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Motor Week TVs automotive magazine with your host Jon Davis. Hello and welcome to motor week. I'm glad you're with us. As you can see this week we're at the General Motors Proving Ground in Milford Michigan. As we continue our look at all that's new and all that's renewed on the domestic automakers for 1983. Later we'll be going to Southfield to the headquarters of the American Motors Corporation to see how their marriage where the is going. With a close look at their first offspring the alliance and all the other ANC Renault and Jeep models for this new car year that Goss will be along to get some very important advice to all of you that own the new Power Wave and automobiles turbo charged engines with some cautions about oil changes that could make the difference between high cost performance and higher cost repairs. But first come along with us up General Motors road to see what the world's largest car maker has in store for 1983. Actually the newest member of the GM family is more likely to be found Off-Road topping up there and nomer plowing through a shallow stream. It's not really a car at

all. We're talking about the new S10 Blaser the latest addition to the S10 midsize truck line introduced only last year. This multipurpose vehicle that most of us would call a truck slash station wagon is available in both two and four wheel drive and a lot of ways it's about the neatest little vehicle we've seen in years with a wheelbase of just over 100 inches. The mini blazer is over six inches lower and has 15 inches less length and width than the full size blazer. It will no doubt eventually replace GM truck and coach division will have its own version of the Blazer Blaser call the ESC 15 Jimmy. It will share all the same drive trains. That includes a new four wheel drive transfer case that allows shifting into or out of the all wheel mode at any speed base power is 83 horsepower two liter Chevy made four cylinder but most buyers probably up with 110 horsepower 2.8 leader V-6 verst V-6 to be offered

any impact. From. Another new variant of the Estyn line is this extended cab model. You get an extra 14 inches behind the front seat and that's enough room for 19 cubic feet of cargo or two elfish passengers inside mounted jump seats. You can also get the extended cab in two or four wheel drive and all 10 models will be offering diesel power early in 1983. 1983 may be a big year for GM trucks but most of its car divisions will have to be content with peddling carry over models. GM has been introducing new car lines at breakneck pace for the last four years. So in 1983 they figure it's time for a breather. But. That doesn't exactly and they're just sitting back on the sidelines. If anything GM is trying to improve an already extensive line up front and rear wheel drive vehicles. Case in point the Compaq Jay Bodyline. Like all GM divisions. Chevrolet is hurt all too much about the lack of power on the car.

Theirs is the cavalier. So for 83 the old 1.8 leader carburated four cylinder has been replaced with a 2 liter fuel injected powerplant. The result 10 percent more torque and 30 percent more initial acceleration from a standing start. That translates into a reduction of one and a half seconds in elapsed time. I'll run. The new engine can also be made into a standard manual for speed 3 speed automatic. Or a new Japanese made five speed overdrive manual. All of that inside their familiar body styles a Ford or a wagon two door hatchback. And two and four door sedan. Both Chevrolet and Pontiac plan to offer their answer to the convertible craze with open air versions of the J. Around the first of the year. This Pontiac 2000 ragtop is really an eye catcher. And just to be different it takes still another performance route. Standard engines on all 2002 would be on a fuel injected overhead cam power plant imported from GM Brazil.

Pontiac also covers the entire range of body styles were there 2000 including for the first time a Ford or wagon Chevrolet had that model all to itself. Up to now. And if that weren't enough to other GM divisions will also be adding J wagons for the first time under the sign of the Omobono forensic cruiser and you Skyhawk. Both the Buick and Olas will take still another approach to engines offering the two liter fuel injected as standard and the 1.80 leader overhead cam as an option. But the big news at Buick is yet another letter they're introducing a complete line of higher performance cars calling them tee times. The Skyhawk type is available in a two door coupe only. And features the 1.8 engine and five speed Grand Touring suspension quicker steering aluminum wheels and special paint and trim. The object of this exercise is all those potential sirocco Supra and prélude customers. Buick's tinkering has made an already good having car. Even better. Things are a little

simpler at the next rung on the ladder. This is the car that started the GM small car front driveway the X body. All four main line divisions will at least have a performance version at Chevy as the Citation X 11 at Ole's the Omega e s. Naturally a Buick Skylark teatime and at Pontiac this Phoenix S.J.. The top engine slightly. Is a. High output version of Chevy's 2.8 B-6 that can be made into either a four speed manual or three speed automatic. The BHO V-6 four speed combination is 1.4 seconds faster. Zero to 60. In the standard basic. A 2.5 leader fuel injected four cylinder is also available on most ex-buddy lines. While Chevy and Pontiac offer both sedans and hatchbacks Buick and Ole's will still opt for the knockback versions only. At the top of their contemporary front drive family sedan. He sets the newest pledge in the

