Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.
Yeah I was in the same boat and my go to was Moog. With their lack of respect to details I ended up with some mevotech parts. Mevotech has the cheap through higher quality parts. Hard to tell the quality since I have not used them longer enough to tell. I have mevotech upper control arms and sway bars links on early 2004 expedition. The lower arm is Moog. Moog did not have the correct upper arm and would not acknowledge build dates. Called their tech support and not much help either. It did get their attention that the OEM parts did build dates. Spent lots of time in getting the right parts. And then the alignment became the next hurdle. So in short bolt them up to the witness marks so alignment is easier I guess. I like to have the weight on the arms so the bushing are in their home location.
Seafoam the engine. My '06 was bring a litre every 1500km or so (1000 miles). I also added Restore engine treatment to the oil. It's now time for the next oil change and it has not burned a drop. Oil control rings get plugged up, sometimes they need a little help to get the juices flowing again. I also ran Marvel Mystery oil in the fuel for a couple of tanks. She's getting pretty rotted now and will be heading to the bone yard but I've gotten great service from her over the almost 4 years I had her .
Maxie Wildes
New Member
Do a compression test. Sounds like you may have a weak cyl. At high RPM's, if pressure passes by the Piston rings (blow by), it will then push oil up to the crankcase vent and then to the intake where it is burned in the combustion Chambers. You won't see the smoke because it is Burt in the cataletic converter, then at the lower RPM'S, there is not enough blow by to push the oil, until it gets really bad.
Just a thought.
Just a thought.
JExpedition07
That One Member
At 330,000 miles some cylinders aren’t as strong as others that’s a given. I’d think it’s not even worth it to compression test it we already know she’s old and firing on 7 (lol).
Just milk the engine as far as it’ll go, you got some good suggestions here to alleviate the consumption.
Just milk the engine as far as it’ll go, you got some good suggestions here to alleviate the consumption.
If and when I get from current 191k to 330k I will probably move to a 10-40wt synthetic...to fill in the gaps! LOL
1955moose
Full Access Members
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2014
- Posts
- 6,004
- Reaction score
- 1,351
Could you imagine 30 years back getting 300k out of a American V8 engine? Back then, if you past 100k with nothing major going south, you considered yourself lucky. The only vehicles that got 300k were Toyota's and Datsun's. If you had the money, a Mercedes, but not the 4 cylinders. Chevy's and Ford's started getting wonky around 125-150 k. That's just the way it was, and you knew it.
Sent from my N9131 using Tapatalk
Sent from my N9131 using Tapatalk
Check my post #27. I haven't heard of these gumming up oil rings but some cars really do and this will help almost unbelievably.
Restore is the ONLY snake oil treatment I have seen really work for oil. The motor honeys and lucas just make it so thick it of course leaks less. Restore is less than 30wt oil but works.
Yeah but those 1970’s and 80’s rice burners would rust out before the engines seized. I owned a 1977
Datsun 280Z that just deteriorated from under me.
So I bought a Vega!
Oh my! I think that was a downgrade even in the rust area...
1955moose
Full Access Members
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2014
- Posts
- 6,004
- Reaction score
- 1,351
Oh my God a Vega! You went from a state of the art car, the Z, to one of the worst cars in history, yikes. I owned 2 Z cars, a first year 240, and a 80 280ZX. The 240 had a little rust in the door rockers, normal for those, and the 280 had no rust. Both were parked outside here in Daly City, about 5 miles from the Beach. See I wash and wax my vehicles regularly, is one reason why they don't rust. You guys in the Midwest have that damned salt for the snow that chews through metal like a 1980's Pacman!
Sent from my N9131 using Tapatalk
Sent from my N9131 using Tapatalk
1955moose
Full Access Members
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2014
- Posts
- 6,004
- Reaction score
- 1,351
You can sprinkle powdered sugar on a turd, but it's still a turd! No offense but I had a friend that had one, and he kept a spare engine in the garage of his mom's house when the old one gave up the ghost. My 56 VW was just as bad, a fresh engine we called it. My bug and others, started having issues around 50-60k. Just the way it was. I used to adjust valves every 2500, new points/plugs every 3-4k. Don't get me started on how often I had to adjust those 4 wheel drum brakes!
Sent from my N9131 using Tapatalk
Sent from my N9131 using Tapatalk
1955moose
Full Access Members
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2014
- Posts
- 6,004
- Reaction score
- 1,351
Yeah, yours at least ran. I think besides strength, they shaped the beetle like a snail, or turtle, because that was about as fast as they went. 0-60 speed, in about an hour! Did yours at least have front disc brakes?
Sent from my N9131 using Tapatalk
Sent from my N9131 using Tapatalk
stamp11127
Full Access Members
Y'all keep talking trash about those Vegas. Mine had a 350 4bolt with 650 dbl pumper, 4speed on a 10 bolt stock rear end. I could melt tires at will...
As they say down here - mash the gas and hold on
As they say down here - mash the gas and hold on
1955moose
Full Access Members
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2014
- Posts
- 6,004
- Reaction score
- 1,351
Well that's a Vega. Wouldn't that have been cool for GM to offer a V8 option. Would have been like Chrysler in the early days , offering anything from the 225 slant six, all the way up to a fire breathing 426 Elephant! Just ✓ the appropriate box. Remember those ramped valve adjusters on Vegas, one setting was too loose, the other too tight. That's why they always had that tick, tick, tick.
Sent from my N9131 using Tapatalk
Sent from my N9131 using Tapatalk
Like the Monza with the 305 in it from the factory. Monza and Vega we're kind of like sister cars. I live about five miles from the racetrack and saw a Chevette up on n a trailer yesterday. Tubbed in the back and at least a small block in it. I think some of them even have Big Blocks.
I had a 77 I think it was the year turned into a Baja Bug. It had a 1600 dual-port with twin solex carbs and whatever else and it was still an absolute turd.
I think it's top speed was about 58 with a Tailwind. It had some pretty wide nice wheels and tires on it so it wouldn't get rubber on dry pavement even if you dump the clutch.
It was pretty with nice fresh deep blue paint with a little bit of purple tint to it but it was not a performance vehicle.
I bought it from a shop teacher in Kansas after driving around looking for Toto for an hour or so and pulled it all the way back to Dayton Ohio on its tow bar it had on the front. One of my many impulsive eBay good deals.
Chevy offered a V8 option in the Monza. They raised the price of the Vega, after numerous productions problems. Not many people were willing to pay, close to what a Camaro cost. The Vega had rust issues. They found rust on them, in the showroom. Early models had no plastic fender liners, that added less than $3 bucks to price(Take a look at 2019 Ford F150 rear well wells). My Aunt gave me her orange Vega GT, One Millionth model. The dealer wouldn't take it on a trade. My Father made me get rid of it. I was too young to drive and the car was already falling apart. It did start(1st try) after months of sitting and ran very good. The Lordstown plant(built for the Vega), recently in the news for closing, is where they were assembled. The Vega workers, organized a wildcat strike, to protest layoffs and increased production speeds. I read it cost GM $150M, something General Motors never forgot.
Last edited:
