[Eldorado_RED]

Well guys, i finally saved up enough for a used engine for my overheating 97 etc (95k, timeserted by dealer at 74k). Let me know what u think about this deal, i just dropped the car off today and paid a deposit..... $2150 for labor and engine (97 w/ 63k) with a 6 month warranty. The mechanic wants me to buy a new water pump and front and rear main seal. My question is what brands should i get and what else should i have replaced while the engine is out?

These are some of the brands and prices for waterpumps
Autozone
a)DURALAST_NEW WATER PUMP Part No.: AWP-9018
Unit Price: $63.99
Core Value*: $0.00

Advance Auto Parts
a)ASC WP9018
New; OE #7490007; S $64.94

b)Cardone A5513515
Water Pump: New Cardone Select
1 Year Limited Warranty
$45.99

c)Cardone 58512
Water Pump: Reman.
1 Year Limited Warranty
$49.98
$11.00 core

d)Carter FP2293
New; OE #7490007
1 Year Limited Warranty
$77.99

I dont know what he mean by the front and rear main seals. I found some front and rear crankshaft seals and camshaft seals. Dont know if this is what he was talkin about.

Autozone
Crankshaft front seal
a)TIMKEN
VITON SEAL 710262 3 MO $20.99

CRANKSHAFT SEAL - REAR
b)FELPRO BS40670 $25.99

Advance Auto
Crankshaft Seal
a) Fel Pro TCS46012
Front
1 Year Limited Warranty
$44.99

SKF 38196
b)Crankshaft Seal-Rear: Rear; 2nd Design Eng.; 1 Required Per Vehicle
2 Year Limited Warranty
$26.99

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[mcowden]

Not sure why he wants you to get a new water pump. They don't really go bad, they just start to leak around the bearing seal. It's very easy to replace. Either way, you can get a new AC Delco water pump from www.rockauto.com for $60, and www.gmpartsdirect probably has it for a decent price also. An A1 Cardone remanufactured water pump is $30. I've got some no-name brand water pump on my 96 SLS and it's working just fine about 8k miles later, so you can probably get away with a cheaper one.

Not sure why he would want to do main seals. I would think the half case and oil pan would be more important, but I'm really not the expert here. Either way, I don't think brands make much difference as far as seals and gaskets go.

 

[davesdeville]

The main seals are the crankshaft oil seals.

 

[Eldorado_RED]

THanks alot guys. Mcowden, this mechanic told me to always get AC-DELCO parts, but im wondering if its just hype. I didnt see any AC-DELCO water pumps or crankshaft seals in any of these autopart stores and i gotta get all this stuff by monday. Please let me know what brand you would suggest out of the ones i listed. Thanks

 

[Ranger]

I suspect your mechanic meant OEM parts (A/C Delco in most cases). I believe someone once mentioned that the OEM water pump is made by Airtech.

 

[davesdeville]

I believe Napa carries a lot of delco parts, might check there. Too bad you have to have the stuff by Monday. Felpro is a good brand overall but its hard to say about individual parts I've never used before. As for the water pump I'd probably pick up the duralast. Seeing as I'm not sure I've even heard of Cardone, and it seems weird their reman unit is more than a new one.

 

[Eldorado_RED]

Well they pulled my engine out and the mechanic said that the prob was my water pump was leaking which caused the heads to go bad. I see the used engine they are goin to put in and it looks old and kinda beat up. Should i be worried? I was tryin to search for the vin number on the engine to look it up on carfax or something, and now the place is starting to give me the run around wit the vin number for the engine. This engine is suppose to have 63,000 miles on it but it looks like it has 163,000. Should i be concerned with how the engine looks?

Once i have the engine running in my car, what are some ways to test out if the engine i have in the car any good? W.O.T's?

Thanks again guy, you all been more than helpful.

 

[zonie77]

I've commented before that there aren't enough vehicles around with 60K to supply all the 60K engines for sale!

 

[TexasBandit]

I would be very concerned. You are paying good money and planning on a dependable car when all this is finished. If the engine doesn't look right, don't take it. How do you know it only has 63,000 miles? Is it on the word of the mechanic? I would be very leary of this deal!

 

[Eldorado_RED]

Thanks for all the comments guys. Im just hoping and praying that everything goes well. THe shop gave me a vin number for the engine and since i dont have a credit card i cant order a check on carfax so until i figure somethin out i wont really know the history of that engine. I dont even know if that vin number is for the engine he's puttin in. I tried to find the vin on the actual engine and couldnt find it. BUT if the vin number on the reciept doesnt match the actual engine, can i get a refund or take any action?

 

[mcowden]

Thanks for all the comments guys. Im just hoping and praying that everything goes well. THe shop gave me a vin number for the engine and since i dont have a credit card i cant order a check on carfax so until i figure somethin out i wont really know the history of that engine. I dont even know if that vin number is for the engine he's puttin in. I tried to find the vin on the actual engine and couldnt find it. BUT if the vin number on the reciept doesnt match the actual engine, can i get a refund or take any action?

Can they show you proof of the engine's VIN and the mileage of the car it came from? Have them get the Carfax report and add it to your bill. If you Paypal the money to me, I'll get your Carfax report.

