Lately my truck slips out of 3rd often. I have to have a hand on shift stick all the time to keep it in third. I searched the forums and other sides for this problem and cannot find any pictures of videos that explain how to solve this problem without an expensive overhaul of gearbox. Is there...

I am not as mechanically knowledgeable as the guys here but I can tell you that brown is red+green. In case you are thinking of other colors, you could paint your truck brown and red underneath of it won't show as much as if you were painting it cream or blue for example. Before making the...

Update in case anybody had the same problem in future: Changing the spark plugs and leads solved the problem with engine weakness. To be on the safe side I changed dist. cap, condenser and the other curly thing. Of course Don Santiago still smokes like a chimney but does it strongly and...

Black and very dry. I couldn't even wipe them off. You asked if the choke is jammed open? How should it look if it correct? It is open at a 55 or 60 degree (to horizon). In fact it is as open as it can be becasue there is a little pipe thing that stops is from being more open that that...

I am not sure if by blown head gasket you means just the gasket or the head of engine. The gasket alone is not expensive and easy to change, top of engine once I had to change and is quite expensive. Which one do you mean? I watched a few youtube videos and did a test one suggested (opening...

carb is zenith 36 and was rebuilt a year ago although since then it never ran properly! all other stuff are a year and half to two years old (spark plugs, leads, cap, ...). I will change everything to see what difference it will makes. It is cheaper than letting the mechanics do it. Dan...

Thanks guys. My truck's engine is running very badly lately. Lots of black smoke, puffs and strange noise and as of yesterday lack of power as if 1 or 2 cylinder were not working. After your answers I opened each spark plug one by one and checked them. They are all black showing bad burning...

Hello everybody I have checked the manual and many videos on youtube as well as photos of different Series III engines. Strangely enough it seems like different dist. cap leads go to different spark plugs in different photos! There was no photo or guide in manual (at least I did not find...

That's an idea but I think if that was the case I had a blown head gasket by now, no? Dist. cap was the last thing mechanic changed before the truck started to work. Actually I have both the mechanical pump and an electrical which I added for when it is too hot (mechanical ones bubbles up and...

Since the last items that were worked on were carburetor and dist. cap I think that must have been the problem. But a lot of little improvements to spark plug opening, wire connections, pump, checking hoses, etc etc ..... must have improved the situation in general. After all that work towing...

Today was a busy day. Towing, mechanic, taxis, etc. but finally after several hours of opening and cleaning fuel pump, carburetor, dis cap and co. adjustment, goofing around with a lot of electrical wires and every hose in between stuff we got the truck fixed. I say we but actually I was just...

That is an interesting thought. would what WoodO suggest show if this is the case? if not how should I test it?

What kind of internal fault? Obviously something is wrong, but what? That reminds me of an old saying "My wife is the future cause of my demise, but when and how!?" welcome to the forum WoodyO.

WoodyO that is a valid question. To be honest no I have not, but when you have a brand new fully charged battery installed and 2 minutes later the car dies again, is it still a problem caused by alternator? or we have a problem killing the car in addition to possible problem with alternator?

I took the battery to a shop and after testing it they said it is beyond hope. So I got a new battery and went back to the truck. It started on the first trial strongly and beautifully. It drove for 1/2 kilometer and pottered and stopped again. It restart and it shut off again. Sound of...

That is an interesting thought, thanks. I am not sure how to do this. I have to search to find out what this means but thanks for pointing it out. These Santanas are different in many ways, I am not sure even what is the difference between electronic and points. I will check and let you...

I searched online and some videos are showing that fuel tank breather might be blocked. Since I started the car till it stopped completely I recall engine sounded differently there was a whooshing sound. Does it tell you anything? Also, since these cars have no sensors or computers most...

It is 1985 Santana Especial Series III, 2.25 petrol, standard. I've checked my pocket and this better not be an expensive problem.:(

Hello everybody I seem to have endless list of problems. Almost embarrassing to ask. The truck started with difficulty this morning. I had to jump start it by pushing it down hill. Then as I was driving to the garage it kept on dying. I was starting it up while moving over and over again...

No tottot they were different after market parts except for one which was a used original LR with no signs of wear (lasted 7 weeks!). I have paid close attention to the moment they break (afterward of course) there was no sudden acceleration or pressure on the part. This last one snapped when...