GM fine car fraternity that a body. From Chevrolet it's the celebrity. Initiation of this model was only last January. Power continues to be from gasoline four and six cylinders. A new wrinkle is an optional 4.3 later B-6 Duzer supplied by AU's immobile oles tried that engine first and it's a car version. The cutlass Sierra combined with a four speed automatic overdrive transaxle the engine got economy ratings of 27 city and 46 highway. But Pontiac's version known as the six thousand is getting an altogether different approach. This is the six thousand STC a high style road holding Ford or molded in the best European sports sedan tradition. Special grille and driving lamps front air damn aluminum wheels and high performance tires lost the 2.8 leader high output B-6 made this car a favorite of our trip

on the inside fully adjustable orthopaedics design bucket seats full instrumentation and this driver information center. Not only does it remind you of open doors and low fluids but it also reminds you of when your investment needs surface. It's the most advanced electronic display we've seen yet. But the real pleasure is in the driving. Through the small handling cost. As to the charge its way around the pylons and championship's style. Not to be outdone. Enter the Buick Century or door teatime. With a different but no less effective. Road. The formerly old man's division is showing that it can produce fun cars to view it chose to use it's own three leader B-6 and will add a new automatic overdrive transaxle after the first of the year. From these cars and secret engineering prototype to Zain. It's clear that GM has high hopes for the bodies and is trying to offer versions to fit every lifestyle. But the biggest and the first of GM's front drivers with a Buick Riviera with or without

turbocharging and the Oldsmobile Toronado. Now for 1983. It'll be this $25000 Riviere convertible in red or white that is bound to continue to provide both high technology and tans for the country club set. But front wheel drive is only about half the GM story. GM is still hanging in there building hundreds of thousands of rear drive cars each year. And since the cutting edge of technology isn't everybody's cup of tea. Rear wheel drive remains a major item in the general showroom for a lot of years. GM was most noted for its bigger cars of course bigger cars also meant bigger profits. So it's not surprising to still see quite a few of them running around but these days they do. Most of them are running on 30 mile per gallon diesel powered. Cars such as this Oldsmobile 98. The slightly smaller Ole's 88 and Chevy Caprice Impala lines are enjoying a resurgence in sales thanks no doubt to the current stability of oil prices. It also seems that customers haven't been

altogether pleased with many of the much smaller replacements. Buick too is continuing the land yacht tradition where both the Electra and the saber lying's along with Chevy and old Buick offers a variety of two and four door sedans and wagons and what has to be the last tribute to the oldest of American love affair. This Chevrolet Malibu heads up the list of another lineup of cars that are still large by tomorrows standards available with base V-6 gas power and diesels has options they to continue to successfully buck the trend towards front wheel drive. Pontiac having already dropped its full size offerings calls its version Bonneville and has the Regal and Ole's the Cutlass Supreme. Movables Ford or sedans and wagons are pretty much the same as they've been for several years but they're still quite a bit of life left in there to do more modern. Coops like this Cutlass Supreme still bring back memories of muscle cars of the

1960s this special Herst Ole's celebrates the 50th anniversary of the first time Ole's matched its cars to the king of high performance shifters. And this cutlass complete with a five leader V8 has her lightning rod shifter. This one with its three lever's will let any street racer shift the four speed automatic as a manual only twenty five hundred will be made. To match that old marketing wet Pontiac will still have its grand prix Buick gets turbocharge regal sports goop and Chevy Monte Monte-Carlo. At the bottom of the rear drive family car set the not so lowly Chevrolet Chevette and its close copy the Pontiac 1000. The Shabad was America's first really modern small car. It's frequently eclipsed by much more interesting products from other makers but still it remains with diesel and gas power. The top selling small car and all the land. But if you're one who thinks rear drives can't possibly be of much interest or fun

they fail to reckon with the brightest of the old fashioned girls the new just this year Pontiac Firebird and Chevrolet Camaro. Known as GM F bodies. No doubt for flash they can be had mild like this four cylinder firebird or whiled like this. Five leader fuel injected Camaro Ozy 28. Both cars get 2 new transmissions for 83 a fine 5 speed manual and more economic four speed automatic. But it's the Camaro that gets the most notably ribeyes trim. This new interior has very supportive fully adjustable bucket seats but they're unfortunately covered in fabric that could never be called sedate. Curiously it's the Pontiac that gets the engine change. A new high output 2.8 liter V-6. Nothing unusual about that except the engine is made by Chevrolet and you can't get it on the Camaro. Pontiac will offer two special versions of the top line Trans-Am during 83. Black

and Gold special edition Riccardo version complete with DOS skin leather Ricardos seating and after the first of the year replicas of their Daytona 500 pace car. But all this fuss about the car is merely meant to keep us interested until next March. That's when we'll see this car the new from the ground up. And no doubt highly expensive 1983 and a half Chevrolet Corvette. America's only true sports car finally gets its first new set of fiberglass in 14 years. You probably noticed you haven't heard the name Cadillac yet. Well now you have as the smallest of the GM divisions Cadillac's models are aimed at narrow markets that really defy all but the broadest comparisons with the rest of the General Motors family to say Cadillac is unique is something of an understatement for 1983 Cadillac becomes the first U.S. car division to switch completely from carburetors to electronic fuel injection for all engines.

