1983 SX/4 Dull "Penny"

[vangremlin]

Louvers look great!  I'm sure she is running a lot better now that the vacuum leak has been fixed. 

[Prafeston]

The main things now are oil pressure gauge and tachometer not functioning. Temp gauge and fuel gauge are now working though. I'll have a few little things here and there when I get it back. I'll make a big list of attention items once I get it home. Right now my pick up date is April 6th my wife and I's 3rd Wedding Anniversary! 

[eagleman]

Hey your louvers look really cool! And Oh by the way Happy Anniversary and get to bring the your baby home at the same time. Now how cool is that? Congrats to you and wife.

[dustinlangston]

Ya it's getting closer all the time. I wanted to mention that while I was reassembling the dash I noticed it had been cut in half. Most likely a previous owner needed a little more leg room.

[Prafeston]

Well I guess that solves it! I was kind of thinking that same thing. The SX/4 is a little cramped. I could see how a bigger guy might need some extra room.

[vangremlin]

Congratulations on your upcoming anniversary!  And what a way to celebrate.

An original AMC tach that doesn't work???  That's a first 

You might want to try taking some steel wool to the plug and socket for the console gauges, sometimes they just need to get cleaned up a bit.  But make sure you disconnect the battery first because there is constant power for the clock and if you hit that contact plus the ground at the same time, your steel wool can catch on fire.  Ask me how I know!

[Prafeston]

Well I picked up my Eagle on the 6th. I was hoping to get some more photos and videos of the trip, but we started much later than I was anticipating. Dustin met me at the DMV in Cedar City, UT and I got the car registered and applied for some personal plates. Then he drove me in it back to his place while my wife picked up a prescription at Walgreens and then I took it around the block a couple times and then decided to fuel it up. When I took the cap off a ton of air released from the tank. I could feel it on my face! Fueled up and got about a mile down the road and the car just died. As I was coasting I tried starting it several times and never could get it running. I was able to coast to a spot off the road and checked my fuel lines and pump and everything seemed good. Wiggled some wires and tapped a few times on the pump and tried again. Took two or three tries, but it finally started up again. Ran fine the rest of the trip...though it did stall on stop a couple times...once as I was pulling into our driveway at the end of the trip! Yikes. So I do still have some things to take care of, but it did make the 5 hour trip home.

Here are some pics Dustin took before I came to get it.










And here was a quick video I made right as I was starting the journey. Sorry, didn't realize how loud my music was!
https://youtu.be/7o3SomYSSl0

[Prafeston]

Off the top of my head here are some things that need attention. Gotta love old cars. It's always something.

Oil leak from pan gasket
Oil leak from dip stick tube
Drivers door rattling
Right hand turn over bumps left suspension rattle
Headlight short also low beams worthless!
Wipers don't work on low
Package tray rattles
Clutch Hydraulic oil leaking? Bubble?
Hard to shift into gear sometimes
Some fender rubbing
Mirrors are loose
Needs new headliner fabric
Shift knob won't stay right
Tach and oil pressure not working
Temp only goes just into the green
Vacuum runs at around 20 when no gas is applied. Under load it drops to zero.
Inside window sweeps need installed
Front and rear bumper trim needs installed
Wiper knob pops off when releasing Ebrake
Flasher knob broke in half
Needs radio and speakers
Passenger top corner of dash broken and popped up
Passenger mirror need manual adjust bezel mounted and cables routed from door
Rear louvers need some repair work and paint
Needs a bath and wax

[eaglefreek]

Congrats, hopefully the fuel and stalling issue is an easy fix. I would check the vent line and make sure it's not plugged. Install relays for your headlights. Your vacuum condition is normal. 20 at idle is fantastic and 0 at WOT is what it should be.

[Prafeston]

Your vacuum condition is normal. 20 at idle is fantastic and 0 at WOT is what it should be.

Good to know. I can cross that one off my list then! Yeah I'm more worried about the dip stick tube and pan gasket. The dip stick tube was broken at the block and Dustin could not pull it out so he tried welding around the connection point, but it appears to have not held. I'm thinking I might try that puddy seal stuff. Also I need to check the bolts on the pan gasket. I'm hoping they are just a little loose. But I know I shouldn't over tighten them either. Gonna be bummed if after all this I'm still gonna have to drop the pan from below or remove the engine.

I've also been thinking about doing the relay for the headlights as well as maybe the LED lights. I live in Open Ranch so it's pretty important to see clearly at night when there could be a black cow standing in the middle of the road!

[vangremlin]

Glad to hear Penny made it home and hope any fuel issue is "no big deal"  Like you said, gotta love old cars, I think all of us have a list like that of things that need attention, some sooner than later.

I would not be too concerned about the temp indicator just getting into the green, that seems pretty normal for these cars, I put that aluminum radiator in Pepe and the needle barely makes it past the beginning of the normal range, not even up to the green.  But haven't had any problems because of it.  One more thing you can cross off your list!

[amcfool1]

hi, nice car! there is a thread in here about adding relays to your headlights. If you want a custom harness ready made, call Daniel Stern at www.danielsternlighting.com, and he will set you up with one, about $165. I have one on my 84 and it is top quality.  Also, get the Ford F150 tach , also on this site. good luck, gz

[Prafeston]

Been driving it off and on for a a bit no and have not had it shut off during driving. I think there might be an issue with the choke though as it doesn't wanna start on the first try sometimes. I gotta give it a little gas and then if I just start it and leave it idles poorly and starts to act like it wants to die until I can goose the gas pedal a few times. Then it will get stuck idling high sometimes again til I goose the gas pedal a few times and it will settle back down. Other than that it has been getting me back and forth to work just fine. Wife even drove it a few days while I took our Grand Cherokee up to Salt Lake City. It does have some issues I'll try to address separately at another time but they aren't in relation to how the engine is running.

Oil Pan Gasket


Where it seemed to soak everything from the 5 hour drive home.


I think this is the front of the trans and the flywheel cover


Clutch boot that was coming off. I have it back on and good now.


And the clutch master cylinder that seems to be leaking. I've already purchased a new one.


A day or so later too I noticed my coolant reservoir was low. Popped the cap for the radiator and it was plenty full at least. Saw this underneath though.


Then I did feel bad for Penny and gave her a nice bath. Waxed her up real good and sprayed the engine bay down with degreaser. She's looking much better!

[vangremlin]

Glad to hear she's running pretty good and is being a reliable source of transportation.  While the leaks are aggravating none of them probably needs immediate attention, just keep an eye on the coolant level and you should be good!  It cleaned up real nice!!

[amarshall]

Looking good!  Sorry to hear about the rough idle, I know little stuff like that can ruin your day.  I agree with vangremlin, don't chase the leaks if you don't have to!