Engine Shop

mysavioreigns

Famous Member
I've never been to an engine shop, but I know a very reputable guy who I've been told can work on mine. Can anyone give me any kinda ballpark figures on what I'm looking to pay for? The engine DOES run, after like 20 minutes of playing with it. I am hoping (since I know this is a good guy) that he can diagnose the problem much quicker than me, and I can pay for him to fix it. I am hoping to spend <$1000, and preferably <$600. Any ideas? Thanks guys
 
Wait, why do you have to dink with it for 20 minutes? What steps did you do to finally got it to run? How did it run once it fired? Smoke? Misfires? What parts have you replaced? Fuel pump? Spark plugs? Cap/rotor/wires? Rebuilt carb? Set timing?

maybe I should go look for some of your old posts, this may have already been covered, if so please disregard, otherwise please answer as fully as possible.

-ron
 
It realy depends on what you getting done.
Tune up? $100.oo to $200.oo aprox.
adjustment? $50.oo aprox
rebuild? $1500.oo to $3000,oo

I would almost bet you just need to get it adjusted right..
tim
 
$600 should be enough to give the thing a 'major tune up'. That wont cover any internal parts. Have them do a compression/ leakdown test first to get an idea what shape the rings and valves are in. If that looks good have him dig into the rest. If the compression is bad or the valves leak the engine may have to come apart and $1000 is going to be a bit on the low side to have it all done. A major tune up would include carb rebuild, plugs, wires, cap, rotor, points(if it has them), filters, hoses, and maybe a couple of the easy gaskets. If the guy has a good reputation and is willing to work on old cars you should be fine. Many shops wont work on older cars because they are not in 'the book' or in the 'computer system'.
 
I think faking an OBD-II port on an old 200 would be a hoot. Especially if you could somehow give it a "sending" ability to provide some modern diesel error codes.
 
I haven't been this bummed in months....

I went over to my house to take off the exhuast manifold. I could never get it off because of the stupid stupid stupid rectangular bracket that holds the A/C and the alternator. Long story short, I ended up screwing up something around the alternator and it started leaking antifreeze. I tried to tighten a bolt, and it sheared right off. GREAT...


I think the problem, why I was having to play with it for 20 minutes, was because it wasn't being started but once a week, and it needed to warm up. I tried today (after starting it yesterday) and it started, died once, then started again and it ran okay - minus the coolant leak as mentioned above.

Ohhh, I have screwed up so bad...

On the other hand, now that I took off the HUGE old A/C, it sure is running well :)
 
you never said whats the motors doing,,does it start,,does it idle,,does it idle like garbage? if you want info/help it wouldn't hurt to put some details in your posting,,unless yoy figure we can read minds
 
well I have, it's been a while since my last one, but nothing much has changed.

It just has a hard time starting, then once it gets going, it dies a lot. I've changed the points out to Pertronix, fixed the timing, replaced all the wires and spark plugs, new air filter, all fluid levels are good. I bought a new carburetor and put it on, but still the same problem. When I went to get it inspected, it failed because it's got an exhaust leak, which I spent all day trying to fix, then, as I said earlier, had no luck with.
 
With all those other repairs and no change you need to do a compression and leakdown test to see how the rings and valves are. If there is a ring problem or a valve that wont seal none of the other stuff is going to help. The only things that should leak coolant on that side of a 66 motor is the outlet to the heater hose which is in the front corner of the head and there is a block drain bewteen the starter and where the exhaust pipe comes off the exhaust manifold. There are also 6? 2 1/2 inch ish round plugs on that side of the block, they are not that thick and if there was a bit of rust on them you maybe could have loosend or broke one by hitting it with a wrench. There are also a few smaller plugs in the head but I dont remember which side they are on, Im thinking they are on the spark plug side. The only bolts that could leak coolant would be the ones on the front that hold in the water pump, one of those holds the alternator on the non ac cars, Im not sure about the ones with AC. I have heard of those breaking. As far as the exhaust leaks cracks in the manifold are common.
 
I think it was the bolt that holds the thermostat housing in place. There was a large hose from the radiator going to it.

The plugs, don't know what they're called but I know what you're talking about, are all okay. Actually the block is in great shape minus the exhaust manifold and where it bolts up.

I can get a compression tester tomorrow. I'll see what I can figure out
 
I agree with TJ; a leakdown test will tell much more than a compression tester.

Because of the scattergun approach you've taken with other areas, this is the best way to steer back on course. With bits changed here and there, plus possibly not dialled in right, there's too much an element of blank cheque if you drag the car to your "good mechanic" and ask him/her to fix it.

Once the basic internal health of the motor is known, then you can work back to the outside.

Confirming where TDC is by use of a dead stop method, then setting the base timing to factory specs at idle speed. Checking for a good healthy spark and correct plug setup. Plotting the advance curve against RPM to see if the distributor does its job correctly. Testing fuel delivery pressure. Balancing the idle speed correctly against the mixture screw. Confirming regulator function and battery charging.

None of it's hard, and it doesn't involve a lot of parts swapping either. :wink: You can do all of this without the leakdown test having been performed, but if there are internal issues it'll make some of the idle settings really challenging.

Regards, Adam.
 
power balance test it, get some good insulated battery pliars, or spark plug pliars, and pull spark plug wires off, 1 by 1 ( replacing each after ) check RPM, must drop at least 50 rpm, and they should all drop about the same. a compression test can isolate the diffrence between warn rings and the top half by doing a dry test, then a wet test ( oil squirted into cylinder, helps rings seal and comp goes up )
 
Although I haven't yet done the test, I did notice that there was oil on the spark plugs when I pulled them out. That could be the piston rings :(
 
Could be rings but often is from valve guides. The compression test will help determine that because if the rings are that bad the compression will not be good. Valve guides will not show up on a compression test unless the are so bad they wont let the valve seal. Good part is if you get it running alright and your only problem is the oil you can do a tempory patch job by putting new guide seals on without removing the motor or head. If the guides are shot they wont last long but it will buy you some time to see what else is wrong without the oil fouling out the plugs. Keep going with the other tests before you worry about the oil.
 
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