Their largest cars are large. All right. A 20 foot long 8 passenger limousine and this 17 foot Ford or Fleetwood Brome sedan. For the second year most full sized Catty's will be powered by 4.1 liter iron aluminum block V8. The most modern V8 yet designed. Or as in the case with this two door coupe Deville. You can get an optional 5.7 leader V8 diesel. And. Lest you think Cadillac doesn't know much about front wheel drive we should remind you that Cadillac has been using pony cars for years under the name of Eldorado for 1983 Eldorado. And for that matter Cadillac's biggest news is a bigger sound provided by an optional Delko Bose premium sound system. It's designed to compensate for all facets of a car's interior design and deliver the most lifelike sound you can get. That system is also optional on the front drive Seville which continues into 1983 with only minor changes in

paint and trim. The only Cadillac that really bears much resemblance to other GM products is the JCI Cimarron. Brady three some Ahrons will sport a new grill and standard driving lights. In addition a new 2 liter engine and revised suspension parts should improve its chances of being America's answer to luxurious European style touring sedan. So taken as a whole the 1983 Cadillac line provides those domestic car buyers who maintain hefty bank accounts of cars that are truly class. So. Before we leave GM let me stop for a moment and remind you to write us and let us know how you like our new car reviews. Our address as always is Motor Week. Owings Mills Maryland 2 1 1 1 7. That's Motor Week. Owings Mills Maryland 2 1 1 1 7. Now time for Pat Goss. As you probably noticed GM and other car makers are putting a

lot of attention on turbocharging their newer smaller cars. However turbochargers require owners to take a lot of special care even when performing the most routine maintenance as Pat is about to explain. John we've just finished changing the oil in this car. You know it's a rather interesting car. You know the new buzz word around the automotive industry is turbocharging. And this car happens to be turbocharged. Now what exactly is turbocharging. It's very simply a way of taking a smaller engine getting more performance out of it and still hopefully retaining a good portion of the fuel economy. You know turbocharging is very popular and it can be quite effective but there are some precautions especially when it comes to things like changing the oil. Now before we get into what you should do if you have a turbocharged car when you change the oil you first ought to know a little bit about how the turbocharger works. All

right here we have a cutaway of one. This is an actual turbocharger. It's set up where we have vains over here. And here they are connected together on a common shaft. And what happens. The exhaust of the car comes into this end of it as the exhaust comes through. It spins this like this. As this spins it turns the other end of it. Now as the other end turns it forces air into the carburetor of the car and forcing it on into the engine under pressure and this forcing of air under pressure into the engine produces more power. Better performance and retains gas mileage. Now keep in mind that when this is operating that these little veins in here that they turn a tremendous speeds. As a matter of fact they may turn as high as ten or twelve thousand revolutions per minute. And believe me that is flat flying. Now what happens when you change the oil. You drain all of the oil out of the car. And when you

do that part of what is drained out sometimes is the oil that is used to supply the turbocharger because it turns so fast it has to be well lubricated all the time. What happens here if it isn't well you've drained the oil out of the car. You get back in it. You put your fresh oil in the car you get back in the car you start it as soon as you start it. This turbocharger starts to spin like crazy. And there's no lubrication. And what happens right here these little bearings that we see can be damaged or destroyed as a matter of fact in a matter of a few seconds. You can actually destroy the turbocharger. Now what can you do to prevent this. Well we have a GM car here. Let's start with that on General Motors. They take their ignition system and they build everything right into the distributor cap the coil the whole works is all contained right in this unit. So what you would do on any General Motors

car with a turbocharger is find the distributor cap and look out here at this tab that sticks out on the side of it on the top of it. You'll see two words it says Takk and it says battery. And coming up into the bottom of at least the battery terminal will be a wire such as we see here. This wire has to be disconnected. Do this carefully so that you don't break the little tab off it and it may be a little tight. We go all right. Once you have it disconnected. Move it out of the way so it can't get wound up in the fan or anything and then get in the car and crank the engine until one of two things happens. If your car has an oil light a little red light the oil light must go out. If your car has a gauge you must get an oil pressure reading on the gauge. So either of those things there a light goes out or you get a pressure reading once that has happened. You go back under the hood of the car reconnect the wire start the car and everything is fine. Now

