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Car Broke Down First Drive

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  • ssj335
    Experienced
    • Jul 13 2018
    • 289

    #76
    Ok car is ready for pickup.

    Another painful bill $560.

    Changed the generator, and the regulator. Both were bad supposedly. $180 generator, $135 regulator, 2 hours labor plus tax.

    The **** thing better not break down after this $1k I dropped... it's never even made it home yet.

    This concludes my venting for the day. Thanks for listening.

    Comment

    • scumdog
      Super-Experienced

      • May 12 2006
      • 1528

      #77
      Originally posted by ssj335
      Ok car is ready for pickup.

      Another painful bill $560.

      Changed the generator, and the regulator. Both were bad supposedly. $180 generator, $135 regulator, 2 hours labor plus tax.

      The **** thing better not break down after this $1k I dropped... it's never even made it home yet.

      This concludes my venting for the day. Thanks for listening.

      Persevere!

      You’ll get to the stage where you have an ear to ear grin when you take the ‘bird for a cruise, these cars are like kids - put the hard work in early on and it pays off later.
      A Thunderbirder from the Land of the Long White Cloud.

      Comment

      • ssj335
        Experienced
        • Jul 13 2018
        • 289

        #78
        Thank you. I'm trying.

        Car did not make it home. I can barely even stand typing this.

        Got car, drove around a little and it seemed ok at first after 20 minutes the Gen light was coming back on when I would stop the car. Went back to mechanic he said that's normal and not to worry.

        Then a few blocks from there the car died just turned off. Mechanic came by and said car is out of gas easy fix (even though gas gauge said 1/4). He says gas gauges usually don't work on these old cars.

        Put gas in gas tank and into carb bc carb was bone dry. That's how he figured I was out of gas. Started car up but it died right away. Then he got it running roughly, noticed that carb is not shooting any gas at all like it is supposed to spray. Not sure why.

        Car is back at shop again until tomorrow. Hopefully it is a simple thing he felt bad this keeps happening to me.

        It really sucks like every part on the car is getting replaced lol. I don't get it.

        Comment

        • simplyconnected
          Administrator
          • May 26 2009
          • 8778

          #79
          Originally posted by ssj335
          ...Changed the generator, and the regulator. Both were bad supposedly. $180 generator, $135 regulator, 2 hours labor plus tax...
          Both were not bad. They are separate from each other and they rarely ever go out together. They ARE commonly changed together when the mechanic doesn't know how to troubleshoot. This was my concern in my last post as I tried to avoid changing good parts. Sadly, you are at their mercy.

          Now, you're back to 'fuel delivery', which was square one, with a lot of time and money between then and now. It may be coincidence that the charging system failed but I seriously suspect it is not. I will never know because none of my suggestions were tried.

          Our members suspected a fuel tank with loads of rust in it. Depending on how fast the pickup screen in your tank loads up, it can choke fuel delivery at any time. That was the purpose of determining whether you had spark or not and whether you could smell raw gasoline.

          Sorry you're having troubles but with a good troubleshooter fixing your car, it should last at least 10,000 miles without any maintenance other than oil changes or tires. Good Luck. - Dave
          Member, Sons of the American Revolution

          CLICK HERE to see my custom hydraulic roller 390 FE build.

          "We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?"
          --Lee Iacocca

          From: Royal Oak, Michigan

          Comment

          • ssj335
            Experienced
            • Jul 13 2018
            • 289

            #80
            Thank you. I mentioned all of these things to the mechanic but he doesn't want to hear it from me. It sucks because there's nothing I can do I feel like except trust him. I think I'm getting screwed by him not fixing the right parts it's costing me.

            I need to get it to somebody else. God I hope it's not a gas tank I think that's pretty costly this is getting really expensive.

            Comment

            • simplyconnected
              Administrator
              • May 26 2009
              • 8778

              #81
              A brand new fuel tank costs $200 delivered to your door. That should have been your fix but because I do NOT believe in throwing parts at a problem, I asked you to determine if you had spark or not. Everything around this answer was done first.

              Rockauto.com offers us a 5% discount and they handle Spector Premium fuel tanks (made in Canada). CLICK HERE These tanks are correctly tin plated INSIDE and OUT, just like your original.

              Fuel tanks are easier to change than you think. When empty, they don't weigh much but they are bulky. - Dave
              Member, Sons of the American Revolution

              CLICK HERE to see my custom hydraulic roller 390 FE build.

              "We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?"
              --Lee Iacocca

              From: Royal Oak, Michigan

              Comment

              • jopizz
                Super-Experienced


                • Nov 23 2009
                • 8308

                #82
                Kirsten,

                A good mechanic only replaces parts that are found through testing to be bad. Dave is correct. The chances of both the generator and regulator going bad at the same time is slim and none. I feel for you. The mechanic did nothing to troubleshoot the original problem you had which was breaking down when the car got hot. All he has done is replace a bunch of parts (at your expense) that didn't need to be replaced. The original problem remains and who knows how much you will be charged by the time it's fixed. Fuel system problems are relatively easy to diagnose. Also make sure you have a vented gas cap. It should say it right on the front.

                John
                John Pizzi - Squarebirds Administrator

                Thunderbird Registry #36223
                jopizz@squarebirds.org 856-779-9695

                https://www.squarebirds.org/picture_gallery/TechnicalResourceLibrary/trl.htm

                Comment

                • ssj335
                  Experienced
                  • Jul 13 2018
                  • 289

                  #83
                  Thank you all so much. This is really helpful.

