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Thread: 3.0L engine swap

  1. #381
    Owner since 2007 Farrar's Avatar
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    Another cooling system check - this time it failed. Radiator fans didn't come on. No bubbles in the system (level in tank did not go down after running for 15 minutes) but temperature got up to 220°F with no fans. This is perplexing. The fans run with air conditioning. When Bill was test driving the car, he said the otterstat wasn't working. Then all of a sudden it started working. Then all of a sudden it stopped working. Now I've replaced it, and it worked once and failed to work once. I suspect a wiring problem. A flaky connection somewhere could cause intermittent failures like this. The circuit is rather complex, though. It will take some time to troubleshoot.

    In other news, it looks like the roof box separating may be what's causing my doors to fit differently from how I remember. (Bill noted the passenger door sticking: it's never done that before.) I took the rear finishing piece off and it looks like there's some bowing. I'm going to remove the louvres for a better look (my third brake lights are mounted underneath the louvres), and then the T-panel. I don't see evidence of corrosion, but there may be some lurking under the T-panel. We'll see.

    Typical of this car: working on one problem and another arises... Gotta love antique vehicles!
    3.0L, automatic, carbureted

  2. #382
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    Rob Depew
    Tacoma, Wa
    '81 DeLorean 4877 Grey, Auto, 4 wheels
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  3. #383
    Senior Member Bitsyncmaster's Avatar
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    Check the connections at the diodes (in harness in relay compartment). I guess even a diode could have an internal intermittent connection.
    Dave M vin 03572
    http://dm-eng.weebly.com/

  4. #384
    Owner since 2007 Farrar's Avatar
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    Drained more water from the system. Today it was almost totally clear. Looks like soon I will be able to consider this rust problem solved, or at least closer to being solved. I'll go back to 50/50 soon enough.
    3.0L, automatic, carbureted

  5. #385
    Owner since 2007 Farrar's Avatar
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    Sidetracked by other things so the car sat for a few weeks. I guess that was a mistake.

    The PRV really doesn't seem to like anything other than fresh gas. The 3.0L is now doing the same thing that the 2.8L used to do when it had been sitting for a few weeks or more: idling so badly that the whole car rocks from side to side, RPMs surging up at random intervals, and engine dying when the transmission is engaged and the air conditioning is on.

    I love this little car, but sometimes I really hate this little car.
    3.0L, automatic, carbureted

  6. #386
    Senior Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by Farrar View Post
    Sidetracked by other things so the car sat for a few weeks. I guess that was a mistake.

    The PRV really doesn't seem to like anything other than fresh gas. The 3.0L is now doing the same thing that the 2.8L used to do when it had been sitting for a few weeks or more: idling so badly that the whole car rocks from side to side, RPMs surging up at random intervals, and engine dying when the transmission is engaged and the air conditioning is on.

    I love this little car, but sometimes I really hate this little car.
    Farrar,

    Not too long ago I was thinking how good it was to see you and the car back in the swing of things. Not so fast apparently.

    I don't consider it likely that gas can consistently go bad after sitting for just a few weeks. Not on its own. If this sort of thing was happening before you did the engine swap, then it might be time to look at things on the car you DIDN'T change or alter in the past year or so. It might not be a very long list, so that could be good news.

    I don't know all the details of the work you did (although I was taking note of your roof box fix as I have the same problems) but I would assume most everything fuel related in the engine bay got replaced? What about in the fuel tank and pump area as well as the lines going from there and back to the engine?

    I know when my car got wet years ago after too aggressively washing the area above the engine, it shuddered and shook until it dried itself out. I think this was water down in the spark plug sockets. I was thinking along the lines of water, but not exactly like this. I got thinking maybe something is contaminating your gas while it is sitting inside the tank. Any chance something like that might be happening? Have you ever opened up the cover in front of the fuel filler neck? I don't know what the likelihood of something dripping more or less right into the fuel tank is, but that's what came to mind. Again, thinking of something related to conditions before you made the swap since if the same problem is there, then it would reason to think it's caused by something that also didn't change.


    Sept. 81, auto, black interior

  7. #387
    Owner since 2007 Farrar's Avatar
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    Jonathan,

    Good thinking. The fuel pump, fuel line, fuel filter, etc. were all changed along with the engine. I suspected gas at first because there's still some varnish in the tank from when the car sat for a *REALLY* long time. My method (and Bill's) of getting rid of it is just to allow fresh fuel to dissolve the gunk and then burn it along with the rest. (I keep a spare fuel filter and the appropriate wrenches in the car).

    Although water intrusion is unlikely (the car has been in a garage the whole time), I should probably check all of the seals around the intake anyway. Sometimes a water leak can act similar to a vacuum leak. I have a cracked spark plug boot, too, although a timing light showed no misfiring.

    I'll get a spray bottle full of water and check for vacuum leaks tomorrow.
    3.0L, automatic, carbureted

  8. #388
    Owner since 2007 Farrar's Avatar
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    Definitely a vacuum leak. This is good news. Vacuum leaks are annoying, but easy.

    Now I just have to check and see which side of the adapter plates the leak is on. I may have to replace some O-rings and/or make a new gasket for the adapter plates.

    Good thing this car is running despite its other problems, since the daily driver is in the shop right now!
    3.0L, automatic, carbureted

  9. #389
    Owner since 2007 Farrar's Avatar
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    Cooling fan problem solved.

    Turns out the terminal on the black/orange wire was just barely hanging on. When I went remove it from the "Otter" switch and insert a jumper to test the fans, the assembly of terminal and black plastic housing fell off in my hand. I replaced both terminals. With a solid connection, the fans are turning on and off normally.
    3.0L, automatic, carbureted

  10. #390
    Owner since 2007 Farrar's Avatar
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    I have sourced intake manifold O-rings from RockAuto using the 1990 Dodge Monaco V6 as a cross-reference. They should be here next week, and then I can continue troubleshooting the vacuum leak.
    3.0L, automatic, carbureted

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