a stove style choke then a replacement would be in need along with the pull-off. If you or a buddy has a hand pump you can test the pull-off to see if it still operates correctly or not.

Funny story related to this. Years ago my dad bought a few Thermoquads from a Mopar dealer. He wanted to use them for racing, but first decided that it would be a good idea to test them on my 1978 Trans-Am. Mind you that the Quadrajet worked perfectly prior to his removal of it, even in cold temps. One pump and she'd fire right up.

I get home from work one day and I see his handy work. After a rebuild of the Quadrajet and a new stove choke it still never ran right after that. I suspect the pull-off was still to blame, because as soon as it would warm up it would run fine. The heavy gas fumes that you smell indicate that it is loading up and possibly fowling up the plugs causing the engine to work much harder than it should.

Wow, I just wrote WAY to much. Keep us posted,

Ben
 
Ben, you just wrote too little

Back up, repeat. I find we all are heading the right way here, either trouble in the gas tank, fuel pump, filter(s), choke, or timing.
But you are quite right - if enough gas is flowing that you can smell it, there is a chance - given the age of the engine - that either the spark plugs are fouled and are, some gas might even be in the crankcase.

Ick.

Disarming the auto-choke is easy enough, but wasn't there some other weird pre-warming function for the air which would often fail about that time? I was already out of the 'States, but seem to recall that our 1975 Eldorado was the first year with some nonsense on the engine manifolds which a)caused them to crack and b) always got stuck in the wrong position causing c) way too rich a mix into the engine when cold? Some vacuum line problem which you'd never in a million years expect. Sorry to be so vague.
 
Update on my 82 Olds Regancy

The carb was rebuilt along with the electronic choke and now she purrs like a kitten, the carb had gotten all gunked up.

In response to some of the questions here, the 307 in her has 147300 miles it had a 307 long block put in her new in 1999, the car is a one owner i am the second owner and she is in good shape for a 1982.

In response to Spankomatic yes the check engin light does come on and stay on, i was told it is a bad O2 sensor, i will be having that replaced too.

As far as some other things in it, she has the THM-2004R transmission which was kept up religiously, i have all the service records on the car.

And to variflexpghpa it is the 98 Regency edition, and yes i do wish it was the Regency Brougham, with the electro luminescent opera lamps, that emitted the luxurious blue glow.

I absolutely love driving this car, it has style, class, and character, and is what a luxury car should be, not to mention lavish 80's elegance. I think the worst mistake GM made was 1) downsizing the 98 and making it front wheel drive, GM did have a love affair with FWD, and 2) Getting rid of Oldsmobile altogether. That is why i cherish this car and plan on keeping her running as long as possible.
 
In response to swestoys

When she finally warmed up she would still idle erratically especially when at a stop light, i would find my self holding the brake and the accelerator just to keep her from stalling.
 
Very glad to hear she's up and running like her old self!

It's funny, the '86+ downsized GM's look downright puny by comparison to today's big Camrys and Avalons. I use to dismiss the H-bodies until I drove an '88 Olds 88 regularly. Excellent power to weight ratio, comfortable velour interior, 30+MPG and I tip my hat to the engineers for giving it a big car ride. That FWD could really pull it through the snow too (but not quite as well as my old '85 Biarritz). I still see them around, neglected, covered in salt, and when I do, I make it a point to peek at the odometer. 200k, 300k is not unusual.

They're a terrific buy for the money which makes them attractive as a disposable vehicle. Without the collectable cache of their larger RWD elders, in a couple years they'll all be gone.
 
cadman

Why do you say that in a couple of years they'll all be gone. I hope your not talking about the late 70's early 80's RWD GM cars, or do you mean the 86+ FWD H-Bodies, GM cars, if that is the case for RWD C-Body GM's they will have to kill me to get it out of my hands cause i aint letting it go with out a fight.
 
Once a car is over 20 years old it starts getting hard to find quality parts and the expertise to install them unless the car is well served by specialty shops. For that reason it's a lot easier to find parts for an old Corvette than for a big Olds or Buick of the same year. There are plenty of 'Vette enthusiasts willing to spend money on their cars, but not so many owners of big sedans. It has nothing to do with the intrinsic quality or usefulness of the car and everything to do with the marketplace.

Expertise for carburetted engines is also getting to be in short supply: I know of one independant repair shop owner who will work on carburetted cars so long as the carburettor rebuilder he uses is in business, but once he's gone the repair shop owner has decided old cars with carbs just aren't worth the trouble. His younger mechanics aren't very familiar with them, they don't interface well with the computer diagnostic machines used for more modern cars, and they can be difficult to smog.

I rarely see any rear-drive big GM sedans aside from '90s Chevys and Cadillacs, and even those are getting scarce. A couple of months ago I saw a ratty but running Olds 98 coupe from the mid '70s - the last of the real ocean liners - and I was reminded of how scarce they are today. Caddies of the era are the most common, but that just makes the big Olds and Buicks rarer and therefore more fun to spot.
 
something I got off of a friend of ours

A unique trick I got off of a friend of ours who runs a wrecker service-with the breather off, when-if it floods very badly, rev the engine up and then take your hands and smother it down by placing them over the carburetor, a few times-this forces it to suck gas and drugs through the carburetor-works especially if the needle valve gets stuck.
 
Be careful Tbolt . . .

I'd think twice about putting my hands over the intake of a running engine, in particular one with carburettors, as they'll be right in the flame path of a backfire. Backfires don't happen often but when they do there can be a lot of force as the flame exits the top of the carb. I've seen it wreck air cleaners and airflow meters (the latter on injected engines of course) and it wouldn't do your hands any good at all. For the same reason don't ever look down the intake of a running engine.

Regarding spelling, both carburetor and carburettor are correct. I've seen both spellings used for years. Here's a neat little link about Webers, my favorite carbs, but it explains some basic theory too.

http://www.classicandperformancecar.com/features/theknowledge/214275/weber_carburettors.html
 
I guess for me it has not been difficult at all to find mechanical parts for my 1978 Grand Marquis as it has the same drive train components as all other Ford full-size cars and pickups of the same time frame could have had. Even parts like the headlight switch were still on the shelf at the local Auto Zone.
I do all the repair work myself except for the brakes and the local brake shop has never had trouble finding the parts.
However cosmetic parts like taillight lenses do seem very, very hard to find.
Carburettor is certainly correct, it is the more common British spelling and pronunciation. I would never ever place my hands over the carburetor air intake...have seen too many backfires up through the carb.
 
Cory is correct - the first gen H body cars will be memories of the past in regards to them being daily drivers. Besides the very few Bonneville SSE's and Buick BLT's - those cars really do not have a following for the up and coming collectors. Within the next 5 years what is left out there will be no more. I saw no less than 5 of them for sale in a local swap sheet just last week; all selling for under 700 dollars. What was the major catch? Slipping transmissions.

We are fortunate that the 1977 through 1996 B body GM cars all use the same mechanicals - brakes, suspension pieces, shocks, body mounts, any part that is considered a wear part is fairly easy to come by. The 1971 through 1976 B and C body GM cars were the start of brand sharing parts but there are still quite a few specifics even between models in the same brand. Go back from 1965 through 1970 - good luck. Every brand at that time had very specific parts and almost nothing was inter matched between brands. As an example - you can't take a set of front wheel discs from a 1969 LeSabre and put then on a 1969 deVille.

Ben
 

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