yact: estimates?

[zCypher]

Ok, I recently bought an 85 Iroc. It's pretty much the car I wanted (V8, standard, T-Top), but it does need some work. The body is nice (nice paint, solid body) but things have gone wrong almost every day since I got it. Judging from the way the guy drove it on our first test drive (he wanted to drive first, I guess to see if I was serious), that's why things busted on me.

Anyway, the first thing I didn't really mind. The exhaust started to rattle when I hit bumps. I figure - that could be an easy fix. No biggy. Then my upper radiator hose goes (that's ok, I figured it would go soon, since it seemed kinda worn). So before it pissed too much coolant, I replaced the hose.

So at that point I think ... great, everything is good ... rebuilt motor should be good for a while, just blew a radiator hose and the exhaust needs to be touched up. not so bad! So I figure I'll have the exhaust welded so it doesn't move around and that'll be it.

Since my handbrake was busted (from the beginning), I bring it to another place to fix the handbrake, check everything out, etc. That ended up costing me $660 total.. $130 + $130 for two rear calipers, and they also did an inspection, adjusted the carberator and some other small things. The car was there for 2 days, they charged 3hrs of labor. Not so bad.

Then after accelerating moderately hard once when driving around - it starts making this really bad sounding knocking noise - ONLY WHEN ACCELERATING. :Q wtf! If you know camaros, you'll know that when driving at 60+mph it makes sort of a whining noise. I heard that this is the driveshaft. I don't know for sure. Aynway... the knocking is the whining noise brutalized (I can tell).

So I figure... GREAT, my driveshaft is fvcked? I jack it up when I get home... and ... WHILE jacked up, the driveshaft would actually TOUCH THE EXHAUST when turning the wheels. (wouldn't do it when not jacked up)! :Q

so we work on it a while and manage to keep the exhaust back up where it's supposed to be and it's not touching the driveshaft anymore. BUT IT STILL KNOCKS THE SAME WHEN I DRIVE! :|

so now i'm out of ideas, i'm worried that my transmission is screwy and that my driveshaft is all fuxored, etc etc.. I have a list of 'stuff' for a mechanic to check out, but I don't know how to choose a mechanic to trust!

list:

1) transmission - check it
2) driveshaft - sounds like it's loose. check it.
3) exhaust - rattling. fix it. not much clearance to driveshaft.
4) fuel pump - check it. when accelerating sometimes it cuts out, THEN goes. now it's worse and wont go till i ease off the gas.
5) windshield washer fluid pump -> check it (squirt doesn't come out, but the tank of squirt is full)
6) left tail light - fix (it's a little dim)
7) headlights (angle adjustment)
8) clutch - squeeks a bit, and when it's NOT depressed, it sometimes makes this highpitched noise.
9) oil change - the oil looks ok and doesn't seem to leak (much, that I can tell), but this should still be done as I don't know when it was last done
10) trunk doesn't hold itself up anymore (i saw the liquid ooze out the right ramp when i bought the car)

So... am I talking $2-3k here? if anyone knows SOMETHING about mechanics and how much sh1t costs, i'd REALLY appreciate any sort of estimate for this as my car is sitting in the garage at the moment, and I don't want to drive it too much to make it worse. don't knwo where to take it

 

[iamwiz82]

if you are going to buy an old car like that you should really learn how to do repairs. I believe Ultima is a perfect example of that.

Anyways, where is the knock coming from? Engine bay, rear of the corner, corner?

 

[zCypher]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
if you are going to buy an old car like that you should really learn how to do repairs. I believe Ultima is a perfect example of that.

Anyways, where is the knock coming from? Engine bay, rear of the corner, corner?

It's REALLY hard to tell where it's coming from. However, when underneath the car, if I turn the driveshaft a little - I can hear knocking coming from the FRONT... NOT GOOD!

I know Ultima and all about his Dodge Shadow. In fact, he just bought an old (mid-eighties) Toyota Corolla.

 

[iamwiz82]

is there any slop in the driveshaft? Is it a u joint?

 

[zCypher]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
is there any slop in the driveshaft? Is it a u joint?

Not sure how to answer. Man I wish I had a digicam to show pics.

don't know if it's a u-joint... :-\ how do I tell? I'm a lame noob when it comes to this.

