The engine isn't in the most convenient positions for working on the front of it.
He was probably laying across the car to reach the pump, and his beer belly crunched the filler neck down, which then cracked the tank.
Good luck proving it though.

 

Cut your losses and get a new tank. Either find someone you know well enough to help you work on it, or slowly go at it on your own. That's what I did and I've been learning alot! haha

 

Yeah I'm getting a new tank, I also have a family friend that is going to come help and check it out for me. I will be there while he is working on it so I should be able to learn somethings.

I also emailed a local mechanic, his guesses were maybe a loose hose clamp or a hose not being connected, a faulty thermostat, or a bad head gasket(which should not be the problem since the car ran fine and had no problems before bringing it to the guy).

Any ideas of how to get money out of this guy for his mistakes and for what he did wrong? I am unsure if he has his own legal company, but he has a website, shirts, and a lot of stuff with his name all over it. I warned him that if he fried my OptiSpark that he would pay for it and he agreed to that. But how should I approach this guy for all of my other problems? I am not going to give up. and I am not going back to this guy either, who knows what else he will mess up.

 

You are going to have to give it up. He is more than likely not certified so they can't remove his certification. Here in Sacramento we have both uti and wyotech. Both of these schools are just out to get your money. They cost 30k+ and all they do is hand em a book and put em in a class of 60 kids with one teacher and expect them to learn. It's a huge scam. After they graduate they tell em they are mechanics and that's it. They go apply to jobs and they laugh and send em out he door. They then flood Craigslist. They always do half add jobs or start one and then abandon once they get paid. Unless your friend is a actual mechanic then stop being a cheap *** and go to a shop. I really don't have sympathy for these people because you get what you pay for. You are not the first and definitely not the last. Nobody is going to be able to diagnose your car through the phone or email there are way to many things that could be wrong. Even on these forums all we can do is help or lead you in the right path.

 

Thank You

 

The first thing I did upon encountering problems with my car was to purchase the Haynes Repair Manual and a simple meter. You can check quite a few things with just the meter. I bought a cheaper one which was $10 and been putting it to good use. I've done almost all I can without a scan tool which is my next purchase, as well as an aldl cable for diagnostic software you can purchase for your computer and use on your own.

In agreement with RF too, just forget about it and move on. The only way to learn is to get under the hood and take your time. That manual is very handy and so are these forums, just don't go beyond your ability.

 

Just because a mechanic is looking for work on craigslist, doesn't mean he's a hack. There are many good people out of work, regardless of their field, and the internet can be a good place to find work. And going to a repair shop doesn't mean the mechanic is a jeenyus either. Regardless of how you go, a person to person conversation should help determine if the guy is all there upstairs. If you shoot him some questions pertinent to your car, and he starts to drool and look cross-eyed at you, or says things like "I think so", move on quickly.

 

I completely agree with you the guy I'm working under is a mechanic who is a master of his craft and he doesn't work at a shop. Some of the work we get are repairs from shops. What I'm saying is that a lot of losers are on Craigslist because they can't work at shops. In my area most are them are graduates who got scammed and I truly feel sorry em. They paid all that money and all they got was a book. I hear that other utis and wyotech are not the same and are actually pretty good institutions to learn. You get what you pay for sometimes. I can rant for hours but I'm not gonna.

 

I'd just like to add on to this and say I totally agree. You live and you learn, I actually wanted to become a mechanic and was considering UTI before this all happened, but now that I see that this is how they turn out, that choice is long gone!

This is my first car, I worked my *** off all summer long for 40 hours a week just to buy the car, I'm not trying to be a cheap ***, I just didn't know the car would have so many problems within the first 2 days I owned it, I had good experience with other guys on Craigslist before but couldn't find them on the site this time around. I'll admit I should actually appreciate the car and bring it to a trusted person, personally the tuffys out by me is not trust-able. I figured that when I talked to this guy on the phone and made sure that he was certified and that he has actually done a water pump in an LT1 that he would be able to do the job.But i learned that that information wasn't enough.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a lazy *** and its not like I've never worked on a car.I was actually going to do the water pump myself with a friend of mine on his lift but I didn't want to mess up and wet the optispark while doing it, since the previous owner just had it replaced a few months back. The only reason I am on here asking the questions is because I've never had this kind of problem and I am just getting to know this car.

I truly appreciate all of your opinions and ideas and I am taking your criticism into effect too!

 

i suggest you pick up a factory shop manual, way better than a aftermarket book. this one is kinda rough but the cheapest one i could see. 1996 Chevrolet Camaro Pontiac Firebird Service Manual | eBay