Expert: jack bahm - 1/9/2011

Question
Dear Mr. Bahm

I recently purchased a 1988 Cutlass from my neighbor (original owners)for my son.  Because the car would not start, my neighors thought that it might be the starter or the alternator.  I took it to a mechanic, and he stated that the fuel line appeared to be clogged because no gas was getting to the carborator.  What kind of repair job would this be and on average how much money are we talking to repair the car.  My son will be home from Afghanistan in April and it is a surprise for him.

Answer
I'm a Model A guy, but I will try to help.  It should have fuel injection, and if it does, it has a fuel pump in the tank. If it is a carb. , it will have a simple pump. By '88, almost all cars had the pump in the tank. It won't be cheap t fix, but you should fix it. Take it to a local shop and tell them that you want to fix it for your son, but you don't want to spend a fortune.
Be fore you do that, get the car in a quiet place and, with gas in the tank, turn the key on.  Not the start position, just to the on position. You should hear the pump run for just a moment. If you hear it run, then the pump is probably ok. It should run just enough to build up pressure. If it runs, maybe all you need is a filter change or new injectors.
Just have a trusting mechanic look at it.  
1988 is a pretty old car, but since you have it, you might as well get it running, but if the mech. thinks it is not worth it, just scrap it.
Good luck.
Jack

Since you mentioned carb., maybe it is not fuel injected. This should make the repair less costly. A fuel pump is easy to replace, and a plugged line should not be a big deal.
Good luck.
Jack