Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting am i being fed a line?

I have a 1995 GL which was run thru a flooded street and died. The dealership mechanic is telling me that he's going to have to replace the valve cover gasket, spark plugs and fuel filter just to get the car started. All this (he says) is going to cost $952. AND THEN they'll be able to tell if there's something else wrong.

Someone please tell me what could possibly have happened to the car that would cost this much to fix????

D) None of the above.

none of the above ?? help please

Bummer about the water. $952 for spark plugs, fuel filter and valve cover gasket gives new meaning to "ripoff". He should be able to do those three for a fraction of that (as little as $100). Is this $952 charge for a total engine teardown? You might consider a different repair facility. Make some calls in your area. Pay for a second tow if you need to get your car to a new place.

Replacement of a valve cover gasket, spark plugs and a fuel filter is relatively (relative to your experience with cars) simple to do yourself and there's NO WAY this stuff should cost more than $150 (based on Ford's usual $60/hr flat rate + parts).

I can't even imagine why you'd need a new valve cover gasket or a fuel filter.. or even spark plugs.. just what happened when you went over that pool of water?

.RMk..

ok... here's the best i can reconstruct the scene... hubby was driving the car at the time. went thru the water, car started running VERY poorly... less than 5 mph, so he pulled over to the side and killed it. went back later that day hoping it had dried out enough to start and drive home. it would turn over, but wouldn't run. we had it towed to a local station the next morning after it still wouldn't start, and they replaced spark plugs and said it was still running very poorly. so we took it to the dealership and you know the rest.

so what do you think? am i out of luck with this beloved car or can it be fixed without costing me more than the car is worth?

Just how deep was the water you ran through? If you stop in water that covers the tailpipe, the car stalls and can't be restarted due to backpressure on the exhaust. This can happen without water even coming close to ingestion into the engine.

Is there water in the oil? This might be manifested by milkshake-like appearance of the oil, and could shed light on the depth of the problem as well.

I've heard of brave souls simply removing the spark plugs and cranking the engine to expel water from the cylinders...

Anyway, I tend to agree you're being fed a line. Give us some more background if you can.

the water was a foot deep or less

If the engine spins but will not start it is NOTHING wrong IN the engine. Sounds like a FUSE blew somewhere? Or the guys doing the sparkplugs are screwing with you and messed up the wires on purpose. The problem is certainly an electrical one... And yeah, I'd get it taken somewhere else... Even if it has to be towed.

Definitely an electrical problem messing up the ignition caused by the water. I would suspect the coil is wet, one of the wiring harness connectors has moisture in it, or the fuse box is wet. All it takes is a few drops of water on the right electrical connection, and the car won't run. In any case, what that mechanic recommended is a complete waste of time, and one of the biggest rip offs of all time. Not only is the mechanic incompetent, he's a ripoff artist as well. Run, don't walk away from that shop!