How Do You Define A Bad Engine? Our Cheap FB Marketplace Jeep Surprises Us

The listing said "needs engine". We bought this 99 XJ assuming the worst, and that the engine was junk, especially since at least three different mechanics looked at it and pronounced the 4.0 as DOA.
But, when we looked a little closer, we found one small detail that gave us the inspiration to dig in and see what was really going on.
Definitely not what we expected going in.
Here's how it went.
#classiccar #suv #revival #mopar #jeep
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[@vilefly]

This is the feeling you get that hooks you into being a mechanic. When you bring something everyone thought was dead back to life, it is very satisfying.

[@sometimesleela5947]

Plus it's a always fun to drive it by the guy you bought it from five hours earlier and wave :)

[@vilefly]

@@sometimesleela5947 That would be my brother who does that. He had no tact in those days.

[@wastelander89]

I agree 100 percent 💯

[@albundyrocks2115]

"I'm not going to touch it until I get to the new shop" That's what you said yesterday LOL

[@99jeepxjguy97]

😂

[@timcollins9287]

Here is your present but do not open it until Xmas. Glad you did though. Keep that L6 alive. Hard to beat that “tractor engine”.

[@martinauriemma2518]

Tomorrows vid will be how to replace a jeep Head gasket;)

[@MacandArney]

I worked for a small junkyard for a while back in '10 and '11. I was shocked at how many people were throwing cars away with "bad motors", and how often it was something simple and easily fixed. Many times, all we had to do was put gas in them.

[@donsims1941]

🤣 motors are like dogs there are no bad motors only bad mechanics. Except for the motors and dogs that are ACTUALLY BAD i.e. any motor or dog I can't fix 😂

[@charlescurran1289]

How many times was a customer told that the car needed an engine when it just needed a spark plug wire.

[@chancelange]

I spent much of my teen and early adult years diving vehicles others had written off! Hell, I still have some of them in my fleet 30 years later! Lol

[@rickreese5794]

💯🤙🏻😎

[@screwsinabell]

Anyone who junks a car when all it needs is some fuel is probably better off not having a car to begin with.

[@Jim-ic2of]

I had a bad motor . It kept sneaking out at night and Robbing Banks ! 😅😂😊

[@Kevin-Murphy-007]

😅😅😅😅😅😂😂😂😂

[@kaboom4679]

You'll get that on those big blocks ..

[@valvejob4215]

Robbing banks or sneaking money out of your wallet? 😂

[@Jim-ic2of]

@@valvejob4215 Oh ! , you had one too ! Hopefully it wasn't the same same one 😔.

[@indianaslim4971]

Found out by the sudden appearance of bundles of money in console, trunk, under seats?...I call that good car!

[@raybrensike42]

Well maybe the mechanics plugged it in and there maybe wasn't a code that tells you that somebody lost the clamp to the distributer or something.

[@99jeepxjguy97]

"mechanics" 😉

[@deadeyeMckilljoy]

4.0 is damn near immortal.

[@jaysmith179]

So is the Ford 300 6 cyl.

[@hughbarton5743]

Both super tough engines. Never actually saw a 300 fail, and I worked in Ford dealerships for a number of years. Also at a Jeep dealership....at that point in their long and rocky history, the trucks were pretty shaky, but the 4.0 was about as reliable as an anvil....

[@ctwolfgang433]

Got your answer. 4.0 unless it's hurt really bad, will run forever despite itself.

[@OtherDalfite]

My dad had an xj. Didn't know how to take care of cars really but damn he drained the radiator one time and it was completely rust brown. He filled it back up with hose water and it ran and ran till he sold it again. The 4.0 is a tough engine

[@screwsinabell]

The AMC 6 is an almost criminally stubborn design.

[@duane4972]

I got a deal on a '93 Cherokee, a car dealer thought it had a rod knock. I cranked it up, it knocked for a couple seconds then stopped. I knew it was a loose catalytic converter, when it starts it'll rattle a couple seconds and stop rattling. I drove it daily for 12 years and it had over 400 thousand miles on it when I sold it with a blown transfer case.