                  I wanted to try to diagnose the issue myself like you described but the car was at the shop and I work during their hours of 8am-5pm. So I was in a position where I had to trust the mechanic to troubleshoot figuring he must be way more qualified and would do a better job than I could in going through those basic steps. But apparently not. So disappointing and costly.

                  He did say that those parts he replaced were all "shot" but it seems suspicious that so many parts would be bad all at once yet the car could run for about twenty minutes every time before experiencing problems. He claims to have tested the parts. I'll never really know. Though I did get to keep the VR he replaced. I would love to be able to have someone confirm for me if it was really shot or not.

                  So long as he can get the gastank for below $200 (I'll share that link) I think I will consider having him do it. Just to be done with it all. And then have it looked at by somebody else once I'm confident the car will make the drive without having to be towed. And maybe this time he will tell me the cost before he does the work like I keep asking him to but he keeps ignoring my requests.

                  The other option is to have the car towed from his shop but the logistics are complicated. His shop is closed on weekends. And that would be an expensive tow.

                  Comment

                  • ssj335
                    Experienced
                    • Jul 13 2018
                    • 289

                    #84
                    Just now 8AM eastern, I called Bob and pretty much had the call end after about 10 seconds. He said he will let me know what the deal is and I asked for prices before he does the work this time.

                    I explained that we think there's probably rust in the gas tank clogging the filter screen once the car warms up it builds up on that screen preventing fuel from getting to the pump and carb. He said he planned on checking the gas tank first but that it doesn't have a glass bottom on the pump. And that was about as far as the conversation got but at least I got some words in.

                    I never got to mention the fuel sending unit, the vented gas cap, or the mountain straps. Or even to take photos when the car is on a lift if it gets lifted. Like I said, the call was about 10 seconds long. I wanted to ask him if he could run a wire from the fuel tank flange to the frame to ground the tank as suggested by you Ray, hoping it would possibly correct the gauge reading, but didn't have time. I didn't get to mention that I can get these parts at a good price with the club discount either. All these things I wanted to say but he rushed me off the phone too fast.

                    At the last moment I got to ask for him to please let me know costs before working on things and he said that he would. I am willing to have the car towed (but it'll cost me at least $250) to another place if his costs are too high. I didn't get to tell him so in the time I had.

                    But that's the scoop. In person this guy is a lot nicer, but over the phone he doesn't give me the time of day.

                    Comment

                    • jopizz
                      Super-Experienced


                      • Nov 23 2009
                      • 8308

                      #85
                      Originally posted by ssj335
                      I am willing to have the car towed (but it'll cost me at least $250) to another place if his costs are too high.
                      What insurance do you have? I highly recommend Hagerty classic car insurance. I had my '59 towed about an hour to my home when it broke down and it didn't cost me a dime.

                      John
                      John Pizzi - Squarebirds Administrator

                      Thunderbird Registry #36223
                      jopizz@squarebirds.org 856-779-9695

                      https://www.squarebirds.org/picture_gallery/TechnicalResourceLibrary/trl.htm

                      Comment

                      • ssj335
                        Experienced
                        • Jul 13 2018
                        • 289

                        #86
                        Should've got Hagerty. Would've been better if I knew.

                        I have Assurant. I found them b/c I use GEICO for my normal car insurance and there was a link to their classic insurance partner.

                        The GEICO Insurance Agency can help you get classic car insurance for vintage automobiles. Make sure your collectible vehicle has the protection it needs.


                        I have the Platinum tow package and the way that is supposed to work is I pay to have my car towed by whoever I want (they dont help me to find towing) and then they are to reimburse me. But I still haven't heard from anyone 10 days since I contacted them about it.

                        Comment

                        • jopizz
                          Super-Experienced


                          • Nov 23 2009
                          • 8308

                          #87
                          With Hagerty you contact them and they arrange to have the truck sent out (guaranteed flatbed) and no money changes hands. I think they have three different service levels.

                          John
                          John Pizzi - Squarebirds Administrator

                          Thunderbird Registry #36223
                          jopizz@squarebirds.org 856-779-9695

                          https://www.squarebirds.org/picture_gallery/TechnicalResourceLibrary/trl.htm

                          Comment

                          • ssj335
                            Experienced
                            • Jul 13 2018
                            • 289

                            #88
                            What happens if you don't have vented gas cap? I don't think mine looks vented.

                            Comment

                            • jopizz
                              Super-Experienced


                              • Nov 23 2009
                              • 8308

                              #89
                              You can't go by looks. It should say vented or non-vented. A non-vented cap can cause pressure to build up and can also cause a vacuum effect which would lead to fuel starvation. Whether it's the cause of the type of issues you are having is questionable but it helps to have the correct cap.

                              John
                              Last edited by jopizz; August 10, 2018, 05:50 PM.
                              John Pizzi - Squarebirds Administrator

                              Thunderbird Registry #36223
                              jopizz@squarebirds.org 856-779-9695

                              https://www.squarebirds.org/picture_gallery/TechnicalResourceLibrary/trl.htm

                              Comment

                              • YellowRose
                                Super-Experienced


                                • Jan 21 2008
                                • 17188

                                #90
                                Car Broke Down First Drive

                                Here are some comments that Kirsten sent me. There IS a see thru fuel filter in the line, going to the carb. Bob says it looks to be clean and I gather, does not see any indication of rust in it. He thinks she just ran out of gas because the gas gauge was showing 1/4 full (incorrectly, apparently), and she thought she had enough gas to get the car home. Then, it would not start after running out of gas, and I gather, after putting some gas into the car. I don't know if she got the car home or not. Here are the pix she sent me of the gas cap and the tank. I see what looks to be a tiny hole in the center of that gas cap..
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