Thread: They should all be strung up!

hmm... is that the 3.0 v6 ?

I positively hate those engines and charge extra

doubt it since you are in Cali
so a 2.2 or 2.5

a FWD then you normally remove the passenger side tire and inner fender skirt to access the front cover

I miss my '65 Chevy 1 ton truck... not the gas milage though

I could go to any junk yard and find the part I needed, 292 straight six Could crawl into the front end and close the hood while working on it Handy when it's snowing outside

Not a mechanic story, but nonetheless...
2 weeks ago, I brought my car to the shop in order to give it a checkup before we left on holiday. I knew it was losing coolant somewhere, so I thought 'Probably a bad seal somewhere. If I am lucky it will be less than 100$'.

It was a seal allright...

...the seal between the cilinder heads and the engine block. No idea about the English name for this, but over here the name is synonymous for 'this will cost you 1K'. There was a small leak in that seal, allowing the cilinder pressure to get to the coolant circuit, causing the overpressure valve to open and leak (read: spray like mad) coolant. The water pump was also damaged (probably from the over pressure) and as an added bonus, the clutch plates were goners (but this I already knew because of the squealing sound whenever I needed torque).

It set me back 2K euro. I don't mind fixing things myself, but when it comes to cars, my knowledge ends with the location of the oil cap and the window cleaner fluid.

Now thanks to stealerships and all the special equipment that working on todays autos require finding a good mechanic can be like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I'm lucky in that we have always had good ones, usually found through friends I would be less than thrilled to have to get work done at a shop I didn't know because I can be subject to the less than scrupulous types out there. You might have some avenues to explore though, if it looks like they didn't do the work give the shop a call and confront them. If that doesn't do the job try the local better business bureau. Might not get you anything but then again it never hurts to try.

BTW, I'm a helicopter mechanic on the military side of my life and I'm intimidated by todays auto's .

Originally Posted by citizensoldierny

BTW, I'm a helicopter mechanic on the military side of my life and I'm intimidated by todays auto's .

I'll fix your car and you gimme some time in the.... what sort were they now?

gratewhite,
No problem, let me give you the number of a Army Guard recruiter and we'll get you fixing some aircraft in no time. They really are fun to work on. Open them up and most everything is right in front of you. I myself work on Blackhawks and Chinooks.

Originally Posted by xman

Ever read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance?

Yes!

A great book! It takes me back to a time of discovery and learning the meanings of life, and how to best manage that life.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Mark, Shakespeare said 'kill all the lawyers' not the mechanics. We can get along without the lawyers.

He actually wrote that when the characters were trying to destroy society, and that was the first step.

Matt

I would have been suspicious of the mechanic as soon as he claimed that more than one belt needed to be replaced at the same time.

Originally Posted by JMS

No, Today. I check out her brakes wondering to myself the whole time "why would he even need to remove the tires to change a water pump?" All the brakes show more than half their life left, and further more, there were cobwebs on the lugnuts which tells me he never even inspected the brakes. I now wonder if the water pump was even needed.

I had a 1990 honda that needed basically the same work done to it, so I did it myself. The left front wheel needed to come off of the vehicle to access a bolt needed to manually rotate the engine. This is necessary as a precursor before beginning any work to check the timing marks on the crank pulley. Maybe the belt just jumped a tooth, or something.

My honda ran the water pump from the same pulley set as the timing belt. While I had 1/2 the engine taken apart for the timing belt, I decided to replace the water pump as well to complete the warm fuzzy feeling.

This job would have been impossible if I didnt remove the front left wheel.