So I've had my 90' Bird for a few months now, and have developed some issues I'd like come advice on. It's my first car, so I really don't have anything to compare it to, especially since it's a 26 year old car.
1: My car seems to take a while to start. Instead of going rurrr-vroom! like both my parents' cars, It goes rurrr-rurrr-rurrr-rurrr-vroom! It's never stalled on me, but occasionally the RPMs will jump around like crazy for a few moments after starting. The idle is also pretty rough when the AC is on sometimes. I cleaned the throttle body, which helped...minutely. Is this normal for a car of this age, or is there something amiss? I got the battery and alternator tested, they were fine, but the Autozone guy said my engine sounded "not good at all".
2: So after he said that, I was wondering what a "normal, healthy" SC engine sounds like, just to compare. Does anyone have a video or something that I can use for reference? I do know the AC compressor is making a racket, so that's maybe what he noticed, but I'm unsure.
3: What can I do to clean up the engine without harming it? It was owned by an 80 y/o woman, who used it for short trips to the store, and it often sat in her garage for long periods of time. I cleaned the throttle body, but was worried it might harm the supercharged engine. I bought a can of seafoam, to see if it would fix the rough idle, but I'm hesitant since its supercharged. Are my worries valid? What else could I do?
I apologize for this long post. I didn't want to spam the forum with a bunch of topics. But I'd love your help, and I really appreciate it. I really want to fix and maintain this car myself, but I'm not sure where to start, if It even needs fixing. Thanks for the help!
1: My car seems to take a while to start. Instead of going rurrr-vroom! like both my parents' cars, It goes rurrr-rurrr-rurrr-rurrr-vroom! It's never stalled on me, but occasionally the RPMs will jump around like crazy for a few moments after starting. The idle is also pretty rough when the AC is on sometimes. I cleaned the throttle body, which helped...minutely. Is this normal for a car of this age, or is there something amiss? I got the battery and alternator tested, they were fine, but the Autozone guy said my engine sounded "not good at all".
2: So after he said that, I was wondering what a "normal, healthy" SC engine sounds like, just to compare. Does anyone have a video or something that I can use for reference? I do know the AC compressor is making a racket, so that's maybe what he noticed, but I'm unsure.
3: What can I do to clean up the engine without harming it? It was owned by an 80 y/o woman, who used it for short trips to the store, and it often sat in her garage for long periods of time. I cleaned the throttle body, but was worried it might harm the supercharged engine. I bought a can of seafoam, to see if it would fix the rough idle, but I'm hesitant since its supercharged. Are my worries valid? What else could I do?
I apologize for this long post. I didn't want to spam the forum with a bunch of topics. But I'd love your help, and I really appreciate it. I really want to fix and maintain this car myself, but I'm not sure where to start, if It even needs fixing. Thanks for the help!
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