I have a 1989 Ford F-150 pickup with about 350K miles. It needs valve cover gaskets, plugs, wires, muffler and other ‘odd and ends’. Can I tell, from a compression check of the enging, whether or not it is worth spending the money on repairs? How hard is it to replace valve cover gaskets? I am an amateur.
Yes, it will give you a pretty good idea of the engine’s condition–good, basic, fundamental data on the valves and rings. Replacing valve cover gaskets are easy to do. Most of the time will be spent cleaning sealing surfaces.
admin Auto Compression Check, Compression Test, Ford, Ford 150, Ford F 150, Ford Pickup, Fundamental Data, Money, Muffler, Replacing Valve Cover Gaskets, Surfaces, Valve Cover
I took two potential Fit buyers for a ride in this car last night so they could see how roomy it actually is inside. There is more than enough room in the back seat and the cargo area behind the seat is fantastic. The tall roof gives SUV-like headroom, but the 1.6-liter inline-four allows for a combined 31 mpg with a five-speed manual transmission. I just heard the Fit currently has a five day supply, it seems the public has figured out small cars aren’t a bad idea.
After checking out the innovative packaging, features, and basic looks of the car, everyone wanted to know how safe such a small car could be. My friend drives a Ford F-150 now, so he was concerned about being flattened by a semi in something so small. I’ve never worried about my safety in any B-segment car. With five-star ratings for driver and passenger in both front- and side-impact collisions and a three star rating for the back seat passengers in a side-impact crash, I wouldn’t worry about my safety in a crash. I would be a little concerned if I had children in the back seat, but I don’t have any children to worry about. If the Fit offered stability control, I would be even less concerned about collision performance, because you would stand a much better chance of avoiding a collision in the first place.
I know the new Fit will be hitting the road very soon, so I look forward to spending some time behind the wheel to see what Honda decided to change. I can’t really think of I’d like to see besides better iPod integration as an option.
Phil Floraday, Senior Online Editor
I agree with Phil on almost everything he says. It is interesting that people who drive big trucks feel that small cars are unsafe. I would take technology over mass any day when it comes to safety. Sure, weight helps with safety but modern small cars perform well in crashes.
I like the Fit. It drives well and has a nice interior. I love that it is old-school simple Honda inside compared to the Accord and Acura TSX. Sure, the carpet looks cheap but this is a cheap car. The interior packaging is fantastic. I think it is one of if not the best $15K cars on the road.
I wish stability control was available (ideally, standard) plus a less frumpy exterior design would be nice. From what I’ve seen, the forthcoming new Fit fixes my styling issues and I hope stability control will be added as well.
admin Auto Acura Tsx, Back Seat, Bad Idea, Better Chance, Cargo Area, Collisions, Ford F 150, Headroom, Hitting The Road, Honda Fit, Manual Transmission, New Fit, Seat Passengers, Side Impact, Small Car, Small Cars, Stability Control, Star Rating, Star Ratings, Tsx