I was aGrease Monkey all Weekend

About two weeks ago my son’s car was ticking when he got home. He asked me why and I went out and looked. The first think I did was check the oil and found it was way over full and was like gooey chocolate. Well I think I found out why you had a low coolant light come on also. The antifreeze is leaking into the oil.

So I personally think that is a head gasket in the engine. We take it to a garage and have them look at it. They tell us that after running a pressure test it is the Intake gasket and the ticking lifter is bad and will need to change them. It will be around $850 for the gasket fix and another $350 for the lifters to be replaced for a grand total of near $1200 to be put into a car we paid $3500 for. NOW WHAT?

Well we went and got the car home a week ago to decide what to do. Trade it and use the $1200 to upgrade to a different car? Sell it and let the people know about the problem? Or take it back to the same garage or a different garage if we can find a better price?

During this time my wife and I are again making sure he has a ride or having to drive him places. On nice days when I can drive my buggy he is taking my truck. Now there is a problem. I am a bit weird here as it is no special truck but it is MY truck and I don’t really like people driving my truck. My wife can take it but as a whole she stays to her van and I keep my truck. SO I have motivation to get the car fixed to lessen the getting him around on my wife and to keep him from driving my truck too much. He is a 16 year old boy who seems to talk about speed all the time.

I ordered a gasket kit on Friday. Then on Saturday while he was at band practice I pulled his car in my garage and torn the engine all the way down to the heads. I found a split in the intake gasket between the oil and coolant side and believe that is where the problem was. I then called my brother in law who is a mechanic and begged for his help to put this engine back together correctly. He came down and all day Sunday he and I put the engine back. When we got it completed it started and the boy is driving it today. I think we fixed it in by spending a long weekend of playing grease monkey and around $250 in the end with parts.

I am happy with the turn out. The son thinks the car is faster now; although, all we did was replace a gasket, and change the spark plugs and cables. He is happy with his car back cheaper, wife is happy to not have to run him to school, and I am happy he is not in my truck. That makes for a successful weekend.