Just need to vent.

[tipptruck1]

Well I had my car in for a oil change today and got a call back. They told me I needed to come down and talk with the guy that wroked on my car. Well I got dwn there and they told me i have a cracked manafoild, bad ball joint, and a bad muffler. They told me it will cost almsot 800 dollers to fix it all. The muffler just has a hole in it so iam not really going to worry about it. Right now the car is sucking gas liek a truck. By the way this car was 1000 dollers. When I heard what was wrong I alsmot blew a gasket on front of the guy but I did at home. I was even swearing when the little old lady told me what was wrong over the phone. So right now iam not to happy. I think I will fix the ball joint first. Then maybe a few months down the road I will fix the header. But thanks for letting me vent.

[Top]

yes get the ball joint fixed first.. that is a safety issue...

what kind of car is it?

it sucks brah, don't ya hate that a cheap car doesn't make for cheap repairs?

AL

[tipptruck1]

Its a 96 mazda protoge. I knew it would cost a lot to fix if some thing broke. But I think next time any thing breaks and cost over 500 dollers its not getting fixed.

[basspro05]

Well first off a ball joint, exhaust manifold, and a muffler shouldnt be a 800 dollar repair, i could do the ball joint in my sleep, and the exhaust manifold leaking is not causing bad fuel mileage just annoying exhaust noise, and in KC you could get a muffler put on for like 50 bucks at an exhaust shop, they charge like 10dollars a weld+two welds the muffler is 24.99 lifetime warranty, and and a little labor, no more than 50-75 bucks, get a do it yourself manual and do the ball joint they are easy and dont worry about the exhaust manifold.

[tipptruck1]

I have a manual and i paid about 20 dollers for it. The manafoild I can do my self. But I don't go near the axles or breaks. I trust my work its just incase I get in a wreck. The header is cast iron so it cant be welded. But I also thought that was way high. I can get a new header with studs and a gasket for like 150 dollers. I can aslo put take out the old and put in the new one gave or take a hour or two. I have put on headers in the past put were all on v-8s. So I hope I can start work soon and get the header.

[Panamoka_Bassin]

I can't say I'm one who knows much about car repair, especially on newer model cars.  All these computer chips and relays are just beyond me.  I long for the days of my '66 Mustang that I could fix with pretty much 2 wrenches.  Last week I did my shocks and needed 3 different wrenches for 3 bolts.  Why do these engineers who design cars have to make it so bloody complicated?  Good luck Tip, I feel your pain.

[Top]

ball joint isn't TOO bad if you have the right size pickle fork ... just if you decide to do it yourself use the book... and a key thing is COUNT THE THREADS then get it aligned.

the manifold will be a bugger if the studs and bolts are all rusted up... the muffler is the same way... but yes... 800 bucks is WAY WAY too much... without actually sitting down and looking up the parts ect I would say anything over 5 is too much and you need to look around...

AL

[jb_from_texas]

doesnt surprise me... HAD a 97 Mazda Protege with 124k miles.  I bought it new and had it till 2 month ago.  I traded it in and got what i wanted, $1000.

It was a good reliable car but interestingly enough i started to have the same problems you have.

I had an exhaust leak somewhere.  At least i assume that is what i was hearing.  I also had a bank go bad in the exhaust sys that constantly kicked on the "check engine" light.  oil leak down where the engine block and tranny meet.  that i lived with for almost 2 years.  the cost wasnt worth it.

get the ball joint fixed.  and if you have done heads in the past on other cars brakes are a piece of cake.  parts would run you $20 or so and take a hour's time.

[FlyRod]

...I was even swearing when the little old lady told me what was wrong over the phone...  

Great! Just great.

Tippster, try to remember: The Spoken Word Is Your Master. The Unspoken Word Is Your Slave.

Yer Kindly Uncle FlyRod

[tipptruck1]

Well flyrod I told her I was sorry. Of course she under stood. That was a end to a bad day.

[FlyRod]

Well flyrod I told her I was sorry. Of course she under stood. That was a end to a bad day.

Thanks for both your response and, above all, your apology to the lady.