[@mvg-1776]

I bought a nice 78 cutlass cheap like that. They had swapped transmissions. Drove it for a bit it quit moving, and they thought the engine had developed a knock. I returned with the $200 and some new torque converter bolts. His expression when I drove off was priceless.

[@Sleepy_Js_Garage]

I love those stories. I bought a 65 Dart GT that had a 'seized motor'. I brought a trailer, paid $350, got the title, then decided to smack the starter with a rock. That 273 fired right up on 7 year old gas and drove on the trailer.

[@geoffreysmith3196]

You said you wouldn't mess with it until later, but you just couldn't resist, could you? Gearheads. Just like cats, curiosity always gets the better of them. At least you can sleep now. 😋

[@onewheelpeelproductions470]

This reminds me when I was given a dead car for free with a bad motor, turned out the gear on the distributor broke it's roll pin, 20 cents at the hardware store and I had it running again.

[@rickreese5794]

💯🤙🏻😎🤷🏿‍♂️😊

[@RipRoaringGarage]

Im happy I was right. I still feel that the head gasket will be fine though. I would swap out the plugs and cables, and then see how she behaves. I really do think you scored big on that Jeep. I do like the XJ vids. One day, would love to do a video together, in the shop or at the track once I get a bit more healthier.

[@v12alpine]

I dunno, the cranking right before it started it still sounded down a couple holes. The lifters should have been pumped up enough with a minute+ of cranking before hand.

[@lilmike2710]

Im sure ive told this story here before but i scored a Foxbody mustang back in the 90s from a man that said "it has a bad motor". . I bought it for $500 when mustangs were selling for $4000-$8000. Got it home and started it up, no smoke bu a horrible rattling that the previous owner said was a rod knocking. Long story short, it was a tin cover for the catalytic converter that had bolts worked loose. I tightened them up and it was my daily driver for years. 😁

[@Hubjeep]

1999 is one of the best years! No coil rail and no 0331 head. My 1999 has 249,500 miles. Unfortunately mine has some rust (NY winters plowing my neighbors driveways). Mine is also Stone White and a Classic with painted fender flares.

[@v12alpine]

Also first year of the thrust plate cam (no walking issues) and many other electrical and computer advancements (we can finally see misfire data!). Also the last year before they went high pinion. All around best year, agreed!

[@99jeepxjguy97]

Last hi pinion year. Then 00 went to lo pinion, same as TJ. But yes. I agree with the rest

[@Hubjeep]

@@99jeepxjguy97 Interesting! I had no idea there was a piston change. High is better than low?

[@99jeepxjguy97]

@@Hubjeep Yes. The '99 down had the hi pinion D30. Then in 00, it changed to the lo (standard) D30. Same as in the TJ. Probably because XJ was scheduleed to be discontinued, and TJ not til 06. Hi pinion stays mor clear of ground, and d shaft angle is less.

[@Hubjeep]

@@99jeepxjguy97 HA, I mis-read it as "piston", like there was some sort of piston skirt change, lol. Yes, that high-pinion makes sense! I had no idea they went to low in later years.

[@fireballxl-5748]

Once had a 383 Chrysler and the mileage dropped in half. Still ran pretty much okay but that mileage! Took a look and here the distributor cap was split completely in two and the clips were holding it together.

[@geraldcrippen1649]

Love it! I bought a car from someone who was told from a shop that it was blown and wanted $2500 to fix it. I bought it for $400 and it needed a fuel pump.

[@cudathehawgjetfixer7520]

This reminds me of a 1974 Ford Mustang II that I acquired back in 1998, the owner tried to do their own maintenance on the car but never worked on cars before, so after they changed to oil, oil filter, air filter, starter, cap plugs & wires, but the engine would not restart, it took me a few days but I got it to start and run, by that time the owner decided to give me the car because they felt it wasn't a good buy for them, so basically I got a car for free because the owner and their friends could figure out why it wouldn't start, they pull the distributor out to replace the points & condenser and installed the distributor 120° out of TDC, I just moved the plug wires to the new position and it fired right but found out that they installed the starter without the spacer and the bendixen was dragging on the flywheel, pulled the starter and installed a new spacer, and it ran great until it hit a pothole and dented the oil pan up against the sump pick up and starved the engine it oil, sold it to a wrecking yard for $75.00 because the owner wanted it to fix their Cobra II.

[@CapriciousBlackBox]

The lifter issue you mentioned does not preclude doing a compression test, it merely means you need to take that into account. A leak-down test should accompany the compression test on any suspect cylinders.

[@hansosl]

Yes ..uncle tony is wrong in this

[@NotAFingBootlicker]

?… hydraulic lifters require oil pressure to keep the valves closed, can’t build compression with valves partially open. Ideally to test pushrod engines with hydraulic lifters you should do a running compression test but you can only do that if the engine runs

[@kevindoherty2716]

​@@NotAFingBootlickerYour a little confused I think . Valves will close fine and completely with no oil as the valve springs are solely responsible for closing the valves on the base circle of the cam.Also the valves will still open just not as much as when there pumped up,.

[@davidleonard8369]

@@NotAFingBootlickerdon’t smoke any more of that stuff.

[@CapriciousBlackBox]

@@NotAFingBootlicker um, no…..that’s not how any of this works. Lifters don’t “keep valves closed” …quite the opposite actually. The problem would actually be that the valves *don’t open enough* to build compression….the exact opposite of what you said. Either way, if you listen to when he cranked the engine in the first video it clearly had at least some compression…engines don’t “lope” like that without some cylinders having compression. Either way my point stands, a compression test and leak-down test are still prudent to properly diagnose engine problems like this. What people don’t often realize about compression tests is that often what’s important isn’t the amount of compression, but the consistency of compression across all cylinders.

[@clembob8004]

That is a pretty damn good score for $750. It's amazing how many times a minor problem will lead the owner to believe the engine is toast when it's really not.

[@albertgaspar627]

and sometimes, the "shiny and new" crowd use a problem as a reason to get into debt over a "new to them" vehicle. they're sick of the warm AC, etc.

[@clembob8004]

@@albertgaspar627 Yeah, that's true, and the dealers pushing the "shiny and new" are only too happy to help them with that.

[@albertgaspar627]

@@clembob8004 and the thing is, both these folks are keeping the economy going :) but it's really not for me. i pay wholesale not retail.

[@saxmusicmail]

Saw a nice late '60's Dart with 340. Ran great. The owner had picked it up for a song because the engine was "bad". Just wouldn't run. He knew from how it sounded while cranking what it was. Towed it home, and it was as he thought, the distributor was 180* off. Pulled the dist, rotated, dropped it back in, set the timing and Voila!

[@randyedwards3244]

An even easier solution would have been to simply drop in a rotor from a Ford. The two rotors are identical EXCEPT for the indexing which is 180 degrees opposite.

[@old-fashionedJoe83]

Awesome! I love my 87! For me renix era Cherokees are the best. But any 4.0 will run forever if you treat it right, they're the EFI engines i never worry about converting to carb.

[@user-vt3yz7mx1o]

The heart of an XJ is the inline six, if you put in an 8 it's not an XJ any more.

