Help me diagnose my beater truck
 

I'm trying to figure out why my '80 ford courier runs so rough (I actually can't drive it). It's got the 2.3L pinto engine with the 2bbl carb.

Today I was trying to narrow it down to either spark or fuel. I had the air cleaner cover off while cranking it, and finally got it started. Had to rev the snot out of it to keep it running (it ran like it was missing on two cylinders), but I noticed that it was puffing out the carb while it was running (like shit).

My best half-assed guess is that the head gasket is blown between two cylinders, and the compression from one of them is going into the other one and blowing the air/fuel out thru the intake valve, and that is the puffing I'm seeing.

Good guess or not?

The fuel pump pumps, the spark plugs spark (and in the right order), and the dizzy is locked down tight. I'd like a brain check before I blow $12 on a Harbor Freight compression tester, because the truck's battery has seen better days and is having trouble keeping up with all the cranking I'm doing.

Get the tester on general principal. Its one of the best things I ever bought.

Your thinking sounds pretty good, but I dont know carbs as well as I should.

I'd check out spark output to all cylinders, dizzy caps crack and have corrosion issues sometimes.

I had a carbed b2200 and carbs are annoying when they're old, I'd go from insanely lean to getting 8mpg in a week. If you have spark and plan on keeping the truck around more than a couple months consider giving the carb a rebuild if it hasn't had one in a while.

If you did blow a hg I'd wonder why like maybe a stopped up rad? You don't try and tow 3000+lbs do you?:bowrofl:

Honestly, it's kinda hard to blow these old low hp, truck 4 cyls and I'd imagine your problem is more minor.

All good advice, thanks. I went out and got the rebuild kit and compression tester. Now I'll try to fix it without making it worse. :x: