Losing it...

[Artcwolf]

I think I'm about lose it.

Tomorrow morning, I'll be having my truck towed to the repair shop for the third time in three weeks. Now it's overheating.

All the money I could have put in the bank for a down payment on another vehicle....gone.

I don't know weather to cry or...cry.

:Crying :banghead :surrender

[Maro]

Originally posted by Artcwolf
I think I'm about lose it.

Tomorrow morning, I'll be having my truck towed to the repair shop for the third time in three weeks. Now it's overheating.

All the money I could have put in the bank for a down payment on another vehicle....gone.

I don't know weather to cry or...cry.

:Crying :banghead :surrender

Surely if it is that bad you can get it recalled?
Go and park outside the dealership with a big banner!

[Artcwolf]

Originally posted by Maro
Surely if it is that bad you can get it recalled?
Go and park outside the dealership with a big banner!

I wish...it's an 1986 Chevy Suburban that, when it was given to me, I was led to believe that it was in better mechanical shape that what it is.

It was given to me to replace a truck that I knew would not last much longer nor would pass the new state inspection we have here in Texas. The big beast did get me through one year.

I was supposed to have the raise I just got a year ago. That would have given me time to get a down payment together. Now I'm fighting a truck that is falling apart instead of putting money in the bank.

If I suspected that I was going to have to have it towed two more times after the first time, I would have sent my digital camera back. Since the mechanic seemed confident that it wasn't a big issue to get it patched togther, I made the choice to hang on to the camera.

I'm regretting that choice now.

[Maro]

Ouch - Sorry man!

:bomb

[wazman]

I'm sorry to hear that. I wish there was something I could do for you.

[Artcwolf]

Originally posted by wazman
I'm sorry to hear that. I wish there was something I could do for you.

There's not much anyone can do.

I just needed to vent. :Sigh

Maybe I'll take some pics of the beast and post them. She is really an eyesore but she's big. Kinda fun riding around in it when it is running. :)

[Maro]

Originally posted by Artcwolf
There's not much anyone can do.

I just needed to vent. :Sigh

Maybe I'll take some pics of the beast and post them. She is really an eyesore but she's big. Kinda fun riding around in it when it is running. :)

Make a flash game with the beat in the background so you can shoot it!

:banana :banana

[ch0g0nda]

I love the way those old Suburbans look. Fo sho post some pics ^_^

[WazLady73]

That is awful! Sorry to hear that..

I understand...you could have used that cash to put down on a new car...

Can you just fix it up and sell it???

[Artcwolf]

Originally posted by WazLady73
Can you just fix it up and sell it???

Nope. Too much $$ to fix it up. It's beyond help.

It will be a good hunting truck for someone to stick out on a piece of property and use for deer season. She just can't take a lot of every day road use anymore without several high dollar repairs.

[Scottman]

Originally posted by Artcwolf
I think I'm about lose it.

Tomorrow morning, I'll be having my truck towed to the repair shop for the third time in three weeks. Now it's overheating.

All the money I could have put in the bank for a down payment on another vehicle....gone.

I don't know weather to cry or...cry.

:Crying :banghead :surrender Sorry to hear of your problems Wolf... Look for one of the big dealer sales where they give you a guaranteed amount for a trade in and go for something newer. Two dealerships in my area had these types of sales last week. One offered $3200 for any trade - regardless of condition. Another dealer offered $4100. With dealers pushing to get cars off the lot so hard right now, you can probably get something new for under 4% financing. There's a Saturn dealer in my area that is currently offering 0% financing for 60 months right now. Hard to beat that.

[Tivon]

Originally posted by Artcwolf
I think I'm about lose it.

Tomorrow morning, I'll be having my truck towed to the repair shop for the third time in three weeks. Now it's overheating.

All the money I could have put in the bank for a down payment on another vehicle....gone.

I don't know weather to cry or...cry.

:Crying :banghead :surrender

One! Nothing wrong with me
Two! Nothing wrong with me
Three! Nothing wrong with me
Four! Nothing wrong with me
One, something's got to give
Two, something's got to give
Three, something's got to give
FOURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Let the bodies hit the floor!
Let the bodies hit the floor!
Let the bodies hit the floor!
Let the bodies hit the floor!
Let the bodies hit the floor!
Let the bodies hit the floor!