[@99jeepxjguy97]

Agreed. Especially if desiring a reliable tow rig

[@clembob8004]

Yeah, then it's an XJ+

[@kaboom4679]

You will be hard pressed to find a V8 of similar displacement that has the same amount of low RPM torque as the 4.0 and it's predecessors . That's what makes these I6 engines so damned nice . The 258 I6 and the 304 V8 were usually optional in the same Jeep vehicles , and they made identical torque number . The I6 just made it's peak torque 1,000 RPM below that of the V8 . So unless you are going for serious high ROM usage and stupid amounts of power , the I6 is very nearly the perfect engine for these . The 4 bangers with manual transmissions are not great ( but tolerable .) and a 4 banger with the automatic is going to be an absolute DOG . Also , the 4 banger ones have specific mount locations different from the I6 XJs , so a 4 banger XJ ( or Wrangler ) is the better choice for a V8 swap , since the I6 is so good as is . You will have to cut the motor mounts off in most every case anyway , so better to cut the 4 banger up then butcher a factory 6 cylinder vehicle IMO . There were a few companies selling saddle mounts for 5.0 conversions that used the factory motor mount locations , but I don't know if they are still making them .

[@RYTHMICRIOT]

@kaboom4679 there's a video here on KZbin somewhere that has a 4.0 XJ hook bumpers with Hemi powered 4WD Ram. The XJ drug the RAM all over the parking lot with ease. Anyone who says to put a V8 in this is not a Jeep person.

[@jeremyhanna3852]

​@@kaboom4679that's why you put a 4200 L6 vortec from a trailblazer 100 hp more 50 more torque Entire engine 1" shorter 100 lbs lighter Use the 4l60e put jeep 231 transfer case on its easy

[@cenewton3221]

I've owned 2 Cherokees with the 4.0L and my first inclination when I saw the original video was something related to timing. Those engines just don't die like that, lose all compression without a damn good reason. So yeah, she's a runner all right! Well done!

[@Levibetz]

Next thing you know Tony is gonna get a Gremlin and become a full on AMC guy. 4.0l bolts right in!

[@99jeepxjguy97]

Gremlins are actually a pretty cool car. But, again, AMC, so . . .

[@Levibetz]

@@99jeepxjguy97 They're on the same chassis as the Javelin that was specifically designed to win Trans Am, and successfully did so. I think they're pretty cool. Light, short wheelbase, and fits just about any engine you'd like.

[@99jeepxjguy97]

Thank you I didn't know they shared the Javelin chassis. Another cool thing I like about Gremlins, is that a 304 V8 was also an option.👍

[@mpetersen6]

304. A smogged down dog. But they can be woken up. An 1/8th overbore, 360 heads for bigger valves and a cam is a start. The 304 was not used for TransAm racing. In 68 and 69 they used a 290 opened up .094". From 70 on the Javelins used a Special Service Block. Basically a 360* with 390/401 coolant passages and main webs for 4 bolt mains. The motor was destroked to get under the 305 CID engine limit. No, not an LA 360.

[@99jeepxjguy97]

@@mpetersen6 I do now recall something about the 290, now that you said it. But the point I guess I was making, was, thhe Gremlin had a V8 available. So if a 290 or 360 fit , then way cool!

[@fknbastages]

It's exactly what you thought when it wouldn't start. Two cylinders.

[@zoftigbeatnik]

I bought a 97 Grand Cherokee for a $1000 6 years ago. It finally gave out when the transmission stopped shifting after 2nd gear. I loved that car.

[@bannedfromtheshow8188]

This is the kind of video the average guy can relate to. Much more interesting than vehicle builds with unlimited budgets.

[@eric5250]

Try tapping the injectors with a screwdriver or something. Fixed my dads 4.0 that way.

[@duane4972]

Eric, and U Tony, if it doesn't have the factory shield around the exhaust manifold, the heat will kill the injectors, might be awhile but eventually will happen.

[@Sleepy_Js_Garage]

Thats how I picked up my 89 XJ. It was running on 5, and I bought it for $50. Unhooked the injectors, prayed the connectors, smacked the injectors, and It started running on all 6.

[@bunning63]

​@Sleepy_Js_Garage Always amazing how violence can solve an issue!

[@B1Springfield]

I bought a 96 F350 crew cab from a junkyard for $750. They were unsure of the condition of the motor. I replaced the fuel pumps and fuel pressure regulator and she started and runs smoothly. 7.5 460 lol. Even drove it around the block and the transmission shifted smooth.

