Pete Phillips

Buy it in the pint can or quart can that you pour; do not buy the spray. Yes, it is fuel system cleaner but also good for automatic transmissions. Pete Phillips

Found a new vacuum reservoir tank for '72. Local auto parts store was able to order one, to my surprise.

4428397 dates from July 1941.

These came with the parts for a 1931 Chrysler CM-6, but they do not fit that car. Can anyone tell me what they do fit? There are two different oil pressure gauges. One goes to 75 lbs, the other goes to 50. Pete Phillips Leonard, Texas

I have a 1940 248 and also a 1953 263. The '53 has a Dynaflow transmission attached. Crankshafts are slightly different between the automatic and the standard shift cars. Pete Phillips, BCA #7338 Leonard, TX.

I think we fixed it. Ignition timing was off by nearly 20 degrees and temperature sending unit was faulty. Could have been a vacuum hose problem, too. We found and fixed so many things that I've lost track. They all know me on a first-name-basis at the local auto parts store! Thanks to all for the suggestions and diagrams that I couldn't find in my shop manual. Pete Phillips

Anybody have one of these or know where they can be found? Tried Rock Auto; tried local auto parts stores, tried Ebay, tried my own parts inventory.

Just one thing after another on this 1972 LeSabre convertible. 350 V8. What causes the starter housing to crack in half like this? No, it was not dropped. This happened while it was on the car, being used.

Is the water (coolant) boiling? See steam escaping from the overflow/vent/plastic tank? Not boiling over; no steam escaping.

John D, I think you are on to something. Vacuum hoses have been changed around when we put a new intake manifold on the car last spring. I cannot find a vacuum hose diagram in the shop manual. Does anyone have access to one? Pete Phillips

Glenn, Good suggestions, thanks. Some I had not thought of (ignition timing, etc.) Lower hose is staying open. Air cleaner flap is staying open. Will check other suggestions. Pete

You need to investigate the problem a lot further than you have so far, if you want any help from this group. Could be fuel line leak, fuel pump leak, fuel filter leak, carburetor leak, etc.

I am at my wit's end. The '72 LeSabre convertible that I have been trying to sell and finally got a deposit on, has suddenly decided to overheat every time I take it out on the highway. After 4-5 miles of highway driving, the hot light glows slightly. I pull over, open the hood, and the upper radiator hose is so hot that I cannot touch it for long. Same way with the radiator, from top to bottom--no change, way too hot . In the 19 years I"ve taken care of the car, it has never had an overheating problem. I had planned to drive it to the new owner in Massachusetts this week and next, but those plans are now out the window and my one-way airline ticket home is a waste of $600. Here is what I have done in the past 10 days: flushed and drained cooling system; replaced thermostat with a new 180-degree unit; replaced radiator TWICE with new ones. First replacement was not as thick as the original, which showed a little bit of scale inside, but not bad; new one overheated so I spent $450 yesterday and got a three-core, heavy-duty radiator and installed it. No change. New water pump today, including having to drill out two broken bolts, so a 2-hour job became a 10-hour job in the 100-degree heat. Fan clutch operates properly; 7-blade fan pulls lots of air through the radiator --you can put your hand down behind the radiator and feel the wind when it is running. Fan shroud is in place. Most of the radiator and heater hoses are new. I do not suspect a leaking head gasket because there is no oil in the coolant; no coolant in the motor oil; no smoke or steam out the exhaust. and engine runs well. I am flat-ass done. I have no idea what more to do and am ready to take the car back to the old lady who owns it and let her find someone else to deal with it. I probably have 40 hours of uncompensated time in this, not to mention nearly $1000 in parts. Aren't old cars fun????? Pete Phillips, BCA #7338 Leonard, TX

Not 1953 except maybe that dome light. Everything else is a lot earlier than '53

Interesting combination of LeSabre and Electra 225 trim. Seat upholstery and interior door panels are LeSabre. Grille, four portholes, and the rocker panel moldings are Electra 225. Pete Phillips, BCA #7338 Leonard, TX

I do not have one. Pete Phillips

THe listing says it is already sold. Not surprised. $7500 is very reasonable and it looks like a very nice Classic car.

You can try spraying WD-40 or some other lubricant on all of the joints in the linkage, from the side of the transmission, to the steering column, and inside the steering column, and around the base of the shift lever. Use one of those little plastic straws to help it get past the narrow spots. It's not supposed to be real easy to move because you don't want to accidentally hit it and make it change gears while driving.

Model 45R is a Special two-door hardtop.

And it was a major brand that was junk: Standard Automotive Products. Pete Phillips

FIXED IT!!! Em Tee was right! The condenser was a piece of crap, new four months ago, and that's about the time I started having problems with this '72 LeSabre. I found a new old stock one for 1957-1960 Buicks in my parts stash, removed the "new" one yesterday afternoon, installed this new old stock, made in USA one, and the car started instantly this morning and ran perfectly. And I might point out, with the choke baffle wide open. You people who don't live in this Texas heat in August don't realize that a choke is completely unnecessary in this 100+ degree heat we have. Lesson learned: 80% of all new condensers that you buy these days are made in China pieces of junk and just need to be thrown out! Thanks to all for the various suggestions.

"and the car is being starved for fuel." Everything you describe sounds like a partially plugged fuel line. Check the pick-up tube in the gas tank, especially if the car has sat for a long time unused. Pete Phillips, BCA #7338 1932 model 57 1932 model 57S Leonard, TX.

Closing the choke baffle makes it run worse, and in this 90-105 degree weather, the choke is not needed when the engine is cold. Starts right up with a pump or two on the accelerator pedal after sitting overnight. I think it is something electrical that's temperature related. I went through the same ordeal this morning--sputter and sputter and acts like it is flooded with fuel, but it is not. Put it in gear and drove a couple of miles sputtering, and car would not go over 10-15 mph. For a split second it will get full power and try to accelerate, but only for a split second. As I approached my first destination, after two miles of this, it was as if someone flicked a switch and suddenly the car accelerated, got full power, and stopped the sputtering. Ran great for the rest of the morning. "Is the flap/valve stuck closed in the snorkel of air cleaner tube not allowing air to carburetor? " Bob, good suggestion, but it does this with or without the air cleaner being in place on the carb. No "Max Trac" accessory. Pete Phillips, BCA #7338

1972 LeSabre convertible, 350 cu. in. 2-barrel, a little over 60,000 miles. The engine sputters and runs on 4 or 5 cylinders following a cold start, and will barely run. Sounds like the carburetor is flooding it with fuel, as if the float is stuck, but I see no excessive fuel in the throat of the carburetor. The choke baffle is wide open all of the time, so it's not choking down, although that's also what it sounds like. No clouds of back smoke out the exhaust, though that's how it runs and that's what it sounds like. After trying to keep it running like this for 3 or4 minutes, all of a sudden, it settles down, runs like it should, and is ready to drive. Runs and drives perfectly the rest of the day. Then, the next morning, I go through this ordeal all over again. What the devil could the problem be? It has confounded me for months and also confounded the two Buick restoration guys who work for me. Photos to get attention. Pete Phillips, BCA #7338

I have one for a 1939 Special. Not sure if it is used or NOS. Will get photos of it, if interested. Pete Phillips, BCA #7338