this is great for General Motors. What about other makes and models. Well virtually everything else on the market that uses a turbocharger will have a coil like this. This is a typical ignition coil. Again you have to disable the ignition but you don't have a wire that you can just unplug. So you have to do it a little bit differently. For this one. You'll take a test lead such as we have here just a piece of wire with an alligator clip on each end. You take one end of that test lead and you connect it to any good clean metal surface on the engine or the negative battery cable that's best will just took it on here like so then you go to the coil. You have two terminals on the coil and if you look at the side the two terminals one of them will have a minus beside it. The other will have a plus. Always you connect it to the one that says or has the minus there. Or in some cases you may have a situation where it says distributor

and battery the end of the test lead to the one that says distributor. So it's minus or distributor that you hook the test lead to again get in the car crank it until the oil light goes out or the oil pressure gauge gets aerating and go back under the hood disconnect the test and start the car. Doing this can save you many hundreds of dollars in repair of your turbocharger and increase your enjoyment of the latest in automotive technology. This gleaming tower is known as the Americans set her. We're now in Southfield Michigan at the U.S. headquarters for the American Motors Corporation and its French pardoner Reno. AMC is best known for its Concorde spirit and ego lines along with the rough and ready jeep. But as Reno plays a bigger part in AMCs future the French way of doing things is slowly becoming more dominant. The biggest news in all of Detroit for 1983 is what happens when you take a fresh French design and have it built in

of all places at the AMC assembly plant in Kenosha Wisconsin. The result is this car the AMC Renault Alliance the most uncluttered efficient looking design ever done by international committee known as the r nine in France and this year's European car of the year. It's clear the design has made the crossing well. There is a lot more American know how and this compact than just this small AMC badge. Originally the alliance was to be a single four portal model only but the folks at AMC convinced Renault to let them build both a 2 and a four door version. In addition the AMC people did a splendid job of making the often ugly federal safety bumpers a slick integral part of the overall alarms. Although powered by a Spartan 1.4 leader fuel injected four cylinder. 55 horsepower is well utilized with a fine shifting five speed overdrive

manual or a three speed automatic. Those are driven both the French and American versions all say that this one is better. Though as you can see. It may take a lot more work to control all the dreaded French body roll. But the rest of the ride is much more sound with no Wadlow little bounce and no need for motion sickness pills. The interior features are Ryno like Dash complete with an oil level indicator that will take some getting used to since it only works when the engine is off. A much nicer treat our rocking chair bucket seats that pivot around a single point. They also provide back seaters with oodles of extra foot room. So our first impression of the AMC Renault Alliance is clearly off. And by all signs the marriage. Is going well. Meanwhile the rest of the Renault line remains pretty much on change for 1983. The bread and butter 18 I four door sedan and wagon get some former options as

standard including a five speed manual transmission a diesel four cylinder is also due some time after the first of January. The diminutive Lucar which added a Ford or model only 12 months ago will receive a lower final gear ratio and new engine calibrations that will make its good fuel economy rating even better. Lastly the Fueyo sports coupe already a price leader in its class. With or without the turbocharged option will be offered with a unique M-Fer read. Keyless locking system. By pointing a small FOV at the interior doors will automatically lock or unlock the option will also be available on the alliance. As for AMCs own bread and butter. Once again they'll offer the Ford or Concorde sedan and wagon the Tudor spirit lift back and similar body styles in the four wheel drive Eagle alliance. The two to our Concord Eagle sedans and spread eagle camelback have been discontinued for 83. The rear

drive Concorde has AMCs own 4.2 leader in line 6 as standard and based on price it provides more luxury appointments for the dollar than any other car sold in America. This model will be added to the spirit hatchback line for 83. It too will have a six cylinder power standard and can be made into a base for speed manual 3 speed automatic or an excellent borgwarner 5 speed stick. One of the best 5 speed you can bomb. The Eagle Ford or and the x4 left back will still offer Pontiac's 2.5 leader Iron Duke four banger as standard. Both models have more standard equipment and ask before offered the perfect answer to those who want urbanite four wheel drive. But if it's the real backwoods you crave then the only real question is which Jeep do you want. Or 1983 Jeep continues this extensive line with the venerable S.J. 5 and S.J. 7 off roadster. Or

the new last year scramblers mini truck and coming next March is a new mid-sized Jeep currently called the S.J.. It's supposed to fill the huge gap between the S.J. series and this cheap venerable full size wagon here. Once again this $4 wagon will be offered alongside its to do our compatriot the more sporty Jeep Cherokee the Cherokee combines car like interiors with the carrying capacity of a covered pickup. But if a pickup is what you'd prefer then you can still get a cheap truck and several versions including this very macho honcho model for 18:3 all automatic transmission wagon years Cherokees and Jeep trucks will benefit from a new full time 4 wheel 2 wheel drive transfer case called select track. It's similar to the select drive system currently used on eagles but it goes one step further by providing both a high and low four wheel drive range.

