Doug asked: Ross:
CS or CSi? Carbed or EFI?
Any shortness of breath at 12,000'? The car not you of course.
Our car is a stock mostly original 2800CS with over 150,000 miles and the standard Zenith carbs. We had no problems other than a notable lack of power to accelerate up the long grades. There was enough to carry speed uphill, it just took a long time to accumulate. And as for shortness of breath...both the car and I experienced it, but then I am much older than the car.
If I could post a photo or two I would do so, but I don't have a web photo account which is apparently required.
By the way, we bought the coupe in Newport Beach, CA and drove it home via Phoenix where we did the Copperstate Rally in a Lotus Elite. I then towed the Elite while my wife followed in the coupe. The only problem occurred after we had stopped for dinner in Santa Fe NM. Ann was getting chilly and attempted to turn on the heat, When we stopped in Las Vegas, NM for the night, the car was making an awful death rattle from down low on the front of the engine. I told her to shut it off and I'd check it in the morning light. The next day it sounded just as bad so we stopped at a local service garage where the fellow diagnosed it as a bad water pump. We left the car, went home to Denver ordered the water pump and had it sent to them to install. The mechanic said it didn't help. The car still sounded awful. So I went down there with a trailer and brought it home where a BMW factory mechanic friend came over after work to check it out. I started it and it sounded like marbles in a paint shaker. He said shut it off, I think I know what it is. He took a box cutter, cut the belt to the AC compressor and asked me to start it again. Silent and silky smooth. Ann had apparently turned on the AC switch and the compressor was bad. All we would have had to do was turn the darn switch off and kept on driving.
SO, now we have a spare water pump and a new rotary compressor that works great.Oh, and a story to chuckle over.
