Ouch, what an expensive phone call to the shop...

[Quattro]

So I wanted to get a overview of what was wrong with my 1998 Expedition that I purchased at the Police Auction. I took it to a local repair shop and asked them to give the car a look over, change the oil and service the AC unit. I knew going into this that there would be some expenses, so I had some money set aside for repairs. What I am hoping to find out from all of you is which of the following are repairs that an intermediate can handle with a very good set of tools and a service manual...

This is a list of problems and estimates from the shops:

#1: AC Unit. Big hole in the AC manifold/Hose will not hold any freon. Their Estimate: $775+ tax (372.96 for parts 176 labor 113 for Freon fill)

#2 Oil Cooler Leak: "leak in the front of the lines"
Estimate: $490

#3 Front CV Boots: Both are split and need to be replaced
Estimate: no estimate "will cost a lot"

#4 Transfer Case Leak: I knew it had a small leak, and they just suggested to flush it and refill it
Estimate: $200 for refill, "A lot of money" to split the transfer case and repair the leak

#5 Spark Plugs Changed: Motorcraft platinum plugs and labor
Estimate: $400-$420

#6 Serpentine Belt: I saw that it was slightly frayed, they said it was a bit shredded
Estimate: NA


If you guys could let me know if there are write ups on here for any of these, or if the service manual has write ups. Also, estimate difficulty and duration of repair if done by an intermediate.

 

[panda24619]

well if you have the time you can do the plugs. and the belt is a pain, at least mine was, but you can do it with basic tools. as for the ac if you need it i would get it fixed. transfer case needs to be fixed idk how much it really costs to fix though. i had a friend who fixed his own cv boots on his toyota but idk how much trouble he had. but looks like you have a lot of money to give them. i would call around and see where the cheapest place is.

 

[dgray69]

holy shit. you need to bring that up here to new york. $400 to change plugs. dam i know a good mechanic that wont rape you. plugs and cops should be about $150. so 250 for labor. unreal. hmmmmm just for plugs. i need to get a bigger shop and wrench full time. ask walnuts4x4 what he paid on his truck. then find a freind. thereis no reason with a little knowlage you cant to plugs. belt. transfer case your self. or finda small local garage.with some one trying to build clientell. and reputation. that list is just sick. an why i do allllllll my own work.

 

[fiveohpoepoe]

Where are you located? Those are some crazy prices

 

[nvycrmn]

i agree, most of that you can do yourself with a little bit of time and patience. the cvs might be a pain in the butt. you will need to change the whole shaft out. with my lift, it is easier. you might have to break your ball joints to do it. you can probably get it done for around 300 at the shop if you didnt want to do it yourself.

 

[KWT2000]

thats all doit your self... you can replace the a/c line for around $100 and have a shop recharge the system... the oil cooler lines are $70 and about an hour to replace very simple... tune is just time consuming but not exspensive... ask questions were here to help.... the cv shafts are around $250 for both and a couple hours to change... serp belt around $80 and a few minutes to change... figer around $40 with full synthetic fluid and gasket maker and maybe an hour to take tcase out and reseal(depending where it is leaking)

 

[GAINMOB]

im a beginner but at my level im more inclined to perform:
#5 Spark Plugs Changed:
#6 Serpentine Belt:

with you being intermediate: the following plus what i would do
#2 Oil Cooler Leak:
#3 Front CV Boots: i had these changed back in the day on a nissan 200sx...dude took about 2hrs for front end

 

[Quattro]

Thanks....

great stuff guys. Thanks for the support. Now all I need is the write ups I guess.

The one thing I did notice on this board is a non-existant FAQ with write ups and common problems. In my other Audi TT forum we have a FAQ with a great resource of information.

I ordered the service manual on DVD today, I will write a full review when I receive it.

 

[ELVATO]

It's the How To section, though it isn't exactly organized like a FAQ section would be. Just search.

I have a service manual, but it only goes from 2000-2003. Techincally, it would also cover a 99, since it's similar to a 2000. 97 and 98 Expys are a bit different then a 99-02, so I wouldn't be able to fully help you there.

Serpatine belt should be about 30-40 bucks (I think that's how much my Gatorback was), plus like 20 bucks (that gets refunded when returned) to borrow the serpantine belt removal kit from Autozone/Advanced. Take a picture or draw a diagram of how the belt goes before taking it off. The first time around, it can be a bit of a PITA, but subsequent times, it should take less than 5 mins.

Plugs should be about 30 bucks for plugs, at least from Autozone. I'm sure Advanced has a similar price for Motorcrafts. Hell, if you want, you can get COPs from Ebay and change those out as well. Should be around 100 for 8 COPs. Search the forum for the links to the ebay stores.

Cruise around sites like rockauto.com, tascaparts.com, and of course, ebay for the parts needed.

 

[nvycrmn]

i agree. parts should be "cheap". its the labor that they are killing you on. the serp belt should have a pic on the top of the fan shroud of how it goes on. not too hard to change. the plugs are fairly easy, just the back two are a pain and you need some patience. as for the cv shafts, i think they are about 70 bucks a piece at advanced or autozone. those shouldnt be too bad, about an hour to change each side. i will get you the instructions on how to do it a little later today. the only thing that might be a PITA is you might have to "break" the balljoint to get the flange out.

 

[Quattro]

I am interested in your instructions for the serp belt. I dont think that I want to handle removing ball joints. Thats a tough job.

 

[dgray69]

just take a trip up here to new york and bring a few (30) cases of bud light (bottles only please), and ill fix you up

 

[nvycrmn]

damn, 30 cases? you a beer camel dgray??!!!!!

 

[mic_1011]

did my plugs for around $20 bought at autozone, $2.50 a piece motorcraft and all the labor myself. time consuming took about half my saturday. you just need to get the pesky fuel rails out of the way and have the right tools to get all the way in the back. the last two oh and you'll need a milkcrate or something to stand on to reach 'em. serpentine belt is easy too...about $35 and a breaker bar or torque wrench. there's a tensioner with a small square in the middle (put the socket end of a breaker in it and twist. it will ease up the tension and you can remove the belt, then just replace it the same way it came out and release the tensioner.

 

[99 Expy]

I just finished the ball joints on my 99 today, and for the cv shaft, I was able to take them out without taking the ball joints off. When I took them off, I first unbolted the 6 bolts that hold it onto the axle and then slid it off of the axle and when I got the spindle nut off I hit it with a hammer and it popped out pretty easy. You just have to work it around a little and it should come out. When I was buying some other parts today at NAPA, I priced some cv joints for the hell of it and remanufactured run 70 and 85 for brand new ones just to give you an idea.