Once again proving that with a Jeep you should never ever have to stand still. Well we've seen it all. All the new cars from Detroit for 1983. And next time we'll be back at home base as we get down to the business of putting some of these new models through the rigors of our own road test. So I'll see you next week on motor week. Next on motor week road test of the first French designed car ever to be mass produced

in the United States. The ANC were no alliance and a hard and fast drive in the car. That's putting Germany's Porsche and the front of the rear drive sports car field a new 9:44. Plus Pat Ghosla of your car's problems and more on TV's automotive magazine motorway. Will this Franco-American debutante find happiness on this side of the pond. And is

Porsche finally getting serious about its lowest price sports car. That and more coming up next on Motor Week. Motor TV's automotive magazine with your host John Davis. Hello and welcome to motor week. I'm glad you're with us. You know it is and every day we get to test a brand new model making its first appearance on the market but that's just what we've got this week. The former European Car of the year now stepping into American society. The ANC Renault Alliance. After that we rode Test a Porsche that started life as an Audi the new 944 that Ghosla be with us to unravel

a few maintenance mystery sent in by viewers. And Joyce Braga has some tantalizing spy photos of an upcoming sports coupe from Chrysler. But now let's take a look at that. Neuvo Ameri can first let's hear it for Kenosha Wisconsin you know they're making automotive history out there in Kenosha. That's where you'll find the passenger car assembly plant of the American Motors Corporation. What they are assembling is this. The French design Renault Alliance. It's called They are nine in France and it was also called Europe's car of the year. It's being built in the U.S. for the American market since Reno now owns a controlling interest in AMC. The alliance is a modern breath of fresh air for AMC dealers. Its front drive up to now they've had to be content with selling mostly big rear drive Concorde's Eagleson Jeep's base price fifty five ninety five. And our test car priced out at 84 hundred very Japanese sounding numbers. So the question for car buyers has got to be is the alliance a domestic or an import. As it turns out it's a lot of bit of both.

The AMC Renault Alliance more than resembles quite a few other imports as in the front grill. It's vaguely reminiscent of the Volkswagen Jetta. Yet the rest of the car is a clean example of multinational cooperation. Certain necessities are unique to America such as the often ugly federal safety bumpers. In this case they're handled extremely well by AMCs homegrown stylist. Overall Quality of our Cranbury border was well up to Oriental standards. A deep paint finish is due no doubt to domestic pride and the dozens of French emigrant robots used to help assemble the car. And just to show how special Ryno feels about the alliance in America they also lead AMCs Michigan crew design a US only to door version. The interior of our mid range model is also a good mix of both continents color keyed fabrics are sturdy enough for even the most rambunctious clan. The dash is your

typical molded variety with various cubbyholes something we like about many Japanese cars. Unfortunately the radio is down by the gearshift European syndrome that drew fewer raves. DL instrumentation includes a large speedometer and tack along with a water temperature gauge and renos unusual oil level indicator. Turn the ignition on and you're told if there's enough oil in the crankcase for your trip. That's a plus in these days of self-service gas stations. One very nice French touch the pivoting front and bucket seats that provide rear passengers with extra room for our size 12 feet and overall room in the alliance is more spacious than usual for us. Compact mostly because of a longer than normal wheelbase. There's plenty of headroom for up to 5 over 6 footers. This generosity continues into the trunk. It's DP enough for grocery bags and swallowed our four

piece luggage set without a hitch. Up front you'll find a Fronto opening hood and a very accessible engine compartment. The small size of the alliance's 1.4 liter four cylinder engine allows quick maintenance on most minor items. The oil filter can be changed from up top messily and the rubber drive belts are the easiest to adjust and change of any transverse mounted design we've yet seen. But what about that small 56 horsepower engine. Even when coupled with throttle body fuel injection and a good clutch and optional 5 speed manual it's hardly fast. We got a third gear passing time from 40 to 55 mph of 6.9 seconds. That's got to be rated slow. But to be honest from a standing start the Alliance feels much better on our 500 foot freeway on ramp. Test this 2100 pound light weight didn't move up a notch to pair with a time of ten point three seconds and 50 miles per hour. Once you reach your

destination you'll be glad to find maneuverability and tight spaces is excellent curb to curb turning diameter is only 33 feet. There's not much to criticize in the rest of the alliance's handling despite built in French body roll and some rear end twitch. It's far more control than any prior renos. AMC deserves a lot of credit here. The European version supposedly doesn't handle nearly as well as steering a power assisted rack and pinion design is quick and precise with good road feel. When you have to stop handling it fast the alliance's power assisted disc drums will also do an admirable job. Panic stops from 55 mph average to a straight 100 18 feet. We rate that very good. About the only complaint was the position of the brake pedal itself. Some drivers found it a bit too close to the floor. We also found the alliance to be a very quiet car with a sound level reading of only 67 decibels at 55

mph and you can enjoy that peace and quiet without stopping too often at a gas pump. Our air conditioned test car is rated at 34 City 48 highway. The base Alliance has the highest gas rating of any car made in the U.S.. Even over our 100 mile test loop. This low mileage example produced a heartening 37 mpg. But as with any new car individual impressions can be more telling than anything else. Our Modu week staff has a few to pass on. I feel that beyond any doubt this is the finest road car Renault has built yet it's not perfect but I think that anybody who owns that alliance will be satisfied in both performance and pocketbook. However I found the line to be a comfortable relaxing type of car. One personal complaint however is right here the fuel filler which I think is much too low for easy access. The AMC Renault Alliance of fine pretty good handling roomy highly domesticated European sedan that's made in the

