Disappointed in American Technology!!

[TopCatGr58]

Dear group, and Bill Woods,
I'm just venting here regarding my disappointment in American Technology....if it really is USA vs. Japanese, etc.!!

Wife's car(94Chevy Corsica 2.2L basic 4 cyl) had 115k miles on it, running great, no smoking, great mileage, used very little oil, etc.!! It had developed a minor head gasket leak a few months ago, antifreeze externally along the rear #4 cylinder next to the tranny bell housing. I had planned on doing a modest ~$200.00 Head Gasket job real soon!! However, the gasket beat me to the punch. Wife drove it to work....was running rough. Then went to drive it home that afternoon, started it, it ran for less than a second, but enough to get the engine spinning, developed a "HYDRALOCK".....sucked antifreeze into the combustion chamber, valves shut, FLUID does not compress, piston came up on combustion stroke and STOPPED, bent connecting rod, and locked up engine!!!!!! ENGINE TRASHED NOW

WHY did they go to using CAST ALUMINUM for the heads(yeah, I know, less weight and better heat disappation?), but they didn't use a stiff/strong enough grade of alloy to prevent them from warping even when exposed to normal operating temperatures!!!!!

SO...now I have to shell out close to $3k for an engine exchange because they won't sell me a remanufactured engine **And include the 3yr/100k miles warranty** unless they install it. I'm sure I could do it myself, but can't get the warranty to be in effect and they won't sell the engine to me anyways!! Yeah, I could get a "used engine", but you can't ever really tell what you're going to get. At least this way, it'll have the warranty which is both parts and labor, and I'll get to break it in properly and will know how it was driven/treated from mile one!!!!

Moral: Fix a leaky head gasket IMMEDIATELY, or pay with more severe costs later!!!!

[Dragonrider]

Recently did the head gaskets on my wife's 91 Cutlass Supreme (V6 crammed in sideways). My Gawd! What a chore. Took me a week of 8 hour days. The "top end set" of gaskets did not include enough stuff, 6 different trips to Chevy to get enough parts to put it back together again. The valve-cover-bolt-grommets were not available to buy. Chevy house said they were discontinued in 1987 . . . but it is a 1991 car!

For the head gaskets, used Fel Pro (and new head bolts) because the reason the gasket blew is that the anti-freeze ate it! The gasket was corroded from several water ports outward. Pretty sad, the car used AC-Delco antifreeze changed every other year since new.

They saved a buck on the original gasket is what it boils down to.

If you had taken this in to the dealer reporting a coolant leak, they would have told you to put a new engine in, or junk the car. For them to replace the head gaskets would have been well over $3000. This car is not designed to be serviced.

I did power steering hoses a few months before . . . step one was to jack up the car and drop the engine, drive-train, and front suspension out the bottom of it! Really!

GM should not be allowed to build cars.

[Jdwags]

I gotta say it isn't technology, it seems to be more greed... gone are most of the days of "quality, so it lasts".. exchanged for
how much can we make on the "repairs" after the warranty runs out..

but hey, lets do some "creative" accounting..

[maestro]

Why would you spend 3 grand on that car? The car's total value (NADA) is well under $3000. I know that people do this sort of thing but I don't get it. The only way it is even logical is if you drive it 'till it drops. It just seems like a poor investment to me.
Fill me in on your reasoning.

[TopCatGr58]

Originally posted by maestro
Why would you spend 3 grand on that car? The car's total value (NADA) is well under $3000. I know that people do this sort of thing but I don't get it. The only way it is even logical is if you drive it 'till it drops. It just seems like a poor investment to me.
Fill me in on your reasoning.

Well, just like you said, we do plan on driving it till it drops. It was paid for several years ago, and until this mishap, was a great vehicle. We don't have any car payments,very low personal property taxes, the insurance is really low due it it's age and low power rating and since it's paid for, no need for comprehensive! So....it's really much cheaper to fix the engine; the frame/body/interior is still in decent shape, and aside from this major problem, I can usually fix any/all other problems that crop up much more economically vs. a garage fixing it. It's much more economically feasible to repair this car and have it for another 5 or so years than to invest 5 times as much in a new car, along with all of the increased expenditures that accompany a new vehicle, insurance/taxes/interest.

