Regardless of the state of the economy, it makes sense to have your Pontiac last as long as possible. If you've made the investment of time and money in a vintage Pontiac, of course you want to preserve it. The same holds true for your later-model daily driver or weekend fun car, or even a new Pontiac.
Benefits of keeping your ride on the road for much longer than normal include the fun factor and a sense of accomplishment. In addition, you will become a credible spokesperson for the Pontiac brand. Nothing says more about the quality of a car than great looks and performance, especially if the mileage is high. So when the miles start accumulating, don't be shy about bragging.
The purpose of this primer is to introduce procedures beyond the obligatory oil change and tire rotation. Practices established here can be executed by the home mechanic and are really not extraordinary. You just need to perform the steps. Some apply to an older model, such as carburetor service, while the majority of the tips pertain to any Pontiac. Of course, it's impossible to cover every aspect of preservation in an article this size, but these tips will certainly help keep your Pontiac in top condition.
While reading this article, keep in mind the type of use your Pontiac enjoys and the mileage accumulated yearly. The owner of a daily driver that travels 800 miles per week will need to execute a long-life program in a different manner than the owner of a collector car that only sees a few thousand miles per year.
The best approach for establishing a long life program is to keep records. This need be no more complicated than writing them on a note pad. Record dates and the mileage when a procedure is executed. For example, you may choose to clean and tighten the carburetor with every oil change but only lubricate the door hinges once or twice a year. Knowing when a service procedure has been done or needs to be performed makes the program much more efficient and easier to follow.
Another aspect of this plan is don't wait for something to break or fail. A true PM (preventive maintenance) schedule has components changed in the last 10 percent of their lifecycle. For example, your EFI Trans Am is approaching 192,000 miles and it still has the original electric fuel pump. You've enjoyed a very respectable life from the part. Instead of waiting for it to fail and strand the vehicle on the side of the road, you may choose to replace the fuel pump with a new ACDelco unit when the odometer turns 200,000 in anticipation of that failure.
Pontiacs are some of the finest cars in the world, and with only a little extra care, will keep going for many hundreds of thousands of miles. So let's keep those Tin Indians rolling! Let HPP know about your ride with over 200,000 miles.
Special thanks to Jim Taylor Engine Service for providing vehicles for photography. -Ed.
1 Keeping Your Cool
One of the most neglected parts of a modern vehicle is the air conditioning system. If you want to keep cold air blowing from the ducts and not incur a major repair expense, you need to care for the system.
Other than keeping the belt tight, A/C needs to have its refrigerant renewed. The system needs to be discharged, evacuated, and recharged with the proper amount of refrigerant. Evacuation describes creating a vacuum. This is done to eliminate any moisture that has entered the refrigerant. When refrigerant and water mix, it creates acid that destroys the A/C components. Water boils in a vacuum at 50 degrees F. The ambient temperature needs to be above that for the water to be boiled out. It will take a minimum of a half-hour to sufficiently remove the moisture from a full-size Pontiac A/C system. The last step is to install the proper amount of refrigerant. This specification can be found under the hood and is usually on the compressor, heater box, or radiator support.