[V8] Re: Congratulations! but....

[daves745t at optonline.net]

Roger - 
The words of caution are appreciated. The mech that did the PPI did pull them off and found them to be in very good condition. I have to believe that they were replaced at least once (hopefully twice) along with the various other belts and hoses that tend to fail over time.  When I popped the hood for the first time I was pleasantly surprised to find that the visible belts and hoses were very new looking, pliable, supple to the touch, no cracking or brittleness to them (which is what the mech told me).  I wouldn't have driven otherwise. 

However, unless my mech down here can tell me for certain that the timing belt was just changed (I don't know how he'd do that) I'll have him change it so I know exactly when it was done.

Based on my few conversations with the original owner, my hunch is that if the dealer suggested a repair should be done he just said go ahead - and knowing dealers they probably did not hesitate in suggesting various belts, hoses, etc., etc. needed to be replaced along the way. 

-DaveM
 
----- Original Message -----
From: "Roger M. Woodbury" <rmwoodbury at downeast.net>
Date: Monday, January 17, 2005 7:25 am
Subject: Congratulations!   but....

> It sounds like you got a real virgin!.  Congratulations, BUT:  job 
> one, do 
> be done RIGHT NOW, is to have the mechanic pull the timing belt 
> covers off 
> and inspect the age and condition of the timing belt.  IF that  
> car has 
> 52,000 miles at fifteen years of age, then the timing  belt should 
> have been 
> replaced twice, or is in serious need of it right now.  I think 
> this is 
> especially so since the original owner was an elderly man who 
> drove very 
> little.  But do this right now: best be save than sorry, and if 
> the belt 
> breaks you will be VERY Very sorry.
> 
> I doubt that the light problem is related to the license bulb 
> lights.  Those 
> might be a ground issue.  In fact, the entire lighting issue might 
> be 
> related to a ground somewhere.  The car lived in Rhode Island all 
> its life? 
> Well, it could have lived along the ocean in Rhode Island, and 
> thus the salt 
> air has corroded a ground or two, and the lights are affected.
> 
> You are lucky to know who did the servicing on the car, and I'll 
> bet that 
> Inskip has service records for the car that they will give you 
> copies of. 
> Some dealers maintain copies of ALL service records for some time 
> for 
> regular customer cars and if you could get hold of these, you 
> could build a 
> good history of the life of this car, therefore knowing what the 
> original 
> owner actually had done to the car.  The car might not have given 
> him any 
> trouble, but "trouble" to him, might have been something else to 
> someone 
> else.  He might have taken the car in to the dealership, and 
> picked it up 
> after the dealer rang the bell to the tune of two or three grand, 
> which he 
> accepted as "normal" for his cars.
> 
> I will be very intrested to read more as you sort this "new" car out.
> 
> Roger
> 
> Pentosin:  green, expensive, buy it at the auto parts store.  Here 
> in my 
> town, NAPA Auto Parts sells it, which is where I bought it.  About 
> eleven 
> bucks a quart if memory serves. 
> 
>