[eire1274]

Originally posted by Artcwolf
Nope. Too much $$ to fix it up. It's beyond help.

It will be a good hunting truck for someone to stick out on a piece of property and use for deer season. She just can't take a lot of every day road use anymore without several high dollar repairs.

You know, the $$$ issue is what first got me into repairing my own vehicles. You'd be suprised what you can do. I did my first radiator and water pump swap-out (in my 85 F250, now sold) for $120 with hand tools. All I had for instructions were pages from an internet site. Did it in 1 hour, and it ran great after that. No more overheating!

If you can assemble a PC, and you can lift 25 pounds with one hand, you have the necessary traits to do 90% of your repairs yourself.

[eire1274]

Originally posted by Scottman
Two dealerships in my area had these types of sales last week. One offered $3200 for any trade - regardless of condition. Another dealer offered $4100.

BEWARE! I was offered $2500, sight unseen, for a beat up and partially wrecked 78 Plymouth in trade about 5 years ago. Sounded too good to be true, but I said "sign me up" and started the paperwork. Turned out, after asking the right questions, they were extending me $2300 on the value of the car. I was paying $13,700 for a "nondisclosed" sticker price of $11,200. Legal at least in NE, IA, and KS (that's all I checked) and probably legal elsewhere. Oh, yeah, I'd also be paying interest and taxes on an extra $2300 that I would never actually get, so I was getting royally screwed.

SELL YOUR OLD VEHICLE YOURSELF, AND USE THE CASH AS A DOWN PAYMENT.

[JCYC5]

Originally posted by Tivon
One! Nothing wrong with me
Two! Nothing wrong with me
Three! Nothing wrong with me
Four! Nothing wrong with me
One, something's got to give
Two, something's got to give
Three, something's got to give
FOURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Let the bodies hit the floor!
Let the bodies hit the floor!
Let the bodies hit the floor!
Let the bodies hit the floor!
Let the bodies hit the floor!
Let the bodies hit the floor!

I swear I heard that from somewhere before... Stickdeath?

[egarrard]

Originally posted by eire1274
You know, the $$$ issue is what first got me into repairing my own vehicles. You'd be suprised what you can do. I did my first radiator and water pump swap-out (in my 85 F250, now sold) for $120 with hand tools. All I had for instructions were pages from an internet site. Did it in 1 hour, and it ran great after that. No more overheating!

If you can assemble a PC, and you can lift 25 pounds with one hand, you have the necessary traits to do 90% of your repairs yourself. Great suggestion, but fixing the problem is the easy part. Figuring out exactly what broke is the hard part. (I've never felt a car was really mine until I had to change the water pump... :rofl2)

[Artcwolf]

Originally posted by JCYC5
I swear I heard that from somewhere before... Stickdeath?

Drowning Pool

[efernandez_98]

Originally posted by Artcwolf
I think I'm about lose it.

Tomorrow morning, I'll be having my truck towed to the repair shop for the third time in three weeks. Now it's overheating.

All the money I could have put in the bank for a down payment on another vehicle....gone.

I don't know weather to cry or...cry.

:Crying :banghead :surrender Well, to put it into your own words...Originally posted by Artcwolf
Tell him to cry a river, build a bridge, and cross it!

[Artcwolf]

Originally posted by efernandez_98
Well, to put it into your own words...

I'm building the bridge.....

[efernandez_98]

Originally posted by Artcwolf
I'm building the bridge..... :luxhello :thumb

[JCYC5]

Originally posted by efernandez_98
:luxhello :thumb

:eek: :eek: :eek:

Spam!

Please note: http://3dgameman.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=17450

Rodney will be cracking down on spammers. I recommend you do not post messages like that lest I call down the God of Spam upon you... or a moderator of Off Topic


(yes, it was a joke)

[Artcwolf]

Originally posted by ch0g0nda
I love the way those old Suburbans look. Fo sho post some pics ^_^

Here's the beast :cool_shad

[Artcwolf]

One more...