 

[kevinthenerd]

Originally posted by: zCypher

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
is there any slop in the driveshaft? Is it a u joint?

Not sure how to answer. Man I wish I had a digicam to show pics.

don't know if it's a u-joint... :-\ how do I tell? I'm a lame noob when it comes to this.

a U joint is basically a universal joint similar to the kind found in tool socket sets... a couple of U-shaped pieces that allow a rotating shaft to bend

the other possibility is a CV joint, a.k.a. "constant velocity", but I'm pretty sure that doesn't apply here

 

[zCypher]

ok yea i know cv joints are different

i'm not sure but i think i have a u joint. i dont know. i'll find out

 

[syberscott]

I have no idea what this knocking actually sounds like, but I'll venture a guess. Could it be the engine knocking? The last mechanic played around with the carb and it may be running too lean now, especially if it has a quadrajet. If it's running lean or the timing is too far advanced the engine can knock (ping) like crazy while accelerating (it sounds like a gremlin banging on the engine block with a hammer). Try a bottle of octane booster and see if it helps. It may be a drivetrain problem, but seeing as how you noticed this after the first checkup I would look there first.

 

[speed01]

Grab the driveshaft with both hands and try shaking it.. if it moves, you have a bad u-joint at which ever end moves and both should be replaced. If the engine is knocking, try higher octane gas to see if it stops, if not then the timing could be too far advanced and needs to be set properly. As for the engine cutting out when you accelerate, that could also be the timing or your carb needs some adjusting. The squeal from the clutch could be the pilot bearing going. The dim light may simply be an old bulb and that's easy to fix. Over all, it shouldn't cost all that much to put things back in normal working order. If I was you, I'd get a manual for the car first, then I'd check the driveshaft because if that went while driving it could be ugly. Next I'd check the timing and index the carb to factory specs (the manual will tell you how to do this.) After that I would worry about the rest of the issues...

Speed

 

[Pepsi90919]

the dim bulb might just be a ground.

 

[zCypher]

Originally posted by: speed01
Grab the driveshaft with both hands and try shaking it.. if it moves, you have a bad u-joint at which ever end moves and both should be replaced. If the engine is knocking, try higher octane gas to see if it stops, if not then the timing could be too far advanced and needs to be set properly. As for the engine cutting out when you accelerate, that could also be the timing or your carb needs some adjusting. The squeal from the clutch could be the pilot bearing going. The dim light may simply be an old bulb and that's easy to fix. Over all, it shouldn't cost all that much to put things back in normal working order. If I was you, I'd get a manual for the car first, then I'd check the driveshaft because if that went while driving it could be ugly. Next I'd check the timing and index the carb to factory specs (the manual will tell you how to do this.) After that I would worry about the rest of the issues...

Speed

Hey man thanks a lot! I'm gonna try to find a manual for this car and see if the timing is right. I had the carb adjusted and it does idle at about 700rpm (where it's supposed to idle from what I know). i dont know about the engine knocking but the mounts seem OK, and I always put "super" (higher octane) in, not regular.

so if it's just u-joints for the knocking ... that won't be expensive right?

so how do I know if I can trust a mechanic or not? i've been screwed twice in a week so I really want to be careful. i think i'll go to some places that were recommended by some people I know. man i'm iffy..

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: zCypher
Ok, I recently bought an 85 Iroc. It's pretty much the car I wanted (V8, standard, T-Top), but it does need some work. The body is nice (nice paint, solid body) but things have gone wrong almost every day since I got it. Judging from the way the guy drove it on our first test drive (he wanted to drive first, I guess to see if I was serious), that's why things busted on me.

Anyway, the first thing I didn't really mind. The exhaust started to rattle when I hit bumps. I figure - that could be an easy fix. No biggy. Then my upper radiator hose goes (that's ok, I figured it would go soon, since it seemed kinda worn). So before it pissed too much coolant, I replaced the hose.

So at that point I think ... great, everything is good ... rebuilt motor should be good for a while, just blew a radiator hose and the exhaust needs to be touched up. not so bad! So I figure I'll have the exhaust welded so it doesn't move around and that'll be it.

Since my handbrake was busted (from the beginning), I bring it to another place to fix the handbrake, check everything out, etc. That ended up costing me $660 total.. $130 + $130 for two rear calipers, and they also did an inspection, adjusted the carberator and some other small things. The car was there for 2 days, they charged 3hrs of labor. Not so bad.

