need a site for self repair. Does it exist?

Shell and others tried it about 30 years ago. I don't know of anything national that exists now. You will need to cultivate something locally for your own needs. You can still do lots of jobs outside with proper planning.

I know places like this USED to exist, but due to liability I doubt any of them are left. My friend was just explaining to me the other day just how much legal s**t he'd be in if I hurt myself working on my car at his place (I still do, but still...) so I can only imagine the liabilities involved in a place where the sole purpose for its existence is so that people can work on their own cars.

That said, this sounds like a great idea for a car club in an urban area where garage space is at a premium....

nate

(I cut my finger on a sharp pointy piece of metal, I'm gonna sue!)

I think you're right. It is a shame that our system and thought processes have become so greedy that a rental workshop would be a legal liability.

I'm not sure if it was liability or lack of interest that ended it. Liability insurance can be purchased for anything almost. If it's not an economically viable plan, then it goes under. The number of folks that work on their own vehicles may have diminished too. Kids don't seem as interested in cars as computers these days. It takes lots of tools and some knowledge. Corner gas stations that repair vehicles are nearly extinct.

Hmmmm, Too bad. Recently I think I was cheated by "specialists" in a local garage. I had a coolant leak and those guys told me I had a fuel intake manifold gasket problem. I didn't check myself and trusted them. They "repaired" for

1K but the leak persisted. I figured out that just a hose going to the radiator became loose. Well, they fixed for free. In 2 months the camshaft broke.My friend told me that on his Malibu, that has the same engine as I have, exactly the same situation happened: the "specialists" worked on his engine and camshaft broke. I am wondering if they did some crap work that destroyed the engine finally. I'd repair all that stuff myself if I had a garage. Alex.

What you say is exactly true..Kids and adults today know little else than to put gas in the cars and point them down the road. The complication of the electrical systems now, with so much computerization, can make it hard to work on them anyway.

If gasoline gets much higher, I wonder if we will see a change in buying and driving habits here.

I went back to Norway a couple of weeks ago for a wedding, and gas there runs about $8.00 per gallon now. Fill up a 30 gallon tank with THAT!

Common failure on the GM 3100 engine.

Or; that became the next weak spot to spring a leak once the manifold gaskets were corrected. If it were just a radiator hose leak, you'd have seen a puddle -before- you authorized the manifold gasket repair.

Stupid them.

No, coolant leaking inside the engine and mixing with the lubricating oil is what caused the camshaft to break. (the reason for the original manifold gasket repair) Engine coolant makes a lousy lubricant. Your ignoring the coolant usage is what took out the engine, not "some crap work," along with making poor choices when selecting a vehicle.

You'd need more than just a garage.

Camshafts break on the 60 degree engines due to leaking intake manifolds letting coolant into the crankcase, mixing with the oil, and wiping out bearings. Sounds to me like the techs did exactly what was called for. There is no way to tell if a bearing has been wiped without tearing down the engine at a cost you would not want to pay just to see if something may or may not have occurred. You and your friend really should learn more about auto maintenance.

Thanks for detailed comments, but I would disagree. I could not see the puddle of the coolant at the beginning because I was driving for a long time and discovered loss of the cooland at gas the station looking under the hood. Before that incident, tech's told me that my gasket was worn off but there was no significant leakage of the coolant into the engine. Can you imagine if all my coolant was in the engine? I'd have white smoke and specific smell, wouldn't I? Obviously the coolant leaked thru the loose hose and tech's sort of decided to make a repair that was not the main problem, but rather potentially helping in the future. After fixing the gasket they changed oil and all that stuff, so the engine was clean. Another evidence of crap work was that after they fixed the gasked my engine lost power because sticky lifters. They repared this for free as well. When I asked them about the reason why this camshaft broke they kept changing versions like I didn't have enough oil power, it was like 5 psi, then they said it was 20 psi. And many other ridiculous comments. When I asked them why the lamp of the low oil pressure was not on, they told me it was broken. Am I stupid? It always passes bulb-test! Anyway, my impression is that disassembling and assembling of the engine might have been done with mistakes or they missed other problems.

So, it took a long drive before the second leak showed up.

It can't leak anywhere -but- inside the engine.

Where do you come up with "all?"

No, you wouldn't necessarily unless you're capable of running behind your car with your nose close enough to the tailpipe to smell it, while driving.

Except that what you have previously described is a known pattern failure.

. After fixing the gasket they

Clean oil has nothing to do with damage that has already occurred. Does sound like they were thorough in their repairs.

Again, caused by ethylene glycol mixing in with the lubricating oil. Known pattern failure.

Stupid them.

Maybe it was both, as in; 5 psi at idle and 20 psi at speed. The camshaft broke because it seized in the cam bearings, a KNOWN pattern failure traceable to coolant entering the engine thru leaking intake manifold gaskets. If Ian McLeod is reading this, maybe he'd be kind enough to post a pointer to the pictures he's offered here before documenting such common occurrences.

Bulb test has nothing to do with whether or not the oil sending unit/oil switch is working correctly, so I guess you answered your own question.

Or; you drove and ignored a coolant loss problem for long enough to cause extensive engine damage. An apt description of most GM

3100, 3800, 4.3, 5.0 and 5.7 engines out there.

The ethylene glycol contamination will cause a thickening of the old oil masking the lifter wear and noise that you subsequently experienced. The only thing I see done wrong by the mechanics you're assassinating here is that they -should- have done the oil change first, before doing the manifold gasket repair there-by revealing all or most of the maladies you mention here, at which point, they can present you with the options for repair and allow you to decide on which avenue to pursue.

I have had "sort of" the same experience , Except ......... My 83 2.8 contaminates the radiator resevior with oil . The first set of manifold gaskets had been "cut" to ease the install . Coolant in the oil so I "complained" ( vigoruosly ) and they did it over. SOSDD ! When I decided I'd better DIM , I found they had CUT them AGAIN . It's been 2 years since then with no coolant in the oil but at oil changes there's 4 oz. + - in the recovery tank . I've long since given up trying to figure it out ( oil gallery crack ,pressure differential ? ) or repair it . It doesn't burn oil or leak copious amounts ( maybe 1/2 qt. in 6 months which , at least 1/2 is in the tank ) so I'm driving the crap out of it just to see how long it will last then we'll see just what else will fit in the hole . With the price of fuel maybe a wood fired boiler in the bed or a giant rubber band with a crank handle on the front . I guess I shouldn't whine too much , $200 initial cost and closing in on 500,000 K ( Maybe a bed full of batteries and a 25 hp. Briggs , I could have a Hybred (?) Will