Repair it or Crush it?

Joined
Jan 16, 2009
Messages
88
Location
Midwest
So my 85 year old neighbor thinks because I’m a xxxxxx that I can fix everything. He had two repair shops tell him that the head gasket in his 2001 DeVille is blown but he doesn’t believe them. He thinks it might be something simple because the Caddy only overheats when pushing it hard. Otherwise it runs just fine on short trips around town. It does have unexplained coolant loss.

Neighbor brings the car over and just drops it off. Now this is a really good neighbor who gave my both of sons part time work around his house/barns and rental properties when they were teenagers. He always paid well (cash) and even bought them lunch every working day at the local old-timer hangout. Because of his kindness, I have a hard time telling him “no”. He has already bought a brand new Cadillac but he can’t bear the thought of crushing this one because it is in nice condition and has never seen salty Ohio roads.

I did a block test and confirmed the presence of combustion gasses in the overflow bottle. So I drive the car back over to his house to tell him the bad news. I tell him that even though I have a lift and work on my own clunkers that a job of this magnitude is a more than I feel comfortable attempting for him.

So then he says, “Well, I’m going to give you the car. I’ll bring you the title in a few days. Surely you can drive it or know someone who could.”

I say, “Hmm, well maybe I’ll consider giving it a shot. I guess if I get stuck or fail then I can tow it away for scrap.”

Him, “If you scrap it, just don’t tell me.”

Now you see my dilemma! On one hand I feel a bit obligated to try and fix it up; it would make the neighbor very happy if I were to succeed. And I would end up with a decent vehicle for relatively low cost. On the other hand, it could be a bit of a money and time pit when I have other things I would rather spend it on.

Pros
* Car drives nice.
* No other known mechanical issues.
* Never seen salt.
* Decent tires.
* Well maintained.
* Free

Cons
* 164xxx miles
* Broken grill and crinkled hood and from deer strike. (Hood still shuts and latches. Scheduled repair was put on hold due to overheating issue.)
* A very time-consuming repair that I am not overly comfortable doing.
* Color scheme would be almost my last choice. (Red and gold with whitewall tires.)

My skill level and things I’ve done in the past.
* General maintenance.
* Suspension work
* Alternator and water pump replacements
* Radiators
* Brakes
* Belts
* Hyundai Elantra timing belt
* Clutch and Transmission swap on 2000 Ford Focus
* Head gasket on 1998 Saturn

So this is obviously a very time consuming repair and one that is a bit more complicated than any I’ve ever attempted before.

Assuming I’m capable, do you think I could fix this thing for $1200 in parts?

Other thoughts?
 
Color scheme would be almost my last choice. (Red and gold with whitewall tires.)
Me being in Houston that would've been my choice if they still sold them like that when i bought my lac.

But honestly i think you can. Just take your time and keep a ordered list of things you took off and take pictures if you need to. I've done a headgasket on an old basic sohc 4cyl vw engine and it wasn't as hard as i thought but was still more than I've done before.
 
$1200 in parts? I just changed the headgasket on the Focus for less than $50. If it's just the headgaskets and you have the time why not? Doesn't sound like it needs to be done tomorrow just take your time.
 
So my 85 year old neighbor thinks because I’m a xxxxxx that I can fix everything. He had two repair shops tell him that the head gasket in his 2001 DeVille is blown but he doesn’t believe them. He thinks it might be something simple because the Caddy only overheats when pushing it hard. Otherwise it runs just fine on short trips around town. It does have unexplained coolant loss.

Neighbor brings the car over and just drops it off. Now this is a really good neighbor who gave my both of sons part time work around his house/barns and rental properties when they were teenagers. He always paid well (cash) and even bought them lunch every working day at the local old-timer hangout. Because of his kindness, I have a hard time telling him “no”. He has already bought a brand new Cadillac but he can’t bear the thought of crushing this one because it is in nice condition and has never seen salty Ohio roads.

I did a block test and confirmed the presence of combustion gasses in the overflow bottle. So I drive the car back over to his house to tell him the bad news. I tell him that even though I have a lift and work on my own clunkers that a job of this magnitude is a more than I feel comfortable attempting for him.

So then he says, “Well, I’m going to give you the car. I’ll bring you the title in a few days. Surely you can drive it or know someone who could.”

I say, “Hmm, well maybe I’ll consider giving it a shot. I guess if I get stuck or fail then I can tow it away for scrap.”

Him, “If you scrap it, just don’t tell me.”

Now you see my dilemma! On one hand I feel a bit obligated to try and fix it up; it would make the neighbor very happy if I were to succeed. And I would end up with a decent vehicle for relatively low cost. On the other hand, it could be a bit of a money and time pit when I have other things I would rather spend it on.

Pros
* Car drives nice.
* No other known mechanical issues.
* Never seen salt.
* Decent tires.
* Well maintained.
* Free

Cons
* 164xxx miles
* Broken grill and crinkled hood and from deer strike. (Hood still shuts and latches. Scheduled repair was put on hold due to overheating issue.)
* A very time-consuming repair that I am not overly comfortable doing.
* Color scheme would be almost my last choice. (Red and gold with whitewall tires.)

My skill level and things I’ve done in the past.
* General maintenance.
* Suspension work
* Alternator and water pump replacements
* Radiators
* Brakes
* Belts
* Hyundai Elantra timing belt
* Clutch and Transmission swap on 2000 Ford Focus
* Head gasket on 1998 Saturn

So this is obviously a very time consuming repair and one that is a bit more complicated than any I’ve ever attempted before.

Assuming I’m capable, do you think I could fix this thing for $1200 in parts?

Other thoughts?
I'd certainly be inclined to fix it.

Is this one of the problematic Caddy engines? Some of them do much better if the head bolts are replaced with studs.
 
This one is, what, a Northstar though? Might be a little more complicated.
Yeah i know its got the southstar but there are gobs of video guides, forum posts, and general information on fixing this common issue. One can get by on their own now unlike before.
 
I think your committed. Given how good your neighbor is, you don't have a choice IMHO.

Plus you get to expand your knowledge.

Do a bleed down test. Probably will tell you which side the leak is. Just replace that side. No point in going overboard.

Give it back to your neighbor. Wait for good karma.
 
If this is one of those engines with the aluminum block and iron heads with the head bolts that go all the way to the bottom of the block, it's fixable but you'll need to Heli Coil all of the head bolt holes. I've done one. It's a pretty big job but totally not impossible.
 
I wouldn't junk it. I see way too many drivable vehicles at the local pull n pay. This is part of the reasons used car prices have gotten out of hand. If a guy in Tajikistan or Somaliland can fix a 50 year-old truck with basic tools I'd like to think one of the wealthiest countries in the world could stop throwing out vehicles that need very little.
 
My vote is for attempt to fix, if the repair goes sideways you can then junk it. The repair on this should be well documented online, I think we even have a few Northstar experts on this site, hopefully they'll weigh in.
 
If it were me, I'd fix it. Too bad I'm a little bit too far from where I live, I'd take that off your hands in a heartbeat. Don't think my Taco can tow that heavy beast on those mountains on the Turnpike :LOL:
 
You don't suppose that engine would be a candidate for one of those head gasket fix in a bottle/can do you. It obviously isn't leaking very fast. Know, I know, all snake oil/junk, but for other leaks, bars leaks has certainly worked in many cases. If I didn't think I was up to the job, which I personally wouldn't be, I would give it a try. But then that is just me.
 
Sell it for super cheap to someone who’s able and willing to take on a project like that. Then tell the neighbor you thought about it and it was too much project for you. But that you found a good home for it.
 
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