Then after accelerating moderately hard once when driving around - it starts making this really bad sounding knocking noise - ONLY WHEN ACCELERATING. :Q wtf! If you know camaros, you'll know that when driving at 60+mph it makes sort of a whining noise. I heard that this is the driveshaft. I don't know for sure. Aynway... the knocking is the whining noise brutalized (I can tell).

So I figure... GREAT, my driveshaft is fvcked? I jack it up when I get home... and ... WHILE jacked up, the driveshaft would actually TOUCH THE EXHAUST when turning the wheels. (wouldn't do it when not jacked up)! :Q

so we work on it a while and manage to keep the exhaust back up where it's supposed to be and it's not touching the driveshaft anymore. BUT IT STILL KNOCKS THE SAME WHEN I DRIVE! :|

so now i'm out of ideas, i'm worried that my transmission is screwy and that my driveshaft is all fuxored, etc etc.. I have a list of 'stuff' for a mechanic to check out, but I don't know how to choose a mechanic to trust!

list:

1) transmission - check it
2) driveshaft - sounds like it's loose. check it.
3) exhaust - rattling. fix it. not much clearance to driveshaft.
4) fuel pump - check it. when accelerating sometimes it cuts out, THEN goes. now it's worse and wont go till i ease off the gas.
5) windshield washer fluid pump -> check it (squirt doesn't come out, but the tank of squirt is full)
6) left tail light - fix (it's a little dim)
7) headlights (angle adjustment)
8) clutch - squeeks a bit, and when it's NOT depressed, it sometimes makes this highpitched noise.
9) oil change - the oil looks ok and doesn't seem to leak (much, that I can tell), but this should still be done as I don't know when it was last done
10) trunk doesn't hold itself up anymore (i saw the liquid ooze out the right ramp when i bought the car)

So... am I talking $2-3k here? if anyone knows SOMETHING about mechanics and how much sh1t costs, i'd REALLY appreciate any sort of estimate for this as my car is sitting in the garage at the moment, and I don't want to drive it too much to make it worse. don't knwo where to take it

It seems odd to me that someone would buy a 20 year old camaro and pay someone to do most of this stuff. This is a perfect car to learn to do this work yourself.

Anyway:
1) Kinda vague to have it "checked", but there's absolutely no reason that a transmission should make any different noise while accelerating than while driving a constant speed. Some tranny shops will charge you less if you bring them just the tranny and not the whole car. Would be a good way to start learning how the car goes together and doing some of the work yourself. If you have the tranny off, there's absolutely no reason not to replace the clutch.

2) The driveshaft has to come off to remopve the tranny. It takes 4 bolts anda bout 10 minutes to get it off. It's probably the easiest thing to get off the bottom of the car, and even the high high performace aluminum driveshafts are not THAT expensive, at about $150. You could do this yourself.

3) Take it back to the place that welded it up and make them do it over. The exhaust should NOT touch the driveshaft.

4) This is probably a carburator problem, and not a fuel pump problem, but it's easy to check. Get a fuel pressure guage and see if it's normal or not. If fuel pressure is consistanly low, it's probably time to replace the fuel pump, which isn't particularly difficult.

5) The pump is probably broken or the wiring was disconnected. Check it out and if the wiring is OK, get a pump out of a junkyard. This si something you should definitely try yourself. If you can't get it working, it's not like it poses any danger to anyone, and if you fail miserably, you can still get a mechanic to do it.

6) Oh come on, you're not even going to replace the light bulb yourself? Why the hell did you buy a 20 year old muscle car?

7) See 6. It takes a screwdriver, 15 minutes, and following the instructions in the driver's handbook for the car.

8) The high pitched noise you hear is the throwout bearing going out. It's about a $20 part, but the labor to get to it (have to remove the transmission) is expensive. While you have the tranny off and at the tranny shop, replace the clutch and throwout bearing yourself. You'll end up saving $200. The squeaking when depressing the clutch is probably jsut the peadl, put some oil on it.

9) See 6. You're not even going to change your own oil?

10) Any auto parts store sells replacement hydrolic struts for pretty much every car out there. They're about $15 each (one for each side) and take about 10 minutes to change out. Instructions are printed on the packaging.

