Repairs...

A lot of stuff to report on over the last few months.

I've been traveling out of town quite a bit over the last few months, so work on the Caddy has been in fits and starts.


Fuel System Problems

I was all set to take the family to the DragonCon parade over Labor Day weekend. I'm not much of a sci-fi fan, but the parade is very entertaining and Kyra got a kick out of it last year.

So, I loaded the family into the Caddy. The car started right up, I drive down my very steep driveway, brake at the street to check for traffic, give it some gas and STALL.

No worries. It will start right up, I thought. NOT. Anyway, the car wouldn't start after trying it several times. When I poured a bit of gas into the carb, the engine turned over, but would quit pretty quick.

I live on a busy street and 1/2 the car is in the street. Remember, this is a big car, so we are talking about 9 feet of Eldorado hood blocking the traffic lane. Wife is getting stressed as cars go by. I'm getting stressed as wife and daughter are complaining. Blood pressure goes way up.

So, I figure I can push the car out of the road a bit. And I can! The problem is that besides being steep, our driveway is also very narrow, with concrete walls on each side. So, a bit of steering is needed.

Ever try to turn the steering wheel on a 1970's Cadillac when the engine isn't running? It is hard. My wife is 5'2". Pretty much impossible for her to turn the wheel. My suggestion to her was to 'Stop bitching about how you can't do it and just ******* do it!'.

That went over well.

Anyway, my next idea was for her to drive my truck and use it to push the Eldorado up the driveway while I steer. Wifely veto of that excellent idea, and a wifely storm back up to the house.

So, I called AAA. They were out within a 1/2 hour and I had it towed. The shop that did my brakes is open for a few hours on Saturday, so I had it taken there.

Anyway, the fuel lines were bad. I've known that, but never worried about it too much. Been on my long list of TO-DO items. So, I have the shop replace the fuel lines. No time for me to do it.


NO BRAKES!!!

The shop replaced the fuel lines and gave me a call to let me know the car is ready. The owner mentioned that he had taken it for a good drive and everything seemed to be A-OK.

I tap the brakes as I exit the shop driveway and nothing happens. I push hard on the brakes as the Eldo coasts into the road. Nothing. Luckily, there were no cars coming, or it would have been ugly.

I steer the Caddy into the road, going downhill, locking my knee and throwing my whole body into pressing the brake. I slowed enough to make it into the next empty lot and turned the car around.

There is a reason the brake pedals are so big on these old cars. It is so that you can put both feet on the pedal should the brakes fail. I'll remember that next time.

I gently drive the car back into the shop as the mechanics are getting ready to go home for the day. "I got no brakes", I say. They take a look.

Their best guess is that the replacement boots and straps on the CV axles had worked themselves loose, slapped around and whacked the brake line, causing a brake fluid leak.


New CV Axles

Another thing I've been putting off until I get some time. In this case, like the fuel lines, I was forced to pay for the work. They didn't charge me much more than Rock Auto would have for the parts, though the labor was kind of a killer. They said the old axles came out pretty easily, much to their surprise.


How much money have I spent lately?

Not nearly as much as I have spent on Marcia's New Beetle. That car is 9 years old now, and that check engine light will not stay off.

Besides replacing the timing belt, water pump, thermostat, etc. we've had to replace the catalytic converter (which was still covered under warranty). But in order to replace that, the dealer had to fix all sorts of very expensive stuff to "clear the codes".

Of course, the check engine light lit up within 10 days of their repairs...

The definition of a boat is a 'hole in the water you throw money in'. The Eldorado may be a land yacht, but the Bug has definitely been the boat lately.

The thing that really makes me mad is that even with all the computer diagnostics the VW mechanics are still guessing at what is wrong, and they basically just replace stuff until they get lucky.

The Eldorado's carburetor works great, and probably hasn't been adjusted since it left the factory. No 'mass airflow sensor', etc. Of course, the car gets 12 mpg, but it is an easy-to-diagnose-when-there-is-a-problem 12 mpg.


In Conclusion

Enough ranting. Assuming I haven't jinxed things with my carburetor comment above, the car should be in excellent mechanical shape now - new brakes, new fuel lines, new CV axles. I am keeping my fingers crossed...

The weather has been great lately. Cool and dry, so it has been great to drive around on the weekends. This is the weather that brings out all the cool cars - Kharmann Ghias, El Caminos, 60's era Cadillacs, Chevys, Fords, Dodges and any old convertible. Basically, fun and good-looking cars without working air-conditioning that are too hot to drive in the summer.