85 CV "chugging "

[RiggRMortis]

Can't think of another way to describe it.

When doing Highway speeds it's fine. But when I let off the gas it feels like it's pulling to slow down. Like in a manual car and you downshift to slow down. It's not bad, but I can feel it slightly, and most of all I can hear it. Not sure if it's the exhaust note I'm hearing, or something else.

It mostly does it over 45, but it does it sometimes at lower speeds. Does it in both drive and overdrive.

Saw something about the u-joints in the axle causing this, or possibly the rear gears?

[sly]

is it like a louder road noise? when it happens or does the car actually have a little lurching to it?

If just the noise... might be a wheel bearing, u-joints, unbalanced drive shaft, flat spot on a tire, tire imbalance, bad engine timing, pinion bearing, trans mount, umm... maybe a few other things to check too... but that's enough. If there's lurching too... there could be some bad teeth on the rear gears or REALLY bad u-joints (like seized), but you'd tend to feel that at some lower speeds too.

[pantera77]

Sure it's not a misfire your feeling?

[RiggRMortis]

is it like a louder road noise? when it happens or does the car actually have a little lurching to it?

If just the noise... might be a wheel bearing, u-joints, unbalanced drive shaft, flat spot on a tire, tire imbalance, bad engine timing, pinion bearing, trans mount, umm... maybe a few other things to check too... but that's enough. If there's lurching too... there could be some bad teeth on the rear gears or REALLY bad u-joints (like seized), but you'd tend to feel that at some lower speeds too.

It both a noise and a lurching. (much better word for it BTW) But I can't feel it as much as I hear it. I'm going to check the joints on Thursday. I'm hoping it's that, because it's a cheap easy fix, but nothing is ever that simple. Lol

[RiggRMortis]

Sure it's not a misfire your feeling?

Could be. Idles fine and drives fine except for this and wanting to die at stops when it's been on the highway for a while. But that clears up after it cools a bit.

[pantera77]

Pop it in neutral next time it happens. I'd wager to bet it's a misfire your feeling/hearing when the converter is locked in 3rd and 4th. I know my 85 did it do in CFI form.

[RiggRMortis]

Pop it in neutral next time it happens. I'd wager to bet it's a misfire your feeling/hearing when the converter is locked in 3rd and 4th. I know my 85 did it do in CFI form.

How do I fix it? lol

Is it going to hurt anything to keep driving it the way it is?

[sly]

top end tune up (plugs/wires/cap/rotor) stuff... check them out... if anything is bad, replace it. Check the EGR to see if it needs cleaning. If the timing chain has never been replaced, you may have plastic gears that need replacing.

[IPreferDIY]

... Is it going to hurt anything to keep driving it the way it is?

I would have to say a big fat YES! If something goes out of spec, that puts a strain on other things, and the problem just keeps compounding. On the other hand, you might get lucky for awhile. My landlady has been driving with one of the rotating parts connected to the serpentine belt squeaking for many months with no bad luck yet, but it's just a matter of time before it seizes and causes other problems.

[sly]

if it's just a tire with a flat spot, it should roll out over time, but if it's any of the mechanicals, yeah... it'll only get worse and lead to more tears.

[RiggRMortis]

It's definitely not a tire. New rubber was put on last year, after which it was only driven once a week.

I'll get it up on the ramps and check things out tomorrow. Need to figure out where my exhaust leak is too.

[RiggRMortis]

Well, didn't have time to check it out due to a sick wife and ER+doctors. (She's alright, BTW.)

However, I noticed that it's started shifting out of gear pretty hard when I let off the gas at speed (above 30MPH), and there is a slight whining sound when taking off from a stop, not sure where it's coming from. Checking the tranny fluid was useless, as there's bubbles all over the dipstick so I can't get a clean reading.

I'm starting to think this car isn't as great a deal as I thought it was.

[Brown_Muscle]

Bubbles, as in foamy bubbles? if it's on the dipstick that's a good sign, but it may be low if it's frothing.

[RiggRMortis]

Bubbles, as in foamy bubbles? if it's on the dipstick that's a good sign, but it may be low if it's frothing.

Not really "foamy" just little bubbles. But they are all over the dipstick so it's impossible to get a good reading.

[DerekTheGreat]

...Checking the tranny fluid was useless, as there's bubbles all over the dipstick so I can't get a clean reading.

I'm starting to think this car isn't as great a deal as I thought it was.

My '85 CV had bubbles all over the dipstick too when I got it. That's usually caused by the fluid level being too high. If it is you better get one of those suction pumps and suck that crap out of there as pumping air is bad news bears.

My '85 was the biggest POS I ever bought. I thought it was great, just needed to "replace the IAC" or idle stepper motor because it had a high idle and replace the valve cover gaskets because they were leaking. Then I learned that ford cfi isn't like GM's TBI. CFI sucks. Best thing you can do for that car is rebuild the choke-pull off diaphram (yeah, uses a choke like mechanism for cold operation) find and fix all vacuum leaks, clean out the EGR & bypass that dumb cooler that ford put on it and make sure all vacuum lines are routed correctly. Once I learned the ways of CFI I got mine to run pretty well but I hated having to press the gas to start it and how it had 0 balls. POS. I do not miss it.