In my last Justy post, I was prompted by the car’s horrifically uneven compression numbers to sideline the car until I made more progress on my AMC Eagle. This has mostly been accurate, though I have since confirmed a handful of possible issues and purchased some new parts to install, while mentally preparing for an engine teardown and rebuild.

The first acquisition is a set of Oilube bronze bushings. I mentioned these in a previous post: They’re what I need to remove the acres of slop from my Justy’s shifter. I’ve seen a Justy or two in my local junkyard and confirmed that the Justy shifter wasn’t this sloppy when new. Unfortunately, I didn’t get back to the junkyard in time to pull a good linkage before that Justy became a metal cube.

This car’s 4-wheel-drive switch doesn’t work either. I’ve done a bit of troubleshooting, and it seems that the electrical signal to switch the car from 4×2 to 4×4 isn’t reaching the vacuum valve. That also explains why the light in the dash doesn’t come on. Unless there’s a broken wire somewhere, I need a new switch. I had no luck finding just a replacement switch online, but I was lucky enough to come by a complete shifter (sans linkage) on eBay.

The person selling the linkage was also selling a distributor. The one on my car leaks oil through the center of it, and drips on top of the transmission. It’s a minor annoyance, but the opportunities to get good Justy parts are few. I opened my wallet again for this washing machine on wheels.
Though the Justy is mostly dormant while I try to make time to work on the Eagle, I have started it up Justy few times in the hopes of “clearing out the carbon” or “unsticking the rings” to see if the compression numbers improve. I will apply some Marvel Mystery Oil or Sea Foam to the cylinder at my next opportunity (at the commentariat’s suggestions) to see if that helps, just as soon as I get a battery to fire it up. The Justy’s good battery is currently on loan to my sister-in-law’s Ford Escort.
[Photos Copyright 2015 Hooniverse/Alan Cesar]