If you wanted a reliable daily driver, you should have got a Honda Civic. Your car is old, and it's been beat on a bit. It's going to continue to have small problems like this, and if you're not prepared to deal wit them yourself, it's going to get real expensive paying $60/hour for labor.

 

[zCypher]

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: zCypher
Ok, I recently bought an 85 Iroc. It's pretty much the car I wanted (V8, standard, T-Top), but it does need some work. The body is nice (nice paint, solid body) but things have gone wrong almost every day since I got it. Judging from the way the guy drove it on our first test drive (he wanted to drive first, I guess to see if I was serious), that's why things busted on me.

Anyway, the first thing I didn't really mind. The exhaust started to rattle when I hit bumps. I figure - that could be an easy fix. No biggy. Then my upper radiator hose goes (that's ok, I figured it would go soon, since it seemed kinda worn). So before it pissed too much coolant, I replaced the hose.

So at that point I think ... great, everything is good ... rebuilt motor should be good for a while, just blew a radiator hose and the exhaust needs to be touched up. not so bad! So I figure I'll have the exhaust welded so it doesn't move around and that'll be it.

Since my handbrake was busted (from the beginning), I bring it to another place to fix the handbrake, check everything out, etc. That ended up costing me $660 total.. $130 + $130 for two rear calipers, and they also did an inspection, adjusted the carberator and some other small things. The car was there for 2 days, they charged 3hrs of labor. Not so bad.

Then after accelerating moderately hard once when driving around - it starts making this really bad sounding knocking noise - ONLY WHEN ACCELERATING. :Q wtf! If you know camaros, you'll know that when driving at 60+mph it makes sort of a whining noise. I heard that this is the driveshaft. I don't know for sure. Aynway... the knocking is the whining noise brutalized (I can tell).

So I figure... GREAT, my driveshaft is fvcked? I jack it up when I get home... and ... WHILE jacked up, the driveshaft would actually TOUCH THE EXHAUST when turning the wheels. (wouldn't do it when not jacked up)! :Q

so we work on it a while and manage to keep the exhaust back up where it's supposed to be and it's not touching the driveshaft anymore. BUT IT STILL KNOCKS THE SAME WHEN I DRIVE! :|

so now i'm out of ideas, i'm worried that my transmission is screwy and that my driveshaft is all fuxored, etc etc.. I have a list of 'stuff' for a mechanic to check out, but I don't know how to choose a mechanic to trust!

list:

1) transmission - check it
2) driveshaft - sounds like it's loose. check it.
3) exhaust - rattling. fix it. not much clearance to driveshaft.
4) fuel pump - check it. when accelerating sometimes it cuts out, THEN goes. now it's worse and wont go till i ease off the gas.
5) windshield washer fluid pump -> check it (squirt doesn't come out, but the tank of squirt is full)
6) left tail light - fix (it's a little dim)
7) headlights (angle adjustment)
8) clutch - squeeks a bit, and when it's NOT depressed, it sometimes makes this highpitched noise.
9) oil change - the oil looks ok and doesn't seem to leak (much, that I can tell), but this should still be done as I don't know when it was last done
10) trunk doesn't hold itself up anymore (i saw the liquid ooze out the right ramp when i bought the car)

So... am I talking $2-3k here? if anyone knows SOMETHING about mechanics and how much sh1t costs, i'd REALLY appreciate any sort of estimate for this as my car is sitting in the garage at the moment, and I don't want to drive it too much to make it worse. don't knwo where to take it

It seems odd to me that someone would buy a 20 year old camaro and pay someone to do most of this stuff. This is a perfect car to learn to do this work yourself.

Anyway:
1) Kinda vague to have it "checked", but there's absolutely no reason that a transmission should make any different noise while accelerating than while driving a constant speed. Some tranny shops will charge you less if you bring them just the tranny and not the whole car. Would be a good way to start learning how the car goes together and doing some of the work yourself. If you have the tranny off, there's absolutely no reason not to replace the clutch.

2) The driveshaft has to come off to remopve the tranny. It takes 4 bolts anda bout 10 minutes to get it off. It's probably the easiest thing to get off the bottom of the car, and even the high high performace aluminum driveshafts are not THAT expensive, at about $150. You could do this yourself.

