what to fix first?

[explorerulez]

Hello there, I own a 1992 explorer xlt and I took it to a local shop here in calgary last week. My main reason for taking it there was because the "check engine light" came on about a week ago and it comes and goes. So when I took my truck there I also told them to maybe check the brakes just to see if it needs new pads. So anyway during the day the mechanic called me back to let me know that it's the MAF sensor that is malfunctioning and they have to replace it which will cost me $275 which I thought was not too bad but then he told me that both my breaks are shot, both rear and front(despite me being able to drive it all the way to their shop) and that it will cost me altogether a whopping $1296 for both the front and rear sets to be repaired. they told me that my fronts pads only have .5% of padding left and that the calipers are starting to grind the rotors then they also told me that when they opened the drum breaks in the rear everything just fell off because it was all worn out(despit this though I was still able to drive it home without any incident). Then they also told me that my water pump is starting to make noises and needs to be replaced as well for $500. Now here's the kicker, I only got $1300 and I also have to do a vehicle inspection before the end of this month and they quoted me $114 for a vehicle inspection. I need your advice guys with the money that I got what should I get fixed first?are their prices fair or is it too much? please help!

 

[my pos mounty]

GO GET YOUR TRUCK AWAY FROM THEM!!! NOW!!!!
First 1300 for brakes? What kinda crack are they smoking??
The MAF can be cleaned, and thats probably all it needs. It will take you LESS than 10 minutes to do this, for FREE!
As for the waterpump, yeah right. The old yankee saying comes to mind "IF IT AINT BROKE, DONT FIX IT!"

 

[nitro71]

I'd thank the shop. Go buy tools and learn to be a mechanic!

 

[my pos mounty]

I tell you what, you buy me round trip air and get me a hotel room for 2 nights and i could fix all of that for less than they want for brakes (airfare included from new hampshire, usa). They are ripping you off like theres no tomorrow!

 

[westfield]

Brakes are easy...buy a haynes and follow it step by step...The MAF..just clean it out is all it probably needs...Are you getting a puddle under the engine after you shut the engine off? tghat would be a sure sign of a bad water pump....

 

[explorerulez]

I'd thank the shop. Go buy tools and learn to be a mechanic!

I so would man if not for my explorer parked in a parking stall outside the -20 celsius here in good old calgary.

 

[Gus Gorilla]

+1 on both counts.
Get your truck away from them. They are trying to rip you off. Water pump noise? really? Bottom line....moving parts make noise. If the pump has problems it will let you know by leaking. Since it's winter now, and your in CAN, I wouldn't sweat it much. Next. If your drums "fell apart" they would have to replace parts to get it back together. It's nearly impossibe for them to fall apart. "Fell apart" is most likely a bold faced lie. Even if your fronts are grinding the rotors it will stop the truck. You could replace the rotors, pads, and calipers (all the parts involved) for much less than half of the $1300 they quoted you. Nitro71 is right. For less than their quote you could buy all the needed tools and truck parts and do this job yourself. You might just find the Zen of wrenchin' that we all love and enjoy ; ) Check back in with us here for any help needed.

 

[explorerulez]

Brakes are easy...buy a haynes and follow it step by step...The MAF..just clean it out is all it probably needs...Are you getting a puddle under the engine after you shut the engine off? tghat would be a sure sign of a bad water pump....

funny thing is I went for an oil change last friday and they saw some leaks from the transfer case(just a little bit) and that's about it. The mechanic at that shop also told me that the reason why they think the water pump needs to get change is because it's starting to make some noises which I frankly can't even hear, LOL man I knew something was fishy. At anyrate that guys scared me to death telling me BS that I have no more breaks when I can still drive my vehicle and can still stop my truck at a drop of a dime even on snowy and icy streets that we have right now. BTW there are no puddles that I can see of under the engine. So what do you think guys? I'll just go get a vehicle inspection from a different shop or what? BTW I've been reading about cleaning that MAF sensor with the CRC cleaner today and I can't believe it's actually not as hard as I think it would be.

 

[Blacksheep Josh]

1. Front Brakes
2. Clean MAF
3. Rear Brakes as money is available
(I've had my Explorer since 2005, and put around 66k miles on it and I've yet to even LOOK at the rear brakes, lol)

It all depends on how the rear brake do look though, I know these vehicles rely heavily on the front brakes to stop, so when the rears are done RIGHT, they last a long time.

It's going to be cold, but ballpark, but the really good parts, you could get:
-front brake pads
-front brake rotors
-new hardwave for front calipers (new pins)
-maf cleaner
-rear brake shoes
-rear brake hardwave
-rear brake drums

You could probably get all of this, and with the good stuff, for about 500-600, and that's a high estimate on my part. I knwo what I can do down here (Georgia), but I'm not sure about up there. Just have to learn how to do it, but it's worth it. You'll save about 350 dollars each time you do your own brakes just in labor savings alone.

 

[Blacksheep Josh]

Also, you'd hear extreme grinding if the brake pads in the front were eating into the brake rotors. It's impossible to ignore unless your deaf with the stereo going full blast. You could probably even feel it when it got bad enough through the pedal.

As for the water pump, unless you see water leaking or you can hear it yourself don't worry about it. I have 280k miles on my explorer, original water pump, and if it weren't for my damned alternator giving out i'd be driving it right now.

