Last summer I bought a 1980 Corona Liftback Luxury Edition with low miles and exceptional body and interior. I was SO pleased to get it. However, it has turned out to be more of a nightmare than a dream. PLEASE offer any constructive input, particularly if you are a mechanic and/or have experience with a similar circumstance.
Specs: 20R engine 2.2L 2bbl 5 speed.
History/problem: The car sat for extended periods before I acquired it. As a result, it had a lot of sediment and rust in the fuel tank. It ran, but got terrible mileage (only about 15 mpg). So I had a mechanic friend from church check it out. He rebuilt the carb. Problem soon got worse, it now got 10 mpg and occasionally bucked (sort of like "bunny hopping" when you don't clutch properly) and died. Upon his recommendation (and the recommendation of a parts store) I cleaned the tank as best I could with MEK and then coated it with a product called Red Kote. Seemed to run ok for a while but with no real improvement in mileage, then the problem got worse again. Still only 10 mpg and the bucking and dying got more common. We determined that the coating was flaking loose from the inside of the tank and working its way through the fuel system. Had a stainless tank built by a machine shop, had my mechanic friend install the tank, clear out the lines, and clean the carb. Got new fuel pump and filter. Now it won't run at all. His current theory is a bad ignition module; a part which retails nearly $300 and NO salvage yard parts seem to exist.
I've thrown so much $ at this car and become so frustrated and disappointed that I can neither afford nor justify close to $300 in hopes that the problem MIGHT get solved. If you have any alternative theories and/or ideas for a potential cheap/easy fix please enlighten me.
Sorry this was so long, I summarized as best I could. Like I said earlier, thanks for any constructive input.
Karl