Mechanic Thinks She's A Lost Cause

[JoAnne]

On vacation in Louisville, KY and lost power on the highway. Pulled over and was able to go about 10mph on the shoulder and to a gas station where I was towed to a garage. I could notice a whooshing sound when I tried to accelerate. Garage said it was likely my cat (which I just replaced last May). Some friends took a look since the garage I was sent to didn't do exhaust work and found my throttle body was horribly dirty. They cleaned it and replaced a sensor but still can't go over 10mph.
Rented a truck and trailer and hauled her home to my mechanic. They've had her for two days now and found that the plenum warped (the whooshing sound) causing the cats to burn up. Not sure yet of the cause or other damage but he tells me he may not be able to fix this without me digging deep.
So...not sure if I'll just send her to the yard or part it out a bit beforehand. It just kills me that I got new tires and brakes last year and my windshield in January!
It's amusing that I bought this car when my Porsche died on me and I needed a car "now". We've come full circle.

[TBird1stLuv]

Before I would give up on the car I would get a second opinion (unless it is someone you really trust and have a relationship with for some time). Know it is a long shot but I guess it would depend on if you need to replace the car right away. I also would make sure it's not a coil on plug issue.

[007Cruiser]

How many miles, JoAnne?

[JoAnne]

• I think I'm just under 245,000 miles. I had the cops replaced last year. I'm just getting to the point where I can't take it anymore. The sensor I replaced over the weekend was $80 and installed for zero by my friend. Getting too expensive to keep.

My mechanic is the same guy I've used for 20 yrs. He's worked with me through all the issues so I trust him without hesitation.

[EldoradoBird]

That is a lot of miles for any car. Big dicision.

[BirdsAndBugs]

If you have to replace both the intake manifold and the catalytic converter, I would estimate the parts to be right around $1,000 if I had to make a calculated guess using aftermarket parts. I'm not knowledgable enough to know what the labor cost would be but I would figure it would likely be another $1,000 or more possibly. Yeah, i could easily see this becomeing a $2,000 - 3,000 repair bill. Probably still cheaper than replacing it with another vehicle, but 245,000 is a lot of miles on the car and I'm sure it shows some wear. Tough choice to make.

Let us know what you find out in repair costs and what you decide. Good luck.

[Rondor]

With that mielage and the seriousness of the problem I agree it may be time to bale out. How many of those miles did you put on it? If it was mine I probably would put a new eccoboost crate motor and have the first retro resto' mod

[007Cruiser]

Another option would be a rebuilt engine from Jasper.

www.jasperengines.com

[Brad]

Joanne, I bought these cats for an 03 a few months ago for $327 and so far they are working good.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Catalytic-C...72.m2749.l2649

Given the high mileage of your car I would suggest a junkyard intake from a Lincoln LS, if you would like me to see if I can find one locally let me know.

[JoAnne]

I replaced the cat last May! I put in about $10K the last two years and I'm just done. I bought the car new with 15 miles on the odometer, so they're all mine. I'm settling in with the idea that it's time. Will know more next week. If it goes, I'll post my hardtop and the accessories here if anyone is interested.

[BirdsAndBugs]

I replaced the cat last May! I put in about $10K the last two years and I'm just done. I bought the car new with 15 miles on the odometer, so they're all mine. I'm settling in with the idea that it's time. Will know more next week. If it goes, I'll post my hardtop and the accessories here if anyone is interested.

Since this car sounds like your daily transportation, it probably is a good idea to move on to something new.

[Brad]

JoAnne, I sent you a pm, I'm interested in the whole car and I'm local

[ISSYRO]

I replaced the cat last May! I put in about $10K the last two years and I'm just done. I bought the car new with 15 miles on the odometer, so they're all mine. I'm settling in with the idea that it's time. Will know more next week. If it goes, I'll post my hardtop and the accessories here if anyone is interested.

That is an amazing amount of miles, Totally impressed you have had it so long!

[dcrichards]

Got me wondering, what's the most miles anyone has put on a retrobird? 245,000 is probably the record?

[007Cruiser]

I think member worldclasswheels hit 300K.