Alright. I live in Virginia so it's generally not that cold here but this winter has been especially hard on my car for some reason. There have been 10-15 times when I would go out in the morning and my car would either not turn over or it would catch, rise up to 3.5k and then stall and not turn back on. I took it into a shop that claimed that they could work on the engine but they couldn't find anything wrong with it and suggested that they could rebuild the engine. Needless to say I grabbed my keys and left.

I'm the third owner of this car and it's apparent it's been driven really hard so I think the engine is close to it's time for a rebuild but since I don't have either the cash, time, or expertise to do that I was wondering if anyone had some suggestions that I could try. The only thing the shop said was that it had something to do with the oil seals and that it was just a matter of letting the car warm up. Well, that's kind of hard to do when it doesn't start. Anyways, let me know what you guys think, I miss my car.

 

Make certain the car is tuned and you have a strong battery to really spin the engine over.
Can never have a big enough battery!!!!

 

Plugs, wires and starter. Just go through and replace them all would be a good idea.

 

have a garage?

 

i work at a body shop so on the weekends i have full access to a shop with a lift so if i have someone working with me or a really good explaination of what i have to be doing i can do all of this myself.

i'm just worried that my apex seals are going to go soon and i dont have enough experience with cars to tear apart my engine by myself and not mess anything up. i just dont know what else to try. i've already replaced the battery and checked my alternator. i change my oil every 2k miles at least and put a quart in every 1k miles and i've just replaced all my spark plugs. i know that a little bit of smoke in cold weather starts is normal but if i actually get my car to start, smoke billows out of it for at least two minutes. i'm out of ideas.

 

if you went through all the motions and they don't work and you want a more professional opinion, i'd find a free day and have Kearney's take a look at it. They're located in Capital Heights, MD so they're not too far from you. Run there - "hey can you take a quick look" or give them a call.

I thought I had problems left and right but after they looked at it and "we'll see what we find" - i haven't had a problem since. There's stuff that's permanently broke so I live with some of the more minor problems.

 

That's a good call. The only place I know around here that I trust is Rotary Performance but they're a little pricey. Do you have a phone number or address?

 

bump

ideas anyone?

 

You can bring it by me and I'll give it a once-over if you want. No charge. Laytonsville, MD. PM me if you're nearby.