Time to break up?
Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2020 9:56 am
Gang,
My '05 Finder has 154,200+ miles on it now and every couple of weeks I get a new problem. Here is what I'm facing now:
-P0340 Camshaft position sensor, Bank 1: new sensors on order and I will replace next week
-P1217 Engine overtemp: coolant 1.5 gallons low; drain, flush, replaced. monitoring levels
-- Why did I loose 1.5 gallons of coolant in 1 yr? Previous forum thread, and will start digging into diagnosis
-P0420 Cat. Syst. Efficiency Below Threshold, Bank 1: persistent problem. I replaced the cats around 110K miles. I just
reset/clear the codes and press on. Probably not the best course of action, but...I have not done any in-depth
troubleshooting and don't want to replace cats again. Hoping it is a sensor replacement.
-Mystery oil leak(s): sides and bottom of engine have oil residue.
-- Frequent monitoring of levels, add oil if necessary, change oil and filter at about 3-4000 miles. Not running synthetic.
-- Awaiting valve cover gasket replacement (mechanic diagnosed). Going to attempt myself
-- I think there are other leaks. Yep, I should get on top of that too, but...
-Exhaust has noticeable fuel smell in cooler temps, but no white smoke
- Interior heat/cooling takes often takes some setting "tinkering" to get the right temp to flow from the vents,
especially getting the heat going on cold days
-New AT tires installed at 151K miles. Probably the most valuable thing on the truck right now, after the Thule roof rack
-Body has some dents, dings, scratches and paint peeling all over thanks to Florida sun and I actually take the truck off
road in some gnarly areas during hunting season
Given the symptoms, are they related? Maybe head gasket replacement?
Last time at the my mechanic for service, the list of recommend repairs exceeded the vehicle value, so I did some of their recommended jobs on my own, like replace front wheel bearings and tie rods and bought new new tires. Still awaiting valve cover job, see above. The mechanic did not delve into the cat problem though. I am not a mechanic, but will reluctantly attempt some jobs if I can find enough good YouTube videos, have access to the tools and TIME.
estimated retail of the truck is $23-5000. I seriously doubt I can get the top end value.
Is it time to give up on my Finder?
My '05 Finder has 154,200+ miles on it now and every couple of weeks I get a new problem. Here is what I'm facing now:
-P0340 Camshaft position sensor, Bank 1: new sensors on order and I will replace next week
-P1217 Engine overtemp: coolant 1.5 gallons low; drain, flush, replaced. monitoring levels
-- Why did I loose 1.5 gallons of coolant in 1 yr? Previous forum thread, and will start digging into diagnosis
-P0420 Cat. Syst. Efficiency Below Threshold, Bank 1: persistent problem. I replaced the cats around 110K miles. I just
reset/clear the codes and press on. Probably not the best course of action, but...I have not done any in-depth
troubleshooting and don't want to replace cats again. Hoping it is a sensor replacement.
-Mystery oil leak(s): sides and bottom of engine have oil residue.
-- Frequent monitoring of levels, add oil if necessary, change oil and filter at about 3-4000 miles. Not running synthetic.
-- Awaiting valve cover gasket replacement (mechanic diagnosed). Going to attempt myself
-- I think there are other leaks. Yep, I should get on top of that too, but...
-Exhaust has noticeable fuel smell in cooler temps, but no white smoke
- Interior heat/cooling takes often takes some setting "tinkering" to get the right temp to flow from the vents,
especially getting the heat going on cold days
-New AT tires installed at 151K miles. Probably the most valuable thing on the truck right now, after the Thule roof rack
-Body has some dents, dings, scratches and paint peeling all over thanks to Florida sun and I actually take the truck off
road in some gnarly areas during hunting season
Given the symptoms, are they related? Maybe head gasket replacement?
Last time at the my mechanic for service, the list of recommend repairs exceeded the vehicle value, so I did some of their recommended jobs on my own, like replace front wheel bearings and tie rods and bought new new tires. Still awaiting valve cover job, see above. The mechanic did not delve into the cat problem though. I am not a mechanic, but will reluctantly attempt some jobs if I can find enough good YouTube videos, have access to the tools and TIME.
estimated retail of the truck is $23-5000. I seriously doubt I can get the top end value.
Is it time to give up on my Finder?