[Tivon]

Tank..:D

[Artcwolf]

Originally posted by Tivon
Tank..:D

It is. :Wink

She's leaking water like a sieve. I got her going by carrying around two gallons of H2O and a gallon of coolant. I'm going to take her into the shop tomorrow.

If my guess is accurate, either the heater core or the hoses at the heater core are shot.

At least I don't have to pay the $65.00 tow charge again. :rolleyes:

[west1055]

Originally posted by Artcwolf
It is. :Wink

She's leaking water like a sieve. I got her going by carrying around two gallons of H2O and a gallon of coolant. I'm going to take her into the shop tomorrow.

If my guess is accurate, either the heater core or the hoses at the heater core are shot.

At least I don't have to pay the $65.00 tow charge again. :rolleyes:

Arty if the heater core is busted, the coolant/water would be inside all over the carpet on the passenger side. The hoses are easy to change on those. One is 3/4 diameter other is 5/8's.

Where exactly is the water leaking at might I ask. I could prob tell you where its coming from.

[efernandez_98]

Originally posted by Artcwolf
Here's the beast :cool_shad I see what you mean, when you say that your car screams, "get the funk out of my way." :eek: :Holy Crap

[Artcwolf]

Originally posted by west1055
Arty if the heater core is busted, the coolant/water would be inside all over the carpet on the passenger side. The hoses are easy to change on those. One is 3/4 diameter other is 5/8's.

Where exactly is the water leaking at might I ask. I could prob tell you where its coming from.

From the passenger side door (carpet is soaked) and the windshield was froggy this morning.

It's the heater core. :mad:

$225.00 for the repairs (if the heater core needs to be replaced, labor sucks but it's better than me having to crawl around and take care of it). I still owe the mechanic from the last time it was towed in. I'm taking her in tonight and will probably get her back Tuesday or Wed. when I'll have to fork over $400.00+ dollars. :surrender

[egarrard]

I bet it's the hose. You ought to replace it yourself. Less than $10. Tomorrow's Saturday. It's a fairly easy fix. Especially on that big of a vehicle. Even replacing the heater core shouldn't be that difficult. Probably just removing a piece of ductwork to get to it. $400 is crazy! :Holy Crap

[bejohnson]

Originally posted by egarrard
I bet it's the hose. You ought to replace it yourself. Less than $10. Tomorrow's Saturday. It's a fairly easy fix. Especially on that big of a vehicle. Even replacing the heater core shouldn't be that difficult. Probably just removing a piece of ductwork to get to it. $400 is crazy! :Holy Crap

Those old beast were known for bad heater cores. I had a 1982 model and the original core went at 100,000 miles I sold it at 234,000 miles because the interior was falling apart. The thing was mechanically sound.

[wazman]

Originally posted by Artcwolf
It is. :Wink

She's leaking water like a sieve. I got her going by carrying around two gallons of H2O and a gallon of coolant. I'm going to take her into the shop tomorrow.

If my guess is accurate, either the heater core or the hoses at the heater core are shot.

At least I don't have to pay the $65.00 tow charge again. :rolleyes:

Artcwolf - doesn't your insurance company pay for tows? Ours does. How it works is we pay for the tow and then the insurance company reimburses us.

[Maniacmous]

Originally posted by egarrard
I bet it's the hose. You ought to replace it yourself. Less than $10. Tomorrow's Saturday. It's a fairly easy fix. Especially on that big of a vehicle. Even replacing the heater core shouldn't be that difficult. Probably just removing a piece of ductwork to get to it. $400 is crazy! :Holy Crap

Very true...on my boat, I kept leaking antifreeze, so over two Saturdays (I thought I had fixed them all...didn't though), I replaced all the coolant hoses in my engine and my heater core...and I'm mechanically not well suited I don't think...I know nothing special, it really really isn't difficult to replace some hoses or even the core, esp. in a big old engine like that beast has (mine's got a 5.0L V8...and space for a 5.7L easily...)

