Automobile repair.......Ugh!

“My daughter rolled her Lumina in a big ditch yesterday.
She's ok.
We just gave it to her a week ago.

It sat upside down for 1/2 hour or so. A lot of what looke like motor oil leaked out.

What sort of things do I need to check before I start it up?”

“You may want to take it to the local repair guy before you start driving it.

It may cost you a hundred bucks, but he/she may spot something, that if driven, will cost thousands to fix.”

“What Wounded Knee said!

Nothing should've leaked unless a cap was knocked off/loose, a line broken, a seal blew, etc.”

“Yea, and glad she is okay. Sorry, should have added that to the first post.”

“Wow, glad to hear she is OK. For sure take the car to a good mechanic. I wouldn't start it up. If it's brand new let the insurance company total it and get a new one.”

“That's why I asked.
It's not insured, and I don't have money to take it back to the mechanic again. I have to take care of it myself.”

“Check all fluids...oil, radiator, automatic transmission fluid, brake fluid, the works. It's probably oil or transmission fluid though, the brakes and the radiator should be sealed up tight. But oil and TF could leak out of the dipsticks.”

“Then check all the fluid reservoirs under the hood...

oil, transmission, brake, power steering

Next check the radiator to make sure it is full.

If all these pass, I would think you could start it up. I would let it warm up at idle first before you drive it. After about 10 minutes, take it around the block to see it you hear anything strange.

If it passes that test, get it up to a faster speed on the expressway. Don't go far! Just make sure everything works.


Any body damage interfering with the tires?”

“One of the biggest things to check is for fluid in the cylinders. If a seal was damaged and coolant worked its way into a cylinder, one crank on the starter and you'll destroy the engine. You'll need to remove/dry any fluids. Pull every spark plug to check.

Make sure all fluids are reading "normal"; watch out for any battery acid that may have leaked into the engine compartment. You may be able to add some distilled water to replenish, but if too much leaked out the battery may be toast (exposed plates inside will oxidize quickly). Visually inspect all fuel lines for cracks.

Some vehicles have roll-over shutoff switches on the fuel system, which will need to be reset before it will start.
last edited: 12/19/05 11:28:09 AM”

“Since that is the case, and while on all 4 wheels...
- Check all fluid levels, and add fluid if necessary to appropriate levels.
- Start engine and listen for anything out of the ordinary. If you don't hear anything that is questionable,...
- Take it for a short spin around the block. Check for steering issues, pulls to one side, etc. Check for braking issues. Listen for grinding noises. Look on ground for leaking fluid(s). Check all lights to make sure they weren't affected.
- When back in driveway, check the fluids for a drop in volume.
If most of that appears OK, then you should be good to go, but periodically for the next few weeks/months check and double check the items above. If there seems to be any issues, a mechanic assessment would be prudent.”

“Just do what Captian Ron would do. "Lets get in on the road, if anythings gonna happen it's gonna happen out there"”

“outamatches, fine for some things, but checking for fluid in the cylinders and for damaged fuel lines must be done before you turn the key even once. Otherwise you might as well tow the car to the junk yard right now.”

“Dont forget to clean off all of the excess fluid that leaked onto the motor. Or you'll be crop dusting going down the road.

All the advice above is good. After you check all the fluids, it should start. Lumina's dont have roll over shut off's. But you may get a drivability concern when all of the crap that was laying in the bottom of the gas tank and fuel rail gets circulated.
You might need to change the fuel filter and then do an injector cleaning.”

“Glad she's okay leSubtil!”

“well everyone beat me to it...but, just to be redundant...check all the fluids and filler caps to make sure they're in place...add any fluids that are low...start her up and watch for any leaking...let it run for a while and then check the fluids again...if ok and you have the money i'd drive it straight to a mechanic...most will do a simple diagnosis for $50-$80 (at least they will were i live)...if you don't know of a mechanic most pep boys will diagnose too if you have one”

“also, if she drove it into a ditch you might want to look at the suspension too...make sure the struts, drive shaft, and control arm are ok...the drive shaft is the bar that comes out of the transmission and goes to the front wheels to turn them, this could have been damaged or the U joints that connect the shaft to the wheel...the control arm is the part that connects the wheel to the frame of the car...she'll probably need a realignment too”

“Glad she's okay. After the car is given the A-okay, maybe send your daughter for more driving lessons? Or were there extenuating circumstances beyond her control?”

“well she did say they just gave her the car so i'm assuming she's new to driving...in know i had a few run ins with ditches and curbs when i was just starting out”

“Glad she is ok. How bad is the rest of the car (roof, hood, windows) As everyone has said check all the fluids and also to note that some oil could have leaked up into the cylinders. While it possibly won't mean death to the engine it will smoke and smell like hell.”

“I took my Tahoe in for it's annual inspection today and the mechanic found that the right front wheel bearing was shot. I had no clue...no noise or symptoms. Luckily, parts were $180 and labor was half of that. I had no idea they checked wheel bearings on an inspection.

I had to trust my mechanic as I didn't look at it or ask for the old parts back. Mistake on my part. I should have asked him to show me before I allowed him to fix it.”

