Hello Classic Oldsmobile forum members. Let me tell you the story of how I came to have and now stand to lose my Oldsmobile.

So when i was a senior in high school in 2009, my father started to look for my first car. One day after school I came home and he was all excited, he said he might have found my first car. I had told him that I wanted an old American car, a muscle car or just a bomb/boat.

I still remember pulling up on it to this day. We went to go see it that night. I had no idea that that night would be the start of something. Sitting under the cover of moonlit darkness was a 1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme SL. The bronze paint was amazing. The lines on it reminded me of the old NASCAR cars from back when they actually used to run body styles that actually resembled the cars they claimed to be. The original owner was an old woman who died of cancer. Her husband hat let it sit for a couple years before selling it. When I got to it, the wiring had to be redone thanks to rats chewing on it, needed new tires among other things.

Anyway, I love my Cutlass and now its in jeopardy,thanks to the current heatwave in California. I was running the car 2 weeks back on what was the hottest day I could remember in sometime. I was taking it over the bridges from Long Beach California into San Pedro and the car started to overheat and maxed out the temp gauge. When I got it home I found out that the whole left side of the radiator had blown out. It belched a giant pile of coolant in the street. That night I was awoke by someone knocking on my front door saying the headlights were on. When I went outside I found the lights on and the car cabin filled with acrid smoke. I freaked out and tried to disconnect the battery to stop it front shorting out anymore. My mechanic came the next morning and put in the new radiator and said that the engine looked fine, that it likely hadn't warped or broke from running so hot. He said the blower fan fuse had shorted out which is why it was smoking. Anyway I drive it for 3 days after and on the 3rd day while driving home the temp started to fluctuate up, rising when idling and going down when moving. So my dad pulled the dipstick and said that I had water and coolant in the engine. When he lifted the oil fill cap is when my heart sank, it looked like a Wendy's frosty in there, the oil and coolant had gone all foamy.

So now he wants to get rid of my Olds, he doesnt want to try and fix it and Im kind of pissed. I had my cousin look at it the engine without opening it up and he said it could be broken heads, warped head, broken intake manifold gasket. My dad of course wants to get out of the car because he never liked the seatbelts. Is there anyway you guys cold help me keep this Olds, my Olds on the streets again? My dad is talking about selling it as a parts car or some crap. I just want my damn Cutlass back up and running. PLease help if you can.

 

Trust your dad. Its time to let it go.

 

Call the local boneyard. They can probably swap in a running engine for under a grand. It's literally the most common engine they see. Alternately, drain the oil, and put a tin of leak seal in there with fresh oil, and a bottle of leak seal down the rad too. Can't hurt. But if you love the car, you're going to have to work to keep it. Sounds like you love the car .... strap on the gloves.

 

I agree with your dad, it's not worth sticking a bunch of money in this one. I understand the sentimental value but go find another.

 

Come on guys, there is an attachment here.
So he melted it... Start hunting, there should
still be some goodun's in a bonyard with a bad tranny?
Craigs list and even here in the parts wanted section.
It's an R and R. Good luck C-94, I feel for ya.

 

They had to call in a mechanic to replace the radiator. Do you think they have the skills to R & R an engine out on the street?

 

I fully understand the sentiment here for the car. However, he cannot do the work himself, so to repair this car through his wallet will be very, very (did I mention very?) expensive.

 

So yes He's probably a young man
with limited skills when it comes to his car.
Most youngun's I know are stupid smart when
it comes to google this or that.
If he wants to roll up his sleeves and get
down and dirty, friggin' yah. Beg or borrow
the tools...remember??? Can you help me
with my car, and yes, I can help you with whatever...
Those were the days. And for the more energetic, (younger ones)
those days can still exist for them, if wanted badly enough.
I say go for it. The 94 Cutlass Supreme Vert always looked
sharp in my eye. The cpe is ok too. Another Olds on the road.

 

I suspect at the moment it's through his dad's wallet. The question is, can he fix it for less that the cost of replacing it? IMO, yup. In fact, you'll at least get a 3 month warranty on a bone yard motor ... you get zilch buying another car unless you're paying a whole lot more. My local charged me $900 to drop a motor into my old caravan .. paying cash *wink wink* got me some additional savings. Where he lives it may well be less ... might be more.

 

As of right now they have more money in the new radiator than the entire car is worth. If the engine got that hot, I doubt the transmission will last very long. I'm sticking to my original advise: time to move on.

 

The lesson to be learned from all of this is right there in these comments.

The moment the car started to show signs of overheating, it should have been pulled off the road and turned off. The "when I got it home" comment is the killer. The head may have gotten warped, anyway, or the block cracked, or whatever, and caused his coolant-in-the-oil problem, but it might not have had he stopped the engine immediately. Continuing to drive the car, even a short distance, after the first indication of overheating most assuredly did the damage now seen.

Never never never ever drive a car, even for a second, when the engine is overheating. That's when the damage occurs.

 

They don't teach that in driver's ed anymore, do they? Oh, wait ... Dad didn't teach his it either, did he? There you go .. its Dad's fault. It's Dad's responsibility to fix it now. *assumes smug expression*



Now I've got a pant load to teach my daughter tonight before karma decides to pay a visit.

 

Ding Ding Ding, Jaunty nailed it. The car talk .... it ranks right up there with the parental sex talk.

