formulabird94

Well worked my *** off to afford this car and the insurance and now this,

needs a new master cylinder, front allignment, the gas gauge went out but now it might actually be the whole dash?

How much do you think this is going to run me?

silverz28camaro

iTrader: (20)

I'd look in the parts classifieds or parts wanted section, there are many people who part these car out that sell stuff for a fraction of the price, you could get a gauge and sender for the price of a new sender alone.

how bad is the alignment?, I've done mine with a tape measure and got it within .5 degree when I finally had it done, to be honest I really didn't need the alignment.

Do you do your own work? don't forget to check the parts section.
Good luck and sorry to hear about the misfortune

formulabird94

Oh yea good idea thanks,

Hm the allignment is just getting worse and worse, its like veering to the right when you drive, and i wish i did my own work but im not too mechanically skilled yet so im still having others do it for me.

silverz28camaro

iTrader: (20)

Just take your time and get to know some good mechanics. I used to get down when my stuff would be falling apart, but now I've been a mechanic for 5 years at J@W Cycles and have learned alot from hands on experiance. Just never jump into something your not sure on, always read instructions, or look for writeups other people have made. Do this day I still look at service manuals and research anything I doing for the first time. If there is a mechanic out there that says they don't need a manual for anything I would be concerned.

hope everything works out for ya. There is another site that seems to have a lot of lt1 stuff in the classifieds, its camaroz28.com check it out if you don't have the best of luck here, and craigslist usually has something.

EchoMirage

iTrader: (3)

alignments are best done by a shop with the proper tools. i knew someone who always did his own work, and refused to go to an alignment shop. after screwing around with his car, he ended up exploding one of his front tires, the 'alignment' was that bad.

a master cylinder is basically a bolt out/bolt in deal, with the exception of having to bleed the hell out of everything when youre done. or, you can bench bleed the master (dont know how, never did it).

gas gauge could be anything. might be the float in the tank, or sending unit. could just be a loose wire, you never know. replacing the fuel pump is doable. its a pain in the ***, and takes a full day if youre alone, but ive done it on my old S10 and a 3rd gen.

1995blacktattop

iTrader: (2)

alignments are only ~ $50-$75. I had one done last summer along with having both inner and outer tie rod ends on both sides changed for $300 total including tax. i did have a $30 off coupon for any work over $30 though so that helped a bit. still $330 for all that isn't bad considering the moog parts they use totalled ~ $235 if i had bought them at the local auto parts store.

formulabird94

Thanks for all the replies and help guys, took the car in yesterday and I'm going to see how much they want to get everything fixed. the only thing im concerned on is the gas gauge problem.

and one more question, are lt1's unreliable cars? should i expect things to happen often?

myk

iTrader: (4)

Ugh, I didn't notice you had an LT1 until your last post. Um, try googling "opti" or "optispark" problems, and you'll probably scare yourself into selling that 4.1 'gen. Start saving now...

1995blacktattop

iTrader: (2)

LOL the opti is not that big of a deal and doesn't fail that often. i have 127k on my original opti and the only thing i've done to it was change the cap and rotor. this was done due to a slight misfire which actually ended up happening because one of the plug wires came loose off the cap. i probably could have put it back on and been fine but since we already had the waterpump off and i already had the MSD cap and rotor and had 106k on the car, i went ahead and changed it.

myk

iTrader: (4)

I've got 109K on my 97Z's 'opti and I'm not worried about it, only because I know I can do the work. The OP looks like he's just learning, and having to deal with a sick 'opti isn't easy. A cap and rotor sounds really easy until you realize that you have to tear the whole front of the car off. I remember when my water pump crapped out and doused my 'opti with death-cool; I was lucky that nothing happened. He needs to start studying and/or saving now when and if he has problems with it. Other than that, well I guess it's just fixing the little things...

