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1K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  the APEMAN 
#1 ·
OK well I had been worried I would need a new carb on my '88 Brougham. The previous owner told me the last guy charged him $600+ to rebuild his carb. I asked him why a new carb doesn't cost that much and he said the re-builder said "Well if I screw up I need to be able to cover buying a new carb". See that to me says don't let him rebuild it but I digress.

So anyway after addressing the TC Lock-Up solenoid, hammering a straight pipe through the cat timing set about perfect, new fuel pump and fuel filter. The engine was running kind of eh. Felt like it might be too rich. Oh it is a 307 with the E4MV Q-Jet on it. It would bog down on hills, have to feather the gas. So I went to go find the mixture screw (couldn't even with an exploded diagram but it was night so oh well) and while looking I noticed a ripped vacuum line. I had already fixed other Vacuum lines on this car.

Some history to digress again. The previous owner told me as well that his car had an intake manifold leak (as a shop told him) and he also had a leak in some booster fuel reservoir thing (that neither me or a professional mechanic friend have ever heard of). Those items were why the car had a bobble at idle.

So anyway this vacuum line connects direct into the intake manifold half-way between the carb and the thermostat housing. It was ripped right at the nipple. Took it off, cut the end off, presto, everything is well. Amazing what a difference the plethora a vacuum lines make on a car. I almost feel like the engineer for the '88 was subconsciously craving a big plate of spaghetti and that became his inspiration for the layout!!!

On a side note to all this, I have a question. Going over the service records the previous owner went through and now going over the car myself I am just shocked at the bad information and bad work the previous mechanics did on this car. Part of me debates telling the old owner out of courtesy. I am just wondering if the profession is going that downhill or there really are so few mechanics who work on Caddy's that they are lost for some reason. It just shocks me.

I mean I found this line because I happened upon it by accident and said "well that ain't right" but I would think a professional mechanic would think to check such things.

Ken
 
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#2 ·
I am just wondering if the profession is going that downhill or there really are so few mechanics who work on Caddy's that they are lost for some reason. It just shocks me.
At times I've had to absolutely spoon-feed mechanics information; and one time I even had to work on the car in the lot to disprove every one of their theories and avoid massive expenses from extraneous work.

The number of mechanics is increasing, the pay is remaining stagnant despite inflation, the technology is growing quickly, and the number of cars they are expected to service is blooming. Many mechanics simply cannot afford the time off of work to retrain and educate themselves. The only thing you can really do is keep shopping around and asking folks to help you find a mechanic who is comfortable with that specific make, model, and year of vehicle.
 
#5 ·
I hear that point but some of these things seem common sense to me. I grew up a gear head however my profession is that of a computer programmer. Well when I first got the car the record from the last trans service for it noted the following.

"Clutch material in pan"

Yet there is no recommendation about doing anything about it. Even I knew before knowing of that recurring problem that something was up with the Torque converter and one drive told me it might be the lock-up (I had a Sable a while back that had the same problem). I took it to my friends tranny shop and all was said and done for nothing.

I would expect a note from that from a Jiffy Lube monkey who has to follow a corporate script with check boxes to figure out what to recommend, but not from a professional full service shop.

Ken
 
#3 ·
I too have an '88 with 66K on the clock. Prevous owner took reasonable care of it with regular service intervals and kept it in the garage.

My plan is to continue the attention it deserves but dread the day when something needs to be fixed. Remember, we are dealing with 20year old technology. Todays new and new cars are nothing like ours with respect to the motors.

In order to find a mechanic with sufficient experience to work on our motors he would have to be in his 40's, been devoted to his craft for at least 20 years, work on these cars regularly in order retain what he had learned over the years and still be able to repair or diagnose today's new car problems.

A rare bird indeed.
 
#4 ·
There is another snag in the equation - GM itself!
They recently took a BROADAX to Cadillac dealers in Connecticut and shut down a bunch, including my favorite one up on Torrington.
One of the ones they kept is one which has an "intimate" relationship with the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, The Connecticut State Attorney General and more than one Trial Lawyer.
Another "stealer" is so outrageously overpriced I drive as fast as I can past it on the nearby interstate.
So I have to wonder what in the world runs through the minds of the idiots in Detroit.
In the Navy and Coast Guard, there is something called "Local Knowledge" that keeps you from running your craft on to reefs and rocks when near the shore or in uncharted waters.
Obviously, the slash-and-burn brigade at GM had absolutely NO local knowledge of the Torrington, nor New Britain dealers nor their happy customers and all they saw were inflated balance sheets (never looking at the repos).
Worse, the Torrington location had a reputation for having the BEST service for Northstar motors of ANY dealer in the ENTIRE state. Further, they were the ones who found the really weird electronic gremlins in my 1995 FWB.
Adding to that is how I was treated:
I got the same service and courtesy as the guy who just bought a loaded $80k Escalade.
 
#7 ·
My wife got stranded by our Fleetwood about 2 hours from our house. She however managed to coast into an advanced auto parts store. So she is telling me the guy thinks it is the fuel pump so I tell her to put him on the phone. Guy gets on and I ask him the following question.

Do you know if the fuel pump is down in the tank, inline under the car or on the block?

His answer: "well it is mechanical so it could be anywhere"

My response, thanks can I talk to my wife again.

I then tell my wife that all that guy knows is he has a fuel pump to sell her and I will pack the kids up and be there as fast as possibly.

Get there, get her started but add a cleaner to the tank (carb had been acting up a bit due to some timing issues and gumming). Anyway drover her back no problem.

Funny thing is though we ended up needing to do a fuel pump on the car a mo nth or so later but that was not the problem that day.

Ken
 
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