Repairs

[Craig234]

Ballpark estimate for fixing crank sensor, ignition module, and a leak in the intake manifold on an older American sedan? Shop is $1000 and think it's not worth repairing, unless it can be done for much less.

 

[Rifter]

Sounds like around $100-200 in parts. And likely easy enough to do yourself. Depending on engine orientation and how hard getting the manifold off is. Doing this on a RWD with chev 350 would take less than a hour, a FWD V6/V8 could be up into the 4 hour range depending on how wedged into the firewall the motor is and how easy it is to access the Firewall side of the manifold.

More if its a plastic manifold thats broken needing replacement and not a simple gasket swap.

 

[Craig234]

Thanks for opinion.

 

[Rifter]

How old a vehicle/what is it worth? Depending on value it may not be worth fixing unless you can do the work yourself to save labour.

 

[Craig234]

How old a vehicle/what is it worth? Depending on value it may not be worth fixing unless you can do the work yourself to save labour.

Well Kelly lists the good condition value the same amount as the (main) repairs, so don't think it's worth that. I can't repair it myself but can check for 'private guys' who do repairs cheaper.

 

[Fenixgoon]

how long will $1000 worth of repairs keep your car going? if you expect it to last another couple of years, it's probably worth it. if you're in the money pit phase, probably worth investigating a new (either new-new, or new-to-you) vehicle.

 

[Craig234]

how long will $1000 worth of repairs keep your car going? if you expect it to last another couple of years, it's probably worth it. if you're in the money pit phase, probably worth investigating a new (either new-new, or new-to-you) vehicle.

I don't see why it wouldn't run a couple more years for the $1000, but given that's the value of the car now (well really more since there are things broken also) it's hard to put the $1000 into this car instead of another. In one sense, that could mean 'spend the same money on a better condition car like this one', but it's hard to not want a big upgrade instead.

 

[Craig234]

Well, the repair shop charges $125 for diagnosing the car's issues, and the credit you that if you do the repairs.

When I called to say I'll just pick up the car and pay for the diagnostics, they said they wouldn't charge for them. Wow, now that's a pretty generous shop.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Manifold leak can be temp-fixed with metal tape. (Not duct tape - that'll bake off. Speed tape.) Or dump some two-part epoxy on it to seal it that way. Chances are it'll last longer than you keep the car.

Ignition modules are usually pretty easy to get to - if you can replace a furnace filter or check your oil, I bet you can do this too. (YMMV; consult Youtube for videos specific to your car.)

Crank sensor could be really bad or really easy, depending.

Is there a local community college or something with an auto repair program? Some of the students might freelance.

 

[RLGL]

Ignition modules are usually pretty easy to get to

They seldom fail, depending on the system the pick up coil in the distributor ( if it has one) fails more often.

 

[shortylickens]

My guys charge 75 bucks an hour but they do excellent work. And they dont upsell or lie or cheat or steal or break stuff.

I trust them and I'm too inept to fix my own car. Honestly I think if you trust them a mere grand isnt so bad for all that.
If for some reason you dont trust your guy then stop going to him. It doesnt matter if its a small job or a big one.

 

[sontakke]

If you were to replace this with a new car, the $1000 will not even pay for two months payments!

 

[Craig234]

If you were to replace this with a new car, the $1000 will not even pay for two months payments!

Ya, I'm not buying a 'new' car, but a used one; in theory I could buy one like this one but without the problems for less than all the repairs ($1500). So hard to justify repairs.

 

[bruceb]

I had the ignition module on my 1999 Grand Prix 3800 engine fail. It is right under the coil packs, an easy change. But the dealer said one of the coils had gone bad, taking the module with it. As to the cracked intake manifold, if it is like on the GM 3800 and it leaks coolant into the oil, then it is a big job. Can't really say about crankshaft sensor, but in some cases, it is behind the crank pulley, so it may be hard to access.

 

[mindless1]

Ya, I'm not buying a 'new' car, but a used one; in theory I could buy one like this one but without the problems for less than all the repairs ($1500). So hard to justify repairs.

Not necessarily true. Once you have done those repairs they are things that should not need repaired again for quite a while (if ever) while getting another one near that age may set you up for another round of repairs soon enough. It's a major reason why vehicles depreciate to sub-$3K price range even if safe/driveable. Sometimes it's better to deal with the demons you know than to swap them with someone else's... depends a bit on how well your vehicle was otherwise maintained.

Two significant things not mentioned are what make/model/engine and how many miles on it? Anything major repaired/replaced yet?

If the shop didn't do enough work to charge for it, I speculate that the ignition coil and possibly intake manifold leak are just their best guesses. I mean the real (necessary) cost to fix the cause resulting in each diagnosis, could be lower than expected, or higher than expected if they dig into it and find multiple parts need replaced in each subsystem, or if their profit model is based on getting vehicles in for repairs under the cheap repair guise then telling customers it was more than that (whether it really was or not).

