The 350 v8 in my olds has slipped timing, so badly that it no longer will run and barely even starts. The timing chain had a nylon or other type of coating on it to make it quieter, and when it slipped timing it shredded particles of it into the oil pan is what the mechanic is saying. This being the 2nd mechanic that I've taken it to to make sure the 1st was correct. I have 3100 dollars into it already, 2500 for the purchase of it plus 600 for a new starter and new tires. But now I'm being told that repairs may total about 1700 dollars to do all the work it needs to run again. I love the car. It's a classic and I want to keep the it but I keep thinking that this may only be the tip of the iceberg and that the problems only get worse from here. Any advice is welcome at this point. Is a 1979 oldsmobile delta 88 worth almost 4800 dollars? It's no where near show car condition. I'd say a 5 out of 10 as far as overall condition.



inb4 do the repairs yourself; I'm not able to- due to lack of both mechanical proficiency and space to work on it. (Street parking)

 

What a car is worth on the market and what that same car is worth to you are to completely different things, especially if there are reasons for you to "like" the car.

The mechanics are correct, don't drive the car any further otherwise you may bend valves or pushrods and drive up the cost of repairs.

The cost of a decent timing chain is <$100, getting to it to replace it is what is driving up the cost of repairs if you have someone do it for you. It sounds like the estimates you got ($1700) includes pulling the engine, or at least the oil pan to remove any debris from the failed timing chain. Indeed, if the nylon on the cam sprocket is gone or has pieces missing, then this will be necessary. However, if the nylon it just worn badly, you could probably get away with just a chain replacement (and the crank seal and water pump while you are at it). I would guess that the labor for just a chain / seal / pump replacement would be significantly less than $1700 (I'm thinking 700-1000 at the most). However, the mechanics are going to advise you to be prepared to pay for the full oil-pan clean-out because you won't know how much of the nylon sprocket is in the pan until you get the timing cover off (which is buried under the accessories and water pump). So ask the mechanic if they will avoid the oil pan clean-out if the nylon sprocket is merely worn but in one piece once they get in there.

BTW, that's a clean looking '79.

 

Yes, a good driver/road ready, two-door classic is worth $4,800 if it isn't rusted.

Did they say what the $1,700 includes or did they advise how little it may cost? A timing chain should be IIRC about 5 book labor hours plus parts. Pulling the pan another 4? hours if it can be done in the car.

Good luck!!!

 

I'll add, you are correct this car will nickel and dime (actually worse because you can't/won't try to do some of it yourself) you to death as time goes on. The cost of parts for your timing set change is under $300 total which I'm figuring a new water pump, gaskets, an oil change, antifreeze, and other misc stuff. That gives you $1400 to buy the necessary tools to do this and future repairs. The job itself is not hard, just time consuming and may include minor cuts and bruises to your hands and forearms. If this car is not your daily driver, I would opt to go this route.

 

If you get in this game you can or probably will end up putting more in to a classic than you can get out of it, just the way it works especially if you don't do most of the repairs yourself. Any time you venture in to anything mechanical that's 30 years old plan on having repairs. It is the price you pay for having something different and unique compared to 90% of the rest of the public who went the cheap mundane way..... Tedd

 

How many miles on the car ? How's the tranny ? You have to decide..........do you want the car. Tedd is right, you could have bought something mundane. It seems to me that most people who become concerned about a profit from a car made the wrong purchase to begin with.
......Just my two cents worth.

 

I don't think the OP is looking at profit, more like trying to get at least break even and get whats invested back upon a sale. I know in my case as with most of us, we are well beyond that point.

 

"Break even" is ZERO profit, but most certainly not a loss. I don't think I know anyone that honestly made money on a car. The OP may not be able to break even by selling without the engine running.

 

Not looking at making a profit on the car (yet) I only just a few months ago invested in it. Now, looking at it as an investment,
is it worth a 1700 dollar repair when that's very close to 2/3 what I paid for it to begin with? I planned on keeping the delta, but not to point where I put every penny I have into it to keep it running.

