Hi folks,

First time poster here, and to begin, i'm one of those folks who can change the tires and check the oil but that's about the extent of my car knowledge.

I bought a 96 TS executive wagon, manual, 3.0litre a couple of years back for $1000 from a traveller, it hadn't been looked after too much but i've since poured $3400 in it over a few services which has included an AC re-gas, a new clutch, replaced brake pads, a new drive shaft and rocker cover gaskets. It's now at 159000 km.

It's currently sitting in a carpark awaiting its fate after breaking down last weekend and being towed home. Two weeks ago it had a reconditioned radiator fitted as it was overheating (right to the top). A couple of weeks before that it had a new starter as it's been cutting out (particularly at low revs/2nd gear or reverse/going around corners... after that time it's still doing this).

Within a fortnight after the reconditioned radiator i ended up calling the nrma to the side of a motorway after it overheated again. I watched as he poured 5l of coolant into the radiator, and about half a minute we watched it all pour out from underneath the main part of the engine, i think he said it was the water pump.

I was lucky enough that work bought this for me, most the servicing/upkeep has been up to me apart from the last two. The boss is at the point that he doesn't want to throw more money at it, but now wishes to take it back to the mechanics and say fix what you didn't fix last time.

What's peoples thoughts on this? What could i expect and does it sound like i'm ready for a new mechanic? (he seems fine to me, but then refer to the first paragraph for what would i know).

Any thoughts or advice would be most appreciated.

Cheers,

Nick

i would say wreck it out scrap it and start again just remeber if you sell it to scrap wo will only get 300 bucks maxs so sell all you can first

to replace the water pump is a job

the 3 ltr dont like overheating
so you may need to do the heads as well as the
water pump and timing belt

try some quotes from different places
and go from there

thanks to you both, figured that'd be about the most we'd get for it...am thinking i'll probably be better off getting a new(er) car...just thinking it would be a shame to not let this one keep living, as it's in good condition apart from this.

It's not your mechanic's fault if a component fails on your car... if you can prove clear negligence on their part then by all means take it back and ask them to rectify it but don't expect them to magically make a 150,000km, 15+yr-old car reliable by swapping out a few parts

I am going to make some comments below in your post as some of your comments simply do not add up


Hi folks,

First time poster here, and to begin, i'm one of those folks who can change the tires and check the oil but that's about the extent of my car knowledge.

I bought a 96 TS executive wagon, manual, 3.0litre a couple of years back for $1000 from a traveller, it hadn't been looked after too much but i've since poured $3400 in it over a few services which has included an AC re-gas, a new clutch, replaced brake pads, a new drive shaft and rocker cover gaskets. It's now at 159000 km.

So this car had been neglected and was from someone who had used it to travel around from overseas, not a very good start for a car purhcase unless you are willing to spend up big

It's currently sitting in a carpark awaiting its fate after breaking down last weekend and being towed home. Two weeks ago it had a reconditioned radiator fitted as it was overheating (right to the top). A couple of weeks before that it had a new starter as it's been cutting out (particularly at low revs/2nd gear or reverse/going around corners... after that time it's still doing this).

You have me a little baffled here, you replaced a starter motor as the engine was cutting out around corners, the starter motor only turns over the motor to allow it to start, it has not impact on the cars ability to run once started

Within a fortnight after the reconditioned radiator i ended up calling the nrma to the side of a motorway after it overheated again. I watched as he poured 5l of coolant into the radiator, and about half a minute we watched it all pour out from underneath the main part of the engine, i think he said it was the water pump.

I was lucky enough that work bought this for me, most the servicing/upkeep has been up to me apart from the last two. The boss is at the point that he doesn't want to throw more money at it, but now wishes to take it back to the mechanics and say fix what you didn't fix last time.

What's peoples thoughts on this? What could i expect and does it sound like i'm ready for a new mechanic? (he seems fine to me, but then refer to the first paragraph for what would i know).

Thoughts, for starters you really need to keep a closer eye on your guages as letting the guage get to the top several times is the best way to kill both the motor and other parts like the water pump. Dont be surprised if your heads are warped, gaskets blows and your piston rings have lost tension. Then it has warmed up a second time and again you have let the guage get too high. I would assume you just shut the motor off as well which is also an issue if it is not cooled properly first which you may not have been able to do anyway due to where you were parked. HOWEVER having said this, was the radiator replaced BECAUSE it was leaking or blocked or was this just the assumption of the person doing it. Was there a pressure test performed after the new radiator went in. If so you can not blame the workshop if it passed a pressure test and you can only blame the first over heat for the water pump then failing a couple of weeks later. If no pressure test was done then there may be an element of blame back to the workshop as any car that is cooked needs to be properly checked provided the customer is willing to pay for the tests of course

Any thoughts or advice would be most appreciated.

Cheers,

Nick

Thanks for your comments and the time taken, i'll get back to this later, working for now.

Just quickly, i'm not looking to go nuts at the mechanic in anyway, any lack of care for the car has come from me not knowing much about it, and again, i really appreciate your thoughts and words on this.

Nick

edit; looking into getting a water pump and a mate's going to give me a hand to look into it, thanks again for your help folks, i'll put in an update on how this is going in case anyone else has the same sort of issue.

Going by what MadMagna said mate, it's ****ed and not worth putting any more parts on it.

A much neglected car of any make is a real money hole if you have to pay a mechanic to work on it. As a DIY hobby fixer-upperer the V6 TS is not too bad, as parts are relatively cheap. You might be better off with a younger car with a service history, ie up to date log book.

I have a recollection if the cars cutting out around corners, reverse etc, the idle motor is the culprit? I don't actually have mine anymore, it's a bit dodgy not having it but I'm used to the low revs coming out the driveway anyway.