I'm beginning to think there's hope for you, rascal 8-)

Anyway, you DO have my sympathy re your wheels. There're few letdowns in day-to-day life that upset me more than automotive problems so I can definitely relate.

On the other hand if you get all the stuff repaired you'll feel far more confident each time you turn the key and that means much. This is especially so if the safety issues (ball joint, etc.) have been properly dealt with.  Our first responsibility as drivers is to assure our safety and that of our passengers and other motorists.

Sorry for your "bad day', but hopefully there will be sunshine and bluebirds for a long time to come. Here's a little piece of history from my own annals...

Circa 1984 I bought a brand-new, gorgeous, Royal Blue Metallic, Toyota Supra "S". This is the long-nose version with a powerful 6-cyl and a five-speed manual, huge Bridgestone Potenza tires, and all the latest (at the time) bells, whistles, and super stereo...and a power sunroof,  8-). The window price was within a few cents, literally, of that to be found on a Coupe DeVille at the Caddy peddlers place, so you can understand how proud and paranoid I was about that Supra. Like this one, only in Royal Blue.

http://i5.ebayimg.com/04/a/07/9e/22/70_1.JPG

Sooooooo...I was "sharing living arrangements...heh...with a lovely young morsel some 15 years my junior (she was 24). She was beyond attractive, a real cutie, and smart too.

Well, she drove an older Plymouth coupe that was in mint shape but had always wanted a Toyota truck and, when 'Yota came out with the SR5 truck with the Xtra Cab she began to drool over brochures and sigh wistfully. Realizing her desires, and geniuinely loving the lady, I offered marriage. She accepted.

After all, we were already sharing, well, sharing... :-X

So, our friends planned a fantastic wedding to be held at our pool. It was the second marriage for both, so no need for having the thing at the Vatican, right?

The pool was filled with floating candles, there were Tiki torches around the area, and some friends with catering skills provided great food, snacks, even a carved ice swan. All was well.

She presented me with the heavy-duty military style Seiko watch I'm wearing as I type, and I had a special surprise for her.

At the chosen moment, the sales manager from the 'Yota dealership drove up before her eyes. He dismounted from the sparkling new SR5, dark blue in color, and loaded with every option available, and handed her the keys. There was even a huge silver bow on top of the truck (he'd added that just before he came into view). She was, well, "blown away" and delighted.

So what is this leading to? Here 'tis...

As we were returning from our honeymoon, I casually mentioned that I was gonna take the Supra in for an oil and filter change. Some days later, Mary Ellen asked if I'd drive her truck (rare privilege!) for the day 'cause she wanted to feel "sporty" in the Supra (that girl could drive!) and hit some back roads for grins. I agreed.

When I came home, there was M.E. with a few oil spots on her and a big smile.

Errrrrr... :-? "Guess what I did!" she chirped. "Wot?" I asked. "I changed the oil AND the filter in the Supra!" "Wow!" sez I. "Here, sweetie, let's hop in the shower so Big John can get that nasty ol' oil off his baby girl."

Punch line: Two days later, the Supra having not been driven during that time, she takes it to work and returns that evening with a clattering and unhappy Supra. "It started making this noise so I though I'd better get home fast." was her breathless comment.

You see, gentle reader, when one replaces the oil filter, one must TIGHTEN the new one in position. M.E. didn't know about special tools so she just screwed it in by hand, kinda "like a light bulb", she admitted.

You guessed it...the filter fell out some several miles from home and, of course,  the Pennzoil stuff followed.

Result? New engine for the Supra. Price? You don't wanna know. Was she sorry? You bet, 'specially since she had to take a cab to work (outta HER pocket) for two weeks as I commandeered her precious little trucky-poo. Did I still love/lust after her? O'course, and we stayed together for another 6 years.

And you gripe about a ball-joint?  ;D

Take care,

Good Ol' Uncle FlyRod

[fishingJ]

Same thing happened to my Dad's protege. It makes a clunking noice when he turns. It isn't a safety issue thats just a myth. But it will take away from some of the cars performance, mostly turning ability.

[Rose_Jackets67]

Having a bad ball joint fail and cause serious problems is NOT a myth.

