8-2-17 - Donuts and Road Trip

KT, can you tell me more about exactly when you car's engine failed. Were you driving it at the time, or had it been parked, and you were trying to start it? It's particularly sad because the car's mileage is very low.

Kat, I wouldn't mind seeing that glass art exhibit; your photos are interesting.

Muzza, I think we will need to rent a Greyhound bus for our road trip! One request: Can we sing "A Hundred Bottles of Beer on the Wall," at least once while underway? :drunk:

Sweetie, I hope the vet will be able to help your animal companion.
 
Does your mom have car you can use for awhile?

No, someone has to drive her in her car when she needs to go somewhere. She is crippled and can't get in a SUV or compact car like most of us have.

KT, can you tell me more about exactly when you car's engine failed. Were you driving it at the time, or had it been parked, and you were trying to start it? It's particularly sad because the car's mileage is very low.

Guy, I drove the car to town and back last Wednesday. It did hesitate a little when I first got on the road, but didn't do it anymore. I didn't hear any strange noises or see any unusual lights on the dash. I was going to run to town Friday to swap out my cable modem (it was fried by lightning and I couldn't get repair service at the house until Saturday) and that's when it wouldn't crank. It sounded like it wanted to crank, but would never start. Hope that helps.
 
KT, that's probably better than if the flood suddenly occurred while the engine was running, that probably would've broken something. The failure to crank may have been because a piston on its compression stroke (valves closed) cannot compress a liquid. And, I don't think the starter has enough power to then break a piston, or crankshaft. If the pistons were able to blow gas five feet in the air (plugs out,) it doesn't sound like they are broken. It's still a crap shoot, though.

The garage is just doing the usual thing of itemizing/billing for everything they do. I'm glad that you have a neighbor that is helping you keep a sharp eye on the mechanics.
 
If the pistons were able to blow gas five feet in the air (plugs out,) it doesn't sound like they are broken. It's still a crap shoot, though.

The mechanic I've been talking to said the same thing happened to his Camaro and ruined the engine, but his engine wasn't shooting out gas. There is still no way to tell if the engine is ok and no way to tell how long the gas has been leaking. You're right, I could just roll the dice, ha!
 
If the shop drains/replaces the oil, and the starter will crank the engine, they can do a compression check on each cylinder. That would tell them a lot. I sure hope you get some good news!
 
Back
Top