[@bren42069]

Sweet man. A bona fide utg revival. I dig it

[@SilverBullet93GT]

when Uncle Tony said "we're gonna save this thing" i was so excited i subscribed again :)

[@richardlewis4288]

Awesome troubleshooting Uncle Tony!

[@VikingPatar]

I have a challenge to you Tony, buy a late 80's IROC-Z Camaro that has overheating issues after a radiator, water pump and thermostat replacement. I have never owned a vehicle with so many issues and I'd like to see how you'd tackle these money pits.

[@daviddahlgren8522]

I’d bet the cooling passages in the block on that IROC are full of rust.

[@charlielong262]

I daily drive a 1989 BMW 750iL with the V12 engine that scares most people off from buying one. It had a "bad engine", bought it from a guy for $500 because it wouldn't run. He had literally called the junkyard to have them come pick it up right before I called about it, but I figured the cats were worth the entry fee plus the 210mm limited slip diff was worth a grand. I did some electrical troubleshooting, and determined it was a bad central ignition computer. For $27 from a junkyard I got the car running. The AC worked. It passed smog. The self leveling suspension worked. The single stage Glasso paint polished up perfectly. That was in 2017, I've put 50k miles on my $500 BMW now. It is a fantastic vehicle.

[@theobster]

My first car was an Austin Mini the first of 5, my grandad taught me everything I needed to keep those cars on the road for almost no money. Tough little A series with point/coil ignition and a single SU. He always said ‘ If it’s not running right 95% it’s ignition 4% carb 1% the engine’ I miss the wonderful simplicity of running a car back then.

[@Beanerds]

Awesome Uncle Tony , reminds me of when my oldest Son had troubles with his 1979 Australian CM 245ci HEMI6 sedan . One of his mates took the distributer out and never reset the engine to #1 TDS before refitting , OUCH , it bent 2 push rods that I found when I reset the ignition timing properly , took 1/2 an hour to sort out , when my Son and his mates played around with it for over a week , 3 batteries etc. then gave up . The best thing was teaching them all how to get it all set up from the very start , just like I was shown by my Dad when I was their age , sweet .

[@rcnelson]

Knowing how to fix things can lead to great finds like this Jeep. I'm envious.

[@HikaruSorano05]

The wait was killing me!

[@jeanjeudi1111]

Yes you absolutely scored, the excellent body is worth a lot more than 750 bucks. Used engines are available for a decent price and that is if you even need one as it turns out. My old Laredo is also utterly free of rust. XJs are a perfect size, just enough room for most everything you normally do, visibility is excellent, can carry stuff on the roof plus they can tow. If you're happy with 2wd then that's great, a little lighter, quicker, ride and steer a little better and feel a bit more nimble than 4wd but all XJs are fun to drive. Doesn't hurt that XJ parts are cheap and they last forever.

[@donaldgilbreath4200]

I bought a wennebago for the motor for my 77 Volare. I bought it for $300. But here's the kicker it had a title and it ran just fine when they parked it, but someone broke in and vandalized and tore up the whole interior. They had canceled the insurance and let the registration run out because they were not going to use it that winter, a couple months after they canceled the insurance is when it was Vandalized.

[@OTTO-1303]

Love those 4.0’s

[@TheLowerman]

Reminds me of the time I got my Buddy Tony Peters 68 Fury 3 running. This was in the early 80’s. It was sitting in front of his Mum’s house for years. Ended up being a stuck starter solenoid. Love it when shit comes together!!

[@dragonsbreath1984]

Tony, you make me re-learn all the old corps shit I forgot when I was a teenager.

[@fr33dumb0]

Top tier automotive content!! LOVING the XJ stuff!!! Keep it coming!!!

[@cudadog11]

I'd say gasket blew first, then dizzy broke from vibrations of running on 4cyl.

[@edpoe4622]

I worked at a junkyard, a guy sold us his car that his mechanic couldn't get running after replacing the clutch, he didn't install the bellhousing bolt that held the ground cable, I had it running and driving in 15 minutes!

