I am with Ernie on this, get the brake booster fixed, and then re-evaluate your
feelings on the engine after that. This job would be fairly minor compared to
doing the engine at this point. The engine might run smooth enough that you
don't feel urgent about the rebuild.
Even if the engine isn't running perfectly, if you really love having the use
of your Imperial, you could drive it anyway. It sounds like you plan on
rebuilding the engine someday, and it won't hurt it to run it as long as you
keep a close eye on fluid levels and other critical information. Having low
compression on a couple of cylinders isn't the end of the world, and as Ernie
says, that reading could be due to the massive vacuum leak in the brake
booster.
Also, it could be that you need to replace a head gasket, and that isn't too
bad of a job either.
Paul
In a message dated 10/25/2003 1:28:49 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
estepney@xxxxxxxxx writes:
> The vacuum leak at the booster might be the cause of the low power on a
>couple of cylinders. I would fix the booster and see how it goes.
> Ernie
> -----Original Message-----
> From: mailing-list-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>[mailto:mailing-list-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
>Imperial59crown@xxxxxxx
> Sent: October 24, 2003 8:23 PM
> To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: IML: Bad news for my '59
>
>
> Today I received the bad news from my mechanic that my '59 Imperial has very
>poor combustion from two cylinders now, and a leak in the brake booster, which
>would account for its lack of power lately, and poor braking. Now I am faced
>with the decision to either rebuild the engine, and brake booster, which will
>cost anywhere in the area of $5,000.00 for the engine alone, or store the car
>for a while until I have some time to shop around, and accumulate the funds
>for this undertaking. I am going towards storing the car, since it is becoming
>difficult to keep driving, having to put it in neutral at each stop light so
>the engine does not die out. My question is does 5 grand sound like a lot to
>rebuild an engine, and that is
> most likely the minimum with this mechanic?
>
> Bill '59 Crown
Back to the Home of the Forward Look Network