IMHO, buying a new car is a great waste of $$ both in Insurance, Interest payments, and a considerable drop in resell value in the first few years, the only benefit is knowing that it was broken in correctly, and driven responsibly, but even like this car, bad things happen to good cars.

I bought a used beatup 83 firebird for $750.00 now going on 3 years ago, aside from replacing the power steering pump, water pump, tires, battery, and general tuneup/lube maintenance, it has been a very economical ride, gets the same mileage if not better than many SUV's, and again, no monthly payments, low insurance,taxes, etc.!! I let others spend their money on the first 5+ years of depreciation value before I purchase a car. That's my philosophy.

[Bill__Woods]

Hey T.C.,
sorry to hear what happended. Are certain the connecting rod is bent. i have had several 2.0l and 2.2l gm 4 cylinders towed into my shop with the motor 'siezed'. On all but one, i took out all 4 spark plugs and the #2 cyclinder was hydrolocked. No bent rods. take the plugs out and see if the engine will crank. With all 4 plugs out it should crank fast. if it won't crank or cranks slow you probably bent a connecting rod. I have fixed several hydrolocked, cavaliers, corsicas, etc, and only one had bent a rod. take the plugs out, crank the engine, drink beer. post your findings here TC to let me know.
good luck, godspeed

[TopCatGr58]

Originally posted by Bill__Woods
Hey T.C.,
sorry to hear what happended. Are certain the connecting rod is bent. i have had several 2.0l and 2.2l gm 4 cylinders towed into my shop with the motor 'siezed'. On all but one, i took out all 4 spark plugs and the #2 cyclinder was hydrolocked. No bent rods. take the plugs out and see if the engine will crank. With all 4 plugs out it should crank fast. if it won't crank or cranks slow you probably bent a connecting rod. I have fixed several hydrolocked, cavaliers, corsicas, etc, and only one had bent a rod. take the plugs out, crank the engine, drink beer. post your findings here TC to let me know.
good luck, godspeed

Thanks Bill,
But it was the action of the Hydro-lock with the engine up to running speed for a second that induced the bent rod when it hydrolocked; all plugs out, frozen crank.
Once the shop was done with the autopsy, it found a cracked head as well, so had to pay extra$$ for new one due to no value in the old head "Core", total will be about $3,100.00, but will have a 3 year/100k parts and labor warranty. Should be ready by this Wednesday much to my wife's delite.

I had more fun with the sister in law's (she is separated/living with us) old 89 Riviera.....developed a bad electrical short in the parking light circuit, kept blowing 20amp fuse every time turned them on, could not determine the actual location of the short...somewhere in the dash or firewall. Found the lead to the front lights beneath the air filter box in a massive screw together connection, had to trace the other for the rear lights thru the trunk, along the passenger compartment up to the dash, cut into it there, pulled the dash switch assembly out, spliced into the wire that was supposed to go to the lights bypassing the circuit in the dash, ran this with a new wire to the other two wires, lights work now, no shorting out, and fuse good so that the brights also work....they draw from same circuit!!! All, this in our wonderful 95-100 temps we've been having these past few days!

But at least it should pass inspection (due end of July!) Thanks again for all your info/help, if I had only attempted that head gasket repair a few months ago....probably still would have had to replace the head, but still would have been cheaper....oh well, guess those hard bags will have to wait another year!!!!!

[Jerry]

Thread strikes close to home...timing chain in my '86 Toyota 4x4 pickup was ratteling, finally skipped several teth but did not break. I replaced the chain, sprockets, guides, only to find I had bent valves. Shop wanted $550 - $650 to do a valve job. I went out and bought an '81 Toyota 4x4 for $965.00. Runs OK, running gear seems OK, smokes a little when I start it.

'86 is a mid-west truck, lots of rust, some electrical problems, not really worth sticking another $650 into it. Shame I spend $160 in parts/gaskets.

Moral: Don't put off service!

If anyone has a good Toyota RE22 engine (fuel injected) or head lying around their shop, contact me off line......