If I had owned it a year or more I would probably just do the repairs. But I've only just gotten it will have cost me about what I paid for it if I pursue these repairs. I dont know about this type of engine- is it likely to have this issue repeatedly? The body is in great shape. Should I cut my losses and try to sell it to recoup some of the money I've put into it?

To answer your questions, tranny shifts really well, smooth as could be expected for a 40 year old piece of machinery. It has rolled over once according to the previous owner, and shows 34,000 aprox on the odometer. Prior to this issue it ran great. There is virtually no rust on it, only a couple minor spots on bumper. The vinyl cover has been cut by some local kids on one side, (before I bought) it but it's been sealed with flex seal I believe. I love the Olds. I dont want to part with it but financially I may not be able to afford it. Having just spent the 600 and a week later, looking down the barrel of a probable 1700 dollars in repairs, I'm apprehensive about continuing down this road.

 

The shop said that's the estimate IF the oil pan has to be dropped etc. to get the nylon shavings all cleaned out of it. Includes gaskets filters fluids all that etc.. was led to believe that it would be a bit cheaper if that all didnt need to be done, I think to the tune of about 400 or so less of it hasn't made a mess in there! Thank you for the information!

 

An ACDELCO pn# 3361873A starter costs about $60 and takes, even for the beginner with simple hand tools, 2hrs at most to change. $600 for that job is ludicrous. Working on these cars through your wallet is going to be costly and not recommended.

 

Solid words of wisdom. I'm glad you could verify what I was being told by the mechanic. It makes me feel a bit more comfortable and confident in them. And thank you by the way. I love the delta. I would love an even older delta 88 but now that I've seen what owning and maintaining a classic is about [big $$$repairs] I'm unsure if I'll ever have that
some shops in town wouldn't even look at it because it had a carburetor

 

Well that's not what cost 600, all told I got new tires, bought and installed. and a new starter. installed.
complete lube service AND new windshield wipers.
I have a receipt of you're interested. I work full time. No garage. No tools. Very little mechanical proficiency. If I could have done it all myself I would have? Now that that's been explained,

I'm well aware a new starter doesnt cost 600 dollars but thank you for your expert input. As well as your googling parts for me lol

 

Sorry missed the tire part, however its still your decision and your wallet.

 

It is not an investment. If you look at it as one, you will only be disappointed. The question is solely whether the money being put into the car is worth it to you, to continue driving it. You are most definitely at an extreme disadvantage not being able to work on it yourself. They aren't difficult to work on, but it is a 40 year old car...things will break, things will wear out.

 

From what I'm gathering from most of the replies here is that only rich people or mechanics should own classic oldsmobiles

 

Not rich. Not a mechanic.

 

That goes for ANY old car. Either you are able to maintain it yourself and save money, or be able to afford paying someone else to make the repairs. There is nothing special or oddball about an Oldsmobile compared to any other car of similar vintage (Pontiac, Buick, Ford, etc.) that makes it more expensive to maintain. Chevy's have the advantage of stout aftermarket support, but if you can't do the work yourself, a timing chain replacement on a Chevy would cost in the same ballpark. The nylon cam sprocket isn't unique to Olds V8s. Look at is this way, any modern OHC engine (Honda, Toyota, etc.) would be on its 3rd timing belt by 134,000 miles, and the cost to replace that (once) would probably be in the same ball park as an Olds timing chain.

I find it helpful to rationalize spending money on an old car that is paid for by comparing the cost of any repairs to payments I'd be making on a new or slightly used car. That $1700 cost to replace the timing chain would be less than a year's payment on a crappy new car, and that timing chain will last ALOT longer than a year. Its primarily a matter of setting realistic expectations given the age of the car and the money invested. Another way to look at it is, you could spend $20K on that car and it would be as reliable as a new car, which most likely will cost much more than the $20K invested in this Olds. On top of that, a new(er) car is at the top of the depreciation curve, a '79 Olds has already bottomed out and can only go up with age. Don't compare the cost of maintaining a old car to how much it might be worth, compare it to what the alternatives are.

