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'80 Brat: Can't get it started...compression?


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post-52387-0-76602000-1394247278_thumb.jpgpost-52387-0-76602000-1394247278_thumb.jpgHi All,

 

New here.  I am trying to find some direction on how to move forward with my new Brat.  My mechanic doesn't really know how to move forward, other than checking the valves and seeing if I have some blown cylinders. 

 

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you. 

 

 

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just bought it. may have overheated a bit. now it wont start.  it cranks, but my mechanic wants to open up the engine to see what the issue is.  i love the car, and i would like to fix it.  not sure if a rebuild would be possible. idk if there is any damage to the engine block.  

 

previous owner had it sitting for a long time on a farm in SoCal. 

 

has 189,000 original miles. 

Edited by ctapia88
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 hi,

  you didn't say how much you ran the motor, or how you got it started in the first place.  if you did not drain the old gas out of the tank and put in fresh gas to run it,  it might have caused  some of the valves to stick, old gas can do that.  if it ran ok till you turned it off,  that might be what happened,   it will cause  compression loss if it is  exhaust valves or  blow compression up through the carburetor if it's  intake valves.    if you got it running from a fresh gas source then that is not so much an issue. 

 first thing to do is run a compression test to see if it has compression,, , yes,    then proceed to see if it is getting spark at the plugs,  if yes,   then go to fuel delivery, some others here can help with that the pump does not run just by turning the ignition switch to "on" position.    

 if you "do not have compression" ,  then the  heads and possibly pistons need inspected,  basically engine dismantle to determine what is wrong.    i see from the pic the distributor is out of it , no matter,  a compression test  will still be a valid test.    basically you need to have compression,  spark,   and fuel delivery,  it will run.   once it's running you need to determine if the head gaskets are sealing,   if not,,  it  lets compression into cooling system or water into the oil ,,   that is somewhat common thing and pretty easy fix, but still a heads removal job.   do some testing then post again, folks will help out. 

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hi, thanks for the feedback.  I will be checking the valves next week.  Hopefully not too much damge internally.  The Brat sat on a farm for years, until some decided to paint it a nasty green color and sell it to me. 

 

will come back with the results.

 

worst case scenario, anyone know where i can find a ea71 replacement? i will start asking around some junkyards. 

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I like the green. It's different.

 

I would follow ru's suggestion. Mine stopped running shortly after I bought it and it ended up being a combination of fuel filter, old/corroded spark wires, and valve adjustment. Good luck.

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