[@DocESP]

Nice find! Well done, brother!

[@tomjackson4374]

It sounds like there are a lot of people calling themselves mechanics who aren't. When I was younger and working a cheap job, struggling, my beater broke down so I went to the parts store and misnamed a part I needed. The guy behind the counter gave me one of those "You poser" looks and it really pissed me off. I said, "Look man, I am not pretending to be a mechanic. I am here because I can't afford to pay somebody like you to fix it and I need it." Now it's even worse, so Tony, there are a lot of us who aren't mechanics and without your knowledge. You are the car wizard, and teaching the next generation is a favor to us all. Thank God you are teaching them ethics too.

[@tompat9166]

This was a great video, finding a misjudged engine, slap some knowledge and used parts on it. It's a good looking vehicle that you made a great deal on. I know I wouldn't have found these issues.

[@justinmcsweeney9385]

Happy to hear it worked out for you for the most part.

[@joeycornchopper8152]

Tony I can tell with a smile in your face you had it running already lol

[@tdhyig5045]

Great info. Easy to understand. Nice clear pics. Thank you .God bless

[@slvrktman7824]

Would be nice if everyone had an uncle Tony!

[@joewildwest2241]

uncle tony is cool , regular human

[@VintageLifeCars]

Well done Tony! (but for God's sake change those fugly headlights!)

[@ProblemChild-xk7ix]

More things to check before pulling the head.

[@Hydrogenblonde]

So much for all these "professional mechanics" that looked at it and the motor is totalled .

[@marcs6223]

Glad to see that you don't need to pull the motor and swap it out. Nice to show people how to troubleshoot. Great as always UTG !!

[@timrayburn2461]

Another gd one,thanks Tony

[@brandonburdette7895]

Man Tony what a deal you got a great jeep for under a thousand bucks with a little bit of work definitely going be a great vehicle 👏 👌

[@kennydee8296]

this reminds me of the episode of Wheeler Dealers where a guy sold a Porsche Boxter cheap because the gearbox was stuffed, not shifting properly and all it needed was a transmission service - opportunities

[@GwynnOak1]

Gotta LOVE those blown engine cars! I once bought local record holder, for a song, that not one, not two, but three "experts" had diagnosed as dead. It did take five hours just to undo the expets work, and get to the original problem. Which as it turned out, was the guy I brought it from being a deadbeat. Ended up he never finished paying for the car, got some Domino in the tank! Which ended up in the fuel pump, locked it solid, wiped the lobe off the cam. My fix? Clean all the crap out, electric pump, and happy motoring. Yep love them blown engines!

[@HarrisA99]

That’s awesome. Great job

[@autonomous_collective]

The wife didi it. She wanted a new car. 😅🤣😂😃

[@brianlevan339]

Thanks great video.

[@tetra4411]

I once had the plastic key on the distributor rotor brake. Making it move and unable to get the timing down. Rebuilt the motor then finally discovered the real issue.

[@johnsmith7676]

Ouch.

[@jessiebrooks3511]

I recently acquired a 59 Chevy 3100 truck. 235 straight 6, 3 speed Saginaw, straight forward common for its day. Previous owner said engine was done, locked up, couldn't be saved. They had it for a couple of years as an intended project after retirement, decided it was just too much of a project for them and gave it to me. Within a couple of hours had the engine rotating and cranking. They'd ask for my help a few times previously and of course I always affirmed I'd help if called on, they never called. It'd been a farm truck most of it's used life, he'd found it underneath a collapsed barn in a field. Score for me, rusted out in the usual spots, no big deal but all in all pretty good shape for its age. Just shows with a little work, unless they've had extra vent hole blown through the block or crank case, you can usually get them to run again.

[@jefftschetter5881]

UTG rules!!!!! Much luv from Buffalo N.Y.

[@MoparDen]

Love the XJ content ! Keep it rolling!