 

[Eldorado_RED]

Thanks for the help Michael, but David (boricuacaddy) got the carfax info for me. It checked out BUT they still dont have any proof that the actual engine in my car is that of that vin #. Is there anywhere on the engine that i can check for the number, well being that it is in there now it will be harder to see, but i can still try. Other than that he has the car is running great, im goin to pick it up today if everything goes well.

Another question, he said in order to get rid of my service engine soon light, i got to get the car's computer reset, i thought all i had to do was disconnect the battery.

Once again, thanks alot guys

 

[mcowden]

Thanks for the help Michael, but David (boricuacaddy) got the carfax info for me. It checked out BUT they still dont have any proof that the actual engine in my car is that of that vin #. Is there anywhere on the engine that i can check for the number, well being that it is in there now it will be harder to see, but i can still try. Other than that he has the car is running great, im goin to pick it up today if everything goes well.

Another question, he said in order to get rid of my service engine soon light, i got to get the car's computer reset, i thought all i had to do was disconnect the battery.

Once again, thanks alot guys

The SES light is on because there are codes stored. Get the codes from him and post them here. We can tell you whether or not the light will go away easily. The mechanic may have missed the knock sensor module or something.

 

[Eldorado_RED]

Here goes the codes from the car, it also says "Service Steering System"

P0135 - Heated Oxygen Sensor (HO2S) Heater Performance Bank 1 Sensor 1

P0155 - Heated Oxygen Sensor (HO2S) Heater Performance Bank 2 Sensor 1

C1241 - Variable Effort Steering Circuit Malfunction

C1738 - Exhaust Solenoid Valve Short to GND

Thanks in advance guys.

 

[mcowden]

Here goes the codes from the car, it also says "Service Steering System"

P0135 - Heated Oxygen Sensor (HO2S) Heater Performance Bank 1 Sensor 1

P0155 - Heated Oxygen Sensor (HO2S) Heater Performance Bank 2 Sensor 1

C1241 - Variable Effort Steering Circuit Malfunction

C1738 - Exhaust Solenoid Valve Short to GND

Thanks in advance guys.

Well, if those codes also say History next to them, they will go away with a battery disconnect. I can't tell you if they will come back or not, but if they do, they will have to be dealt with at that time. From what I can tell, though, none of them indicate a very expensive fix.

 

[zonie77]

If you disconnect the battery, wait a few minutes, reconnect and still have the codes it means they are new.

If they come back try one time leaving the batt off for an hour. If it doesn't clear them then they really are new and leaving it off longer isn't gonna fix anything.

The 2 C codes are probably wiring problems. The P codes could be either bad O2
sensors or wiring.

 

[Eldorado_RED]

Thanks alot guys, yea them o2 sensors always given me hell, plus i think they are bosch sensors too. As for the "Service Steering System" message and C1241 - Variable Effort Steering Circuit Malfunction code, a friend of mine checked his manual and told me this.........

ok it occurs when there's an open short in the Magna Steer actuator circuit, meaning there's a small solenoid inside the power steering sending a bad message to the controller, OR the controller fuse is blown inside the Electronic Brake/Traction Control Module, it's location is C1=6BLK, C2=32 NAT. Right now your Magna Steer functionallity is disabled which isn't terrible but means you don't get better steering safety at high speeds, definatley worth looking into

it seems pretty forward but i dont have great knowledge of the car, can someone please break this down for me or tell me what i need to tell the mechanic. Thanks alot

 

[Eldorado_RED]

UPDATE......well i got my car back today, wit the used engine in it. I have to say they did a great job, being that the engine runs smooth and fast just like my old engine BUT a few things worry me, i may just be overreacting but, while testin the car out on the expressway (W.O.T's) and gettin caught in a lil traffic, the temperature gauge moved a lil pass the halfway point then back. Later on that night i got caught in bumper to bumper traffic for about 5 mins (atl weather about 70 degrees) and it did the same thing.

When i got home, i washed my baby and cleaned her up, i let her run on idle for about 15 mins and white smoke or condensation was shootin out the exhaust the whole time. And the guage moved a lil pass the halfway point again, and its real cool at night. When my last engine did this, the gm pellets stopped the smoke coming out the exhaust, but only temporarly. I know im suppose to put in the pellets with this engine but i dont want it to conceal a big problem. Please let me know your thoughts and if u have any more questions. I will give the car the big test tomor in rush hour traffic

 

[davesdeville]

When i got home, i washed my baby and cleaned her up, i let her run on idle for about 15 mins and white smoke or condensation was shootin out the exhaust the whole time. And the guage moved a lil pass the halfway point again, and its real cool at night. When my last engine did this, the gm pellets stopped the smoke coming out the exhaust, but only temporarly. I know im suppose to put in the pellets with this engine but i dont want it to conceal a big problem. Please let me know your thoughts and if u have any more questions. I will give the car the big test tomor in rush hour traffic

Sounds bad but it's probably just condensation because it's cold out. Noticed my car doing that a couple mornings ago. I'd run the pellets as reccomended if I were you.