REVscene - Vancouver Automotive Forum


Welcome to the REVscene Automotive Forum forums.

Registration is Free!You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today! The banners on the left side and below do not show for registered users!

If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact contact us.


Go Back   REVscene Automotive Forum > Technical Discussion > Maintenance, Engine & Driveline Tech

Maintenance, Engine & Driveline Tech This forum is brought to you by The Speed Syndicate (TSS) in Burnaby.
Discussion of maintaining your engine, transmission, differentails, rear ends, and mods associated with "driveline" parts..

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 05-10-2009, 10:22 PM   #1
I am Hook'd on RS
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Posts: 74
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Dealership serviced my car and engine blew up

I brought my 97 4Runner to get serviced at a Toyota dealerhip on the weekend, and here's what they did:
-oil change
-lubricated propeller shaft
-replaced transfer case fluid
-replaced front/rear differential fluid
-replaced spark plugs
-transmission fluid flush

I got a call during the service and they tell me there was a situation, so I go back to the dealership and here's what they tell me (and what's written on my service record):

"Engine threw a rod stud end cap after engine was being washed. Bottom end is destroyed and contact between head and piston was inevitable. Needs engine replaced."

Now, I'm not a mechanic but needless to say, this is pretty f*cked up. Do you think the dealership should be paying for my engine replacement?
Advertisement
Tegger604 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-11-2009, 09:36 AM   #2
Banned By Establishment
 
Iceman-19's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Coquitlam, BC
Posts: 9,521
Thanked 1,289 Times in 409 Posts
How many kms were on the engine, how long have you owned the vehicle, and just how hard are you on the thing?
Iceman-19 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-11-2009, 09:49 AM   #3
Witness protection
 
thumper's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: GVRD
Posts: 14,427
Thanked 5,343 Times in 2,222 Posts
what has the dealership told u they would do about this?
thumper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-11-2009, 08:55 PM   #4
I am Hook'd on RS
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Posts: 74
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
the car is a 97, owned it since new. 144K KM and i dont drive it hard at all.

basically, the dealership told me the 'parts guy' will call and tell me how much a new engine will cost.
Tegger604 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-11-2009, 09:03 PM   #5
RS.net, helping ugly ppl have sex since 2001
 
shenmecar's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Vancouver
Posts: 8,858
Thanked 2,420 Times in 669 Posts
im kinda confused what happened. So did the mechanic fuck up ur engine??
shenmecar is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-11-2009, 09:54 PM   #6
Banned By Establishment
 
Iceman-19's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Coquitlam, BC
Posts: 9,521
Thanked 1,289 Times in 409 Posts
It sounds like horseshit to me. Fight it, make them pay.
Iceman-19 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2009, 12:32 AM   #7
I am Hook'd on RS
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Posts: 74
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
well of course the mechanic is saying the damage was 'inevitable' but i dont believe them. They definitely could have fucked up during the service but arent admitting to it. ive driven the car 144K km with no problems, they have it for 2 hours and this 'inevitable' blown engine rod happens? i dont buy it.

Im just wondering if you guys think i have a case in fighting them and getting them to pay for my engine replacement.
Tegger604 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2009, 08:16 AM   #8
RS.net, helping ugly ppl have sex since 2001
 
hk20000's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Richmond
Posts: 8,645
Thanked 1,357 Times in 508 Posts
144k km on a Toyota engine? That's "just ran in"....
__________________
⇐ If I bothered replying, that's the face I made while I typed.

  • 2017 Alfa Romeo Giula Q4
  • 1999 Nissan Stagea 260RS 1 of 748
  • 1998 Nissan Laurel Medallion Club S drift boi
  • 1991 Lexus LS400 mint boi
  • 1989 Nissan S-Cargo cute boi
hk20000 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2009, 08:21 AM   #9
Witness protection
 
thumper's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: GVRD
Posts: 14,427
Thanked 5,343 Times in 2,222 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tegger604 View Post
well of course the mechanic is saying the damage was 'inevitable' but i dont believe them. They definitely could have fucked up during the service but arent admitting to it. ive driven the car 144K km with no problems, they have it for 2 hours and this 'inevitable' blown engine rod happens? i dont buy it.

