Alright, my to-do list this weekend is to check the fuel pressure and add stable to the fuel in the car. I will also try checking for a bad gasket using carb cleaner, but may also see about renting a vacuum tester (should be a better way to check for a bad gasket, as the carb clean would only detect an external leak). also try pulling my vacuum hose to check for a gas smell.

Can't really go driving the car, it'* not tagged or insured, as I can't afford to tag and insure two cars at once.

I can try pulling the plugs, well at least the front plugs, and looking at them, but they haven't even 100 miles on them.

Well, didn't have a lot of cash, so I only rented the Compression kit and found that the car seems to have good compression, lowest reading was something like 165PSI and the highest was around 180PSI. At least I'm thinking this is good.

Had the car running and sprayed a bit of carb cleaner around the intake manifold best I could with no noticeable change in the engine. So either there is no external leak, or I just wasn't able to get any carb cleaner sprayed in the area I needed it to go.

I'll be returning the Compression kit tomorrow and getting the fuel pressure test kit. After testing that, I will then be buying new plug wires.

I also picked up a new DMM, but never got around to opening it to check my coil packs.

Didn't get fresh fuel or stable in the tank yet either, but since the car is sitting at just under 1/4 tank, I'll be needing to put fuel in it pretty soon anyways, so I'll add the stable and Sea foam at that time, alone with Premium fuel. Current fuel in the car is Mid-Grade, but it'* got some age now. Also had some Sea Foam put in it when I filled it last and put the recommended amount in the oil as well.

Probably a poor idea, but I'm thinking of adding Rislone to my engine as well, just drain out what I oil I need to to be able to add the bottle of Rislone. Comments about that idea? Good/bad idea?

Alright, I did my fuel pressure check and found I have roughly 40-41PSI at the schrader valve. After sitting five minutes, it looked to drop to around 35PSI. My understanding is this is all good.

Also, since the car seems to be developing a pretty good tick, which I'm thinking is lifer rattle. Might try putting Rislone in the car. Well, at least I sure hope it'* lifter rattle and not the onset of a knock.

Or is there something else that you guys would recommend? MM oil, ATF, Diesel fuel, etc etc? I've heard of numerous "remedies", some that sound like good ideas, some that sound like horrible ideas.

lifter ticks are often because the oil passages and or lifters are plugged with crap. i have heard of alot of folks and have used myself seafoam gas treatment in the oil for the couple weeks before an oil change. then change it with a good quality oil. like regular valvoline. all of those other things have high cleaner packages and are basically less concentrated versions of the same thing.


as far as the cars issues you cant trouble shoot anything with bad gas in it. additives dont do anything after the fact for old gas. and the cleaners actually make it run poorly until they are run out of the tank

Yeah, I'll probably have to just let the car sit running unattended until it runs out of fuel, then pour in some fresh fuel with sea foam and whatnot, then let the car run some more. I'd like to take it out on the road, but being untagged/uninsured, it'* just too much of a risk.

I bet the filter sock on the fuel pump is fairly well clogged up

It'* quite possible, can't deny that.

Though I have replace the fuel filter and found that the old one was still quite easy to blow through. Then just today, I found my fuel pressure is 40-41PSI, which to my understanding is healthy.

Given the tank is low on fuel, I could drop it without too terribly much trouble (I hope) and check the pump/filter sock.

Got a couple extra fuel pumps from a couple other Corsica'* I had (my old 94' I drove for roughly 8 years which had a new fuel pump installed in it right after I bought it and then a 95' I bought as a parts car).

Pulled the fuel pumps when I had to scrap the cars. Pissed me off to due so, as I was planning to turn one of them into a Corsicamino or maybe more of a Subaru Baja conversion. Even had an 87' GMC Sonoma with around 40K on it that had a blown motor I picked up for utilizing the back of the cab and the bed for the conversion.

But no, city said I had 30 days to either remove them from my fully fenced-in back yard (with a 6' privacy fence) or provide proof that they were not only tagged and insured, but road worthy. Sadly, none of that applied to any of them. Closest was the 94, as it ran, but had a busted windshield from a drive-by rocking.

Yes, the pump sits close to the bottom of the tank so its bound to be loaded with the varnish and sludge of an old fuel tank. You should have seen the fuel pump sock on my 85 Fiero when I pulled it.

you can have the proper pressure and still have issues because it cant supply the volume the engine requires while driving, at idle its minimal. its also hard to troubleshoot a car you cant drive, normally you would see what it is driving