3) Take it back to the place that welded it up and make them do it over. The exhaust should NOT touch the driveshaft.

4) This is probably a carburator problem, and not a fuel pump problem, but it's easy to check. Get a fuel pressure guage and see if it's normal or not. If fuel pressure is consistanly low, it's probably time to replace the fuel pump, which isn't particularly difficult.

5) The pump is probably broken or the wiring was disconnected. Check it out and if the wiring is OK, get a pump out of a junkyard. This si something you should definitely try yourself. If you can't get it working, it's not like it poses any danger to anyone, and if you fail miserably, you can still get a mechanic to do it.

6) Oh come on, you're not even going to replace the light bulb yourself? Why the hell did you buy a 20 year old muscle car?

7) See 6. It takes a screwdriver, 15 minutes, and following the instructions in the driver's handbook for the car.

8) The high pitched noise you hear is the throwout bearing going out. It's about a $20 part, but the labor to get to it (have to remove the transmission) is expensive. While you have the tranny off and at the tranny shop, replace the clutch and throwout bearing yourself. You'll end up saving $200. The squeaking when depressing the clutch is probably jsut the peadl, put some oil on it.

9) See 6. You're not even going to change your own oil?

10) Any auto parts store sells replacement hydrolic struts for pretty much every car out there. They're about $15 each (one for each side) and take about 10 minutes to change out. Instructions are printed on the packaging.

If you wanted a reliable daily driver, you should have got a Honda Civic. Your car is old, and it's been beat on a bit. It's going to continue to have small problems like this, and if you're not prepared to deal wit them yourself, it's going to get real expensive paying $60/hour for labor.

notfred - thanks for all the criticism and advice. I DO want to learn and I do want to do as much sh1t as possible myself.

Basically what I wanted to do is have the major things done, and watch them work on it myself so I'd learn how things are done, since I know pretty much nothing. I figured I'd have them do all the small things while the car is there anyway.

If you were in my area I'd ask you to drop by and give me a hand, teach me a couple things - but I doubt I'd be confident to be taking apart my car's transmission myself. But I will take all your words into consideration.

I guess I could pick up a manual for my car at Canadian-Tire, and start tinkering from there? But what kind of tools will I need for the bigger stuff? Cause I can barely jack my car up as it is... I have one small jack thingy, so what I do is I jack one side, stick wood under the wheel, and repeat on the other side.

Anyway if I could do it ALL myself I would love to, since I won't be driving for a while anyway and plus it'll give me something to do.

However, the discouraging part is my dad is somewhat if a mechanic and from him looking at it, he even suggested going to the garage for some things rather than doing it ourselves (and no, he didn't pay for the car - he just likes mechanics in general). If he would go to the garage to get it done - what chance do I have at doing it properly?

so the first thing i want out of the way is the driveshaft rattling (if that's what it is). do I take the whole thing apart..?

also there is an oil leak from somewhere. when I check my oil it hasn't budged. but it's leaking somewhere cause I can see part of the exhaust near the front is smoking and wet when i stop after driving. also, there will be some drops on the ground after. what could that be, roughly, from my vague description?

in any case thanks for the replies thus far. I will probably get a few estimates for all the work, and then figure out what I could feasibly do myself without too much trouble. if I can get away with fixing everything myself, that'd be a pretty sweet deal.

 

[notfred]

To replace the driveshaft: Get a new driveshaft, or a used one in good condition. Anyway, you need a repalcement driveshaft.

Jack up the car so that you can get under the back of it. Set the parking brake (this is important, you need to keep the back wheels from spinning, or you won't be able to get the drivehaft lose).

Once the back of the car is in the air and the wheels are locked in place, climb under there. at the back of the driveshaft, where it attaches to the rearend, there are 4 bolts holding it in place. Remove them. Sometimes it's easier to remove the bottom two, then release the parking brake, rotate the driveshaft so the two bolts that were on top are now on the bottom, and then set the parking brake again. It makes them easier to reach.

Once the four bolts are out, lower the back end of the driveshaft, and pull it out of the transmission. It jsut slides back anbout 6 inches and falls out.

Once the old one is out, jsut reverse the process to put the new one in. Slide the yoke into the back of the transmission, then put the four bolts back in.