Im just wondering if you guys think i have a case in fighting them and getting them to pay for my engine replacement.

my first thought is to tell you to get a lawyer, but i don't know what is applicable here
thumper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2009, 10:47 AM   #10
NEWBIE ACCOUNT!
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Pitt Meadows
Posts: 18
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
this isn't my account but its a friend of mines and i work at that dealership i saw the entire thing, the tech who was working on it is probably the smartest tech at that shop and to have a rod stud end cap blow through the oil pan like it did that day it would have already had to have been broken or damaged severely approx three weeks before that service day from possible driving the shit out of that vehicle for just one moment. the engine wasn't even revd past 3500 rpm that day which is nothing
rprime is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2009, 04:39 PM   #11
I contribute to threads in the offtopic forum
 
TheSalesman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: vancouver
Posts: 2,637
Thanked 154 Times in 91 Posts
they should definately pay for it. File a complaint to their head office if you can't get anything from that front desk.
TheSalesman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2009, 11:08 PM   #12
I am Hook'd on RS
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Posts: 74
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
rprime: is it a possible manufacturing defect? i dont drive it hard at all.
Tegger604 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2009, 05:39 AM   #13
Witness protection
 
thumper's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: GVRD
Posts: 14,427
Thanked 5,343 Times in 2,222 Posts
is this a regularly serviced vehicle, at this dealership, as in there is service records showing that there hasn't been mechanical issues up to this point?
thumper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2009, 06:32 AM   #14
RS.net, helping ugly ppl have sex since 2001
 
Klobbersaurus's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Lollipop Lane
Posts: 8,528
Thanked 194 Times in 97 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by rprime View Post
this isn't my account but its a friend of mines and i work at that dealership i saw the entire thing, the tech who was working on it is probably the smartest tech at that shop and to have a rod stud end cap blow through the oil pan like it did that day it would have already had to have been broken or damaged severely approx three weeks before that service day from possible driving the shit out of that vehicle for just one moment. the engine wasn't even revd past 3500 rpm that day which is nothing
if the rod cap and bearing were damaged for 3 weeks before, how come the owner didnt notice any odd engine noise? a loose or damaged rod cap would
result in some bad engine noise due to oil clearances for that rod and crank and also, how was your tech able to determine it was 3 weeks ago and not 2 weeks ago or a week ago
__________________
Its Klobbering Time!
Klobbersaurus is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2009, 06:57 AM   #15
I am Hook'd on RS
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Posts: 74
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
my car has always been regularly serviced at toyota dealerships. they acknowledged this themselves.

the dealership has been really kind/accomodating to me...im just very skeptical this happened out of the blue like they say.
Tegger604 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2009, 07:52 AM   #16
RS.net, helping ugly ppl have sex since 2001
 
hk20000's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Richmond
Posts: 8,645
Thanked 1,357 Times in 508 Posts
Also what do you mean "drive the shit out of it"? If it's filled with oil and coolant ANYWHERE under that redline is "within service limit"....Also an automatic offroader can't even overrev governed by all the electronic nannies...
__________________
⇐ If I bothered replying, that's the face I made while I typed.

  • 2017 Alfa Romeo Giula Q4
  • 1999 Nissan Stagea 260RS 1 of 748
  • 1998 Nissan Laurel Medallion Club S drift boi
  • 1991 Lexus LS400 mint boi
  • 1989 Nissan S-Cargo cute boi
hk20000 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2009, 08:34 AM   #17
Witness protection
 
thumper's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: GVRD
Posts: 14,427
Thanked 5,343 Times in 2,222 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by Klobbersaurus View Post
if the rod cap and bearing were damaged for 3 weeks before, how come the owner didnt notice any odd engine noise? a loose or damaged rod cap would
result in some bad engine noise due to oil clearances for that rod and crank and also, how was your tech able to determine it was 3 weeks ago and not 2 weeks ago or a week ago
where i was heading with this was... if it's a car that dosen't see regular maintenance or goes somewhere like jiffy lube and is beat on... then maybe there is reason for doubt that the dealership is at fault. but as the OP said, it's been regularly dealer serviced, has service records, and isn't thrashed... wouldn't a rod cap that is going south make a hell of a racket before grenading if this was something that started weeks ago?
thumper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-14-2009, 08:00 PM   #18
I don't get it
 
JL9000's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 427
Thanked 78 Times in 21 Posts
Cars do blow up when they're being serviced. This may or may not be the repair shop's fault, and there's really no way for you to tell who's fault it is. A lot of car owners have no clue their cars are about to die, which is fair because a often times there are very little to no warnings whatsoever.

