[NoVa-Corvairs] client car issue

Wed Apr 16 09:02:47 EDT 2008

Daniel,

Cordially disagree with Albert.  The mechanic failed. 

Oil pan should have come off as part of the first repair period.  Why?
As the mechanic "theorizes" the valves were sheared...Duh...metal
shearing = metal shavings in oil passages + not fully flushing out oil
(pulling the oil pan is the only way to be sure) = crap in engine.  

The mechanic would have been mostly likely notified that the truck had
been sitting for ~ 6 years (this would be an assumption you'll have to
verify).  Any mechanic would have known that this would be a very "dry"
engine.  Most engine damage/wear occurs in the first 2-minutes of engine
start.

It would have been most prudent to pre-lube the engine.  How?  Simply
pull the distributor and spin the oil pump shaft with a air
drill...simple on this Ford because the distributor sits in front of the
engine and access is much easier. 

Mechanic was likely doing the minimum job to get the maximum dollar.
Sounds familiar eh?  Also, probably pre-mature wear in the main bearing
& cam shaft bearings will likely show up down the road.  

Also since this is a '97 F-150 which might have the 4.2L engine V-6
(please check) there was a major recall for this engine for timing
housing assembly gasket failure which allowed coolant into the oil.
Hmmm...oil pressure running low after a repair...doesn't sound good.
Ford is still honoring repair of this...although you might have to
"fight"

Suggest the mechanic eat the second repair.  An option would have the
customer be given 50% credit on first repair (wasn't repaired prudently
and whether the owner attempted to start prior is debatable) IF THE
MECHANIC AND CUSTOMER agree to split the cost of a new crate rebuilt
engine which are reasonably priced.  Why...I think other damage is going
to show up sooner or later.  

Steve

-----Original Message-----
From: novacc-list-bounces at corvair.org
[mailto:novacc-list-bounces at corvair.org] On Behalf Of ALBERT BIRKS
Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2008 10:11 PM
To: Northern Va Corvair Club
Subject: Re: [NoVa-Corvairs] client car issue

Daniel: The mechanic can't be an idiot. He is probably very busy and
would have assumed that almost everyone changes their oil, so why pull
the pan unnecessarily?  Also you said that the soldier had the truck
towed in to get the oil & water changed. If this happened the mechanic
would have noted the sludge build up in the oil and at least new oil
replaced the sludged-up oil. Was the  oil and filter changed?

The wife notes the low oil pressure which was probably caused by a
dirt-filled oil pick-up in the oil pan. I can't believe the oil pressure
light didn't come on before the engine was ruined. (Do 97 Fords have
idiot lights?)

The fact that the mechanic had to "machine" the heads initially shows
the engine was sucking water into the oil pan. Oil plus water plus
sitting still for several YEARS will not only cause sludge, but also
huge flakes of rust that the mechanic would have seen when he finally
pulled the oil pan.  This mess was caused prior to the mechanic doing
any work on the vehicle, so why blame him - he got the engine running
well, as requested.

ASB
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Daniel Goldberg<mailto:goldie at danielgoldberg.net>
  To: novacc-list at corvair.org<mailto:novacc-list at corvair.org>
  Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2008 9:27 PM
  Subject: [NoVa-Corvairs] client car issue

  In 2002, my client puts his 1997 Ford F-150 (70k) into "storage".  He
goes to
  Germany and the middle east.

  In March he returns to Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

  He says he has the F-150 towed to a local shop for fluids and filters,
and
  that he did not try to start it.  The shop says he did try to start
it.

  (I believe the shop and not my client.)

  Mechanic attempts to determine why the F-150 won't start.  He runs a
  compression test and finds low compression on three cylinders. He
determines
  that the camshaft has destroyed the valves -- he theorizes that the
valves
  were stuck open and the lobes sheared them off because no oil was
getting to
  the top end.

  The mechanic had the heads machined and repaired.  He reinstalled
them.  The
  F-150 is running well.

  Soldier pays $2,700 and receives back the F-150.

  His wife is driving it and it shows low oil pressure.  Naturally, she
  continues to drive it.

  Heads are redestroyed, F-150 is towed back to mechanic.  Mechanic
removes the
  oil pan and finds that all this crap circulated through the engine,
clogged
  the passages and oil pump, which most likely rewrecked the heads.

  Mechanic will charge clients $1,200 to repair new damage.

  My client was beligerent and not open to discussion or compromise.
The fact
  that his wife and young child were in my office also put me on edge.
I spoke
  with the mechanic who was quite calm and reasonable.  The meeting
deteriorated.

  Non-gearheads expect mechanics to be perfect.  We know better.  My
client is
  an asshole and I'd prefer not to deal with him again, but I can't
shake the
  feeling that the mechanic should have determined *why* the heads were
  destroyed the first time.  If the mechanic pulled the heads, should he
not
  also have pulled the pan?  There was probably so much crud in the
engine due
  to infrequent oil changes -- I'm guessing.  And certainly the wife
should not have
  continued to drive the vehicle.  Again, though, the mechanic repaired
the
  vehicle without fully diagnosing the problem.

  Thoughts?

  I'm so happy that I'm getting kicked upstairs to the prosecutor's
office in
  two weeks.

  daniel

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