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Cliffnotes: Blown engine.
Today, I finally got the OKAY to get my car out the shop... Now before you guys give flak to my shop, I'm going to state everything I asked them to do and what was done.
#1 Install my newly provided Racetronix Fuel Pump
#2 Install my new fuel gauge sending unit
#3 Install my EVAP Cannister I provided so I can pass emissions
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My car has been reeking of coolant lately, after I purchased the parts and after I scheduled the shop to do their work...
Alittle more background on that:
In early November, my stock Thermostat Failed... Easily replaced... , my stock water pump failed... no big deal, its got almost 150,000 miles on it, time for a new one. Get down the road until early January. New water pump begins to leak... Weird, okay maybe it was a gasket failure... Rip that off and install a new one under warranty... the very same day I replace the pump, my 2 month old Thermostat (Failsafe) gets stuck open... MAYBE it's just a faulty thermostat... Replaced that again. Things seem fine for about 2 weeks, get the car ready for the fuel system upgrades... and then I start smelling antifreeze... couldnt tell where it was coming from. All hoses are dry, passenger side floorboard is dry... nothing leaking from under the car but it was REEKING of coolant... especially under the passenger side cowl... Okay no biggy PROBABLY the heater core...I'll tap that when the fuel system is done... but just to make sure, I asked my mechanic to pressure test the system and find the leak...
Well back to the present, the mechanic does everything I need him to do, and he's worked on these cars before... he told me he had to modify the fuel bucket slightly to get the pump to fit as it was wider than the stock pump - and I honestly think my "stock" pump isnt stock because when I purchased the car it had a bad fuel pump and wouldnt start and it was replaced under warranty only it was a shady mechanic and I didnt have money to be choicy at the time... well they jerryrigged it probably... but today Im trying to fix it up for my motor swap.
I get the car back... I go to crank it... At first, she doesn't want to start... probably wasn't primed I think to myself. I crank it and it runs fine... but then under acceleration it bogs down like it never has before... almost like a misfire but there was no miss, and it became slow and sluggish... I - technically can't blame the mechanic because he did everything I asked him to do, maybe the fuel pump wasn't compatible with a stock 3.8L, I'm doing my LSX swap soon anyway but lemme drive it for a bit and then address it to him just to make sure... but my fuel gauge is ALSO still broke but he said the new sending unit is in, told me how he installed everything and said it was probably either bad cluster or a bad ground... and the SES light is still on (was on previously for the evap stuff...) maybe more stuff has come up with it sense I last checked it, besides you have to drive it 50 miles before the code clears.
Well I get on the Interstate and head down - car is riding fine ... but I begin hearing something whine and whine and whine... and I'm like...whats that??? Im thinking - could something has gone wrong by feeding it too much fuel?? I get off the highway and as soon as I make my first turn my hood BURSTS WHITE SMOKING STEAM infront of traffic!... I was at a stoplight and IMMEDIATELY shut her down and popped the hood while still on the street just to get scorched with white steam... Antifreeze... and it appeared to be coming from the front of the motor...but I couldnt pin point where... The mechanic told me he pressured tested it and it looked like it was coming from my 2nd newly installed water pump...
I pulled it into the gas station and made a few phone calls while trying to find the leak, no success... I managed to call my insurance to get a tow truck... they cant tow it because the car is too low... I let it run for awhile trying to find the leak, no coolant in it whatsoever... I added my last gallon of dexcool... I began seeing steam again but its just all in a mass and I cant figure out where its coming from! I cant find dripplets from my pump but antifreeze is all over my intake, hoses, A/C unit, battery... Well Im forced to baby it to my sisters house... and the temps ran HOT... and it wasnt long before I heard squeeling, knocking, thumbing, thudding, lost 75% of my power...and then my exhaust just COUGHS streams of heavy white smoke...and then I realize what had happened...Blown Headgasket... thats why I seemingly had no power when I left the mechanic, it was spraying coolant into my combustion chambers... it's why I've been replacing my water pump to no avail, and my thermostats too...the gasket material must have come loose in the cooling system and ate them alive... By the time I got to my sisters house it wouldnt even do over 25... It was pinging, knocking, banging, and smelling horribly... I parked it and Im afraid...she's most likely gone :(
When I blew the gasket and ran it for so long, it probably hydrolocked the engine.
---
My mechanic did everything he was supposed to do, so I cant really say it was his fault plus I knew there was a coolant problem going on.