 

[Joe Dirt]

Wow- agreed. They see someone in need, and they're trying to suck your bank account dry.

The water pump will leak if it's shot. If it isn't don't worry about it. I agree with Josh- good list.

 

[explorerulez]

Oh and another thing is that guy said that they can replace the MAF sensor and that may get rid of the check engine light but they are not sure about it because of the age of the vehicle. I was like my explorer has a computer, surely it can get you the code? all he said was because the vehicle was old that they can't be sure about it. WHAT?!?!

 

[explorerulez]

So should I just get a vehicle inspection at another place for my insurance since they need it by next monday. This place that I went to for those estimated repairs where under the "minute, muffler and brake" chain of independent shops. Any other alternatives that you fellas can suggest? thank you very much for all your input, now I know that my suspicions are valid that I was being ripped off!

 

[shaggymane]

I didn't even finish reading the first post when I had the answer.

First thing to fix is where you've taken the truck. Them guys have covered the really well.
Suggestions?
Talk it around to everyone you know. Especially guys about 40. They've been getting em fixed long enough and likely have been through a mechanic or two.

I don't know about these other guys and even though i like working on what's mine, I know where to go for what I can't or don't want to handle. Even who to ask to find more competent techs. I'm betting they do too.

$1296 and I get a new car with that too, right?

 

[explorerulez]

I didn't even finish reading the first post when I had the answer.

First thing to fix is where you've taken the truck. Them guys have covered the really well.
Suggestions?
Talk it around to everyone you know. Especially guys about 40. They've been getting em fixed long enough and likely have been through a mechanic or two.

I don't know about these other guys and even though i like working on what's mine, I know where to go for what I can't or don't want to handle. Even who to ask to find more competent techs. I'm betting they do too.

$1296 and I get a new car with that too, right?

thanks for the advice bro!

 

[rhauf]

the mechanic is trying to rip you off, that's clear.

brake pads cost about $40 for a pair of quality ones (15 bux for cheap ones). the rears are roughly the same. front brakes take less than 15 minutes to change with hand tools only, and its easy. rears are a little more tricky, maybe a half hour if you know what you're doing or a couple hours for a first timer. again you only need hand tools.

the maf can be cleaned unless its physically broken. (and a new one is 2 screws and one wire plug-in, takes a minute to replace it, and costs about 90 bux)

the water pump (unless its leaking) is probably not the noise, it's more likely the idler pulleys. they're about 10 bux.

in other words, do the work yourself, learning a few basic things about mechanics will save you TONS of money the rest of you're life, and it may also help prevent you from getting stranded somewhere some day. for what i see other people paying mechanics to do tiny jobs, i've got that budgeted for toys and other fun stuff

 

[nitro71]

My advice is that if you don't want to wrench on it don't get a early 90's vehicle. Honestly you will rack up big bills paying mechanics to fix everything that this vehicle is going to need done to it. I would sell it and try to get into a late 90's early 2000's car. Or sell it and buy a newer 4wd. It's pretty obvious that your X needs some TLC. Any older vehicle usually does. Sure it's -20 right now but it'll warm up into the 30's sometime I'm sure. Or find someone that has a garage, shop or covered area you can work on it in.

 

[cogs]

if you need help with repairs, ask on here. those 'shifty' mechanics are evil. about the idler pulley, if it's screaming a little, it's probably going to break someday, and it's easy to repair (it's in the center of the pulleys on my '94). in fact, any high pitched noise or any vibration should be attended to.

 

[my pos mounty]

Talk it around to everyone you know. Especially guys about 40. They've been getting em fixed long enough and likely have been through a mechanic or two.

<COUGH - COUGH> ok, so I am a tad over 40 ok, closing on 50 fast
I don't know any good mechanics around where I live because I do all my own work and have been doing it since I was 15. My first "wrenching" was replacing a VW engine with my older brother. That was my first car (no drivers license at that point). I was, and still am, hooked. Just takes me longer to stand back up now, but my tool collection is much more impressive. :

 

[shaggymane]

<COUGH - COUGH> ok, so I am a tad over 40 ok, closing on 50 fast
I don't know any good mechanics around where I live because I do all my own work and have been doing it since I was 15. My first "wrenching" was replacing a VW engine with my older brother. That was my first car (no drivers license at that point). I was, and still am, hooked. Just takes me longer to stand back up now, but my tool collection is much more impressive. :

I past that half century mark a few yrs ago.
Way back i had a tan 59 chevy. Used to pull the pass on the curb, scoot under the other side and pull the 3 spd out, take it apart, put it back together on sunday after noon just for something to do.
bit later I had a black 59 put a thumping 396 in it. Brother spun a bearing.
(Come to think of it, that boy was hard on my cars.)
Pulled the crank out, had it turned, put back in. No sweat. I could handle that easily

But these *new* ones with all this electronic stuff - it's learning all over again.
On the learning curve I'm probably about half way between the Op and you.

My *go to* guy likes to build .60 over 428's and put 'em in 62 unibodies. But he won't change his own O2 sensors or use a DVOM. So he finds good shops to do that for him.


yep, and now My hips will bruise from just laying on the concrete floor. See what you started?

Anyway...................