US. That Goss will be here in a minute with some moving insights into viewers. Car problems want to get in on the act yourself. If you've got some supposedly unsolvable problem with your car or if you just like to pass along your thoughts or ideas for future programs. Our mailbag can always hold a few more cards or letters our address Motor Week Owings Mills Maryland 2 1 1 1 7 Motor Week Owings Mills Maryland 2 1 1 1 7 and it does look like there's a lot of people out there with car problems. Pat has gotten a lot of letters about everything from a mythical carburetor to a leaky roof. This week our fearless investigator takes on a couple of real sticklers Pat. John today I have a couple of letters from viewers about problems with their automobiles. First off S.H. Eaton of Sarasota Florida says he would like

to know why his 1980 dodge St. Regis has leaked oil since new. He says that virtually everything has been repaired. But still the car uses a quart of oil and a thousand miles of highway driving. Well. Number one we have to assume that this Bud's St. Regis has a 318 cubic inch V-8 engine in it. That's the most popular engine in that model of car in that year and it's prone to a couple of problems. Now first of all right here the PCV system this is the PCV valve. It should be pulled out and checked and it should be checked using test equipment can't just take it out and shake it and assume that it works. That's no longer valid on the later model cars. In addition to checking the PCV valve check the hose and the connections at the carburetor and any other control devices that might be in that circuit because there are other problems that are possible there. Then

over here the other side of the engine this is the crankcase breather. And it is prone to having the little baffles inside it. And the filtering elements inside it plugged up. Matter of fact some of these were actually defective when the cars were built. So that has to be checked very thoroughly as well. Now both of these problems would apply to both the 3:18 V8 and the 225 slant six. But now here's another one that applies only to the V-8 engine. Right. Down here in the front of the engine at the front edge of the intake manifold is a gasket that sometimes leaks on the 3:18 it leaks down the front of the engine and the oil is blown back under the engine and onto the chassis of the car. OK that's another place to look. Now these are the most common things. But one thing that you have to be aware of and that is that a quart of oil will cover an awful lot of

territory underneath a car a quart of oil will cover from the engine all the way to the back bumper and probably coat the back of the bumper as well. It's amazing how far a quart of oil will go. The letter doesn't sound as if this is really the problem so I would suspect that more than just a leakage problem that this car is probably burning oil more than it's leaking. So I would recommend that the car be taken to a good quality repair shop and that it be checked for oil burning. Next w Harvey real Of Bel Air Maryland he says he has a 1978 Pontiac station wagon with a 3 0 5 8 cylinder V-8 engine in it. He says in cold weather the car starts fine but when the engine is up to normal operating temperature and is shut off when you go back to restart it it's difficult to restart. He says the timing has been checked and he wonders if the problem is the battery. Well there's a good

probability that it is the battery. It's a matter of fact a lot of those cars came from the factory with batteries that were actually smaller than what was recommended for the car. Now how do you proceed with this. First of all you've got to take the car to an electrical shop or a mechanic that has good electrical test equipment specifically a heavy load battery starter tester such as we see here. It's a very simple test. The battery is hooked up to the tester and we then load the battery which is in essence drawing electrical energy out of the battery just as if the starter was working. And this by reading the gauges properly test the battery. Now here you have to be careful. Make sure that the battery is tested relative to the size of the engine. In other words batteries are now rated in cold cranking amps and you need one cold cranking amp for every cubic inch

of displacement of the engine in this case a 3.5 engine needs a minimum of three hundred and five cold cranking amps. More would be better because there is no such thing as a battery that's electrically too big for the car. Last but not least on this while this battery starter tester is hooked up. Have them test the starter motor because this is another problem area on this particular vintage of General Motors car. It can be defective. Harvey I hope that answers your question. Let us know if that takes care of your problem. This week we're starting something new for Motor Week. Our first long term road test a full year's worth. The point of this exercise isn't just to have free wheels for a year but it's a chance for you and us to see how well a new vehicle stands up over time.

