Questions about my 308-8

[ebinmaine 67,484]

34 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

Sounds like it simply runs out of fuel when the carb bowl gets empty.     Lack of or slow fuel supply can start at the tank.

 

Clogged vent in cap

Clogged screen on the shut off petcock

Clogged petcock

Dirty fuel filter

 

Remove the fuel line at the input to the fuel pump and make sure you have a good free flowing fuel supply. If you do not, one or all of those four items may be the problem.

If you do have a good fuel flow, we can then move on to checking the fuel pump and carb for problems.

 

 

I like the line of thinking above because it would be good for you to narrow down exactly where the issue is. Partially because it's just good to know that for reference and correct repairs but also as a good learning experience for you.

 

 

 It's important to note that because of the damage of ethanol fuels and the age alone of your machine, you should plan on replacing ALL of those parts. I wouldn't do it until you figure out exactly where the issue is as you go along...

[Steve Ealy 3]

Images in the manual are worthless! I've given up and taken it to a local shop... We'll see how it goes when I get it back? Then to proceed to sell it?

 

Thanks for all your help guys!

[lynnmor 7,305]

4 hours ago, Steve Ealy said:

Then to proceed to sell it?

 

Good idea, maybe an electric lawn tractor might be better for you.

[Steve Ealy 3]

I'm too old to go electric now!  Not many of those on my road. Gonna be a few more years for that I'd guess?

[adsm08 2,056]

On 7/27/2024 at 12:35 PM, ebinmaine said:

  Steve!

 

 

Engine rebuilding facilities are increasingly ucommon. 

Some shops will still replace engines as whole assemblies but not delve into the repair. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We deal with this in the auto industry too, and part of it is the cost/benefit analysis.

 

Take the transmission in my DD (Gonna use this example because I already know the numbers). I am perfectly capable of rebuilding it. I have the tools, and the knowledge, parts are still available, and have done it a bunch of times (on other people's cars).

 

BUT parts to rebuild it properly and not just a "soft rebuild", which often fail again in a year, cost $600 more than a crate unit, plus about 8 hours of extra labor at $170/hr and only have warranty on the parts that were actually replaced, and only at my shop.

 

Or I can slap a crate unit in for about $2077 less, that gets a warranty on the whole unit for the same duration, good at any dealer in North America. This applies to engines as well. We don't replace whole units because we don't know how to rebuild them, it just doesn't make financial sense to do in-field rebuilds anymore, but as a result the skill to do so is also dying out.

[Handy Don 12,217]

47 minutes ago, adsm08 said:

it just doesn't make financial sense to do in-field rebuilds anymore, but as a result the skill to do so is also dying out.

In the past, units like alternators, starters, transmissions, and engines would be swapped out and sent to regional sites for rebuilding. Does that still exist in an economical fashion?

[953 nut 55,223]

1 hour ago, adsm08 said:

it just doesn't make financial sense to do in-field rebuilds anymore

That is not a new thing. In the mid 1980s we had a Ford F150 with a 300 CID six cylinder engine that needed to be rebuilt or replaced. The cost of parts, having the block bored and  head reconditioned was more than buying a Fred Jones remanufactured long block. 

1 hour ago, Handy Don said:

In the past, units like alternators, starters, transmissions, and engines would be swapped out and sent to regional sites for rebuilding. Does that still exist in an economical fashion?

Lots of things that were serviceable parts in the past are replaced as a module now. Had a front wheel bearing going bad and the entire hub was replaced with a remanufactured hub assembly.  Special tooling would be needed to replace the bearings and labor cost being what the are today it would cost too much for the local repair shop to fool with them. Insurance companies have also limited what a small shop can do in house.

As far as affordability that depends on your definition of economical. If you are properly equipped to do the removal and replacement of an engine or transmission then a remanufactured unit will be less than a couple of new car payments, the price will be doubled if you need to have the work done for you.         $ 4,000 to keep a $ 10,000 vehicle that is in otherwise great condition on the road may not make sense to some people but replacing it with a $ 40,000 + new vehicle isn't sensible to many of us.

[adsm08 2,056]

22 hours ago, Handy Don said:

In the past, units like alternators, starters, transmissions, and engines would be swapped out and sent to regional sites for rebuilding. Does that still exist in an economical fashion?

 

I'm not 100% sure, but it sounds like you are talking about a core exchange. We remove the original, put in a new or reman assembly, then send the failed one back to be rebuilt and resold. There is often a deposit on the new part called a core charge which is 100% refundable when the failed unit is returned as an incentive to not just scrap a part that could be rebuilt and returned to service.

 

21 hours ago, 953 nut said:

 $ 4,000 to keep a $ 10,000 vehicle that is in otherwise great condition on the road may not make sense to some people but replacing it with a $ 40,000 + new vehicle isn't sensible to many of us.

 

I just had to go through this with my pastor. The transmission in his wife's van is going out, and to replace the transmission, along with a few other key parts that should be done at that mileage if the tranny is out already anyway, is going to be about $7000. On the other hand, the body is so clean, even underneath, that you'd think the thing just rolled off the show room floor, they love the vehicle, and really need the seating capacity because they are up to about 12 grandkids now, and they can't even touch something similar for less than $28,000.

 

He asked me if it was worth fixing, or if they should just look for another vehicle. I crawled under it, looked around at the points most likely to rot out, saw how clean it was and told him to just fix the van.

[Handy Don 12,217]

3 minutes ago, adsm08 said:

I'm not 100% sure, but it sounds like you are talking about a core exchange. We remove the original, put in a new or reman assembly, then send the failed one back to be rebuilt and resold. There is often a deposit on the new part called a core charge which is 100% refundable when the failed unit is returned as an incentive to not just scrap a part that could be rebuilt and returned to service.

Yes, this was the idea. I remember my Dad choosing a remanufactured engine once for his Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser wagon's (now-reviled) diesel engine. Having two sons working for GM, he was devoted to their cars--and the steep discount. (This son has never owned a GM vehicle!)

[adsm08 2,056]

4 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

Yes, this was the idea. I remember my Dad choosing a remanufactured engine once for his Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser wagon's (now-reviled) diesel engine. Having two sons working for GM, he was devoted to their cars--and the steep discount. (This son has never owned a GM vehicle!)

 

Yes, cores are still a thing. Most people never see the exchange part or the core charge, unless they buy the part at a store and install it themselves.

 

At my shop when we deal with a part with a core the tech removes the old one, installs the new one, and is responsible for returning the return part to the parts department. Parts bills the core charge, and the core credit to the same line, so while they would show on an itemized bill they cancel each other out and you'd never find it just looking at your total bill, which is all most people bother to look at anymore.

 

9 times out of 10 I could give someone an estimate, do the work, bill the parts at less than quote but bill the same amount of extra for something ridiculous like "capture and remove purple people eater from under rear seat" and never get questioned on it as long as the final total comes out right.

Edited August 4 by adsm08

[adsm08 2,056]

On 8/4/2024 at 4:46 PM, Handy Don said:

Yes, this was the idea. I remember my Dad choosing a remanufactured engine once for his Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser wagon's (now-reviled) diesel engine. Having two sons working for GM, he was devoted to their cars--and the steep discount. (This son has never owned a GM vehicle!)

 

The 350 diesel earned its reputation.

 

It was a novel idea built on a platform that wasn't meant to do what was asked of it.