Looks like I may be out of business..

Tex Star Detail

Tex Star Detail

Formerly TexasTB
That's the problem with running your mobile setup out of a cargo van. When it breaks, your business goes down with it..... Been in the shop for 3 days and no end in sight. None of the techs can figure out the timing issue on my 95 GMC Safari Cargo. Ran great until I put in a new distributor. Missed like crazy. Put the old one back in and no change. Bought a 2nd new one and nothing....
Numerous techs have been working on it with all the high-tech computers and scanners. They set the timing several times and no one can figure out why it won't stay running right and not stutter and die. I canceled all my appointments.:( Some really pissed off. Lost too much money already this week. I have no good credit due to the ex wife and I buy everything cash, so I cannot get approved for another vehicle..... I have a car for a down payment, thats it. And they don't think they will be able to look at it until mid to late afternoon tomorrow. I have been canceling and push appointments back as far as I could. Looks like my vacation in the 1st week of July is gone too.... Schedule book is full until the week after next. Every day I cancel someone and tell them sorry, nothing I can due... So far this week I'm out over a grand in lost work.....

Sooooo, looks like I am possibly shutting down unless my van gets a DEFINITE FIX tomorrow BY NOON, or I buy something and completely outfit it by tomorrow night. NO if's, and's, ir but's......

Welcome to crappy credit and the business world huh?
Had to vent....:thanks
 
Tex, I'm very sorry to hear that. I don't even know what to say. I can't believe a competent mechanic with the proper tools can't run down the problem. Of course the first thing that comes to mind is the proper firing order. I'm sure they've been over that multiple times. Another thing I've seen happen when replacing a distributor is when one is assembled with the wrong reluctor. I've seen this happen multiple times where a six or eight cylinder reluctor ends up on the opposite distributor.

This of course should not carry over from one distributor to the next. I assume this could happen with a batch of distributors. I've also seen it happen where the ground strap on the spark control module is not tightened down. It obviously could be a ton of different things but you've got to start with the piece that made things go south.

If it were running well prior to the new parts chances are the problem is not mechanical in nature (i.e. valve train etc.). It can be very easy to over look the obvious. If you can get it running and can rev it up pull one wire at a time and find out which cylinder(s) are not contributing. This will give you a place to start. If you find two aren't playing chances are it's mis-wired. Pull the plugs again and double check to make sure you didn't get one dirty during installation causing bridge fouling (no gap). If you dropped a plug look long and hard at the insulator. Double check and make sure the plug boot didn't have the end of the wire pull back in the boot.

Did you run combustion chamber cleaner through it when doing the tune? Carbon lodged in the EGR valve can cause weird problems too.

Getting the base timing set should be a no brainer for any qualified technician. I know this all sounds too easy but it usually is something down these roads. I wish you a lot of luck and actually wish you were closer.
 
Tex, sorry to hear of your current predicament. Hopefully there will be a quick resolution. Can you fall back on your dealership work? As for your current mobile customers, I think most people are understanding when an explanation is provided showing circumstances beyond your control and would be willing to wait until you are "mobile" again. For those who want the service now, maybe you could arrange for a drop-off service temporarily.
 
Here is what was replaced on the van recently. Remember, the van had a very very very minor stumble at idle. Nothing to worry about. I mean the van has just rolled 170k miles.
Plugs and wires
Cap and Rotor
fuel filter
pcv valve
water pump
radiator
all hoses
egr cleaned and new gasket
new PS fluid
new brake fluid
new lower intake manifold gasket
new upper (plenum) gasket
valve cover gaskets
MAP sensor
Throttle body cleaned
fuel pressure regulator replaced
and I am sure some other things.

Distributor went back in fine.
still had the very weak stumble.