Today, I finally got the OKAY to get my car out the shop... Now before you guys give flak to my shop, I'm going to state everything I asked them to do and what was done.
#1 Install my newly provided Racetronix Fuel Pump
#2 Install my new fuel gauge sending unit
#3 Install my EVAP Cannister I provided so I can pass emissions
--
My car has been reeking of coolant lately, after I purchased the parts and after I scheduled the shop to do their work...
Alittle more background on that:
In early November, my stock Thermostat Failed... Easily replaced... , my stock water pump failed... no big deal, its got almost 150,000 miles on it, time for a new one. Get down the road until early January. New water pump begins to leak... Weird, okay maybe it was a gasket failure... Rip that off and install a new one under warranty... the very same day I replace the pump, my 2 month old Thermostat (Failsafe) gets stuck open... MAYBE it's just a faulty thermostat... Replaced that again. Things seem fine for about 2 weeks, get the car ready for the fuel system upgrades... and then I start smelling antifreeze... couldnt tell where it was coming from. All hoses are dry, passenger side floorboard is dry... nothing leaking from under the car but it was REEKING of coolant... especially under the passenger side cowl... Okay no biggy PROBABLY the heater core...I'll tap that when the fuel system is done... but just to make sure, I asked my mechanic to pressure test the system and find the leak...
Well back to the present, the mechanic does everything I need him to do, and he's worked on these cars before... he told me he had to modify the fuel bucket slightly to get the pump to fit as it was wider than the stock pump - and I honestly think my "stock" pump isnt stock because when I purchased the car it had a bad fuel pump and wouldnt start and it was replaced under warranty only it was a shady mechanic and I didnt have money to be choicy at the time... well they jerryrigged it probably... but today Im trying to fix it up for my motor swap.
I get the car back... I go to crank it... At first, she doesn't want to start... probably wasn't primed I think to myself. I crank it and it runs fine... but then under acceleration it bogs down like it never has before... almost like a misfire but there was no miss, and it became slow and sluggish... I - technically can't blame the mechanic because he did everything I asked him to do, maybe the fuel pump wasn't compatible with a stock 3.8L, I'm doing my LSX swap soon anyway but lemme drive it for a bit and then address it to him just to make sure... but my fuel gauge is ALSO still broke but he said the new sending unit is in, told me how he installed everything and said it was probably either bad cluster or a bad ground... and the SES light is still on (was on previously for the evap stuff...) maybe more stuff has come up with it sense I last checked it, besides you have to drive it 50 miles before the code clears.
Well I get on the Interstate and head down - car is riding fine ... but I begin hearing something whine and whine and whine... and I'm like...whats that??? Im thinking - could something has gone wrong by feeding it too much fuel?? I get off the highway and as soon as I make my first turn my hood BURSTS WHITE SMOKING STEAM infront of traffic!... I was at a stoplight and IMMEDIATELY shut her down and popped the hood while still on the street just to get scorched with white steam... Antifreeze... and it appeared to be coming from the front of the motor...but I couldnt pin point where... The mechanic told me he pressured tested it and it looked like it was coming from my 2nd newly installed water pump...
I pulled it into the gas station and made a few phone calls while trying to find the leak, no success... I managed to call my insurance to get a tow truck... they cant tow it because the car is too low... I let it run for awhile trying to find the leak, no coolant in it whatsoever... I added my last gallon of dexcool... I began seeing steam again but its just all in a mass and I cant figure out where its coming from! I cant find dripplets from my pump but antifreeze is all over my intake, hoses, A/C unit, battery... Well Im forced to baby it to my sisters house... and the temps ran HOT... and it wasnt long before I heard squeeling, knocking, thumbing, thudding, lost 75% of my power...and then my exhaust just COUGHS streams of heavy white smoke...and then I realize what had happened...Blown Headgasket... thats why I seemingly had no power when I left the mechanic, it was spraying coolant into my combustion chambers... it's why I've been replacing my water pump to no avail, and my thermostats too...the gasket material must have come loose in the cooling system and ate them alive... By the time I got to my sisters house it wouldnt even do over 25... It was pinging, knocking, banging, and smelling horribly... I parked it and Im afraid...she's most likely gone :(
When I blew the gasket and ran it for so long, it probably hydrolocked the engine.
---
My mechanic did everything he was supposed to do, so I cant really say it was his fault plus I knew there was a coolant problem going on.
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