 

So he has a car he likes, his dad can't or won't fix it now it has trouble.
Sounds like dad wasn't too mechanically savvy, I don't know this for a fact and offer an unqualified apology if I'm wrong.
But he has a car that can be fixed by a competent shade tree mechanic.
So maybe hook up with some local car enthusiasts, and ask for help. It could be somebody who knows their way round an engine will condemn it out of hand, or explain what is involved in fixing it at a reasonable price. Best case might be someone saying "Hey, I've got a spare engine you can have for cheap", but don't hold your breath.
But if he fixes the car himself he have another potential Olds fan among us, and I'll bet he won't ever let an engine cook itself while he's driving again.


And another point is I deplore the "It's broke so throw it away and get another one" mentality, particularly if it can be fixed for not much outlay.


Roger.

 

I see this as a classic case of assigning and accepting responsibility:

1. This young man was a high school senior in 2009.
   That menas he was 18 years old then, and is 23 now. What does Dad have to do with it?
2. He drove the car, apparently for a considerable distance, after he pegged the temperature gauge.
   He could have stopped the car and called for help, but he chose not to.
   When you do that, you trash engines.
   He rolled the dice when he should have passed.
   Or, as someone once said, "You pays your money and takes your chances."
3. He doesn't want to let the car go, but he does not have the skills (and perhaps the money) to fix it.
   Well, this is where the rubber hits the road.
   You broke the car, not the forces of nature, not the powers of the universe, not Lady Luck, not the Good Lord. You.
   If the car is that important to you, then you will find a way to get it fixed -
   Beg, borrow, steal, read, learn, work overtime, whatever.
   If it's that important, then become a mechanic and do it. If you can't do that, then it's not that important to you.

- Eric

 

That pretty much sums it up. Well said guys.

 

You would think by now he would
have made post # 2. What's up guy?
I know the photo of the 4 dr. came up
after my posts. I was Hoping it was a vert
I guess, oh well. Grow some and speak up.

 

OP tucked tail and ran.

We practically gave my wife's old Nissan to her 20-something niece a few years ago, telling her upfront it was due for a bit of maintenence with 120k on the clock. Within a few months we get this story (maybe worse that our OP): "Temp light came on so I tried to drive home, but the engine died. Waited a while and it restarted, so drove a little further and had to do that 3 times to finally get it home." Her cousin is a mechanic and pronounced it DOA but privately told me radiator cap was bad/corroded and probably just lost pressue/coolant, so $5 and a jug of coolant would have saved it. Later heard through the family she complained we sold her a lemon that needed expensive repairs like tires and brakes...

 

Sadly I think you are correct.
Maybe nobody said "I'll drop everything to come over and fix your car for free".
Maybe dad has bought him another car. Question; Why is dad buying a 23 year old cars?. Could be he is studying hard for a masters or similar, or a lazy punk, we don't know.
Maybe someone has fixed his car.
But it would be polite to let us know what happened.


Roger.

 

That's why you don't sell to family.Nick

 

The OP is apparently a "one-and-done"-er. Not without precedent on this site. He owned an Oldsmobile, but that apparently did not make him an "Olds guy."

 

More than likely he / they just didn't like what they saw here. That's no prerequisite for being an olds guy.

 

Yeah. Stinks to have a bunch of people all tell you the truth - especially when it's just what your old man already told you.

- Eric

 

I was talking about the unnecessarily brutal part of your "honesty".

 

Oh, excuse me for not offering him a trophy for "participating."

He blew up his motor by doing something that any adult knows not to do, and is now wishing for magical fairy help.

"So now he wants to get rid of my Olds, he doesnt want to try and fix it and Im kind of pissed."
"He wants to get rid of the Olds" - not "He wants me to get rid of my Olds"
"He doesn't want to try and fix it" - He expects Daddy to just fix his toy for him.
The OP is a grown man. Whose car is this?


"Is there anyway you guys cold help me keep this Olds, my Olds on the streets again?"
Not "Can you guys give me advice on fixing my Olds?"
Not "How would you go about finding the right person to fix it for me?"
"Is there any way you could help me keep it?" - the question expresses absolutely no action on his part. He is asking others to do it for him, just as he passively got "kind of pissed" as his father told him what to do with his car.

Sorry, the entire post bleeds whining passivity. Such a person is never going to take action to save his car from the crusher, and there is no reason for anyone to candy coat that.

We have sixteen year olds on this board who work harder than this guy.

- Eric

 

My point again is all you ambassadors of bad will should have no expectation that the OP is going to come back and give you an update. Its not a matter of not being polite or tucking tail. Its a matter of not laying down with dogs.

 

Is that me

 

This post was a BS callout for money on this guys part. Remember when we all helped someone on here who was having hard times? He probably thought he had some live ones! Nobody rides for free. Including him. He can stuff it.

 

Along with a couple of other guys we've seen here and there, none of whom have been quite as prolific as you have.

- Eric

 

I still owe you guys big time but right now I gotta fix my uncles mistakes who my dad let touch the car after I had it fixed :/ but I'll get this thing running and put a lock on the hood

 

I try although sometimes I go about it the wrong way or make rash decisions to do something then have to backtrack

 

You're sixteen. That's what you do at that age. That's what we all did.

That's why you've got to be 35 to be President - We all make mistakes and dumb decisions, and have to backtrack (just look at Macadoo's recent brake job ... and - one word - "Divorce"), but if you ask any of us, we made a career of it at sixteen.

- Eric

 

Haha you guys are great its a shame someone would try and take advantage of it