“Don't start this car! If it was upside down for that loong then on or more of the cylinders could have filled up with oil. If this happened and you try to start it, things will break. the connecting rods could bend or/and break. After you have checked and toped off all of the fluidstake out the spark plugs BEFORE you try to start the engine. This will push any oil in the cylinders out through the sparkplug holes. Then clean the plugs with a solvent, make sure they are dry and reinstall them and then try and start the engine. Trust me, before I went into the Marines I was a mechanic on and off for 11 years. I've seen this so many times with race cars and 4X4s.”

“skiracer...$180 seems kinda high just for bearings...is this a 4X4?...did it cause other problems...sounds like they might have replaced a drum or maybe a rotor”

“A new GM hub bearing lists for $317.56
so $180.00 sounds like a good price for an aftermarket hub bearing.
Labor is 1 hr at what ever rate he charges acording to the labor time guide.

They fail Inspection if there is excessive play when you grab the wheel and move it up and down.”

“holy nuts!!!! $317 for a bearing...i never knew...i've bought bearings for 2 of my cars and a jeep grand wagoneer i used to have and don't remember every paying more than $20 or $30 for them...of course 2 of them were older vehicles”

“I think most bearings on newer vehicles are sealed bearings. This increases the coast of the bearing, but supposedly makes them easier to install.”

“...Not always cheaper to install...the bearings on my car are pressed into the hub (Inner bearings) ...can't replace them without a press, and it takes removing the hub to do it...hence the NEW HUB...makes the replacement by owner in the driveway possible albeit at increased cost.”

“Make's you wonder if they do that stuff so people can't work on their own car.”

“ST, your right, the press out ones can be a pain.
The new colorado pick ups are like that. Extremely labor intensive and $$$$$ for the part.
Most of the GM's are bolt on after you slide the front prop shaft out.

LZ is a smart guy for a lumberjack !!”

“Sometimes I miss my old GMC Sierra. It was the easiest vehicle I ever owned to work one and the most reliable.”

“my grand wagoneer had the press on kind on the rear axles but they were the floating axles so i could just pull them out and take them to a machine shop...they'd press the old ones off and the new ones one for like $15 $20”

“thrifty, I just did front wheel bearings on my 93 cherokee. $140 parts for each side. They are a whole assmbly though, spindle etc...”

“We do alot of hub bearings, but usually they have over 40,000 miles on them for trucks and cars seem to be between 50,000 and 60,000 miles.”

“128k on mine, a huge ball of rust.”

“It's a 2002 Tahoe 4WD w/ 77,000 miles on it. Yes, I think the mechanic said it was a sealed bearing.”

“I bought 2 sealed bearings for my bicycle bottom bracket and they were $55, 3 years ago. They were the sealed type and they press fit into the bottom bracket shell. The good part is they seem have a decent lifespan because they have grease fittings on them and can be greased with a small grease gun.”

“Thanks to everyone for their advise.

I got it started & running, and took for a short drive.
I have a transmission leak to find after the rest of the snow & ice melt.”

“Oh joy. The first catalytic converter in my car is starting to die, so a new one is now on order. Amazingly it's still under warranty. The brakes I've been complaining about for years are still good, pads and rotors all look good; Subaru brakes are known for being noisy and feeling mushy and I'm finally figuring that out. Ugh. New belts, flush the fluids, blah blah blah. And replace the self-peeling wipers. That's a must.”

“Are you happy overall with your Subaru?

After I pay off my Volvo, I will be trading it in for either an Outback or something else.”

“Yeah what do you mean about mushy and noisy brakes? I am truly looking at a higher MPG vehicle (Jeep Wrangler gets 16-19) but I want Off road ability. Nothing major, just enough to go play where I want to play. No MUDDING or stuff like that.”

“Subaru brakes tend to squeal the first few uses every day. They never feel really firm but they work very very well.

Overall I'm very happy with my Subaru. My only real complaint is the way the seat levers are positioned in relation to the seatbelt; About once a year the belt hooks the lever and POP there goes my seat back.


My impreza wagon gets 28/31 mileage.”

““Yeah what do you mean about mushy and noisy brakes?
XL400236
10:09:52 AM
3/15/06
ignore this user

If they're like the brakes on my Subaru, they squeak (even with new pads and rotors) and the brake pedal doesn't feel as hard as some other vehicles.”

“The brakes on my Subaru have never felt mushy or been noisy.”

“Which model do you have?”

“Legacy Outback, 1997”

“Maybe it's a year/ model thing I don't know. The guy with the WRX that lives up the block from me has squeaky brakes, too. It's just the first few times they're applied is all, then they're quiet.”

“And it's a Legacy, alright.”

“Yeah... right? Prolly the brakes are the only really functional part on my car. Maybe if the brakes squeaked, it would cover the kajillion other depressing noises my car makes. lol”

“I hear ya on that. A rattle developed right above my head. If I pull down on the handgrip, it stops. But only then. I had fastener for the underside sheilding come out too. That rattle about drove me berk a few years ago. That sucker is now threadlocked in place.”

“Treebait, I wonder if it has something to do with the Impreza chasie. Both the WRX and the Forester (which is what I have) are both built on the Impresa chasie. Maybe all 3 share the same brakes.”

“My current car saga... bought a 3-yo Toyota Sienna last summer from a dealership. Today its in the shop getting a new tranny (48K miles). I took it in yesterday, heard from them yesterday afternoon "you are getting a new tranny, its fully covered by your warranty."

Sweet. Now I just hope it doesn't go up again after 100K - the powertrain warranty expires at 100K. Murphy's law says it will...”