Oil leak could be anything, really. You're going to have to figure out where the oil is coming from. Clean off the bottom of the motor, then drive it a bit, and see if you can see where the oil is coming from.

 

[zCypher]

Originally posted by: notfred
To replace the driveshaft: Get a new driveshaft, or a used one in good condition. Anyway, you need a repalcement driveshaft.

Jack up the car so that you can get under the back of it. Set the parking brake (this is important, you need to keep the back wheels from spinning, or you won't be able to get the drivehaft lose).

Once the back of the car is in the air and the wheels are locked in place, climb under there. at the back of the driveshaft, where it attaches to the rearend, there are 4 bolts holding it in place. Remove them. Sometimes it's easier to remove the bottom two, then release the parking brake, rotate the driveshaft so the two bolts that were on top are now on the bottom, and then set the parking brake again. It makes them easier to reach.

Once the four bolts are out, lower the back end of the driveshaft, and pull it out of the transmission. It jsut slides back anbout 6 inches and falls out.

Once the old one is out, jsut reverse the process to put the new one in. Slide the yoke into the back of the transmission, then put the four bolts back in.

Oil leak could be anything, really. You're going to have to figure out where the oil is coming from. Clean off the bottom of the motor, then drive it a bit, and see if you can see where the oil is coming from.

Ok that sounds ridiculously easy for the driveshaft. So a new one will run me $150 MAX? That's pretty cheap. So if replacing the driveshaft doesn't help what then? lol

hey notfred what about exhaust systems. mine is single till the back where i have two mufflers, but it's not dual from the front and i don't even have a place for a second pipe from the front. does that mean it's meant for single, or the z28 is just designed like that (single from the beginning and then two mufflers at the end for dual)?

anyway thanks again for all the help, cause it is going to be a great help. i hope i can work on it this saturday, or maybe friday morning. i guess for the lights i can visit a junkyard.

i'll let you know how it goes with the driveshaft. i hope to god that's all it is, and not something wirht the motor/tranny. they were both recently rebuilt though so technically they SHOULD be ok right? but i guess you never know if the rebuild was done well or not..

 

[notfred]

Yeah, you can't really tell how well someone else did a rebuild unless you know how good he is or you've got a receipt from a reputable engine shop.

I haven't priced driveshafts for 3rd gen F-bodies, but I'd be surprised if you couldn't get one for $100 or less. I don't know about specific exhasut systems for the cars either, but I thik that keeping the single exhasut is pretty normal, but often the diameter of the pipe is upgraded in aftermarket exhasut systems.

You can get light bulbs at an auto parts palce for a couple bucks each.

 

[thedarkwolf]

Can't you just replace the u-joints or the does f-bodies have the non-replacable kind?

 

[zCypher]

Ok... I picked up the manual for my car today, as well as an oil filter and some synthetic oil, so I did my oil change today. Which is good, because it seems as though it was well overdue. I also got a sponge.

Anyhow - I don't think it's the u-joints, but if my dad and I don't fix it soon, I'm going to replace them anyway as they're bound to be needing changing soon anyway.

Basically I'm 90% sure it's the driveshaft and exhaust pipe knocking against one another in more than one place. There is not enough clearance. There's about half the space there should be.

So I did a couple small things like the oil change, front light adjustment, replaced the rusty screws on the shocks with new ones (it was making a weird knocking when pressing down on the car.. eliminated that easily thankfully). I'm going to clean the air filter (I have one of the nondisposible cleanable k&n round ones.. came with the car). It's dirry, so I'm hoping that by changing the oil and cleaning the air filter (regular maintenance of course), that'll have some positive effects and just be good overall to do.

Thanks for all the input all, especially notfred. I am doing as much as I can myself, with the given tools. But some stuff would simply be much much easier to do on lifts. In any case, if I tell a mechanic exactly what I want done, and get a written quote first.. I could get a pretty good price I think.

On a sidenote - I have two leaks now. Oil is leaking from somewhere, I'm not sure where - and I have a radiator leak. I hope I can stop it easily, but otherwise I could probably pick up a radiator from a junkyard for cheap? I couldn't really see tonight since it was dark, but I don't know if the oil leak is still there - although I'd bet it is. I doubt changing the oil would stop a leak. would going from normal to synthetic have any effect?

thanks again all.

/me = filthy