I've done a GM 3800 and it's not THAT bad. Granted, I did it on a larger engine bay Lesabre not a Grand Prix. There's no contortions to get into tight spaces, no special combination of socket extensions nor special tools needed, nothing unexpected needs removed, just a table and methodical removal, though while you have it off you might want to do the lower intake manifold gaskets, coolant sensor and thermostat while you're at it. Figure around $220 parts & fluids total and a few hours labor. DON'T get the Doorman brand intake manifold, it's off tolerance, ill-fitting. If you're in it for the long haul, consider getting the older generation 3800 metal intake from a junkyard. The flow characteristics are a little worse but not much and it will last *forever*.

On the other hand maybe it's just time for something different (type of vehicle). If you don't like the vehicle enough to spend $1K, I'd suspect that's the case. If you just want cheap operating costs then I'd get a Corolla or equivalent, not another large american sedan though the larger ones are easiest to DIY repair.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

I have an Intrigue with the 3800 and the Intake Manifold Gasket and the CKPS (Crankshaft Position Sensor), and a separate time with the Coolant Elbow. Replacing the intake manifold gaskets with the re-made metal ones (to supposedly fix this issue) cost about $700 if I remember right. CKPS cost another $150 when that happened later. CKPS requires the GM Tech Tool to calibrate. When it went out, the car was stuck in another town, and the idiots said it wasn't necessary (after I said it was). It's probably because they didn't have the tool. Check Engine Light was back on in a couple days. Fortunate for me my usual mechanic was cool enough to do the reprogramming for free..

If you have all that torn apart, get the aluminum replacement coolant elbows and replace those plastic elbows (they just make 90 degree turns). Those plastic things dry out, crack, and you'll be pissed when your coolant leaks out all over the place and you're stuck somewhere because of that stupid little elbow.

On the other side, for everything to complain about these American cars, it's had it problems, but it keeps running.

Most importantly, I would trust a POS car that I've owned for 6 years and put a $1,000 repair into more than I would a $1,500 random car I bought. You might get lucky, but chances are, whatever you buy is not going to be too much better off than what you got. The demon you know is a safer bet than the demon you don't.

 

[mindless1]

^ I forgot that I did replace the heater elbows with metal ones when I did the rest. I'd read that they can break off during the removal and it was easier to not worry about being gentle with them, as well as being nice to swap in a part likely to never fail (maybe need new o-rings someday at most). In that case Dorman offered a part superior to the OEM (which is rare).
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A1A6PT4

 

[Craig234]

Thanks for the comments. On the older car, while the garage that diagnosed three central issues wanted just over $1,000 to fix them, I called a Craigslist mechanic that comes to you and he only wanted $400, so I said go ahead.

He came tonight, and said he found an additional leak with the manifold that will need replacing the top plastic part of the manifold. He said' he'd either take $100 off the price and just do the other two repairs, or that he'd tale $100 off tonight, buy the manifold tomorrow for about $80, and do both manifold repairs on Sunday for $70 labor, making the total $450 instead of $400. I said to do that.

 

[mindless1]

^ Yeah you don't want the manifold going out. On some it will eventually cause a coolant leak, sucked into the cylinders, hydrolocking the engine. That usually happens where the coolant passage goes up into the throttle body.

 

[Craig234]

^ Yeah you don't want the manifold going out. On some it will eventually cause a coolant leak, sucked into the cylinders, hydrolocking the engine. That usually happens where the coolant passage goes up into the throttle body.

Well, with two issues with the manifold leaking being fixed and the top plastic part being replaced, hopefully that fixes whatever is needed.

Apparently anything more would be a lot more expensive, making this a wasted $450, and I hope the car running without any oil apparently didn't cause bigger problems.

 

[pauldun170]

Ballpark estimate for fixing crank sensor, ignition module, and a leak in the intake manifold on an older American sedan? Shop is $1000 and think it's not worth repairing, unless it can be done for much less.

Why would you exclude important info like year\make\model\trim?
"Older American Sedan" is meaningless.

Everything below is an "Older American Sedan". Repair cost can be all over the map.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

Well, with two issues with the manifold leaking being fixed and the top plastic part being replaced, hopefully that fixes whatever is needed.

Apparently anything more would be a lot more expensive, making this a wasted $450, and I hope the car running without any oil apparently didn't cause bigger problems.

Lol, that was maybe a bigger deal worth bringing up.

 

[bruceb]

If in fact your engine did run without oil or oil pressure, you may have easily ruined the crank and crank bearings and maybe the cylinders as well. If that happened, you are looking at a full rebuild with machine work or a reman engine swap.

 

[Craig234]

Lol, that was maybe a bigger deal worth bringing up.

I just found out when I had the oil changed last week.

 

[Craig234]

If in fact your engine did run without oil or oil pressure, you may have easily ruined the crank and crank bearings and maybe the cylinders as well. If that happened, you are looking at a full rebuild with machine work or a reman engine swap.

Yup.

It's just it SEEMED to run fine except the other issues already mentioned - as if it hadn't had that engine damage. Let's hope but hard to see it NOT damaged with ZERO oil who knows how long.