Hi, New to the site and need some assistance. I just purchased a 83 Seville with 64,000 original miles. It belonged to an old man that had to give it up, he could no longer drive it and has sat for several years. I purchased it several weeks ago and found that it does not have a lot of power and it tends to overheat. I have changed the thermostat and fluid, but still wants to run hot. The car is very sluggish when starting from a stopped position.The previous owner told me that the fuel pump was changed recently and that is all he told me. Also, the exhaust system looks funny, like it was heated up very hot. The carpet in the trunk is melted, right above the resonator. The exhaust pipe has a hole in it along with the resonator, which looks like swiss cheese. I live in southern Florida and the rest of the car is spotless, why would the exhaust be rusted out? The cat and muffler still look like brand new! Could the cat be clogged? If so, can I remove it without damaging the engine? The engine runs great at Idle, no knocks or strange noises. Also, the transmission has a hard time finding reverse, when you do find it, it goes right in, it is not lined up with the indicator needle. The tranny seems to shift smoothly, although I did have to add 3qts of fluid when I got it home. I would appreciate any help in the matter. I finally got my dream car and would love to be able to enjoy it without having any problems.
Thank you

 

Hey Catman: Some things to start off with, change the fuel filter, tranny oil, which probably was never done before, definately check your timing, if the car has been overheated on a regular basis the rings will be pretty tired and you most likely will not be producing much horsepower.If you have the 250 then it was only rated at 135 h.p. anyway.How does your rad core look from inside the cap?? A good flush might be in order. Salt air will do it to the exhaust as far as rust goes.Hope that you enjoy your ride.