But of course this is the internet and everyone knows better about what happened sitting behind a desk than the people who are actually involved.
JL9000 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-14-2009, 08:11 PM   #19
Banned (ABWS)
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Burnaby
Posts: 114
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I'd be calling a lawyer and have a outside mechanic inspect the car and look for why this happend. If it was indeed the dealers fault there should be some signs of wrong doing.
sirensong is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-17-2009, 09:52 AM   #20
Oh goodie, 5 posts already!
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: canada
Posts: 6
Thanked 10 Times in 1 Post
the services you got done there, nothing was involved with the bottom end. How can it be the tech's fault? That rod end cap stud was probably on its last breath, who knows why? But at least it happened in the parkinglot where the tech was just being nice and wanted your engine bay to look clean. Imagine that motor throwing the rod while you are on the highway sometime soon down the road, it wouldve been scary wouldnt it, and maybe even a bit dangeous.

I would be pissed my motor blew while being serviced by a dealership too, i understand that, but what can you do about it when its not the dealership's fault?

Its very unlikely that a stock motor would just throw a rod out of the blue, but it happens, and it just happened on you. At least you got a courtesy car to drive around in the meantime.

I dont think you have a case against them thou, im sorry.
scblueIS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-17-2009, 10:10 AM   #21
Ricer Mod
 
Berzerker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Smithers
Posts: 7,008
Thanked 5,276 Times in 1,501 Posts
Maybe when "cleaning" the engine like the post above me mentioned they hydrolocked the motor?

Motor's don't throw rod end cap studs for no reason. There usually is knocking before anysort of rod malfunction.

Berz out.
__________________
President of RS Beat Down Crew
Berzerker is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-17-2009, 06:41 PM   #22
NEWBIE ACCOUNT!
 
turbo00dsm85's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Van
Posts: 14
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
If the owner of the car doesn't know what engine troubles sound like they'll probably just turn up the radio and pass the engine noise off as strange road noise.

Doesn't sound like the mechanic was at fault at all. It's also possible the owner of the vehicle hasn't properly maintained the lubrication system; missing one or two oil changes even early in the engines life can severly damage the engine.
turbo00dsm85 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-18-2009, 10:29 PM   #23
RS.net, helping ugly ppl have sex since 2001
 
Klobbersaurus's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Lollipop Lane
Posts: 8,528
Thanked 194 Times in 97 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by turbo00dsm85 View Post
If the owner of the car doesn't know what engine troubles sound like they'll probably just turn up the radio and pass the engine noise off as strange road noise.

Doesn't sound like the mechanic was at fault at all. It's also possible the owner of the vehicle hasn't properly maintained the lubrication system; missing one or two oil changes even early in the engines life can severly damage the engine.
did the tech make notes about the car running rough before working on it? if not, then they are screwed
__________________
Its Klobbering Time!
Klobbersaurus is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-19-2009, 09:36 PM   #24
I am Hook'd on RS
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Posts: 74
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
nope there are no engine noises. i often drive without the radio on and i pay quite a bit of attention to engine noises.

i hired a third party inspector and he determined the cause to be a 'faulty bolt'. basically, the bolt was stretched and stressed to the point where it just snapped.
Tegger604 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-20-2009, 05:50 AM   #25
Witness protection
 
thumper's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: GVRD
Posts: 14,427
Thanked 5,343 Times in 2,222 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tegger604 View Post
nope there are no engine noises. i often drive without the radio on and i pay quite a bit of attention to engine noises.

i hired a third party inspector and he determined the cause to be a 'faulty bolt'. basically, the bolt was stretched and stressed to the point where it just snapped.

so what does that mean? who's fault is it?
thumper is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are Off



All times are GMT -8. The time now is 01:56 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
SEO by vBSEO ©2011, Crawlability, Inc.
Revscene.net cannot be held accountable for the actions of its members nor does the opinions of the members represent that of Revscene.net