What we'll be doing is simulating three years of normal wear and tear by completing 13000 miles of driving and 12 months or less from time to time we'll tell you what broke or fell off and how much gas and repairs are costing us. We'll follow the manufacturer's recommendations on service with one exception. We believe there's no better insurance for long car life than frequent oil changes. So we'll drain the crankcase and change the filter every 3000 miles. That's more than twice as often as most warranties recommend. In addition all service will be performed by authorized dealers and our first victim. WALLACE The first product designated a 1983 model. Way back last spring. It's also a truck. This one the new Ford Ranger midsize pickup. This is the 1983 Ford Ranger Xcel last sports truck. It's a bit more flashy than what we asked for but still quite capable of hauling furniture back from North Carolina or firewood to the hills of Pennsylvania. And since most weekend truck users keep their beds neatly made We'll also be installing an inexpensive

camper top for all weather. This particular $9000 truck was a member of the courtesy fleet during the first Detroit Grand Prix auto race. It already had 7000 miles on its clock and one oil change when we took delivery in late June the entire vehicle is covered under a 12 month 12000 mile warranty. And a power train for another year or up to 24000 miles. But even though Ford on down tiddley went over this truck carefully we still found a few minor faults. First the drivers door weatherstripping was misaligned and starting to peel off our friendly local Ford dealer has ordered one under the warranty and it should be installed before the Ohlund starts to leak. In addition they've also ordered a new amp gauge one in our truck Keech telling us that the battery is discharging. And we know it isn't. Finally before we did this report a window crank handle fell off. Since it was only a loose screw We repair to quickly otherwise this lone ranger seems in perfect condition with a smooth running 2.3 leader engine

and four speed manual gearbox. Our initial gas mileage was four. And like everything else will tell you how that might hold up even after the payments stop. For car makers and dealers It must have seemed like 1982 would never end the model year was disastrous to say the least with the worst auto sales in two decades. So now that it's over carmakers are trying something a bit different for 1983. Hold on to your seat covers some cars are actually going down in price. Now I hasten to add that the price rollback applies mostly the Surgeon General Motors front wheel drive mid-size and Compaq's. That means Jay and body Cars prices are going down by 250 to 500 dollars on the JCI Chevy Cavalier Pontiac 2000. And as far as cars go on the Chevy Celebrity and old Sierra among others bodies are selling so poorly that rumor is that GM may slap all new sheet metal on them next year.

Anything to get them on the streets. But GM is saving its biggest favor for its best customers. Cadillac Saville's will be $1300 less than last year. You're still going to have to shell out over $21000 for one. Overall though it seems the price increase habit is hard to break average prices for all GM cars will still go up by 1.9 percent for 1983. Ford AMC and Chrysler's prices are also staying pretty much the same though they're adding more options this year. One familiar sales tool will be missing rebates. All manufacturers are convinced that rebates don't work. Apparently the big four may just try to keep a leash on prices instead of handing out cash. Now though let's go over and see what Chrysler will be handing us in the near future. Joyce What's so special that we had to send our spy photographer off to a Chrysler land. Well it happens to be the Chrysler 24 which is the new sports coupe for Fall 83. Is this another sporty car built on a sedan chassis.

Well not quite. I mean Greg we're going to go back to that OK car chassis. I think what's really exciting here is the styling. This is a really strong looking design and I think it's going to make the competition of Kamau and Mustang sit up and take notice if you take a look at this picture you can see that really good looking rear end the way that hatchback goes down and those really distinctive rear tail lights. And then take a look at those really snappy looking wheels. I think they're really great. And they tell me that they're going to be steel belted radials mounted on aluminum rims and if you come around to the front end what you're going to say is those European rectangular headlights which are really I think they're very smart looking at the ground. Well I'm not too excited about that girl. I think it's a little ordinary and otherwise exciting looking car. Did you get a chance to look inside one picture and that was it. That's all I can manage to get. And as you can see it's very luxurious. There's a very nice padded steering wheel really good looking instrumentation wrap around bucket seats in the front. And what's really nice is the bucket seats

in the back because they're individual buckets which means you can push them forward and you can just load that thing up with luggage groceries whatever you got. Styling aside what's going to happen when those folks in Chrysler land push down the accelerator. Well they're going to find that standard to point to later for sale and that's the one Chrysler makes us their own. That's right. But this time it's going to be fuel injection and that will be made into a five speed transaxle. But I think what's really exciting is what I haven't told you and that's the fact that this thing is going to have a turbo charger option. And that is from Garrot air research. And the word is is that's going to bring 142 horsepower to this baby. We got one more look at it. Yeah but you better make that a very long walk because if you remember when we were in Detroit a couple of weeks ago we found out that the front end is due to be restyled. And no word yet on the what it's going to look like. Yes till then we'll just have to guess which choice. OK. In the meantime let's see what a more traditional sports car from Europe looks like when German sports car superstar Porsche became part of the giant Volkswagen empire.