Got a wild hair to pull it and the drive gear was worn. Decided to buy a new distributor vs just a gear. put it in, forgot to mark the old one. Took a few to get it running. I brought the #1 cylinder to TDC on the compression stroke. Replaced distrib and it fired, but missed while driving. Took it to the shop and returned the new distrib to advance auto and picked one up from Autozone. Bought nother new cap and rotor. NOthing changed. Fuel pressure is holding steady and true. They re timed it over and over. Had it hooked up to everything. They said it's sort of difficult to diagnose and OBD 1. (they changed to OBD2 in 96, and mine is a 95, my luck)

So.... other than that... I have no idea.

I can work out of my car, sorta. No way I can do any detail, as my extractor will not fit. NO one has power either to plug into at many of the places I go to.... I went to day to do an el camino... lol, what fun that was..
 
Most of my work is about 45 minutes away, so the drop offs are rare. (used to live in the other town, until I moved away from the ex wife, lol) No dealership work. Most of the appointments I have lined up are the ones that are moving, selling the car, going on vacation, etc..... No one wants to wait these days.... my busiest time and my van craps on me.... If I didn't have bad luck, I wouldn't have any at all! Hahaha. I tried sticking my extractor in the back seat and it was not going in at all! lol
 
Man your luck is alot like mine..ex's, bad credit, vehicals tearing up, moving away from your clients, the whole thing. It sucks like no other. I hope things work out for you and definatly hope you dont loose your business. Ive got the hook up on cargo vans if you wanna drive to Southeast Missouri lol.
 
I am scheduled to drive to Missouri July 1st through the 8th or 9th actually. Drive up through Dallas on 35, hit Oklahoma on 69/75 all the way up to Big Cabin, OK. Then I get on I-44 and head east through Joplin to central Missouri. :)
 
Dang Tex, I am really sorry that you're having this trouble. I assume you have been all over Astro/Safari with this issue? Couldn't you use a wet dry Vac and some extra elbow grease until you get your van straightened out? How big is your generator? There's got to be a way you can keep your business from crashing. I pray that you can get this mess all figured out very soon.
 
Generator is bolted to the van. LOL It's a big Coleman powermate 6000 Watt puppy. Not on the frame anymore. Astrosafari really isn't helping too much at this point. Hahaha. Since I don't have the van here at the house, really nothing I can do. I am the point right now where it needs to be fixed BY NOON tomorrow. Has to be, only option. That or I can try to squeeze water out of a rock and try to get SOME sort of loan from somewhere/someone to get another van.
 
What about a rental van? Man If I were there you would have a van to use. I just brought mine here from where it was stored. It's going in for inspection and I ain't letting them get anywhere that distributor.
 
Tex Star Detail said:
That's the problem with running your mobile setup out of a cargo van. When it breaks, your business goes down with it..... Been in the shop for 3 days and no end in sight. None of the techs can figure out the timing issue on my 95 GMC Safari Cargo. Ran great until I put in a new distributor. Missed like crazy. Put the old one back in and no change. Bought a 2nd new one and nothing....
Numerous techs have been working on it with all the high-tech computers and scanners. They set the timing several times and no one can figure out why it won't stay running right and not stutter and die. I canceled all my appointments.:( Some really pissed off. Lost too much money already this week. I have no good credit due to the ex wife and I buy everything cash, so I cannot get approved for another vehicle..... I have a car for a down payment, thats it. And they don't think they will be able to look at it until mid to late afternoon tomorrow. I have been canceling and push appointments back as far as I could. Looks like my vacation in the 1st week of July is gone too.... Schedule book is full until the week after next. Every day I cancel someone and tell them sorry, nothing I can due... So far this week I'm out over a grand in lost work.....

Sooooo, looks like I am possibly shutting down unless my van gets a DEFINITE FIX tomorrow BY NOON, or I buy something and completely outfit it by tomorrow night. NO if's, and's, ir but's......

Welcome to crappy credit and the business world huh?
Had to vent....:thanks
Click to expand...
im in the same boat.. if my truck brakes im screwed....
 
