Car Broke Down First Drive

[ssj335]

You guys were right!

Mechanic says after doing the worked described that the car started up fine several times but then one of the times it kept cranking even when the key was removed.

He discovered that indeed the starter solenoid was bad so he changed that. You people sure know what you're talking about here. Thanks for the amazing advice.

Now... he is tallying up the bill... lol well all in all whatever it is I am happy to have a mechanically sound vehicle (knock on wood).

[jopizz]

Now... he is tallying up the bill... lol well all in all whatever it is I am happy to have a mechanically sound vehicle (knock on wood).

None of the parts involved are very expensive so the main cost will be labor. Hopefully it won't hurt too much. It shouldn't have taken very long to do the repairs.

John

[ssj335]

Thanks John - any everyone here - for providing such great sound advice.

If not for that I would have no idea what to be asking for.

[jopizz]

You're welcome. I feel for anyone who has to take their car in for repairs without having some knowledge of the work being done. Hopefully the shop will treat you fairly.

John

[simplyconnected]

...The only thing I did (partially with help) was to remove the burnt out battery terminal (the type with the twist on top) and replace with a new terminal (the regular type)...

I'm still trying to figure this one out.

What battery terminal has a twist on top, or a twist-on top? Is this a disconnect? - Dave

[ssj335]

The battery terminal I put on looks like this red one, only the one I used is silver (and I put it onto the negative terminal - where the black one usually goes).

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/z734BUYUb3Q/maxresdefault.jpg

The terminal that WAS on the car and burnt out looked like this:

https://tweetys.com/images/products/detail/ImageServer.2349.jpg

I'm still trying to figure this one out.

What battery terminal has a twist on top, or a twist-on top? Is this a disconnect? - Dave

[YellowRose]

Car Broke Down First Drive

From what Kirsten told me, is that some PO must have either not attached that battery disconnect on correctly, or somehow managed to screw the knob in such a way to cause a problem. It is probably the same one who did not know how to put the distributor cap back on properly... I have been using that kind of disconnect for years, and have never had a problem. When I pull into my garage, up goes the hood, as I leave my drivers door open. I unscrew that knob until the overhead light goes out and then give it another turn or so, so the power does not get to the wiring. No one should leave the power on the wiring while it is in the garage. There are people on here who have lost their Golde Top or other Tbird and their garage, because of power on the wiring and a short...

[ssj335]

$350 bill. Does that seem fair in your estimate? I want to know to help me decide if I should use him in the future.

[jopizz]

I figure about $60-$65 for parts (solenoid, points, starter cable, carb spring) assuming he used good quality parts . That means he charged around $290 for labor. Most shops charge between $65-$70 an hour. That means he spent around 4 hours on your car. That sounds a little excessive. Replacing the starter cable is probably the most labor intensive but shouldn't take more than 20 minutes. To me 2 hours to do all four jobs plus turning around the distributor cap is more than enough time.

John

[ssj335]

ouch i will see the breakdown on the bill tomorrow then =(

[jopizz]

ouch i will see the breakdown on the bill tomorrow then =(

Let us know what it says. I'd be interested in the ratio between parts and labor.

John

[scumdog]

This ‘turning around the distributor cap’ has me puzzled.

Most caps either only fit one way or 180 degrees around.( I can’t remember which type the Ford FE cap is.)
In any event, as long as the firing order and timing is correct the caps oritation won’t make any difference.

Was the car running OK until the battery terminal and solenoid issue?

[jopizz]

The way the cap is notched if you put it on backwards it won't seat correctly on the distributor. Whoever put it on should've noticed this right away. Also it has a 1 stamped on it so it's obvious where the #1 plug should go.

John

[ssj335]

It was running alright I guess, but it was really my first drive in it so I cannot say what is normal yet. I did notice that the speedometer was jumping up and down at low speeds which was odd, and it didn't seem very smooth. It felt like something might stall at any moment so it was actually a bit scary. I was planning on taking it to have it looked at mechanically but it never made it.

[jopizz]

It certainly should run better with new points and the distributor cap seated correctly. If the speedometer continues to jump around it could be a worn speedometer cable or gear or lack of lubrication in the cable or speedometer itself.

John