FairmontAddict":2slsypt7 said:
I just cant seem to figure this motor out. I have been doing a lot of lurking with the search button and reading a lot of old info but Im not sure how applicable it is with all the ethanol in the gas pumps now and all the other factors that have popped up I the last 5 years.
it all still applies, ethanol will reduce fuel economy a bit compared to straight gasoline though as it burns colder than straight gasoline does, reducing the thermal load available. with E10 this can be mitigated somewhat through tuning.
I have a 81 Fairmont with the 200inline6 and whatever automatic ford bolted to it. rearend is a 7.5 with 2:73 gears. and im running mustang 15inch "tenhole" rims with fairly tall tires but ive done the math and my speedo is only about 1-2 mph off with the gps on my smart phone.
you trans is probably either a C3, C4, or possibly a C5. there are ways to tell, the C3 has 13 bolts that hold the pan in place, the C4 has 11 bolts, and the C5 has a deeper bell housing, that though still two piece does not have the step the C4 bell housing has where the bell meets the case. the C5 flows more smoothly and looks like it could be one piece.
my main complaint is that the gas milage plain sux. ive been reading how a lot of you are getting close to 20 mpg, and I cant get more than 12mpg.
i ma getting 15 with mine right now.
im starting to wonder if the problem is my carb itself as I cant seem to find ANY info on it whatsoever. my best guess is its a "autoline" brand replacement the former owner bought at autozone and slapped on there but its spits and sputters and just isn't a smooth and im used to brawny 750double pumpers...
start by rebuilding the carb yourself and making sure the float level is set right, often times the float is set too high on rebuilt carbs, mostly because the people doing the rebuilding dont really check the float level, they just put things together and send it down the line.
the next thing you want to do after you rebuild the carb is get the adjustments right on it. including the accelerator pump adjustment.
the car is stock except for a nice ACCEL ignition coil with matching wires, and I had the cat deleted out of the exhaust pipe and a 2chamber flowmaster added. timing is set at 10*degrees and plugs are autolite 46's gapped at 52
push your initial timing more, advance it until you get pinging under part throttle loads, and then back off until it stops. you might also make sure that your distributor is operating properly as well. for instance pull the cap and twist the rotor in the direction of its rotation, clockwise as i recall, and then release it. you should be able to turn it easily, and it should snap back reasonably quickly and fully. if not then there is an issue with the mechanical advance that needs to be attended to. while the cap is off, check the vacuum advance for proper operation. take the vacuum line to the advance can and suck on it, and watch the advance mechanism. if it moves freely, then put your tongue on the lines opening, and see if the advance arms moves or not. if it moves then it isnt holding vacuum and it also needs attention.
once you get the current fuel and ignition system optimised, then we can dig deeper. the stock compression ratio for the 3.3l for our years(i have an 82) is around 9:1. we need to bump that up about 1/2 point to improve fuel economy and still run 87 octane fuel. taking the head down to your local machine shop and have them mill the head about .015" should do the trick. while the head is off you can clean up the valves as they probably have a lot of junk built up on them that restricts airflow. after that a carb swap is in order. the weber 32/36 progressive carb is a good one to use. if you have the head off for increasing the compression, have them also mill the log to allow a direct mount for best results. you can use the two barrel to one barrel adapter, but remember it raises the carb about an inch or so, so watch the hood clearance.
the carb adapters can be found here;
http://classicinlines.com/proddetail.as ... -DGV-SWP-K
this one is a swap kit, you choose the carb you want, there are two to choose from, and you get the adapter. it bolts on to your log head with no mods. air cleaners sold separately.
http://classicinlines.com/proddetail.as ... -DGV-CON-K
this one requires modding the log head for a direct mount, the adapter is included though, and again you select the carb you want. again air cleaners sold separately.