Thread: Should I fix my car or move on?

Who the hell uses a grinder to remove gaskets inside the engine? I've always used a scraper after I have covered up the openings in the engine.

Originally Posted by Bragill25

I bought my 97 GTP for 2400 that has 180000 miles. I've only put 6000 on it since I got it in June. Put 1600 into getting it running smoothly which in turn messed it up completely. I think my mechanic used a circular grinder to take off my old intake gaskets which threw the shavings into my engine and grinded the inside up because now it barely runs and my other mechanic said he could see where he used the grinder on the engine. Should I spend more money rebuilding it or buying another engine or just give up on it.? I'm running out of money to put into this thing. So just wondering if it'd be worth it.

Sorry to hear your luck.

When I used to work at a Chevy dealer, the Firestone place across the street was our best customer. They would use scotch brite pad and discs to clean the old intake gaskets up. That crap would get in the motor and within 200 miles the vehicle owner would be on our service drive with terrible rod knock. I cannot recall how many 5.7 Vortec, 3100, 3400, etc motors Firestone got to pay us to put in. The worst part was, they never stopped doing it. You would think they would eventually learn.

Make sure the shop looking at it takes pics, gets an oil sample, etc. Do not have them dig too far into it until you contact the original shop and let them know what has happened. The original shop will want you to bring it back for them to put a new/used motor in. You do not have to let them do this. In fact, I would recommend against it. They have proven that they don't know how to work on your car properly.

This is likely to be a stressful experience, but you should be able to get it take care of without spending any more money out of your pocket.