I'm having a mechanic install a new water pump on my 85. 35,000 miles on it and the dripping is appearing to be coming from the weep hole on the pump. It looks like a PITA to replace and time consuming to me. I just don't have the time to do it myself right now. What sounds like a fair price to have a certified GM mechanic do this work?

 

Give this link a try to get an idea of prices in your area.

http://repairpal.com/

 

It's a big job, but you could do it.

Just know one thing, a lot of engined peripherals are hanging off the four studs that hold the water pump in place. You'll be taking off a lot of things just to get to it.

Does the '85 have an Opti? You could soak your Opti and that is bad.

When you are there, you might as well take the cover off the timing chain and replace the gasket....I wouldn't recommend a new chain at your miles.

 

No opti. I didn't think it was a difficult project. If the timing set is one of those with the plastic gear it would still be worth changing. I don't remember what years had that. Call a local place for a quote.

 

^^I've heard the l98 is easier than my L83.

Mine took me all day to get all the things off the front......two seconds to replace the actual pump once everything was off.....Then it took most of the next day to put it all back on....

Note: this was one of the first times I had to dig into the front of the motor so maybe getting used to things was a big part of it......

I will say this, mine was so crazy that unhooking the A/C compressor (as it is attached to the studs) there was a long bolt that was facing the wrong way.....I had to remove the valve cover to get that bolt to slide out all the way......Crazy huh?

So I wind up buying new valve cover gaskets during that two day process.....

Again, from what I've heard, my '84 is different than the later ones and the later ones it is easier.

And by Easy.....the difficulty level on any of it was not high at all.....it just seemed to go on and on and on with all the things that had to be unhooked and pushed to the side......I remember that job....not in a good way....

 

I couldn't imagine that GM would ever use the plastic gear type in any year Corvette ?? I thought this was a Dodge/Chrysler thing..... ????

 

What's a BIG JOB to some is a walk in the park to others.

On my 86, (virtually the same as the 85) 4 - 4 1/2 hours, start to fire-up, since I know which bolts to remove, how to get to them and what tools are needed.

Can't beat knowing your way around your engine.

Jake

 

Man did I get SCREWED on this job! When I went to pick up the car, it was still up in the air on the lift. Eight hours later! The mechanic told me he replaced the radiator! I already replaced it last fall! He said he couldn't find a leak at all from the water pump. He said the radiator was leaking on the bottom right corner. The drips I saw were under the motor below the water pump. There is no "F"ing way that leak was coming from the radiator! To beat all that, he told me the auxilary booster fan blade broke apart when it kicked on! NO "F" ing way eigther! They obviously left a tool or something in that area while the motor was coming up to temperature and when the aux fan kicked on, it was shattered! I just looked at that fan blade before I dropped the car off and it was perfect. What a bunch of Now I guess I have to wait to see if I see any more drips under the car to see if he really did fix it. I have to buy a new aux fan assembly because I couldn't prove those idiots broke the old one. Should I pay for this incompetence or what?

 

Probably because like mine it only leaked from the weep hole when engine got hot ; nothing visible when cold or at lower temps

 

The early cars with the Harrison compressor are easy because you can hang the compressor over the side without disconnecting hose

 

Sounds like a whole lot of unauthorized repairs if you ask me.

No one said replace a brand new radiator

Fan blades don't magically break

And your water pump is still not replaced.

The weep holes do no leak consistently at first. They drip a bit and then stop....then a few days later as small puddle....two days go by and no puddle...then another puddle.....this goes on like this for a few weeks...maybe two months and

then one day you find a river flowing under your car and the weep hole has given out all the way.

This is why so many have a hard time finding the actual coolant leak at first.......The hole may be dry the exact moment they look....Then a few days later another small puddle.

You have to look with a small mirror at the bottom hole. You'll see coolant stains.

So now you are still at square one. But with a large repair bill.

This is why I hate shops.....I'll take a single component in...like a tranny or D36...but never the whole car.

Of course pulling the tranny, now that is a big job that I think is a walk in the park....I've done that four times but whatever.....we'll keep comments about others to ourselves for now.

 

 

Any shop I've ever gone to calls and verifies what's going to be repaired. It's that call that gives them authorization. But it may ultimately come down to what was printed/agreed to/and signed for on the service ticket.

If you paid by cc, you might be able to dispute the charges. If you really feel wronged, give that a try.

 

See section #7

http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/uploa...s/bcp_book.pdf

If the shop failed to comply contact your Attorney General, if they did then ask yourself why you allowed them to proceed, complaining here accomplishes nothing.

 

First of all, I didn't allow them to proceed. It was done without my permission or even a phone call. And thanks for your words of wisdom!

 

It sounds like you are lucky they did not give the car a paint job that you diden`t ask for & cahrge you for that as well.

 

As mentioned if they did not receive your authorization to do the repairs, per the guidelines outlined for your state in the link to the Attorney General they are in violation of the law. However you must take action to exercise your rights, there are no car repair police.
I worked in the business my entire life and shops like this give the entire industry a bad name. The only way the crooks will ever be be put out of business is for consumers to stand up for their rights, you are in the right go after them and good luck.

 

Wow, that sucks bigtime! What did you say to the mechanic when you got there and found all this out?? I would have asked to see the old radiator & fan, because I'll almost guarantee there's a wrench stuck in the core and a chunk out of your blade. Did they pressure test the system to identify the leak? The first thing any mechanic would do is pump 15lbs of pressure into the rad and look to see where it's pissing out. I'm sure if you call them and ask for the old rad. they're going to tell you it got tossed out.

I'm real sorry to hear about your situation and I would pursue it immediately if it were me. Crap like this is why I don't let a mechanic touch my car.

 

Its why I am very selective about who I use and for what.....I wouldn't pay for it.

 

What's the name of the shop so we can all avoid them....