1995blacktattop

iTrader: (2)

I actually paid a friend of mine $100 to change mine. i'm not very good with engines.

samson_420

iTrader: (1)

Totally agreed. . . . The LT's are a bitch kinda. . . If you know how to work on cars fairly well it's no big thing. I done pretty much everything on a LT Camaro and it's no biggie. . . .

But, I still don't even wanna know what a shop charges to replace a Opti and water pump.

As far as alignment, I wish you the best. Most of the time bad alignment is caused by broken/damaged suspension components. Tie rods, struts and ball joints < Which are a big bitch on a F-Body.

formulabird94

well the shops wants about $750,

replaced and fixed-
Left rear tire
gas sensor
Master cylinder
Gas tank
Hydraulic clips for trunk
Front End allignment
new struts
new starter

Parents already want me to get rid of the car.. todays a bad day

DrXtreme

Don't feel bad. I bought my 1995 TA with a bent Boyds rim and can't get a price to replace it since they don't make it anymore, and the torque converter went out to lunch, taking the auto trans with it. Add to that an oil leak on the engine i can't find, and I'm in teh same boat you are. My wife just looks and smiles at me; I'm never living this one down.

MJK

iTrader: (3)

I feel for ya man...

Now, while I'm not having to answer to parents ( I'm 38yrs old) I am married with a family.So, when it comes to repairs on my cars I've always been on a tight budget like yourself.

I know it sounds difficult but in the end wether you keep this car or not,I would buy a nice simple shop manual from your local parts store,a basic auto tool kit you can find at sears,walmart or parts stores and give a shot at learning about some of this stuff.It really can be fun MOST of the time

Plus the knowledge you gain usually can be applied to most any car you buy in the future.. It's a win win!

Once you get a few simple jobs under your belt (oil changes,brake pads,bulbs,hatch supports,plugs and filters...etc) you will be shocked at how simple some of this stuff is, how much money you will save and most importantly how it's actually fun!Kind of a relaxation/Zen thing for me personally.

Try not to bite off more than you can chew at once..Try to fix the MOST important items first that interfere with the operation of the car.

Tire (also check what condition the rest are in)
Master
Starter
Alignment (around here a shop charges about $65)

Anyways,I don't personally know your situation but these are my suggestions that I hope help you out.

Above all, have patience...

Good luck!

fleetmgr

Repair number 1 is the master cylinder. Don't screw around with brake problems...I don't want to get hit by you cuz YOUR brakes don't work right.

#2 is the front end problems. Until you get these sorted out, you'll eat some really expensive tires off the car very quickly and you won't be able to have it aligned properly until it's right. Don't dick with the alignment, let a shop do it. Struts are pretty simple, and if you can't afford a spring compressor you can rent one from O'Reilly or Autozone. If you do them yourself, the first place it need to go afterwards is to the alignment shop.

Good luck. If you're currently employed, you might want to consider a small bank loan to get things fixed, and get you on the road. I did this when I was 16 (Christ, that's a long time ago!) so I could overhaul the engine in my truck.
#3 the fuel tank level sensor. While you're at it get a new fuel pump, it's inside the tank with the sensor. You only want to have to do this once. If you need a new tank, visit the local wrecking yard for a used one.

#4 is the starter. You don't care if it starts or not until it's safe to drive.

Back hatch struts..who cares...replace them when you can. Until then, carry a stick in the car to hold the hatch up.

Sharpe

iTrader: (7)

Welcome to owning an F-Body.

My LS7 clutch is slipping. I feel like shooting myself too. But, that's what you get into with these cars. It's either that or drive a new economy car.

myk

iTrader: (4)

5 years ago I got quoted $1400 for that kinda work...

bad_408_vert

iTrader: (6)

My thoughts exactly I been thinking about getting the camaro off the dd duty. Its not only expensive paying for wear n tear + other stuff that breaks, its annoying!!!
I got quoted 285 for water pump, lt1's must be some tough **** to get around on.

myk

iTrader: (4)

I was quoted 14 for both a new opti and water pump. Yeah, working on an LT1 is a challenge...