Sorry to here about the Business troubles Tex. I attended a class yesterday and saw about 25 guys in the same boat as you are in. The EPA is changing the rules on "LEAD PAINT" and anyone having contact with the stuff in anyway must comply. I heard the vehicle,ex wife,rental,insurance,lack of work woes from many that attended.

Can ya get a trailer and pull that behind another vehicle? It might not be great but it can be used in this circumstance to get ya by. Its tough trying to stay afloat nowadays, ya either are mortgaged to the hilt and have new stuff. Or ya run older stuff and lay under the iron every night fixin it for the next day.

I hope ya get things underway soon...:surrender :howdy
 
I had a miss or stumble after my intake gasket went out on my 96 gmc safari, we did plugs,wires and the whole nine yards. Mine ended up being caused by a vaccum leak on some type of heater valve that was made of plastic, the housing had cracked, it got cracked during repair. After that it ran like a top.
 
atkinsonair said:
I had a miss or stumble after my intake gasket went out on my 96 gmc safari, we did plugs,wires and the whole nine yards. Mine ended up being caused by a vacuum leak on some type of heater valve that was made of plastic, the housing had cracked, it got cracked during repair. After that it ran like a top.
Click to expand...

That would be close to my theory. In the process of doing all the work since you double checked everything, something got touched along the way while doing the other work and broke (like a hairline crack in a vacuum line, etc).

I assume a scope can tell you if a specific cylinder was acting up so it has to be something more general..again, a vacuum leak, etc.
 
Tex Star Detail said:
I am scheduled to drive to Missouri July 1st through the 8th or 9th actually. Drive up through Dallas on 35, hit Oklahoma on 69/75 all the way up to Big Cabin, OK. Then I get on I-44 and head east through Joplin to central Missouri. :)
Click to expand...

Awsome. If you make it down south of STL hit me up
 
TX

I'm sorry to hear about this and do I know HOW you feel, I'm not far from that myself

If they do not find the trouble in the van, is there not a way to rent a truck or van short term?

The hardest thing in running a detailing biz is getting a good customer base, seem like you have that. If only getting to them is the problem then you have to come up with a way to do so.

I know that for someone looking from the outside it seems easy but think outside the box here. Look at all your resources and find a way to get to these customers quickly, if you loose those and then get your van fixed, that will be a much larger problem to get new ones or try and win back the old ones than finding transportation!
 
Here's the Skinny on my situation....:)
Went out looking at vans all morning. Drove for miles and miles around only to find garbage. (Craigslist ads suck.)

I decided to head back tot he shop after no luck on finding a replacement van. The 2nd new distributor was still in the van, and no one has even glanced at my van, let a lone touch it today. I could have sworn they ruled out my old distributor, as I thought they put it back in to make sure.
Well I grabbed MY tools and yanked the new distributor out. Grabbed the old one and stuck it back in. (lined up and aligned correctly of course) Fired right up. Drove it down the highway a few times and it did not die.:rockon:yay:rockon:yay (I'd add a few more smilies, but there is still a little problem.
When in Neutral or Park and only idling, the van idles smooth as a babies butt, but still has that "minor miss" that I had before this fiasco. In and DRIVE gear, it seems to miss a little more than it should.
When in Neutral or Park, idling with the AIR CONDITIONER ON, it idles smooth, again, with that minor miss, sometimes a little more.
When in a DRIVE GEAR with the AC ON at idle (foot on brake), it dances around like a kid with too much sugar. It died a couple times, but nothing major. And only when idling.
When I am driving and get up to speed, it all evens out it seems. Or at least from what I can tell sitting it a rattling tin can.:D

So there, I still have an unidentified miss when the vehicle is under load at idle rpms, and it seems to smooth out at highway speeds. I am lost...
I think I am going to call a few transmission shops to see if it can be something with the tranny, like a bad torque converter or flywheel. Worth a shot to ask I guess.....

But hey!!!! The van runs and drives, what else can I really say. I can go back to work with it for the time being. Seems like the man above answered a few prayers.;)
 
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