In all honesty, the original timing chain was doing good lasing 134,000 miles. And I don't believe ANY replacement uses a nylon cam sprocket, so a replacement should go at least another 150,000 miles.

 

IMO that @ $2500 you bought the car right. I was thinking about looking at that rig myself. But as usual, there is always something that needs to be done around the house!

Not a big fan of the T/A wheels. You have to look at collector cars in a different light. It should be considered as a hobby, so entertainment value and sometimes stress relief/therapy when you are out joy riding.

Pat

 

I am surprised so many of these cars were optioned with 350 vs the 403. It is a common failure on the Olds V8, the nylon timing gear falls apart and gets sucked into the oil pump pickup. Unfortunately you have the worst Olds 350 with shitty flowing, crack prone heads and a windowed main block. Hopefully the compression and oil pressure were good before the timing set went. You can tell this was the era of emissions and mpg, the 403 had 20 more HP and 50 ft/lbs of torque over the 350 but the majority had the 350 factory. At least it didn't have the 110 HP 260 in it.

 

Hang in there bud, try not to let the situation get the better of you. I'm seeing this car was a recent purchase, so I can imagine how annoying back to back major expenses can be. Plenty of good advice already given. But I will try to add something. You own a good looking solid car, 350/350 combo is a solid base regardless of years. Maybe not the most powerful or sturdy of the 350 engines but properly maintained and not abused it could last a lifetime...

With that said no matter how well maintained, or how babied these cars are the timing chain set will go. It is inevitable sooner or later. It is the single most important question that we need to ask when we are buying a car. But is often forgotten, or assumed its taken care of when we hear how properly maintained a car is.

My timing chain went on a 67 Cutlass 330 I had a long time ago. I was on a parkway at speed, Car just died. Pulled off parkway and parked. My mechanic came to me. Fixed the car on the spot. At the time our timing kits were still readily available at the local parts store I walked too. Big job, took several hours. The original nylon covered tips were now nubs, he also changed the oil and the filter and the car was good to go. It was a fraction of the price you were quoted. I recently had the timing chain done on my 69. About same ballpark in price. So if your lucky enough to find a good retired mechanic etc, who is willing to give it a shot, you could save a pretty penny, likely you will be the assistant but that is a great position to be in. You learn plenty and know exactly what was and wasn't done to your car.

Now obviously shops can only be so cheap on price because too much is going into using their time. Still I would shop around, no pun intended, and just get the bare minimum done. Some jobs need a full on shop, some don't. If you insist to go with a full on shop or have no other option. I think its worth fixing but it has to be worth fixing to you. If this car is a daily driver or potentially can become one its really worth it IMHO. Going by value can be disappointing...

 

A Cloyes timing set it ~$25 from Rockauto.com. There's probably a shade tree somewhere on your local Craigslist looking for work but take your chances, of course. Timing chain, timing chain cover gasket kit, oil pan gasket, and you should be in business. Less than $50 worth of parts.

 

Better include a water pump gasket (unless its included w/ the cover gasket kit) and a fuel pump gasket. The oil pan gasket won't do you any good unless you NEED to remove the oil pan to clean out chunks of nylon. As I mentioned earlier, if the nylon sprocket is just worn, there is no need to remove the pan to clean it. Merely loosen the front oil pan bolts enough to get the timing cover R&R'd. If you find that the nylon on the sprocket is missing, then the engine will need to be lifted to get the oil pan off, which will involve a lot more work. Considering the symptoms described by the OP (engine not running anymore), the odds are slim that the nylon on the cam sprocket is still in one piece and merely worn.

 

That's the spirit ! Bang it out attitude, try not to over think things, but be cautious.

My Sealed Power/ Federal Mogul kit for the 69 came with all gaskets.

Exactly how it was done on my 69, but in my case the original chain etc was already replaced with all metal sprocket. So nylon was not a concern.

This is the unfortunate downer to the whole mix, lets hope for the best.