[Artcwolf]

Originally posted by egarrard
I bet it's the hose. You ought to replace it yourself. Less than $10. Tomorrow's Saturday. It's a fairly easy fix. Especially on that big of a vehicle. Even replacing the heater core shouldn't be that difficult. Probably just removing a piece of ductwork to get to it. $400 is crazy! :Holy Crap

Could be but like bejohnson stated, still could be the core. $200 or so of that $400 is for the previous tow to the shop. That turned out to be the altrinater and some more wiring plus the tow.

It's $225.00 for the heater core replacement. The hoses are not too old (maybe a little over a year) and the front hoses feel and look o.k.

Me working on a vehicle is about efficent as having Superman work in a kryptonite mine. :Nope I like to get under there but when I do, my brain turns off. :banghead

Give me a computer to work on anyday...but keep a vehicle far, far away from me.

[Artcwolf]

Originally posted by wazman
Artcwolf - doesn't your insurance company pay for tows? Ours does. How it works is we pay for the tow and then the insurance company reimburses us.

I pretty sure they don't. I'll inquire about that. :)

[thephenom]

I thought you were planning to get a new truck. Didn't you have a thread on that earlier debating which one to get??? :What the

[Artcwolf]

Originally posted by thephenom
I thought you were planning to get a new truck. Didn't you have a thread on that earlier debating which one to get??? :What the

I am.

I have to save up for the down payment...I think it's obvious that the resale or trade in value on this beast isn't going to get me very far (pun intended).

With the truck continuing to break down, it's really put a damper on me getting my $$ saved up for the down payment. Like I stated in my first post, I am now regretting not sending back the digital camera I just bought, when I could get my money back.

[west1055]

Originally posted by Artcwolf
From the passenger side door (carpet is soaked) and the windshield was froggy this morning.

It's the heater core. :mad:

$225.00 for the repairs (if the heater core needs to be replaced, labor sucks but it's better than me having to crawl around and take care of it). I still owe the mechanic from the last time it was towed in. I'm taking her in tonight and will probably get her back Tuesday or Wed. when I'll have to fork over $400.00+ dollars. :surrender

Yep, the core is busted.

Their not to hard to replace in those old trucks. But for those less mechanically inclined it can be a major pain. Some of the bolts to the heater box are a pain to get access too. I'd have the hoses replaced anyway. Cheap insurance later on since I'm sure the hoses are not in the best of shape.

[Artcwolf]

Originally posted by west1055
Yep, the core is busted.

Their not to hard to replace in those old trucks. But for those less mechanically inclined it can be a major pain. Some of the bolts to the heater box are a pain to get access too. I'd have the hoses replaced anyway. Cheap insurance later on since I'm sure the hoses are not in the best of shape.

I'm also having him check the brake fluid as I was told that it needed to be replaced by the oil change place. I don't buy it unless my mechanic tell me it needs to be done.

I'm also having him check the front end to see what all needs to be replaced so that I can put new tires on it and have it aligned. If it's just an idler arm or a tie rod I might have it taken care of. If it turns out to be all the tie rods and the idler arm...well, that's a bit out of my budget right now.

[bejohnson]

Originally posted by Artcwolf
I'm also having him check the brake fluid as I was told that it needed to be replaced by the oil change place. I don't buy it unless my mechanic tell me it needs to be done.

I'm also having him check the front end to see what all needs to be replaced so that I can put new tires on it and have it aligned. If it's just an idler arm or a tie rod I might have it taken care of. If it turns out to be all the tie rods and the idler arm...well, that's a bit out of my budget right now.

Brake fluid should be replaced every two years as it is hydroscopic (absorbs water) and the brake system flushed. This prevents corrosion in the system.

The amount of moisture in brake fluid definitely affects its performance. The big problem is it is absorbs moisture quickly. Over a relatively short period of time brake fluid will absorb moisture from the air. SAE field tests have shown that the average one year old car has 2% moisture in the fluid. A random test of vehicles in the U.S. showed an average water content of 2.6% for vehicles with an average age of 8 years. And 25% of these vehicles had water content greater than 4%.

