Been a stressful 96 hours
 

..started this weekend when I started smelling gas coming from the engine bay. After reading all tragic stories I called my mechanic and got a fire extinguisher. Took the car in on Tuesday and it was the fuel dampner (sp?)

Paid to get it replaced, no more gas smell, thank goodness.

It gets worse, however. As soon I am ready to drive it out of the parking lot, the coolant light comes on. Never has come on in the 4 years I have owned the car. Chris comes out and fills it with coolant, suspects some may have leaked out when they replaced the fuel dampner.

Cool, on my way...go to work, get off at 11 p.m., go to start the car, coolant light comes on. I check it, it is not that low, add some and drive home. In the morning I check the coolant, needs a little extra, I add it and drive it around for 5 minutes. Let the car sit and come back and coolant is POURING out of the bottom of the car, so much it creats a puddle and flows downhill.

I, of course, assume the worst...call my mechanic, bring the car in. While I am trying to figure how I will pay for the new engine, Chris comes in and tells me it was just a loose clamp. They perform a pressure test, just to be sure and everything checks out ok.

My goodness owning an FD is quite an adventure...but it sure is worth it =) (at this rate though, I will be dead long before I will ever need to replace the engine)

Looks like you got lucky Berserker - Congrats. How long has it been since your last teardown/rebuild (if at all?) how many miles on your engine?

roflmao. Dude you are so right. Owning these cars is seriously stressful. You start hearing any little rattle coming from the engine and youthink the worst.

Mario

..the car has 93 thousand miles, had 61 thousand when I purchsed it and had the engine replaced at 59 thousand miles.

If I hear anything wrong, this is my prayer to the lord, "please, I've been good, I have not riced my car, I take good care of her, please I need this engine, I know I shouldn't have done that mid-pipe mod...iam sorry, please just let me get home at least, dont ruin my life", then when I find out it's a loose bolt I tighten it and breathe a say of relief as gray hair blooms on my 20 year old hair!