[p3]

Well i found out today i have to replace my camshaft gasket. Thats gonna cost me $95 at a dealer including labor....AND my stereo system is drawing enough power from my battery that my alternator cant keep up with it and my car barely has enough juice to start.

 

[GiftHorses]

Do ya' think you could hook up an alternator from one of the v-10 Rams under the hood, and the battery in the trunk?? .... but seriously folks....did you get the alternator/regulator checked to make sure they are putting out enough voltage? And as for the cam gasket, well, it's better than having to replace the entire cam, but if you don't have the facilities to do it yourself, or know someone who does, it;s worth it to keep the car on the road, don't ya think?

 

[p3]

yeah...i just found out today i need new: tie rod ends, crank seal, control arms, front rotors, front brakes, front tires, and wheel bearings....yay

 

[GiftHorses]

OUCH!!!! Maybe you should just add the Trep on as an entertainment room to your house. You have my $ymapthies!

 

[Lafrad]

Originally posted by pimped3point3:
yeah...i just found out today i need new: tie rod ends, crank seal, control arms, front rotors, front brakes, front tires, and wheel bearings....yay

most 'treps that have over 70K on them need new tie rod ends, rotors, brakes, a wheel bearing or two..... and the crank seal is only important if you don't want the black oil spot in the driveway. I got rid of my problem by putting a seal conditioner in at my last oil-change. The conditioner I used was Hy-Per Lube. No more Oil Drips, quiets the engine down too.

 

[p3]

Yeah i forgot the ball joints. those are bad too ...with everything i need including labor its gonna cost me about $900...

[ December 05, 2001: Message edited by: pimped3point3 ]

 

[mgkuhn20]

Hey Lafrad were do you find this Hy-Per lube, mine is leaking I think it is the crack but cant tell if it is the crack or oil pan gasket. The belts pick up the oil and throw it all over the engine compartment. So hopefully if I can get this additive it will stop it.

 

[Lafrad]

eek.. that sounds like an oil pan gasget up at the front of the engine...
BUT, i got the stuff at Checker auto parts here in EC... it is very similar to any of the other products out there (slick 50, STP engine oil treatment, stuff like that) just goto your local auto store and ask the guy behind the counter what he uses in his older car/truck. that is the stuff that generally works best.

 

[RCE2WIN]

If you wanna take some $$$ off that dealership bill, do the brakes yourself. The front rotors i got at a local auto shop for $25 each. There's nothing holding them on except the wheel(and maybe an assembly washer or 2 on the studs). The brake pads on these cars are the easiest i have ever done. All you need to get that caliper off is a 10mm wrench and a hammer to knock it loose. That would take a couple hours off the labor, and a few bills off the total cost.


yeah...i just found out today i need new: tie rod ends, crank seal, control arms, front rotors, front brakes, front tires, and wheel bearings....yay [/QUOTE]

 

[79lilred]

I agree with JT - learn to work on your car. Not many jobs easier than doing disc brake pads.

As for the cam seal - if the labor is $90, that sounds like they're charging about 1 hr, which means it really takes about 30 minutes (or less).

Who has told you that your car "needs" all this stuff? The service writer at the dealership? You do know he works on COMMISSION don't you? So you are paying HIM, the MECHANIC and the DEALERSHIP. So are all these items REALLY bad or is someone looking for a little fatter paycheck?

On my 93 Concorde with 125K, I ran one pad down to where it chewed the rotor pretty good. I cleaned the burrs with sandpaper, bought some lifetime warrenty pads from AutoZone and have another 50K on a rotor that "should" have been replaced. (not saying DON'T put on a new rotor IF you really need it - I just couldn't get one that day).

Single Mom friend at work has a son off at college 90 miles away. He called with a $900 brake estimate from a Ford dealership on his 2000 Explorer. I happened to have a backyard mechanic friend (used to work at a dealership til his Mom got sick) who lives near the college. The $900 brake job wound up costing $100 labor and $125 for parts. The dealership was replacing EVERYTHING whether it needed it or not.

Maybe you need to find a backyard mechanic you can trust and get a second opinion & price quote.

 

[p3]

i know it needs all that **** like tie rod ends, control arms, ect. It steers really weird and has WAY more torque steer than it should.

 

[79lilred]

You're describing the way mine drove before I spent 1 hr replacing the $10 inner tie rod bushings.
Just trying to help......I know I hate spending money I don't need to. Sorry if I hacked you off.