[@thegalli]

Fun video, love rolling the dice on stuff like this. "Just don't be scared!" great motto on this one

[@EYE_SPIDER]

Cool video and breakdown brotha!

[@damyanovasen]

Had a similar experience yesterday. Car had failing head gasket symptoms. Did some research and it turned out the head-bolts on this specific engine come loose sometimes. Sure enough they were loose. Tightened them. No more issues

[@TonyGeneseo]

That made me smile 😁

[@josephszot5545]

When you said the distributor was loose I broke into laughter.

[@robbieautrey3158]

Nice score Uncle Tony, i'm sure you can make that thing road worthy again..

[@FrankF-vp4pt]

Nice work UT!

[@cactuscanuck6802]

Definitely a score! Even with needing a head gasket

[@v12alpine]

Your second theory is unlikely because rotating the distributor won't change the timing at all. Worst case it might start jumping spark to the wrong cylinder. The timing is controlled entirely by the crank sensor, and the cam sensor is only used to sync onto the correct stroke.

[@Wildman9]

Hi Tony , You lucky bun of a stiche . You always find the most insane deals . Pretty soon you'll have enough vehicles to open , Uncle Tony's used and refurbished cars and trucks , motorcycles, mini bikes , go kart store in town . Whew .

[@mph5896]

Hey, at least it moves under its own power. That is a HUGE thing with junkers.

[@DavidLeslie65]

Back in the early 80's I found a spotless 69 f250 ranger camper special no rust and less than 50k miles. The owner has a breakdown and a tow over 150 miles and wanted $500. My friend and I had several trucks and know the quirky issues with them. After 30 minutes we worked out a price and with a rope and a Chevy low rider down the road we went and pulled into a Texaco where we put $5 gas and a jump start drive it for several years. Best $50 ever paid to me to get it out of his driveway and Its problem as all the Ford's had is gas gauge reads quarter tank when empty

[@renflo86]

Awesome ! find

[@WhiskeyThrottleWilliam]

Awesome!

[@tvdroid22]

Got my first car many years ago because the distributor was loose and had spun around til it wouldn't run. My dad pulled it out of sight, pulled over, corrected the problem, started it up and drove it home. Got a '90 Ramcharger similarly for $500. The owner said it didn't run well and was a gas hog. The air filter was literally like a brick. The O2 sensor had obviously never been changed, and the u-joints were powder. Fixed those three things and it ran great, and mileage went from 7mpg to 15. Unreal. It was my daily driver for the next 5 years! Unreal.

[@tomchristianson]

You do good research...

[@mikeclendenin612]

Way to go Tony 🎉

[@slade9372]

Love mechanical detective work!

[@keithroute8906]

Nice the flamingo crate is alive. Way to go Tony.

[@erich8422]

Good job 👍

[@TAVOAu]

Another win of sorts. What's a VRS set compared to a completely pooched engine? 👍

[@neilrideout408]

Well done

[@SKYNET9er]

You da man uncle T

[@clutchkicker392ison5]

Nice, love that grin. Take that W.

[@c.j.7752]

Back in the early 90s. I bought an 81 Fiesta for a 100.00 that wouldn't stay running. Fixed it for 5.00 with 2 bottles of dry gas. Drove it for 2 years.

[@PavelZajec]

He shoots, he scores. Uncle Tony for the win!

[@jeremyoshea7941]

Really good, if you could do this every month, found your nitch, great story! Really good at telling and teaching it😊

[@nhra7110]

still a very nice score!

[@Oxmix66]

I bought a 1973 Plymouth Baracuda with what the owner told me needed a valve job. I took the car to work and put a scope on it to see what I was looking at. To my joy, the only problem with the engine was a bad spark plug wire causing a misfire. I could only assume that the mechanic who diagnosed the misfire wanted to buy the car and told the owner that it needed a valve job when it only need a new spark plug wire.

[@jamesmarze9850]

Yeah Tony!!!

[@sportydoubledee]

That test light trick is cool never seen that