So. I am super frustrated. My husband bought a 1970 Cadillac hearse with 65,000 mls for $4000 The guy he bought it from showed him it started up.
So, he had been working on it for the past year. Pulled the block, cleaned it repainted it,
Bought a lot of new parts, replaced all the seals etc. He got to the point that he dropped the block back in. Then decided to take it to a small local mechanic (who I was warranty of from the start) who said he would get it “road ready” for him for $2500
Money
The mechanic had it running for a little bit but told my husband the carb was the wrong one and had him pay about $300 for a diffrent one. Then he had one of the guys working for him put the starter on. The guy never put the starter bot on and broke our starter (it shredded ). They ordered a new starter but after that the engine would no longer turn over. The guy said it seized up and he didn’t know why.
My husband had paid him already. But now we have a car that isn’t “road ready” because it won’t turn over now. And we’re in
More Money
The mechanic said it would need to be re-machined and that is like $5000
Which we don’t have.
Even More Money
My husband $4000+about $1000 in new parts if not more. And then $3000 to this mechanic who I feel didn’t do what he said and might be the reason the car isn’t working now and it has cost us $8,000 for a car that won’t run. Do you have an opinion?
Could it be this guy’s fault that it no longer will start? Or can this just happen like he says?
I would be certain the engine is locked up and that it isn’t a starter/flywheel issue. Remove all spark plugs and then Put a socket and wrench on the end of the crank and see if the engine will turn over. This will confirm it is locked up or not. If it is, sometimes adding some oil in each cylinder and left set over night can free one up.
It is common for some mechanics to forget to shim a starter when installing it and if not fixed quickly can chew up the flywheel. This can cause other issues but ultimately will keep the engine from starting.
When dealing with a 40 year old or older vehicle, just about anything is possible. Hard to think it would be locked up if it was just running though. I would be certain it was locked up before I spent 5K on an engine repair.