Solved an old problem, but need advice

[nikosuave8896]

Hey everyone, good to be back on here.

If anyone has seen my thread before http://www.beretta.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=7621 , they know that I had a coolant leak on the passenger side. I had a buddy of mine help me replace the water pump and we did it with success, but the car was still leaking coolant!

I thought it was excess residue from old coolant but after a month the cars temperature started getting a lot hotter and the car started spilling out a lot more coolant than usual. Another thing is that I had a new serpentine belt put on in september and every cold start it would squeal pretty bad (dayco belt, heard these things are famous for squealing)

I finally had my car taken to my local mechanic and I asked him to take a look at it and he diagnosed the problem. He said that my timing cover gasket was leaking pretty badly and that it needed to be replaced. The cost was 600 dollars with parts and labor and it was about 6 and a half hours of labor according to him. There is still leaking coolant but I hope this is just residue leaking from when the old coolant came out of the timing cover. It is still dripping but he said it will and my belt will keep squealing as I need to drive it more.

My question is, was 600 dollars a little too much for the repair? What needed to be taken apart? And were the Felpro gaskets he put on good gaskets? The last thing I want to happen is for this thing to leak again as it was a tough decision to throw 600 unexpected dollars into a older car.

[ErichZ26]

I do not know what the labor rate on that job is..but its probably 1.75(wild guess) from my experience.

You could also have a warped cover. If you are closer to Chicago you could bring it to my shop.

[nikosuave8896]

Since I have the 3.1 V6, he said a lot of things had to come off. Im guessing he did it by the repair book I have no idea.

He said the cover was okay just the gasket had a chunk of it missing, causing it to leak.

Sadly Im in the Philly suburbs area. Chicagos a little far for me and If i came to you the car would probably be on a tow truck lol

[3X00-Modified]

You need to remove the ps pump, pop out the heater core bypass line, disconnect the lower radiator hose, remove the motor mount on the body side and support the motor from below, remove the coolant tank for clearance remove the crank pulley and remove the belt tensioner, and then pull the bolts from the timing cover, that takes the motor mount bracket off, and then pull the cover off, its fun to get all the bolts out since they hit the frame rail, you need to go up and down with the engine to get them all out.

Here is when I did my timing chain, so it shows you how much space there is to work. I didn't remove the coolant tank and really you dont have to but I think it gives a bit more space.



Supporting the motor from below, you can leave that lower motor mount on

[heavywoody]

Don't you have to loosen the oil pan too?

[nikosuave8896]

Jeez thats quite a task for a gasket lol im guessing 600 well spent lol he put a gasket set on, does the gasket set include like oil seals , etc? Or just the regulator timing cover gasket

[3X00-Modified]

Don't you have to loosen the oil pan too?

No, I didn't, but you have to squeeze the cover back in there yes... but loosening the oil pan is not necessary.

[heavywoody]

Don't you have to loosen the oil pan too?

No, I didn't, but you have to squeeze the cover back in there yes... but loosening the oil pan is not necessary.

Wouldn't the oil pan gasket "turn" out of the channel it sits in though? It is a compression gasket.

[3X00-Modified]

I did it without loosening the pan and managed to get the cover back in with no issues, on both my mom's old GA and my engine back when I did the timing chain, Yes its a compression gasket, but thats what I mean by it takes some force, put the timing cover gasket in place then if you tip the bottom of the cover in first so its on the oil pan gasket and the cover is at an angle, push down and in at the same time and you'll get the two dowels to line up and it will slide on with no issues.

Trust me with a 4t60e the last thing you want to be told is you need to loosen the oil pan... lol

[DTMAce]

I know what a PITA that would be too. I hated taking the oil pan off the Z to fix it.

[heavywoody]

I guess I always installed the timing cover with the crank seal in place. Probably should have waited to install that, would've been easier to do it (read: no oil pan removal).

[spacecadetz26]

according to mitchell the job is 5.5 hours plus whatever time needed for accessories that interfere. so roughly 6.5 hours. so whatever labor rate is x 6.5 plus parts, fluids, shop supplies.

[nikosuave8896]

I was charged for 6.5 hours so it was fair. The gasket set was 55 dollars im guessing it was a whole kit?

[3X00-Modified]

A timing cover gasket set is only $10 max from Rock auto... I would ask what gasket set they bought if I were you.

I could see maybe 15-20bux charged due to them having to make some money on the gaskets, but damn $55 thats just obnoxious.

[ErichZ26]

If this job is rated at 6.5 hours then it is a pretty sizable job.

I did one on a Grand Am and only charged the poor sap $250 with gasket.