Hi everybody, A while ago a buddy of mine picked up a '77 Maverick 2 door with a 250c.i. six. I liked this car right away, looks cool, different than a Mustang etc. I helped my buddy out yanking the motor so he could do a rebuild on it. After we re-installed the motor it burnt oil. My buddy got sick of dealing with it, plus he has '66 Bronco that is his real love. So he's giving it to me. The body is solid, very minor rust. Inerior is o.k. except the seats are pretty beat up. Here's my question(s). Any ideas on why the thing is burning oil? Also, does anyone make seat covers to fit my seats? Thanks, Saul
Welcome to the board Saul. In order to help answer your question, we'd need more information. Does the car smoke all the time? Does the car smoke only when cold? Dose the car smoke at all? What type of rebuild was done on the engine (just rings and bearings?) Were the cylinder walls honed, machined or bastard filed ? The more information you give will help us diagnose your problem. BTW, I think you got the better deal of the two! Good luck, Rick
Hi Rick, Thanks for the reply. I don't really notice the car smoking at all, no blue or white tinge to the exhaust. The guy I got it from is a machinist so I'm sure any machining that needed to be done was done. Also, the car seems to have really bad fuel economy for an engine of this size. Take care, S
welcome aboard saul! and welcome to the maverick family. first the gas mileage. if the engine is broken in, what kind of mpg are we talking? assuming your buddy is a good machinist, my first gut thought is valve seals. if it isn't broken in yet, (help me out guys) some oil consumption should be "normal" until everything wears in. just my .02
Welcome aboard. You definately need to fill us in with more information so we can help. If there's no smoke, how do you know its burning oil? How much are you using? Pull the plugs and see what they look like.
Hey folks, Thanks for your replies everybody. I don't have the Mav at my house yet, its still at my buddy's dads farm. Hopefully I'll get it home this week, then I will be able to more accurately describe what is going on. S
As to the seat covers, there's a company called Custom Interiors. I got mine there to recover the benches in my Stallion and they look great. It's a do-it-yourself kit, all inclusive. Their phone is 1-800-423-6053. Their customer service is very good also. It's significantly cheaper than an upholstery shop and looks virtually original.
The guy you bought it from... ...you might learn something here. I laughed when I read your post ..'the guy I got it from is a machinist...' My dad was a mechanic and our cars were always the LAST ones to see any wrench time. Unfortunately the seller being a machinist or mechanic does not guarantee that there is nothing that has been overlooked or neglected mechanically. It is my experience that many mechanics will let things go until they have to fix them. Not ALL of them, but many of them. I think it has to do with their comfort level of the problem, they know what is a big issue and what isn't. Just my .02 of personal experience. You might check around for lots of leaks as well as the possibility of it burning oil. Seth
Re: The guy you bought it from... Man, didn't you hit the nail on the head or what seth?? My dad is a mechanical genious, and over the years I have picked up much of what he has to offer. His car is always in a bad state of repair, recently he drove weeks with metal to metal on both axles (not too wise) and drove months with no radiator cap! I unfortunetly wind up fixing everyone elses car too before mine. You are right, it all has to do with comfort level. Knowing how something works allows you to get that last extra mile out of it and more.