As water content in brake fluid increases over time, the boiling point decreases. Fluid with a reduced boiling point (or high water content) can create vapor by boiling in the caliper, or wheel cylinder. The result is sudden brake failure. And water in the brake fluid can contribute to corrosion of parts such as steel pistons and ABS modulators.

The end result is even though DOT 3 fluid is "rated" at greater than 401ºF, in the typical 3 to 4 year old car with 3 to 4% moisture content, it could boil under 300ºF. And if it has got more than 4% moisture, you may as well be running straight water!

[thephenom]

Originally posted by Artcwolf
I am.

I have to save up for the down payment...I think it's obvious that the resale or trade in value on this beast isn't going to get me very far (pun intended).

With the truck continuing to break down, it's really put a damper on me getting my $$ saved up for the down payment. Like I stated in my first post, I am now regretting not sending back the digital camera I just bought, when I could get my money back.
Is public transportation an option? and just leave the truck sit on the driveway, because there isn't a point spending $500 fixing a truck that's only worth a few grand as a trade in value.

[west1055]

Originally posted by bejohnson
Brake fluid should be replaced every two years as it is hydroscopic (absorbs water) and the brake system flushed. This prevents corrosion in the system.

The amount of moisture in brake fluid definitely affects its performance. The big problem is it is absorbs moisture quickly. Over a relatively short period of time brake fluid will absorb moisture from the air. SAE field tests have shown that the average one year old car has 2% moisture in the fluid. A random test of vehicles in the U.S. showed an average water content of 2.6% for vehicles with an average age of 8 years. And 25% of these vehicles had water content greater than 4%.

As water content in brake fluid increases over time, the boiling point decreases. Fluid with a reduced boiling point (or high water content) can create vapor by boiling in the caliper, or wheel cylinder. The result is sudden brake failure. And water in the brake fluid can contribute to corrosion of parts such as steel pistons and ABS modulators.

The end result is even though DOT 3 fluid is "rated" at greater than 401ºF, in the typical 3 to 4 year old car with 3 to 4% moisture content, it could boil under 300ºF. And if it has got more than 4% moisture, you may as well be running straight water!

Problem is most people and MOST MECHANICS NEVER change and flush the brake systems. Why you ask? Because no one tells you you need to. And most mechanics dont want to because of having to flush the system and then bleed the air out of the lines. You wont hear em gripe when another brake component is changed because they prob have a line loose anyway to change the componet and requires the bleeding procedure. But if you ask em to flush/bleed the brake system with an oil change watch em make a big sigh and watch your bill go up... I know I grew up around all this...

Best time to do it is when the brake system is serviced.

[Artcwolf]

Originally posted by thephenom
Is public transportation an option? and just leave the truck sit on the driveway, because there isn't a point spending $500 fixing a truck that's only worth a few grand as a trade in value.

Public transportation is almost laughable where I'm at. No, not really a viable option.

If I don't have a vehicle, I'll have to find a job within walking distance of home.

[thephenom]

Originally posted by Artcwolf
Public transportation is almost laughable where I'm at. No, not really a viable option.

If I don't have a vehicle, I'll have to find a job within walking distance of home.
Or you bring your computer to work and sleep there. I guess bring your wife along too occasionally.

What about riding a bike? Or will that take like 2 hrs?

[egarrard]

Originally posted by thephenom
Or you bring your computer to work and sleep there. I guess bring your wife along too occasionally.

What about riding a bike? Or will that take like 2 hrs? If he had a wife, he could just take her car, or have her drop him off. (Hey! Marry one of the teachers! No, that would be a lot more expensive...)

[Artcwolf]

Originally posted by thephenom
Or you bring your computer to work and sleep there. I guess bring your wife along too occasionally.

What about riding a bike? Or will that take like 2 hrs?

No wife.

I work on computers...I don't need mine at work...and I wouldn't want it there anyways. I'm not installing Novell's client on my workstations. :Blah

I live about 20 miles from work.

[Artcwolf]

Originally posted by egarrard
If he had a wife, he could just take her car, or have her drop him off. (Hey! Marry one of the teachers! No, that would be a lot more expensive...)

no teachers...

[bejohnson]

Arty this is for you.:thumb