I have since deleted the pictures from my computer, but when I was in high school I got a call from a buddy saying he had broke down and needed help. I showed up to find a 2x4 Ford F150 in the ditch with the front passenger wheel, tire, brake rotor, spindle, caliper and about 6 inches of brake line and ABS speed sensor cable in the bed of the truck.

Apparently, 2 weeks earlier the local Ford dealer told him the lower ball joints on both sides were bad (truck had around 75,000 miles on it - just out of extended warranty). The owner didn't do anything about it. Lower ball joint failed massively, upper ball joint sheared out of the upper control arm from the extra stress, truck went into the ditch.

Luckily no one was hurt (they were running35 or 40 mph when it happened), but they could have been.

"It isn't a safety issue thats just a myth." - Gotta disagree there, buddy.

Fix the ball joint first. Is it an exhaust manifold or intake manifold that is cracked? Cracked manifold can lead to burnt valves, cracked intake manifold causes vacuum leaks and terrible gas mileage like you mentioned early on.

adam

"Welp, if you can't be a mechanical engineer, you can always be a mechanic." - My dad after my first semester at Georgia Tech.

[Catt]

As a ASE certified Ford, Lincoln, & Mercury mechanic may I can give you a few suggestions?

First get the ball joint fixed period, do it your self or pay have some one do it.

Second the muffler is easy to change yourself, at worst it may need to be cut off.

Third if you have a manifold leaking it's probably exhaust, if it were the intake manifold the car probably wouldn't start or run well.

Fourth the brakes are easy, you have a Cajun blue print the other side

If you believe you can do the manifold you can do all of them, you may have to rent some tools but most auto parts stores rent them.

[tipptruck1]

Well guys the car is in the shops. I told them to give me a few weeks to figure things out with work. Well they called last friday and told me they need my car by thursday. I thought grandma told them to order the parts. Well grandma was mad brcause she thought I told them to order the parts. The shop just set up the time there like wednesday or thursday. I have never heard of any shop doing this. I can tell you that this shop will no longer be working on my car after this. I don't care who you are you work around the customer not when you want to work on it. It was was cracked header it was cracked between the number one and twocyclinders. Heres the best I knew it was cast iron and asked if it was steel if the would have welded it. They said you cant weld steel headers. I was thinking when he told me that I was like yea right. I have seen pople do it before and the seen make your own headers kits in jegs and what not. I would like to fix it on my own by my gradma dosn't trust my work. But I have been under a car for as long as I can rember. By the way catt it is a cracked exaust mainafoild.

[NJfishinGuy]

if i were you i wouldnt even bring the car there at all, get a new shop they sound like a total sham and just lookin to rip you off, if they are that messed up then would you trust there work. do the header on your own its easy. get the ball joint done somewhere else and the muffler like someone else said is cheap at any cheap muffler shop. yes u can weld steel headers, they are made by welding them so what kinda sense does that make. im a pretty hardcore car guy and have done alot from headers to full motor swaps with cams and stuff. my mechanic knows i know what they are doin if i have them do sumthin i cant or dont feel like so i dont worry about them ripping me. you need to find someone new that is honest with you

[RatONaStick]

As was mentioned a steel header can be welded no problem.

Cast iron can be welded too, but it's a pretty involved process that's best left to a pro. The piece to be welded has to be heated in an oven to a pretty high temp, then you have to weld it with a specific composition rod. Once the welding process is done the piece has to be cooled gradually in a controlled environment so it doesn't crack again. This process is usually used in the classic car world to repair rare cast iron pieces that aren't being produced anymore. By the time you find and pay someone to do this, you might as well buy a new exhaust manifold.

I would also like to mention that in the newer computer controlled vehicles that an exhaust system leak BEFORE the oxygen sensor can and will cause bad gas mileage. The leak throws off the oxygen sensor reading and the computer compensates thinking the engine is running lean.

*EDIT* I did a quick search on Ebay for Protege exhaust manifold. You can get a new manifold from $32.00 to $40.00 plus shipping.

Check it out

manifold 1

manifold 2

manifold 3

Do a search, you'll find more.