It began to lose faith with many of its diehard fans. All of a sudden Portia's engines didn't have to be air cooled or even rear mounted. First came the main engine 9:14 more like a VW beetle than a Porsche. Then in 1976 we got a front engine car the 9:24 the engine on that one wasn't even by Porsche. It was an Audi 2 liter the megabuck 9:28 was more successful so the 9:24 was sort of allowed to languish with not enough power and mediocre handling. That is until now. The Porsche 924 was designed to be an Audi sports car. When Audi dropped out of the project it became a Porsche. So all that money and effort wouldn't go to waste. Over 1983 Porsche presents the successor to the 9:24 the 9:44. If you're in the Porsche is your first impression is that it still looks like it's forebear. And in fact it does almost. But once you've driven it you'll begin to understand why this car might finally be called a pure

Porsche. Mash that accelerator and you quickly feel the change from barely adequate acceleration to a quick rush a new 2.5 leader all portiere four cylinder coupled to one of the finest rear mounted Beispiel transaxle is available provides a rare combination of handling balance and willing power. A time of 4.5 seconds in our 40 to 55 mph passing test in third gear straddles the line between a rating of quick and very quick. Full range power. Much better than most four cylinders does translate into moderate wheel spinning. That hampered most of our standing start trials. Nevertheless a fast time of eight seconds flat with a highly acceptable speed of 57 were recorded over our 500 foot on ramp course tire chirruping also cab speeds down slightly over the quarter mile. However a time of sixteen point three seconds and 85 mph is performance that

can be matched by only a handful of affordable production cars today besides tuned exhaust headers 143 horsepower and 137 pounds of torque. The most interesting things about the 944 is fuel injected power plants are its heritage. It's actually a slant for derived from cutting the super Coope 9:28 V8 in half. Then Porsche engineers swallow their pride and bought silence chefe technology from Japan's Mitsubishi. The result is the most vibration free high performance for banger anywhere. However improvements in the handling of the 9:44 are less obvious and owe much to the wide sticky Perrelli P-Six tires through ILO's speed slalom course. We found classic understeer with a front hand diving gently into the pavement during switchbacks. The non-power steering is so sensitive and the straight on position deadens rapidly when turn on the other hand quick release of the throttle would produce controllable rear swing out despite the car's near perfect 50:50 weight

distribution. Fast Transit's of 66 miles per hour where a man is to the high speed emergency lane changing course. Smooth predictability confirms the Porsche Legin of cars that one loves to learn to drive. If handling is still something of a compromise. Braking is not stopped from 30 were extremely short with an average of 30 feet. The four wheel power does system neither pulls nor locks. From 55 above average control continued panic stops averaged 116 feet with the shortest at 109 and the longest 126 as components grew hotter. There was some minor locking of the rear wheels as well as a modest attempt back and swing around styling of the 944 is a mixture of the old and new fenders now bulge out to cover the wider tires while the headlamps still disappear when not needed. The result is a very menacing looking car with a deep Frontiere dam and a functioning rubber

rear hatch spoiler. Considerable attention has also been given to upgrading the interior of the 944. Better quality fabrics given to a less stark appearance are combined with comfortably hard seats. The only major complaint is the lack of any room under the non-adjustable steering column. The dash remains straight forward and nearly complete but large gauges clearly visible only a volt meter displaced by the factory air conditioning control is noticeably absent. Very good but overpriced Blaupunkt electronic radio is one of only a few options available. Unchanged however is the ludicrous excuse for a back seat. Although it looks comfortable both headroom and Nehru's are only suitable for very young or four legged sports car enthusiasts. So for most owners that rear package shelf will probably remain folded flat so the large if shallow trunk area can swallow even more cargo a permanently mounted luggage cover is

also included as is a small electric air compressor that when plugged into the cigarette lighter inflates the collapsible spare tire. One more standard item is a very large heavy sunroof that although cumbersome to remove can be stored neatly under the rear hatch. A sound level reading of 73 decibels is average for an average car but it's good for any sports car. However there is still too much chassis noise. The EPA rates the manual 9:44 at 23 miles per gallon in the city and 36 on the highway. We recorded a highly respectable 25 during our rougher than normal driving three speed automatic is also available with a slight fuel and fun penalty attached. OK so how much. Wow the 9:24 cost 17 grand to start the 9:44 follow the Detroit Tokyo rule and costs 20 percent more. No the 9:44 base price is about eighteen thousand five hundred. With

everything you need standard except a radio. And in today's inflated market that is competitive. So it seems that after seven years Porsche has finally gotten serious about its lowest price speedster the 9:44 not only takes up where the 9:24 are left off but puts Porsche in front of the front engine sports car feel fun car. Next week will be road testing the DOD 600 E.S. and the legendary BMW 320 II Patton Joycean John Davis. See you next week on non-motorized. This is. Last.

Year. Would you rather be seen in a homegrown version of the European sports sedan. Or would you rather drive the real thing. Hello I'm John Davis. And next time on motor week we road test the DOD 600 E.S. and the BMW A320 I will also have four wheel drive vehicle maintenance and a look at the 1983 and a half Corvette. Join us next time on motorways. Is