My '92 Olds Ciera became ill today... not dead...but ill... it stalled out while I was waiting for someone, and then it just would not start again. The engine turns over just fine... and the gas tank is full... and my first thought was "fuel pump". Well HomerJ came and helped me get the car to a service station (I usually have work done by my son, who lives two hours from here, so I don't have a local mechanic.) He thought, too, that it's probably the fuel pump or fuel filter. My gut feeling is that the mechanic will do right... but I'm worried about how much it will cost. On this car, the fuel pump is INSIDE the gas tank... so he will have to empty out 16 gallons, drop the tank and do the repair. He thought maybe it would run $300. I'm hoping that it won't be quite that much. He won't get to look at it until morning... and I'm keeping my fingers toes and eyes crossed until then!

Please, if you have any mechanical/automotive blundervibes just hanging around, could you send them in my direction?

Thanks!!!

Wyld, I know just how scared you feel right now. Money/car problems <img src="http://www.arlo.net/ubb/smilies/frown.gif" width=15 height=15>

I have a similar problem with my 84 Mercury wagon. It's been sporadic for the past 9 years, sometimes stalls while driving! A few times it wouldn't restart for about an hour. Had to totally cool down, in the hot, humid summer!

It doesn't have these problems in cooler weather, only when it's hot and/or humid. It bucks like a bronco while driving, I can't stand it. So, I make my son drive it instead LOL.... he says it's "OK" for him.

I've replaced the fuel pump, fuel filter, all the ignition wires, a fusable link, the distributor, spark plugs, but nothing fixed the problem. I finally stopped fixing it about 8 years ago... and haven't done a thing to it except brakes and tires and a few light bulbs.

I "retired" the car about 1-1/2 years ago, now we just use it as a "spare" and to haul stuff... and it's still running "strong" when it feels like.

I hope you have a lot of good luck with your car. Mine's just about 20 years old now. I wouldn't get rid of it for the world. I just don't drive it everyday anymore... now we're down to about 3 times a week it's in use.

Let us know how it all works out.

Terrie

Blundervibes... Prayers just said... Hoe you can get it fixed cheaply.

Mercury wagons don't run worth a hoot & it's been that way since the 50's. My mom had a 1957 Mercury station wagon that was red & white & didn't run worth a hoot. It would cut off on her alot esp when going out of the driveway. She would sit there & pray dear lord please let this car run & be turning over the key & it would go zug zug zug zug zug not wanting to start. It had the 3rd seat int eback which was neat. She finally traded it in in 1967 for a turquoise Ford Galaxie 500. That one run much better. <img src="http://www.arlo.net/ubb/smilies/smile.gif" width=15 height=15> I remember in the great ice storm of 1966, my dads car which was his Comet had broke down & he had to get it fixed so all we had to depend on was the Mercury...

Healing car vibes going out...

That reminds me... A Ford mustang I once had used to cut off on me at intersections alot. Cute car but it scared me to death doing that. Finally I got to the point where I went & started driving Mikes T-Bird, & let him drive my Mustang. If it weren't for that I would've loved that car. It had a neat sunroof...

Wyld,
A photo of your car (the back, of course--with all the great bumper stickers) is one of the pix from last fall that's in my screen-saver slide show on my computer at work, so I see it many times each day. Got to love that car!<img src="http://www.arlo.net/ubb/smilies/cool.gif" width=15 height=15>The Volkswagens and we send our best to you and the Ciera, with wishes for a speedy and cheap recovery!

~~~~~~~Auto-blundervibes~~~~~~~

In the past, autoblundervibes never seemed to work for me. As I remember...I had to use a wrench or something. Best of luck with your sickly car. But blundervibes and hugs to you, Wyldflower.

"The man charged me 5 bucks, said it was en-gine trouble" .....I'd get Woody's mechanic if I was you!

" Let's go ridin' in the car, car, let's go ridin' in the car......"

As one who's driven many a crummy vehicle, I can relate ... many autoblundervibes coming your way. (Way back when, took some college courses about 20 miles from home ... car was sounding and acting funny, so I took the back roads home. Good thing ... had to stop every few miles to pick up another car part off the road. Entire muffler and other anonymous parts fell off a piece at a time all the way home. And then there was the nasty Pinto I drove one winter ... with a tomato juice can, flexible hose muffler that I had to replace every week or so. Could go on and on ... but won't.) GOOD LUCK WITH THE CAR!

Diagnosis: no spark (Sparky, where are you!) due to bad contact module... replacing that (for about $300) - he wanted to replace the wires and plugs too, for another 275, but my son did that about two yrs ago, so I told him to just clean and gap the plugs.

Fingers still crossed that this resolves the problem... will let you know later!

My Hippiemobile thanks all of you (and your vehicles, too) for the vibes!

I don't Drive myself, so I don't know how well my vibes will work, but they are on the way.

My brother Drives though, every other week something goes wrong or drops off! We wouldn't mind as much but he never really uses the car. He doesn't like driving, he takes the Bus or Train every were.

Blundervibes to you AND the mechanic--let us know how things turn out! <img src="http://www.arlo.net/ubb/smilies/tiedye.gif" width=17 height=17>

You fancy people with your new fancy cars, ha, you baby them too much, my car has not seen a new tire in years, no oil changes in fact she is only allowed one quart every three months, has no muffler, but then she does not have a neck to get cold either, and she still runs and runs and runs,of course she is nearly new only an 85 so I guess maybe in the future I will have to maybe at least wash her once, it been about four years now since she was last to the car wash, but back to the topic, Vapor lock Terrie, check your fuel filter and for a crimp in the fuel line, Wyld, trade that new beast in for a tried and true car, the older the better, these new things just want money money money, heck I even hear that some folks pay to park, now is'nt that just silly?

The Hippiemobile lives! thanks for the automotiveblundervibes!

It was the Control Module... (the car has issues about control) I refused additional stuff the mechanic wanted to change out (wires and plugs were changed two yrs ago) and I made an "appointment" for my son to look at the beast when I head south next month. (Inspection is due then anyway, and my son is a mechanic, who lives about two hours from here).

I haven't given my car a "bath" in almost forever, either Nathen... I think it's the rust that's holding it together (and the bumper stickers) Heehee!

And as for paying for parking? Only when I absolutely have to... I'm supposed to pay $85 a year to park in the lot by my office... while others, for various reasons, only pay $10... so I park in the shopping center next door for free.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Nathen:

Vapor lock Terrie, check your fuel filter and for a crimp in the fuel line<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Already thought of 9 years ago, it all began when I got a new engine put in at the Ford dealership. My son's car's been acting crazy, mechanic thinks it's an injector.

My "Big Red" Mercury wagon has a hybrid carburetor/injector and I've used gum-out as well as a dry-gas additive to the tank. Now mechanic thinks it's may be a gasket that wasn't seated properly when the engine was installed. It'll be interesting to see what she comes up with after spending a week with Big Red next week.

I was never able to spare the car until now. Since we are now a 5-car, 4-driver family, I can spare it for as long as she needs it. Of course, now that I can spare it, I really don't need to spend the money to fix it since it's rarely driven, but I love a good mystery and it's time to read the last chapter. I'm dying to know "what done it."

Wyld, I'm glad you got the car fixed. Aren't you the lucky one having a mechanic for a son... or a son for a mechanic?

I wish one of my boys (or daughter) would learn how to fix cars. Actually, I'd be happy if they'd learn how to check their own oil!

Good luck with the car.